Starcraft: Mind Over Matter

This story is based on the wildly popular computer strategy game Starcraft. It takes place roughly a year after the events of the Brood War expansion pack. It's actually based on a campaign I made with the game's map editor. I'm very proud of the final confrontation at the end so I hope you'll enjoy it. Remember to tell me what you think and stick around because I'm planning two sequels based on another campaign of mine.

Mind Over Matter

Following the devastation of Kerrigan's Brood War numerous small groups of Terrans and Protoss were scattered across the Koprulu Sector. Most became isolated from their fellows and were forced to survive by whatever means they could find. Some settled on isolated worlds while others wandered the cosmos in the hopes of reuniting with others of their race. Listen now to one of their stories…

Daniel Cortez was restless. He had wanted to get to bed early for once but now he found he was not tired. To make matters worse his right hand was hurting again. Though it was covered with the same dark-tanned skin as the rest of his body, the slight hiss of gears as he clenched and unclenched his fist was telling of the fact it was not the hand he had been born with. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. My hand can't feel pain. But it did hurt and it was driving him to distraction.

The hand had been lost to a hydralisk during the flight from Tarsonis. The same night I lost Penelope. His sister had been in the crowd running to the dropship with him but had somehow not made it all the way. I should have been paying closer attention. I shouldn't have let her fall behind. He could almost hear the screams of the dying, the thunder of battle. He stopped pacing and sat down at the only table in his shack. He shook his head to clear it. I can't go down this road again. It was a predictable progression. First his hand would hurt, then he would start to think of that last night on Tarsonis when he had lost Penelope. Soon he would be so lost in grief and self-recrimination that he wouldn't be able to function for hours if not days. I have to get my mind on something else.

Putting on his coat, he stepped outside into the night. The cold wind bit into his face. He shivered and pulled his coat tighter. His feet splashed into puddles of icy water as he walked up the street of ramshackle dwellings. Why couldn't we have found a nice warm planet like Tarsonis? Nine months here, you'd think I'd have gotten used to it by now. Daniel continued to march through the streets of the town called Sanctuary in the direction of the tavern. He did not pass many people - most in Sanctuary woke up and went to sleep early and most of the ones that didn't were at the lone tavern. It probably wouldn't have been advisable for someone of Daniel's importance to stay up late but he had gotten into the habit of sleeping little while serving in the Dominion Marine Corps. Daniel noticed that his hairline was beginning to recede as he ran his hand through his hair. Great. I wonder if it's genetics or all those nukes we used on the Zerg?

He approached the tavern and pulled open its rusty door. The tavern, like most buildings in Sanctuary, had been built from the remains of the ships that had brought them to the fifth planet of the distant Trojia system. Inside he was greeted by the stink of sweat and cigarette smoke. The tavern was crowded with off-duty workers and soldiers. He looked around until he noticed a familiar head of reddish-brown hair at a table near the back. The head belonged to Jessica Terrance, leader of Sanctuary's elite infantry squad; named Bravo Squad, it was a five-man team created to handle the most dangerous jobs. Daniel was the only member not sitting at the table with her. He quickly changed that.

He gave a casual salute to Jessica as he sat down. Daniel thought that the former confederate ghost had probably been very beautiful once but a hard life and long war with the Zerg had left her face haggard and worn. A long scar ran through her left eye - now replaced with a cybernetic implant. The other eye had a haunted look that spoke of long suffering. She nodded to him and he greeted the others. John Teckama sat drinking grain alcohol from a jug. A thin man from Mar Sara, he was charming in a redneck kind of way. Next to John sat his brother Billy. Billy was much larger than his brother and kept his hair extremely short. Both brothers had been rebels against virtually very Terran government one could name at some time or another. At the far end of the table sat the squad's sniper, Carl Leblanc. As usual his red hair was in complete disarray. Rumor had it that he had once been involved with a major crime syndicate in the Confederacy. Most knew better than to ask about his past. All anyone cared about was he was the best shot in Sanctuary.

"I thought you were turning in early tonight Dan," said John.

"That was the plan but… I don't know; I'm just edgy I guess. And my hand's hurting again."

"Have some of this. It'll fix ya up," John said in his fringe-world drawl, pouring Daniel a shot from his bottle. Daniel drank it in one go. He grimaced as the homemade brew forced its way down his throat.

"Anybody up for poker?" asked Leblanc.

"Are you crazy boy? Playing poker with the two telepaths," said Billy.

"I keep telling you I'm not a telepath. I'm just a sensitive. And if that helps me tell when people are bluffing I can't help it," Daniel reminded him.

"And I keep telling you I don't like reading minds. I can do without hearing your deepest secrets thank you," said Jessica impatiently.

John said, "I don't know. I remember a game a few weeks ago and I could sworn…" He stopped when he saw the look on her face.

"Well we gotta do something to liven things up. Dan here looks like he's just come from a funeral."

Daniel took another swallow of bitter drink and said, "I don't need to be entertained. What I need is for this damn hand to stop hurting."

"Still hurtin' ya huh?" said Billy.

"Never settles down for more than a week or two, and when it starts hurting I get thinking about Tarsonis." Turning to Jessica he added, "It's a shame you can't use your telepath stuff to get rid of that memory."

"Not unless you want me to completely scramble your brains. I can do that." Her voice was almost as bitter as the drink.

"No thank you," said Daniel, subdued. He wiggled his mechanical fingers and sighed. John poured him another drink and somehow he choked it down. Trying to change the subject he said, "Whatever happened to the idea of adding grapes to greenhouses? I thought we were going to start getting some wine. I'm sick of drinking this goop." Billy looked at his brother and muttered something about fancy Tarsonis people.

"You know how it goes, to add a greenhouse they need to up the power capacity. To up the power capacity they need to expand the mineral stockpile. To expand the mineral stockpile they need to deepen the mine. Etc., etc," said Jessica.

"Maybe we should have picked a planet where we could grow more than pond scum without a greenhouse," Daniel grumbled.

"I don't recall you complaining when we were running through space with the Zerg on our tails," Jessica pointed out.

"I don't know. I sleep in the same tin can and at least I was warmer then."

"Come on Dan, it isn't that bad. The Zerg hardly ever come out this far, we get three meals a day, no Protoss trying to blow us up; I don't think things are that bad."

"Yeah you're right. I'm sorry I'm bad company tonight. Let's just try and talk about something else."

"I heard Shimizu is going to build a stage in the east square. Maybe we should put together a band. I can play harmonica and Billy here's good with a guitar," said an inebriated John Teckama. Daniel could remember hearing him and his brother play once. It was an experience he hoped to forget. The conversation steered towards innocuous matters and eventually Daniel was able to forget about the pain in his hand and the memories of Tarsonis. An hour after midnight he trudged home and collapsed into bed.

