Starcraft: Project Ragnarok Part One

This is the sequel to "Mind Over Matter" and the first part of the Project Ragnarok Duology. Like the last story the basic plot is taken from a campaign I made with the Starcraft map editor. The best campaign I did in my opinion. I hope you all enjoy it. Please tell me what you think.

Oh and if you're wondering where the name comes from Ragnarok is the equivalent of the apocalypse in Norse mythology. I chose it because there has been a tradition of naming things after Norse mythology in Starcraft. Jormagand Brood, Mjollnir cannons, etc..

Project Ragnarok Part One

Arcturus Mengsk, self-appointed emperor of the Terran Dominion, looked out across the city through the window that served as the outer wall of his office. The sun had gone behind the hills and lights were winking into existence across the valley. New Korhal. His heart swelled with pride. Of all my accomplishments, this could be the greatest, surviving Kerrigan's attacks to rebuild the Dominion with this as its heart. His mood darkened as he considered his former lieutenant turned zerg overlord. Even now our borders are constantly being raided by her damned minions. He tried to calm down, reminding himself that it could all be over very soon.

He heard the door to his office slide open and knew instantly who it was. There was only one person who he trusted enough to let them enter his office without permission. Turning, he said, "Hello Paul." The highest-ranking soldier in the Dominion, General Paul Greenefield was also Arcturus's oldest friend. They had worked together since the destruction of Korhal when the Confederacy had caused the deaths of their fathers. The General was in his mid-forties but still had the look of a much younger man. His hair was the same jet black as his perfectly ironed uniform. The subtle smile on his face could only mean one thing: Project Ragnarok was moving forward again.

Arcturus grinned and sat at his desk. "You have news." Greenefield nodded and dropped the file he had been carrying onto the desk.

"We have located a suitable source of khaydarin crystal." Mengsk found his mood improving by the minute. This is good news. The search for khaydarin crystals to use as a power source had been holding back the Ragnarok team for months. General Greenefield continued, "It gets better. According to our long-range scans the crystals we've found are far more highly ordered than anything on record. We should be able to get double the power from half the amount of crystals. You can find an analysis of projected power output per cubic centimeter in my report." Greenefield's smile started to fade. I sense a "but" coming. "There is, however, a complication."

"Isn't there always? Well spit it out," Mengsk said, leaning back in his chair.

"The planet we found the crystal on also contains a small terran colony, about two thousand people, and an encampment of protoss."

"Terrans and Protoss?"

"Yes. They seem to be aware of each other but we have been unable to determine if they are allied. Certainly there are no indications of conflict between them," said Greenefield.

"You know my policy about Ragnarok. Take as many soldiers as you need and ensure there are no witnesses." The general inclined his head.

"Yes Arcturus."

"There is one more idea I wanted to run by you." Mengsk raised an eyebrow in response.

"This planet is extremely isolated. I think it would be the perfect place to construct the Ragnarok facility once the current occupants are destroyed. We might even be able to speed things along by cannibalizing whatever equipment and supplies are leftover afterward."

"Where is this planet?"

"The Trojia system."

"That is very far into the fringe. Permission granted. Take whatever resources you need to get Ragnarok operational as soon as possible."

"Your will Emperor." Greenefield turned and left. Mengsk found his smile returning. If all goes according to plan Ragnarok will be online within a year and I won't have to worry about Kerrigan threatening what I've built anymore. He picked up Greenefield's report and started to read.

A cold wind blew down from the mountains and swept the streets of Sanctuary. It had been gusting all day and had turned icy after the sun went down. Daniel Cortez pulled his coat tighter about him but he still felt chilled to the bone.

"Think we might get a frost tonight?" Daniel asked John Teckama; who trudged along beside him. He hoped to get John's mind off his brother's condition. They had just come from visiting Billy in the infirmary. The elder Teckama had been in a coma for almost two weeks now after suffering massive blood loss from a lurker-inflicted wound and the injury had subsequently become infected. Daniel had long ago learned that wounds sustained at the hands - or claws - of the Zerg were almost destined to become infected. After the loss of his hand Daniel had been delirious with fever for close to month. I wonder if they grow viruses on their limbs intentionally so more people die? He had also learned how lucky he had been to survive the fever that had gripped him. He couldn't count how many people had died from zerg related infections when he served in the Dominion Marine Corps. He could only hope Billy would be luckier. John was not taking his brother's injury well. With each passing day he became increasingly morose and worried. Daniel was putting his best effort into keeping John's hopes alive without much success.