His mind was quiet. Withdrawing himself from all telepathic connections Marzare'ul was able to achieve a state of peace undreamed of by those who followed the Khala. Physically he was perched on a cushion within his meditation chamber but mentally he had retreated to a place inside himself where no one and nothing intruded. The only sensations that he was aware of were the beating of his heart and the almost imperceptible interplay of energies deep in the void of space. Even these could be banished at will. He sensed someone outside the door. He pulled himself out of his inner sanctum and into the small tapestry-draped meditation chamber.

"Come," he projected to whoever was outside. The door slid open and Krassus, Marzare'ul's second-in-command, entered. Though he was tall even by the standards of his race Marzare'ul was dwarfed by his templar lieutenant.

"En taro Adun Marzare'ul," spoke Krassus in his rumbling mental voice. His electric white eyes flashed as he spoke.

Marzare'ul stood and responded, "En taro Adun Krassus. I assume that your reason for interrupting my contemplation is important."

"Yes. We have detected a Protoss energy signature on a nearby world." Marzare'ul's eyes flashed brightly.

"A ship?"

"Possible. However the signature is extremely weak, so most likely it could only be a shuttle or perhaps a scout," explained the massive templar.

"Hmm, we should still investigate. The prospect of rejoining any of our brothers is welcome. Where is it?"

"The northern hemisphere of a planet orbiting a nearby star. Ancient star charts identify it as Kytan," Krassus answered.

"Very well. Come with me." He left the compartment and strode down the central corridor of the ship, Krassus a step behind. The Myanot had been used by the Dark Templar to travel space for centuries but Marzare'ul had only taken command of it recently. Zeratul had granted it to him after his own ship, the Jia'val, had been destroyed by the Zerg and just before the assault on Kerrigan's stronghold above Char. They reached the ship's core. In the center of the domed chamber was the great khaydarin crystal that powered the Myanot. Scattered around the room were Protoss controlling the various ship's systems.

"Power up the engines, prepare to enter warp space," ordered Marzare'ul. He walked forward to the crystal and placed his hands upon two bronze-coloured globes supported by thin struts. His awareness stretched out from the core to encompass the entire ship. He was the ship.
A brilliant light flashed and a great hole opened in space before the ship. Controlling it as easily as he would his own body Marzare'ul guided the Myanot into the rift. Reality distorted all over the ship but he did not notice. He was focused on directing the ship through warp. For a few moments he swam through the fabric of space-time. It flew past him in a million shades of blue, gray, white, and violet. Then the ship emerged into normal space and it was over. Below him was a small world coloured in gray and black. He withdrew his senses and turned to Krassus. "We have arrived."

"Attention. Attention. Alert level two. Bravo Squad report to Major Mathews at defense command. Repeat: Bravo Squad report to Defense Command, alert level two." Daniel leapt out of bed and stumbled. Still half asleep, he searched for his clothes. Damn! I knew I should have gone to bed early. He dove from his shack and bolted down the street towards Defense Command. The announcement system was now giving out instructions. "Alert level two. Secure all SCVs, all civilians stay behind the walls and prepare for lockdown, Charlie Squad man the walls and prepare to lockdown the settlement."

Daniel jogged up to Defense Command. It was a low building constructed from an old valkyrie attack frigate. He burst in the door and blurted some form of apology for being late. The rest of Bravo Squad was assembled in the crude command center along with Major Argyle Mathews, the leader of Sanctuary's military, and some of the higher-ranking officers. The major was an old veteran from the United Earth Directorate with shoulder length gray hair. Mathews gave Daniel a look of slight irritation and began the briefing.

"Here's the situation. We've detected a protoss ship entering the atmosphere. It seems to be heading for a valley in the mountains north of here. Their intent is unknown; they have made no hostile actions toward us but they have not given any indication of their intent. I want you take vultures into the mountains and covertly observe them. Figure out what they're doing here and what, if any, is the threat to us. Meanwhile I'll prepare to defend Sanctuary should they attack. Understand?"

"Yes sir," said Jessica. She led Daniel and the others into an adjacent room where they armed themselves. First they put on their combat suits. Based on the armor given to ghosts, it was much lighter and more flexible than the heavy suits given to marines and firebats. Their helmets had no viewing ports; instead they were covered with cameras and sensors that fed information to an internal heads-up display. Next they grabbed weapons. Daniel chose the gauss rifle he had been given when he joined the Dominion marines, Billy and John also took gauss rifles, Jessica selected the C-10 canister rifle common to ghosts, and Carl picked his usual sniper rifle. They headed outside where two marines waited with five vulture hover-bikes. Daniel mounted his bike and sealed the visor on his helmet. Instantly the HUD activated and he was greeted with a bevy of sensor data. He hit the ignition and the engines thundered into life. He followed Jessica who was already heading for the west gate.

Before long they were gliding across the plains heading northwest towards the mountains. Trojia Five was an odd planet by Daniel's reckoning. It was very wet but had almost no soft soil, so most of the surface was puddle-ridden volcanic rock. The only life to speak of was a slimy, photosynthetic bacterium that interspersed the black plains and hills with streaks of bright green. The landscape could at best be described as stark. They entered the foothills following a meandering stream. Though the comm. circuits in their helmets allowed them to talk over the whine of vulture engines, no one said anything. Daniel had only encountered the Protoss on a few occasions and he had mixed feelings toward them. He had first seen them fighting the Zerg that last day on Tarsonis - and destroying most of Tarsonis City in the process. However the last time he had encountered them they had been fighting alongside the Dominion and the UED in a desperate attempt to end Kerrigan's reign of terror.

They continued their course through the jagged black mountains. The stream ended, the ground rose higher, and a chill wind blew through the pass. Daniel looked forward to his squad leader. I wonder what she thinks of the Protoss. Does being a telepath give her some insight into them? The vultures came around a bend in the pass and a broad valley stretched out before them. And there were the Protoss.

There looked to be at least a hundred of them, tall figures in golden armor that shimmered like the carapace of an insect. Above, standing out against the gray sky, was their ship. To Daniel it looked like a flower that had grown backwards with its golden petals arched back towards the stalk that was the main body of the ship. Though it was beautiful, he knew from experience that such ships could be devastating in combat.

"Over there." Jessica pointed to a groove in the ground behind a low rise. They steered their vultures behind it and powered down. They dared not get too close lest the Protoss notice them. Daniel dismounted and hunkered down behind the rise with the rest of Bravo Squad. Zooming in with the sensors on his helmet, he was able to pick out more details about the Protoss such as the looping wing-like protrusions on their armor and the long nerve endings sprouting from the backs of their heads. He also noticed another group among them clothed in dark blue robes with their nerve endings cut. Dark Templar. The Protoss seemed to have gathered in some form of ruins; there were broken columns and foundations made of a bronze-like substance littering the valley floor. There was also an intact room or structure of some sort being examined by a tall dark templar with talismans hanging from his head wrap. Next to the dark templar was the biggest protoss Daniel had ever seen. It was easily past eight feet in height and nearly as wide as two marines in full armor standing side-by-side.

"You aren't fooling us." Though he was at least two hundred meters away, the protoss' voice was as clear as if head been standing next to Daniel. It was cold and ancient and alien. The dark templar turned to face Bravo Squad. His eyes were a blazing red and they seemed able to bore through Daniel. "We have no quarrel with you humans. Leave us."

"What is your purpose on our world?" Jessica demanded. She did not bother to yell since it was clear the Protoss had some sense no human could equal. All the Protoss were facing them now.

"Your world? This world was protoss before your ancestors could dream of space travel. Though I doubt any line on a map has meant anything since the Zerg came." The speaker and several other dark templar vanished. Daniel scanned the landscape with his sensors but found no sign of them.

"Behind you." Daniel jumped and spun around. A dozen dark templar were behind them pointing blades of pale blue energy. In the center was the one with the fiery eyes whom Daniel took to be their leader. Unlike his fellows, his blades simply appeared out of thin air above his forearms instead of extending from bracers.

"I said we had no quarrel with you. Do not give us one. Leave. Now." The humans pointed their guns at the Protoss and a tense moment followed with neither side willing to back down or make the first hostile move.

A terrible crash tore through the stillness. Both sides looked up and saw the protoss ship burning and plummeting into the mountains surrounded by a swarm of winged shapes.

"Zerg!" roared the protoss leader. The Dark Templar leapt over Daniel and his comrades and ran back to their own lines.

"Defensive positions, man your grenade launchers!" Jessica commanded. They jumped onto their vipers and activated the grenade launchers at the rear of the bikes. Daniel looked up. The Zerg were wheeling around the protoss ship; as he watched they turned away from their crippled prey and attacked the Protoss on the ground. There were mutalisks, winged serpents spewing acid coated worms; overlords, bulbous things somewhere between a crab and a flying jellyfish; and a handful of scourge, small kamikaze gliders. Daniel picked his target, a mutalisk, and fired. The shot crippled its wing and it crashed to the ground. It was finished by the second shot. The Zerg were now aware of Bravo squad. Three scourge dove for them. The humans fired at them but the Zerg were too fast. Jessica lowered her weapon and a buzzing in Daniel's head indicated she was using telepathy. The foremost scourge detonated and the other two exploded as they were caught in the shockwave. A blast of hot air hurled Daniel off his bike, his rifle sent flying from his hands. He grabbed it and spun around to fire at a mutalisk strafing the humans. His vulture exploded as the beast vomited its projectile. The mutalisk soared towards the protoss lines. Daniel ran back to the rise to find another target.

In the middle of the valley the overlords were hovering above the ground, pouring zerg ground forces from the sacks in their sides. Serpentine hydralisks, quick zerglings, and nimble drones formed a teeming mass of claws, frills, and spines. The Protoss charged forward at incredible speed, moving with a long, loping stride. The two forces clashed.

Daniel was always amazed at the grace the Protoss displayed in battle. Like whirlwinds of jewelry they danced through the enemy lines slashing and maiming. It would be possible to forget they were fighting if one ignored the terrible destruction they left in their wake.

"Incoming!" John's shout distracted Daniel from the spectacle of the Protoss fighting. A group of zerg had broken off from the main battle and was charging them. Daniel set his rifle to full auto and opened up. His rifle spewed hot lead and zerg died but it made no effect on their charge. Explosions ripped through their ranks as Bravo Squad's grenade launchers were turned on them. Daniel felt the odd buzzing feeling again. Two zerglings were swathed in faint blue light and died in violent seizures. Wish I could do that. A hydralisk loomed up from the crowd and the carapace behind its head split open. Daniel ducked to avoid the acid slathered spines that slammed into the earth around him. He stood up straight, took aim, and fired. The hydralisk's head exploded, spewing forth its gooey innards.

Billy screamed, "Look out!" Daniel turned to his right and saw a zerglings leaping at him with its claws ready to start rending. He spun and fired into its belly. It was flung back and hit the ground hard. It started to scamper back up but he fired another burst into its chitinous hide and it stayed down. Daniel whirled back to the rest of Bravo Squad. A swarm of zerglings was on the verge of overwhelming Billy. He had leveled close to a dozen of them and was still firing but they were about to get the better of him. Daniel attempted to thin the herd by shooting controlled bursts; he had to be careful not to hit Billy. One of the zerglings slashed Billy across the leg with a bladed forearm. Daniel could hear his grunt of pain over the comm. Daniel shot it in the back, severing its spinal column. Billy hit the last zerglings with the butt of his gun and then finished it.

Daniel ran up to him and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah it's just superficial." Billy hit a button on his suit that shot painkillers into his bloodstream.

There was a brief lull in the attacks on Bravo Squad and Daniel was able to steal a look at the Protoss. Though they were killing at least three zerg for each of their casualties the Protoss had begun to lose ground. They seemed to be defending the structure he had seen them examining earlier. As he watched a half-dozen more Protoss were killed, their bodies erupting into uncanny blue flames and turning to ash.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" yelled Jessica. They leapt onto their vultures - Daniel got behind Billy. Before they had gone more than a few meters, the ground ahead exploded and several hydralisks emerged. A cloud of spines assaulted Bravo Squad before they could react. One pierced the vulture just behind Daniel. The grenade launcher behind him fired and Daniel emptied the last of his clip into the crowd. As he reloaded he thought, I hate it when they burrow. He fired indiscriminately while Billy attempted to evade the enemy's organic spears. After a minute of heavy combat the combination of grenades, gunfire, and telepathy finished off the hydralisks.

They were about to get moving again when Jessica screamed in agony and fell from her vulture. At the same time Daniel felt as if someone had punched his brain from the inside. His vision blurred and his head buzzed. When the disorientation lessened he looked around to see what was going on. Jessica lay on the ground clutching her head as if it might explode. Billy, John, and Leblanc were looking around with the same confusion as Daniel.

"Look!" said John. He pointed back to the zerg and protoss forces where a brilliant blue light illuminated the valley. Daniel zoomed in with his optical sensors. The structure the Protoss had been defending had been split open - by which side, he couldn't tell; inside was a man-sized blue crystal crackling with energy and spewing light across the battlefield. It seemed to hover above the ground by itself. The Zerg and most of the Protoss were lying on the ground and twitching. Just like Jessica. A handful of Protoss were standing, including their leader but they didn't seem right either. They were unnaturally still even for their stalwart race. They seemed to struggling somehow.

Then everything changed. The Protoss and Zerg came back to life and started fighting. Daniel thought the battle had resumed until he realized that the Protoss had begun fighting themselves as well as the Zerg. The battlefield had become total chaos.

"What happened?" asked Jessica as she got to her feet. She still looked a little unsteady.

"No idea. What happened to you?" said John.

"I don't know. It felt like someone reached into my mind and started digging through it. Let's get back to Sanctuary." She climbed back onto her vulture and they set off with the battle still raging behind them. What the hell was that? I've never seen her that shaken up before. The wind whipped around him as they sped home.