"Wanna get a snack?" Daniel asked as they entered a pool of orange illumination underneath a streetlight. Before John could respond, the sound of running feet heralded the arrival of an out of breath Jessica Terrance. She was in her civilian clothes and her artificial left eye cast an eerie green glow in the night. "What's up Jes?" asked Daniel.

"The sensors have detected a small fleet of terran ships entering orbit. They haven't responded to attempts at communication. Mathews wants us at defense command double time." She jogged back in the direction she'd come, John and Daniel following. As they moved the announcement system began blaring over the settlement.

"Attention. Alert level two. Unidentified ships incoming. Eagle Squad, man the walls. All squads on stand by. Prepare to lock down the settlement. Repeat: prepare to lock down the settlement, alert level two." Daniel and John arrived at defense command at the same time as Councilor Akira Shimizu. He was a little less formally dressed than usual - the result of the late hour. Major Argyle Mathews and Carl Leblanc were already there, looking over tactical scans. The major was in his usual UED military fatigues.

"Who is it?" asked Shimizu in reference to the incoming fleet.

"We don't know. They're not showing any transponder codes. All we know is that the group is comprised mainly of wraiths and dropships and that they're heading right for us," said Major Mathews.

"All attempts at communication have been ignored. We have the AA cannon trained on them," Leblanc elaborated. The sound of aircraft engines cut through the howl of the wind. Daniel ran to a small viewing port in the wall and looked up. A squadron of tri-winged wraiths was soaring over Sanctuary their ventral mounted lasers firing into the streets. By the light thrown by a burning building Daniel saw a symbol emblazoned on the side of a fighter - a red arm wielding a whip.

"The Dominion," he snarled. Damn you Mengsk! Daniel had been a loyal subject of Emperor Arcturus I until he had learned that Mengsk was responsible for the destruction of Tarsonis and, by extension, the death of Daniel's sister Penelope.

"The Dominion?! Why would they attack us?" said Mathews.

"I don't know," said Daniel as he turned to face his companions. Mathews barked some orders to a technician at a computer terminal and the announcement system began calling again.

"Attention. Alert level one. Dominion forces attacking. Lock down the settlement. Eagle, Charlie, and Delta squads man the walls. Alpha and Gamma squads patrol the streets. Repeat: lock down the settlement, alert level one." As it stopped Daniel could hear the settlement's AA cannon firing.

A soldier seated a sensor display reported, "The dropships are landing three kilometers outside the walls. Estimates put their numbers at roughly fifteen hundred infantry supported by arclite tanks and goliath walkers." More than enough to equal us.

"Man our arclite! Send Gamma Squad out on vultures to slow their advance," the major ordered. "I want options," he added.

"Ask the Protoss for help?" said Daniel.

"They're under attack as well," said a nearby soldier. Swears abounded for a moment.

"Lay spider mines outside the walls?" suggested John. Mathews shook his head.

"We don't have enough." The sounds of battle leaked through the walls. Reports began pouring in.

"We lost the arclite!"

"Civilian casualties reported!" Daniel felt rage boiling up within him. Didn't destroying Tarsonis put enough innocent blood on your hands Arcturus?

"What if we place fuel, the kind firebats use, with the spider mines to increase yield?" said Jessica.

"It would be too hard to hide," Daniel said. An explosion outside halted conversation briefly.

Shimizu spoke, "Evacuation."

"What?" replied Mathews.

"We evacuate Sanctuary."

"You've got to be kidding."

"It pains me as much as you Argyle but what else can we do? We can't fight. We certainly can't surrender." Silence followed - broken only by the battle raging beyond the walls - as they weighed the ramifications of Shimizu's proposal. It left a bitter taste in Daniel's mouth. We've been here less than a year. The construction is barely complete! The councilor seemed to take the lack of response as validation of his plan. "We cannot stand against the Dominion. Our only hope is to try and find a new home among the stars." After a few more seconds of stony silence something seemed to give way within Mathews.

"Yeah. But how will we do it? We used all the ships to build the town." Each word he spoke seemed to beat him down further. And just like that. A year's efforts come to nothing. Daniel's feelings were mirrored in the crestfallen expressions of the others.