Marzare'ul paced in an extremely unprotoss sign of impatience. Whereas his templar companions sat in stoic meditation, he could not stand still. His rage emanated from him like a flare in the minds of those around him. He and the remainder of his group were waiting atop a flat and nondescript hill in the mountains, having escaped the zerg as well as the comrades that had turned against them. Forty-eight. Out of a hundred and twenty, only forty-eight left. The rest are dead or enslaved by that thing! He resisted the urge to take his aggressions out on a nearby boulder. The Khaydarin Mind. No word of it in millennia and then I'm losing my warriors to it. He'd heard the rumors from birth but part of him had never believed in the Khaydarin Mind. It seemed like a legend. A myth. But that myth had just taken over the minds of at least twenty-five protoss. Only the psionic powers of Marzare'ul and his high templar had saved the rest. Even now he could feel it gnawing at his defenses, ready to take over the moment he weakened. The Zerg had not been as strong. Every one of them had fallen prey to the Mind. The pounding of feet signaled Krassus's group was returning. Marzare'ul walked to the edge of the plateau and greeted his lieutenant.

"En taro Adun. What news of the ship?"

"En taro Adun Marzare'ul. The ship is crippled. At the least its engines, weapons, and shields are offline, probably more. There were no survivors." Marzare'ul's eyes flashed with anger and regret. They had left more than eighty templar warriors and several khalai engineers onboard.

"Any chance of repairing it?" Marzare'ul asked.

"Possible. I can't tell without further examination. But even if we could, it would take moon-cycles." Marzare'ul furrowed his brow and turned away. That was much too slow. In a few days his strength would fail and the Mind would take command. He strode to the center of his fighters and broadcasted the thought that he wanted a meeting. They stood up and looked at him expectantly.

"You know the situation. I want options."

"Could we destroy the Mind somehow?" suggested a templar warrior named Arakor.

"I don't think so. It is guarded by zerg, our own comrades, and its own telepathic powers. What say you Tikor? You know more of the history of our people than any here. Can the Mind be destroyed?" said Marzare'ul. Tikor, an ancient high templar, stepped forward.

"Certainly it is possible to destroy it, but can we destroy it with our current means? Very unlikely. Its powers would be even more dangerous at close range - we wouldn't have a chance." Marzare'ul growled telepathically.

"What does this thing want? What is the source of its aggression?"

"No one has ever explained the rage of the Khaydarin Mind. It is madness incarnate," said Tikor.

"Curse the Zerg for freeing that thing. Why would they want to? It's as much a threat to them as to us!" Marzare'ul ranted.

"I would assume they did not know what they were doing when they freed it. Most likely they just saw that we were defending ourselves and decided it would hurt us to attack it," replied Tikor. Marzare'ul could feel hatred toward the Zerg radiating from his soldiers, especially Krassus. They will not stop until they finish what they started when they destroyed Aiur. One of Marzare'ul's dark templar comrades spoke.

"Did any of the probes survive the crash? Could we use them to build a warp gate off the planet?" Marzare'ul looked to Krassus.

"I did not look. But even if they did survive, we could never get enough resources to construct the gate in time."

"There is something we have not considered." All eyes turned to Tikor.

"The humans. They are as much at risk from the Mind as we are. The days of the great stewardship may be past but is it right to abandon a less advanced race to death?" Marzare'ul felt guilty. He had forgotten the humans.

"You are right. But even if we sacrificed ourselves to protect them they would probably still die. I very much doubt they would join forces with us."

"Why not offer alliance with them? What have we to lose?" said a young warrior named Ubinsa.

Krassus said, "That may be a good idea. The Mind's telepathy doesn't seem to affect them." Marzare'ul considered. He had no particular dislike for them - certainly some had proven honorable. But they are also rash and unpredictable and because of that they are dangerous.

"Even if they did agree to fight with us I'm not sure we would be strong enough to face the Mind. I would like a better option."

"Unfortunately I do not believe there is one, master. We must seek allies among the humans or die," stated Tikor with finality. Marzare'ul furrowed his eyebrows.

"Very well. We will seek out the humans. Je'dax do you remember the location of their settlement?" he said to the former navigator of the Myanot.

"Yes master," he replied in his loud, clear voice.

"Then lead the way."

As Billy's vulture powered down inside Sanctuary's west gate they were met by Major Mathews and Councilor Shimizu. Major Mathews was in his huge powered combat suit and councilor Shimizu, the shrewd Kel-Morian leader of Sanctuary's civilians, was in his usual business style tan suit. Sanctuary was now in full lockdown. Marines patrolled the walls and the large AA laser turret in the center of town was online. No doubt they detected the Zerg. Daniel's assumption was confirmed a moment later when Mathews said, "What happened? We detected Zerg signatures and evidence of a battle." He then added matter-of-factly, "You're a vulture short." Jessica hopped from her bike and told him what had happened. While she talked the announcement system blared over the settlement.

"Attention. Alert level one. Zerg detected. Full lockdown is in effect. All personnel not essential to defense are to remain indoors. Charlie and Delta squads man the walls. Alpha squad, enforce lockdown."

When Jessica finished the major said, "And you have no idea what caused the Protoss to turn on each other?" She shook her head.

"We heard there were a few times when the dark templar would fight the other Protoss but I ain't heard of that happening in a long time," said John.

"And the dark templar were fighting each other too." Daniel pointed out.

"What about what you felt in your mind? Have you any idea what that was?" Shimizu asked her.

"No. I never felt anything like it. Except…"

"What?" inquired Mathews. Jessica sighed and took off her helmet. She ran her fingers through her sweat-drenched hair. Her face had taken on a pinched look as if she was struggling with something.

"There was a… device. The confederates used it to control telepaths. It prevented anyone from reading the users thoughts but it could also inflict pain on disobedient psychs." Her expression was still one of strength but Daniel could see tears in her eyes. "What I felt was similar to what the device did."

"I felt something too but it wasn't painful exactly. Just disorienting," said Daniel.

"Incoming!" bellowed a lookout.

"Where?! How many?!" shouted Mathews.

"Zerg fliers coming in from the north!" Things happened fast. Jessica put her helmet back on and bolted for the walls. She moved so fast she seemed to glide up the ladder. Daniel followed her as the Teckama brothers mounted their vultures.

Major Mathews yelled, "Get out of here!" to Shimizu - who bolted into a nearby alley - and sealed the helmet on his combat suit. Leblanc clambered onto a roof and took out his sniper rifle.
Daniel crested the wall and saw a flight of zerg gliding towards them. Sanctuary's massive AA cannon fired into their midst. Where it hit the Zerg were obliterated, but it had been designed to fight large battleships and had difficulty with fast moving targets. Daniel and the soldiers around him crouched behind the battlements to await the Zerg entering their range. Major Mathews was jogging through the courtyard behind the gate barking orders. He resembled some kind of bizarre mechanical bear in his combat suit.

"Wait for it," said Jessica. Daniel looked up. The Zerg were closing in. A shot rang out from behind him and the foremost mutalisk fell screaming from the sky.

"One down," said Leblanc over the comm. Daniel knew him well enough to guess he had an insolent smile on his face.

"Now!" Jessica screamed. They stood up and opened fire. Two of the aerial Zerg were felled within seconds by Jessica's canister rifle. Daniel blasted a mutalisk but it flew too fast for him to land a killing blow. The Zerg scattered and began to wheel over Sanctuary. An acid coated worm impaled a marine next to Daniel. Billy and John crippled a mutalisk that crashed into the west gate. Major Mathews was firing in all directions with his gauss rifle. A mutalisk careened into the wall after Jessica blew a hole in its head. A Zerg with a segmented body and beetle-like wings shot past Daniel as he attempted to bring it down. The devourer wheeled and hurled a blob of acid at him. Even though he attempted to dodge, a gobbet stuck to his shoulder and began to burn through his armor. He grabbed it with his right hand and hurled it over the wall. It burned through his glove and his skin revealing the mechanical hand underneath. Suddenly he was hit by the memory of a hydralisk looming over him about to strike. Not now!

Jessica screamed, "Look out!" Daniel looked up in time to see a scourge slam into the wall. A blast of searing hot air sent him flying backwards. He collided with Jessica and they landed in a heap a few meters down the wall. Still disoriented, Daniel rolled off her. No, he realized belatedly, she pushed me off. A globe of something smashed into Jessica. It exploded, covering her and Daniel in thick, sticky slime. Daniel tried to stand up but found his feet were glued to the wall. Jessica was even worse off. She tried using her telepathy to break the cords of mucous binding her but she seemed to be having trouble focusing it. A large creature with webbed skin between its legs and upward arching limbs landed on the wall. It shot a long tongue into the body of a marine. A moment later the flesh of the marine's neck burst open and a number of ant-like creatures with sharp mandibles crawled out. Daniel had to fight not to vomit. He had lost his rifle when the scourge hit, so he grabbed a pistol from his belt and picked off the horrible spawn one by one. The creature let out a deep bellow and shot its tongue out again. Daniel slid to the left and it missed him by inches. Raising his gun he emptied a clip into its head. It stumbled and screamed, then died. Daniel pulled a knife from his boot and sliced through the goop that secured him to the wall. He moved to Jessica and freed her.

"What the hell was that?" he said.

"A queen. I've seen them before." They grabbed their rifles and rejoined the battle. Daniel was able to hit a mutalisk's wing and it collapsed on top of a dwelling. The roof buckled but held.
The numbers of zerg had diminished but the fighting was still fierce. Major Mathews was still running from one end of the courtyard to the other and firing into the air. Leblanc picked off another flier. Jessica attempted to use her telepathy to slay a mutalisk. It was merely disoriented but it did allow her to fire a canister straight into its gaping maw. The creature ricocheted off the wall and landed on the ground outside. Daniel reloaded his rifle and when he looked up he found that there were no more opponents. He took a moment to catch his breath while everyone checked that there were no more zerg in the area. Daniel and Jessica descended to the courtyard where the Major was already giving orders for clean up and repair.

"Get these carcasses out of here. Somebody get an SCV to repair the walls. Medics see to the wounded!" He looked at Daniel and Jessica. His hair was sweat drenched but his expression did not show any sign of fatigue.

"All right Cortez?" he asked. Daniel was about to say yes when, with a wrench of his stomach, he remember the damage to his hand.

He changed his response to, "More or less. Nothing that can't wait."

"We've got incoming!" yelled a marine on the walls. Mathews swore.

"What now?!"

"Protoss sir! Protoss infantry coming in from the west."

"Damn it. We'll set up a defense on the first rise outside the gate. Bravo and Delta squads head out. Engineers man the arclite and train it on the Protoss."

Daniel stood on the rise outside of Sanctuary, which was too short to grant any real height advantage. Beside him was the rest of Bravo Squad and around them were three dozen heavily armed marines. They were a rather miss-matched group. Some were in the heavy, clumsy suits of the former Terran Dominion and its predecessor the Confederacy, while others wore the sleeker armor of the Umojan Protectorate. Still others sported the tall, imposing UED combat suits. Behind them, just outside Sanctuary's west gate, was the settlement's half-crippled arclite siege tank. Its drive chain had stopped functioning long ago but its heavy artillery cannon still worked. Ahead were the gold clad forms of the Protoss.

They were still far off but close enough for some distinctions to become clear. They moved in that same steady, loping stride. It was so smooth they seemed to gliding across the planes.
Daniel checked his rifle to make sure it was combat ready. Though he didn't think the Protoss wanted to fight, and had helped convince Major Mathews not to make any hostile action, he wanted to be ready in the event combat did break out. They're unpredictable. He zoomed in with the cameras on his helmet. The Protoss were being led by the same dark templar. Beside him was the giant protoss Daniel had seen earlier. Considering his size he moved with great speed and grace. There are a lot less of them. The Protoss seemed to have lost at least half their number. The Protoss got ten meters from the human ranks and stopped with inhuman abruptness. The growling voice of the protoss leader echoed in the minds of the terran soldiers.

"En taro Tassadar humans. I am Marzare'ul." Daniel was smart enough to guess that the mention of the protoss most famous among humans was intentional.

"What do you want?" Jessica demanded.

"You can lower your weapons. I said we have no quarry with you and that has not changed." No weapons were lowered.

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"Simply put, I offer alliance."

"Alliance?" said Jessica, somewhat surprised.

"The Zerg have freed an ancient artifact of our people. It is extremely dangerous. Separately neither of us would stand a chance against it. You are a telepath; no doubt you felt it come alive."

"Wait, is this thing alive or a machine?" asked Daniel.

"In a way, both. It is an artificial psionic entity. Tikor knows more of it than I do." Marzare'ul stepped aside and a protoss with knobby gray skin wearing light armor and robe-like garments stepped forward.

"Millennia ago there was a group known as the Order of Atal. There is little known about the Order's motivations but we do know they believed they could create a psionic entity of incredible power that would be the perfect counterpart to the purity of the protoss form. Eventually they succeeded by reordering a khaydarin crystal into a complex, psionically resonating matrix. They called it the Khaydarin mind.

"Then they made the mistake of activating it. No one knows what went wrong but it was a creature of pure malice. Most of the Order was killed before they managed to seal it away. When the Zerg attacked, they released it. It used its powers to enslave them and many of our comrades. Eventually all of us will succumb, though you humans appear to be immune."

"So you want us to help you fight this crystal thing?" asked Jessica.

Marzare'ul answered, "Essentially. Though you are at as much risk as us."

Jessica seemed somewhat incredulous, a feeling Daniel shared, but she said, "I will discuss this with my superiors." Marzare'ul made a dismissive gesture that was a little too imperious for Daniel's taste. She led Bravo Squad back through the ranks of marines to Sanctuary. They crossed the courtyard - still spattered with the innards of zerg - to where Major Mathews and a slightly less trim Councilor Shimizu were overseeing the repairs.

"What news?" the major asked.

"The Protoss want to join forces with us." Jessica said. She went on to explain all that had transpired with Marzare'ul. She closed with, "I believe at least some of what he says is truth. His description of what this Mind thing is supposed to do sounds a lot like what happened to me."