"The Protoss," said Shimizu.

"Their ship is damaged!" said Jessica.

"Scouts report their repairs are nearly complete," said Major Mathews.

"Would they even agree to help us?" said Daniel. Though they had joined forces to defeat the Khaydarin Mind there had been no contact with Marzare'ul's group of protoss since the end of the battle.

"There's only one way to find out," said Shimizu. Turning to Jessica he said, "You'll have to contact them." She looked like she had just swallowed something unpleasant but nodded. John ran off and returned with a small golden globe inset with several softly glowing blue gems. The old high templar, Tikor, had given it to them so that in the event of emergency they could contact the Protoss. It required a telepath to operate it. Jessica grabbed it, closed her eyes, and concentrated.

The wind tore through the pass and whipped Marzare'ul's robes. It carried an icy chill but the protoss leader barely noticed it. He had grown used to the cold in the twilight of Shakuras. The hillside he stood upon commanded a broad view of his damaged ship, the Myanot, and the protoss milling around it completing the repairs. He was grateful the damage inflicted by the Zerg was less severe than early reports had shown; the Myanot would be fully functional within a few days.

The clank of machinery caused Marzare'ul to turn. A four legged machine covered in gold coloured armor was working its way up the slope towards him. It resembled some kind of insect and was about waist height to a protoss. This is not something I have been looking forward to.

"En taro Adun Galedorn."

"En taro Adun Marzare'ul," responded Galedorn; his voice seemed to have taken on a metallic inflection. Though Marzare'ul had saved Galedorn's life during the battle with the Khaydarin Mind he had also been responsible for the crippling that now required Galedorn to spend the rest of his days within the shell of a dragoon. Galedorn may have chosen life over death but that did not mean he held no grudge against Marzare'ul. Galedorn had only finished being integrated into the machine's systems that morning and Marzare'ul had not spoken with him since the battle. He decided to get to the point immediately.

"Galedorn. You must… Forgive me for doing this to you. I could not bring myself to slay a proud warrior for something he had no control over. The technique I used was the only way I could think of to…" Galedorn interrupted him.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You acted with honor and spared my life. With this dragoon I will be able to bring death to the enemies of Aiur for many years to come. I thank you for my life." Marzare'ul was touched. I wonder if I would be as magnanimous in his place?

"Terran ships incoming!" shouted a sentry. Terrans? A moment later a dozen human fighters descended from the clouds and fired on the protoss gathered below.

Marzare'ul's eyes burned bright with anger as he yelled, "We're under attack! Defend the ship!" He focused on one of the terran ships. It was enveloped by a deep blue glow before being torn asunder. A cannon rose from the top of Galedorn's shell and fired into the sky. A second wave strafed the protoss encampment. This time they were met by cobalt lightening from Tikor and the other high templar. The terrans returned fire. A blue flash heralded the death of one of Marzare'ul's warriors. We're too spread out. He projected an order across the valley.

"Form up at the ship!" He ran down the steep slope towards the Myanot, Galedorn shambling behind. When he arrived in the shadow of the ship a templar, Lano, jogged up to him.

"The humans in sanctuary have contacted us. They wish to speak to you," he said, holding a small globe inset with khaydarin crystals.

"We're under attack! I don't have time to talk to them!" Marzare'ul snarled.

"I told them that but they insisted. They are under attack as well. I think they may want our help." Marzare'ul felt increasingly frustrated but grabbed the globe. Once his fist closed around it an image of a group of terrans standing around a table, including a female holding the globe's twin, appeared in his mind. He also saw a ghostly image of himself appear on the table.

"What is it?" He didn't even try to mask his impatience. A terran with dark fur on his head spoke.

"The Dominion is landing forces west of here. They're trying to destroy us…" The floor of the room shook as if to prove his point.

"…And it seems likely they'll do the same to you. We can help guard you until you get the repairs to your ship finished but you have to take us with you. Am I correct in assuming you'll be leaving soon?" Marzare'ul bristled at the presumption in the tone of the human he now remembered was named Shimizu. The terran town shook again. About to refuse their request, Marzare'ul detected a note of sympathy in the mind of the human woman as she heard the screams of people outside. His mind began running fast. These people have done no harm to me. They fought with honor against the Mind. It would not be right to abandon them to their fate. In the blink of an eye he considered all the various possible actions and their ramifications. He came to a decision.