Daniel flipped up the visor on his helmet and said, "I felt it too. I'm sure they're telling the truth about the Mind."

"They all but attacked you when you first showed up. I'm not sure we can trust them to stay on our side if we help them," said Mathews.

"Whether or not they have ulterior motives, I'm sure the Mind is a threat. Why not do whatever we can to destroy it?" offered Jessica.

"I'm gonna side with Jes. I don't much about telepathic mumbo-jumbo but that thing culled off about a hundred Protoss. That isn't easy to do. We need to protect ourselves," said Daniel.

"I agree. The safety of Sanctuary must be maintained above all else," Councilor Shimizu asserted.

Mathews countered, "Of course, but is joining forces with the Protoss the best way to do that? They are alien, unpredictable."

"These are the same people who destroyed Mar Sara," added Billy.

"And the same people who fought the Zerg tooth and nail and joined forces with us to stop Kerrigan," said Councilor Shimizu.

"I don't see that we have much to lose by fighting this thing with the Protoss. They've never struck me as the deceptive type. If they wanted to kill us I think we'd be fighting them now," said Leblanc.

"That's true. They can be brutal at times but they aren't particularly shady," Daniel said.

"I say we take their offer," said Councilor Shimizu.

Mathews said, "Hmm. Let me see him. You can tell a lot about people by talking to them. Maybe it works for aliens too." He left the town with Bravo Squad and Shimizu in his wake.

Daniel handed Shimizu a pistol and whispered, "Just in case."

They ascended the rise. The sun was just beginning to set and a cool wind was blowing from the mountains. The Protoss had not moved an inch since they left. They stood like statues on the damp flats.

Major Mathews fixed Marzare'ul with an iron stare and called, "You are Marzare'ul?" across the field. The protoss nodded. "I'm told you want our help." To Daniel's eye Marzare'ul looked a little angered at the phrasing. Hard to tell with Protoss.

"Not precisely. I believe we will both be doomed without each other's help. The Mind has great power."

"What will you do if and when we defeat this crystal thing?" said the major. Daniel wondered if his interrogatory tone was wise.

"Try to repair our ship and leave." Right answer. Mathews considered for a moment.

"Okay. We will join forces. When do you want to launch the attack?"

"We have sent scouts and determined the Mind has taken refuge in a zerg hive cluster that was established when the Zerg landed. It is breeding the Zerg and expanding its forces. We must attack immediately before it gets any stronger."

Major Mathews gritted his teeth at the presumptuous tone the Protoss was taking but said, "All right. We need an hour or so to get our forces organized."

"We will wait." Almost as one the Protoss sat cross-legged on the ground.

"One more thing Protoss." said Mathews.

"Yes?"

"What do we do if we have to fight some of your men this thing captured?"

Marzare'ul looked pained for a moment and said, "If they fight us then we must kill them."

It was getting colder. The sun was getting closer to the horizon, staining the sky orange and pink. The sound of marching feet was all around Daniel. Major Mathews had brought nearly all of Sanctuary's military to bear. The colony had been founded primarily by soldiers so the attack force numbered close to a thousand. Most of them were marines but there were also squads of vultures and firebats. Daniel was near the front of the column with the rest of Bravo Squad. The protoss forces had been incorporated into the ranks and he was only a few feet from a templar. He had never been this close to a protoss before for any length of time and he had to stop himself from staring at the seven-foot alien warrior. Eyes forward Cortez. Daniel jumped as a dark templar materialized in front of the army and ran forward to where the major and Marzare'ul led the pack.

"It's just up ahead. They have not had time to spawn defensive structures but their forces are large," reported the scout. Major Mathews beckoned Bravo Squad forward. They gathered in a circle with him and Marzare'ul. Daniel was thankful that John was between him and the imposing protoss leader. Mathews placed a holo-projector on the ground and activated it. It showed a valley not far from them. It included several dots representing the positions of the zerg forces.

"Here's the plan: Delta and Charlie squads will attack on the flanks supported by our vultures. You, Alpha, and Gamma attack in the center with the Protoss. Our protoss friend tells me his people are too vulnerable to the Mind's powers to attack it directly, so you'll have to get inside the zerg hive and destroy it." Daniel could tell Mathews didn't like the idea any more than Daniel did by the way he was glaring at Marzare'ul. I wonder if protoss can understand our expressions? "We think that if you can attach some of these charges," he produced a number of flat disc-like bombs, "to it they should be able to shatter its crystalline structure." The members of Bravo Squad collected the explosives.

"Understood sir," said Jessica. She sealed her visor and Daniel did likewise. Despite the numerous times he had fought the zerg he was nervous. Zerg and protoss on one side is bad combination. He checked his gun, secured the bombs to his belt, and tried to shake off his nerves.

"Move out!" called Major Mathews. Daniel wondered momentarily why Marzare'ul had not briefed his own men and decided that he had probably done it telepathically. The column continued south towards the hive. Daniel set his helmet to filter out the glare of the setting sun and tried to focus on the march rather than the impending danger.

They came to a sloping cliff and the zerg hive cluster was revealed to them. It rose up from the earth like some horrible parasite on the world. It was roughly three sided and came to a point at the top. Its base was pitted with entrances into its dank inner tunnels. A handful of zerg fliers circled above it. The surrounding area was covered with a pinkish gray slime lined with miniscule veins. Everything was still for an instant.

The order came from Mathews, "Charge!"

"For Aiur!" Marzare'ul roared. He and his men leapt straight from the cliff and ran across the valley floor. The humans had to be more careful in picking their way down the slippery rock face.
Suddenly zerg were appearing from the out of the hive's tunnels and even from the ground itself. In moments their numbers had gone from dozens to hundreds. Daniel reached the valley floor and opened fire into the wave of armored flesh that washed towards him. The Protoss had already reached the Zerg and begun cleaving towards the hive.

"Forward!" Jessica ordered. The terran forces charged across the flats and were soon in range of the hydralisks projectile spines. A marine's helmet was cracked open by one such barb a few feet from Daniel. Daniel nearly fell when they reached the greasy slime around the hive. A zergling burst from its burrow and leaped for him. He knocked it aside with his rifle. As it hit the ground it was engulfed by plasma fire from a nearby firebat.

"Need a light?" said the soldier.

"Thanks," said Daniel. Running forward again he crested a rise. Below was a squad of Protoss carving up a swarm of zerglings. A hydralisk attempted to join the fray but Daniel's rifle stopped it. He heard a rustle next to him and turned. A dark templar materialized before him. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural energy. It raised its energy blade to strike. Daniel rolled over as it sliced the ground where he had been. He began to slip and rolled down the hill. The possessed protoss leaped for him. He raised his gun and blasted it at full auto. The dark templar exploded in blue flames and fell in a heap. Bladed limbs burst from earth and wrapped themselves around Daniel's chest. His heart leapt into overdrive as the ground gave out beneath him and he fell. Bands of blue light sliced through the limbs holding him, he felt himself being levitated back to his feet. Daniel recognized the protoss that saved him as Tikor.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant it. The high templar nodded and returned to fighting. A globe of blue energy formed in his hand and he hurled it at an oncoming zergling. Jessica's voice came over the communication circuit.

"We're getting separated. Form up! Form up!" Daniel realized he had completely lost track of the rest of Bravo. He activated the homing system on his suit and an arrow pointing to Jessica's location appeared on his HUD. He ran back up the rise then turned right. Ahead he could see Jessica, Leblanc, and a few marines fighting off a crowd of zerg. An enemy protoss ran forward and began slicing up the marines. Daniel ran forward, firing at the armored alien. He was able to damage one of its legs so that it fell to the ground. Jessica killed it with a shot to the head.
The audio pick-ups on Daniel's helmet detected the whine of vultures' engines. John and Billy had arrived.

"Where did you get those?" asked Leblanc.

"Their owners were killed," explained John. Daniel noticed that the Zerg had started backing off their attacks on Bravo Squad, clearing the ground before them. What the hell? Suddenly the reason was revealed. Spines burst from the ground all around them. Billy and several marines were hit and fell to the ground.

"Billy!" yelled John.

"Lurker!" Daniel bellowed. Daniel had fought these burrowing horrors before and he remembered the strategy to survive them. Run around like an idiot until someone finds it and kills it. He began to jog randomly around the battlefield. He noticed with relief that Billy was able to evade the creature's attacks despite a bleeding wound in his side. Daniel felt a buzzing in his head. Jessica had jumped onto a vulture and was looking around frantically. Daniel knew she wasn't looking with her eyes. Once more spines erupted from the earth some mere inches from Daniel's feet, causing dislodged stones to pelt his armor. Hurry up Jes! He jumped in a new direction. One of Marzare'ul's templar soldiers charged the Zerg and ran right into the lurker's path of fire. Daniel could feel the warrior's psionic death scream rattle through his mind.

"There!" Jessica pointed to a slime-covered patch of ground. Daniel and everyone else in the area fired. The ground was ripped apart. A huge spider-like creature emerged shouting its rage across the field of battle. Its hard carapace was riddled with injuries that Daniel's companions happily added to. It gave one last scream of hatred and died. Having tried to avoid death at the hands of the lurker, the Zerg had opened a wide gap in their ranks.

"Let's go!" said John from his vulture. Daniel swung into the seat behind him at the same time as Jessica got behind Billy. Leblanc climbed behind her and perched awkwardly behind the grenade launcher. The Teckama brothers engaged their throttles and flew towards the zerg hive through the rapidly closing breach. The buffeting wind nearly knocked Daniel from his seat. He fired his rifle into the crowds that rushed to consume them. One of the possessed protoss launched itself at John and Daniel. Daniel hit it in the chest with his rifle and it was hurled to the ground behind them. He felt exhilarated as they hurtled towards the zerg structure. Then a hydralisk's spike flew past his head and he regained his focus. Looking behind, he saw that about two dozen protoss had placed themselves in the channel behind and were succeeding in causing havoc in the enemy lines.

Now only a small cluster of zerglings and hydralisks stood between them and the base of the hive. A hydralisk's projectile slammed into the left engine of John's vulture. It lost control and spun out. Daniel and John were thrown clear. Though his armor protected him from serious harm, Daniel had the wind knocked out of him. As he stopped rolling he heard an explosion behind him and assumed he had just been saved from a mauling. He jumped up into a sitting position and emptied the last of his clip into a mass of zerglings. Jessica's telepathy and Billy's grenade launcher took care of the rest.

"In here!" said Leblanc, gesturing towards a fleshy tunnel in the base of the living structure. They crowded into its opening and started firing out at the zerg that rushed towards them. Thankfully Mathews and the Protoss were doing a good job of keeping most of them busy.

"Shouldn't we stay at the vulture and use the grenade launcher?" said John. Jessica shook her armored head.

"It's too exposed." Leblanc flipped up his visor, picked his mark through his rifle's scope, fired, and repeated. Daniel had seen him do this before. "Auto targeting lacks intuition," he says. A broad grin spread across his face. I'm glad he's on our side. Daniel picked off a zergling. Then he turned around and examined the tunnel they were in. It split in three directions. On the ground level it went left and right but in the center it led up along the outer skin of the structure. The floor of the upward leading tunnel was studded with ribs that resembled the rungs of a ladder.

"I wonder which way to the Mind?" said Daniel.

"Up," said Jessica. He was going to ask how she knew but decided that she just knew. Telepath.

"Leblanc, Teckamas, stay here and guard the entrance. Cortez with me." She started climbing up the slippery tunnel. Daniel followed, hoping the zerg were all outside fighting the main battle.

Marzare'ul stood surrounded by fallen enemies. Still they flung themselves at him. To his left Tikor blasted the enemy with psionic attacks while to his right Krassus waded through zerg, his blades rising and falling without cease. Finally there came a brief pause after Marzare'ul bisected another hapless zergling. He took a moment to survey the battle. The humans were doing a surprisingly good job considering their crude technology and the enemy's superior numbers.
His attention was drawn to more important matters, as a swarm of zerg advanced on his position. Marzare'ul cast his senses outward into the darkness of space. Drawing energies from the cold void, he formed them into a globe of black fire in his hands. He hurled the orb into the advancing knot of enemies and watched the destruction it caused with satisfaction.

A high-pitched squeal echoed across the plane. Marzare'ul looked upward and saw a scourge hurtling towards him. He choked back rage and summoned a shield of void energy around his two comrades. Fire exploded all around them. Despite the shield, he was flung back several paces. Tikor and Krassus were less well protected and were slammed to the earth. Then it was over. Marzare'ul released the shield and looked around. Krassus was recovering but Tikor did not move. Marzare'ul had no time to worry about the high templar's fate. Four templar - clearly under the control of the Khaydarin Mind - were charging him. One he recognized as an old comrade of Krassus's named Galedorn. Ah Galedorn. This is a cruel turn of fortune. Marzare'ul had only fought fellow protoss a handful of times in his four and a half centuries during conflicts between the dark templar and those of the Khala. He found it even more distasteful now then he had then. They had chosen their fate. Galedorn and the others approached. Marzare'ul bared his psi blades. Two threw themselves at Krassus and the others attacked Marzare'ul.

Blade met blade with electric flashes of blue. A hot flash of pain erupted in Marzare'ul's right arm from the slash of an enemy. He responded with a mighty thrust that burst through the enemy's blade and sliced across his chest. Galedorn took the opportunity to stab at Marzare'ul's left shoulder. He cut robe but thankfully not flesh. Marzare'ul leapt into the air and landed behind his adversaries. Before they could react he decapitated one. The psionic chaos of death burned away the possessed warrior's body. Now he squared off against Galedorn. They lunged, feinted, blocked, and lunged again with neither gaining ground. Krassus had defeated his opponents but was now set upon by zerg and unable to offer aid.

Marzare'ul found himself remembering stories of Galedorn's heroism. He recalled the hundreds of years the veteran had spent protecting lesser worlds as part of the Dae'uhl - The Great Stewardship. He experienced a surge of hatred towards the Khaydarin Mind for bringing things to this. He began to search for a way to defeat Galedorn without costing the brave soldier his life. Then he remembered an ancient technique he had learned in his youth created by some hotheaded dark templar to fight The Conclave that used the energies of the dark templar to rend through the powers of a templar. He focused the powers of the interstellar wastes once more and sent them forth like jagged spears of power. An explosion of crimson energy enveloped Galedorn. When the light dimmed he lay on the ground, burned and scared but alive. Marzare'ul felt some relief at being able to save at least one protoss from a dishonorable and pointless death. The attack on Galedorn had exhausted him but he rallied his strength to continue the fight. For some reason he recalled a strange human phrase he heard once. We're not out of the woods yet.

Daniel clambered up the low, sloping tunnel next to Jessica. His head had started buzzing so he guessed they were close. They had not encountered any guards so he assumed they had all been sent out to fight Marzare'ul and Major Mathews' troops. Still he kept his rifle ready at all times. Occasionally the sound of gunfire would echo up from below. Daniel had never been this deep inside a zerg hive before and it unnerved him. His marine training allowed him to persevere.
Jessica moaned and slumped onto her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine," she said but she sounded like she had just run a marathon and it took her too long to get moving again. That thing is doing something to her. Upward they climbed. Jessica became slower and slower the further they went. It seemed to be a struggle for her just to put one hand in front of the other. When they were near the top she collapsed again. Daniel rushed to her side. He could barely hear her as she said, "Daniel… Go… Keep…Going… Out me." She seemed to lose consciousness. He tried to revive her but to no avail. He had no choice but to keep going without her.

He bared his rifle and looked back and forth. I could have sworn I heard a hydralisk. He was sure he'd heard a growl but his helmet sensors detected nothing, so he chalked it up to an overactive imagination. Anyone would get jumpy in a place like this. He kept going. A deafening blast echoed through the tunnel. Daniel shut his eyes against the pain it inflicted on his ears. When he opened them he was standing on a street corner. His armor was gone; he was wearing civilian clothes. What in the…? Another skull-rattling roar tore through his ears.

"We have to get moving!" said Penelope, her long, dark hair in shambles. Daniel stared at his sister in disbelief. A waver of people collided with them and they were propelled forward. Daniel tripped and hit his head. He cradled it in his hand and found it covered in knobby, helmet-mounted sensors. He was back in the tunnel.

"What the hell?" He wasn't sure if he'd said it or thought it. That thing is getting inside my head! He tried hard not to panic. There was something fundamentally wrong about the idea. He continued forward but more and more he found himself attacked by odd sounds or images. His sister's face, a hydralisk looming over him, protoss ships burning his neighborhood. At last he reached the top of the tunnel. Ahead he could see the Khaydarin Mind - a man sized blue crystal sitting atop a dais made of the living floor. Inside it were thousands of tiny facets that burned with refracted light and some internal glow. It was probably his mind playing tricks on him but he imagined he could see a face inside its glimmering heart. He stepped out of the tunnel…
…And onto the street.

"We have to get moving!" screamed his sister. They were caught in a press of panicking citizens running for the dropships that would carry them to safety. Enormous protoss ships hovered over the city. They were annihilating it block by block with bolts of energy that echoed through Daniel's mind as much as his ears. He looked back and found his sister getting lost in the chaos of terrified refugees.

"Penelope!" he yelled. She was falling farther and farther behind. Now he couldn't even tell for sure which head was hers. Zerglings pounced into the rear of the column causing people to become even more panicked and disorganized. Screams of pain and terror filled the spaces between protoss spawned thunder. A man collided with Daniel and sent him to the ground. A hydralisk slithered from a nearby alley and towered over him, showing rows of yellow teeth. It raised a bladed forelimb and brought it down. For a moment he couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand the bloody stump where his right hand should be. He looked down at the hand lying on the pavement and reality dawned on him. He howled in agony and horror…
…And fell against the organic wall. Tears streamed down his face as he clutched at his right hand. The ethereal face of the Khaydarin Mind seemed to be mocking him.

"Damn you!" He grabbed the rifle he had dropped and fired. The bullets glanced off the crystal with no effect. There's only one way to finish this. Grabbing an explosive from his belt he advanced on the crystal.

Once again he was lying on the pavement in Tarsonis city clutching at his arm and screaming. With a monumental effort, he pulled himself back to the present. It was only a few paces to the Mind but it might as well have been miles as images from his past constantly assaulted him. One moment he seeing his street get incinerated by the Protoss, the next Penelope was falling behind him or the hydralisk was preparing to strike. He felt as if his mind was being torn apart. He couldn't tell if he was screaming in the present, the past, or both.

As he was being dragged aboard a dropship and losing consciousness from blood loss he felt the hard surface of crystal beneath his outstretched palms. Unsure of how he could be holding a bomb when he had no hand he placed the explosive on the Mind and activated the countdown.
He wasn't sure if he was diving back into the tunnel or crawling up the last few feet of a dropship's ramp but whatever he did he acted on some deep ingrained survival instinct. An explosion sounded and this time it was not the Protoss.

Daniel was lying in a tunnel of flesh, drenched with sweat and weeping. For several minutes he couldn't even remember where he was or how he got there. He just clutched his hand and mourned an oval-faced, dark-skinned girl he would never see again.

Eventually he was able to collect himself and return down the passage. It was even more difficult to get down than up. About halfway down he encountered Jessica. She was leaning against a wall and holding her head.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Without looking up she said, "I have God's own headache but I'll be fine. Are you all right?" Daniel nodded, perhaps a bit too vigorously.

"Yeah I'll be fine. It's done."

"I can tell. Let's go." She grabbed her rifle and they headed down. When they reached the bottom they found John Teckama waiting for them, his visor flipped up.

"There you are. They're dead! The zerg are all dead! The Protoss reckon that thing damaged their brains and they couldn't live without it. Come look!" He led them to the hive entrance. Billy and Leblanc were still sitting in the entrance, looking across the planes but now their guns were silent.
The setting sun set the landscape afire. Zerg were scattered all around; some were still twitching but most had expired. The Protoss were gathering their dead and burying them. The templar were being placed in some sort of large, communal cairn in the shape of a circle, armor and all, whereas the dark templar were being buried individually in circular, well-like graves.

"This is gonna be one hell of mess to clean up," said Leblanc.

"They'll probably have to haul in the arclite to tear this down," said Daniel indicating the artery-lined ceiling.

"We should report in to Major Mathews," Jessica reminded them.

John said, "Yeah. Let's go Billy." Billy didn't move.

"Billy?" John got worried.

"Billy?" Daniel bent down and removed Billy's helmet. He looked horribly pallid. Daniel checked his pulse. "He's alive but he's lost a lot of blood. We need to get him treated before he bleeds out or infection sets in." John shot from the hive shouting for a medic.