"I will take you from here. If we rush repairs the Myanot will be ready to leave here within two of what you call hours. We won't have proper shields or weapons but the engines should hold up. We will not wait for beyond that and you must be aware we have no provisions for human passengers. You will have to bring your own." Shimizu nodded.

"Understood. Expect our refugees to arrive shortly. We will do what we can to keep the Dominion off your back." Marzare'ul withdrew from the connection thinking, What strange sayings humans have. He handed the globe back to Lano and summoned his psi blades.

The streets of Sanctuary were illuminated by the explosions of siege tank shells. The walls would fail soon. Daniel burst into his shack to gather what he could of his belongings before joining the evacuation. The thunder outside reminded him uncomfortably of the destruction of Tarsonis. He grabbed a briefcase from under his bed and began stuffing it with spare clothes and necessities. He also took his bible. No one had practiced religion in his family for generations but it was an heirloom and the only physical link to his dead relatives.

He closed the briefcase and ran outside where people were frantically loading supplies and possessions onto vultures, trucks, and SCVs. Dominion wraiths again strafed the town. A man was hit square in the chest less than two meters from Daniel. He leapt into the back of an old pickup truck, put down his case, and grabbed his gauss rifle from the holster on the back of his armor. He shared the truck with several crates of food supplies and hydroponics equipment but no people. For safety reasons all the evacuees had to depart in one group so Daniel settled in to wait. His helmet allowed him to hear the radio traffic of all the squads currently trying to hold off the dominion forces. The battle did not go well. A stentorian explosion sounded behind him followed by a wave of blisteringly hot air that nearly knocked him out of the truck. He looked back and saw flaming wreckage where the AA cannon had been.

Finally the preparations were complete. Daniel heard the voice of Major Mathews in his helmet.

"Councilor Shimizu reports all civilians are good to go. Proceed out the east gate as planned. Fire on any Dominion forces you meet." The column of vehicles began to roll toward the gate. Daniel's truck was just back from the middle of the procession. If he faced forward he could see Jessica piloting a vulture ahead and to the left, and Leblanc peaking out from the back of a dump truck further forward. He couldn't see where John was. In addition to Bravo Squad, the refugees were guarded by Alpha and Eagle squads. Charlie Squad was staying behind to slow pursuit and Delta and Gamma squads had been sent ahead to secure the protoss ship.

They proceeded out of the town towards a broad mountain pass at a slow crawl. Daniel could hear the sounds of fighting behind him as Charlie Squad began their fighting retreat. For the second time in his life Daniel was being violently forced from his home and for the second time the blame could be squarely at the feet of Arcturus Mengsk. I hope you burn in hell, you son of a bitch.

By the time they entered the mountains the dominion troops had begun finding ways to skirt around Charlie Squad. Small groups of marines began to harry their flanks - more annoyance than anything. Daniel picked them off without sympathy for the soldiers he had once called comrades.
A wing of wraiths struck at the evacuees. Screams sounded from where they hit. Daniel felt a buzzing sensation in his head just before two of the fighters collided in mid-air. Nice goin' Jes.
A high caliber round tore through the tailgate of the truck. A squad of goliath walkers was advancing on them from another path through the mountains. Their arm-mounted autocannons blazed. Still too far to be very accurate, they nonetheless managed to hit more than a few targets within the retreating column. Daniel zoomed in with his helmet's targeting sensors and focused on the cockpit of one of the walkers. It took several tries before he managed to fire through the windshield. The goliath shuddered and ceased operating. Got ya! Three vultures hailing from Alpha Squad struck at the goliaths, disabling one before being forced to retreat. Daniel felt the tingling feeling in his mind again as Jessica neutralized the driver of another walker. The fourth and final goliath was defeated by combined infantry and vulture fire.

A lull in the fighting followed in which Jessica said, "I can't contact Charlie Squad." to Daniel over a private comm. line. He knew that could only mean one thing: they were all dead.

"Company coming in from the rear!" warned Ron Talbot, the commander of Eagle Squad over the communal line. Daniel turned his attention away from the infantry that continued to harass them and looked to the rear of the line where two arclite siege tanks were chasing them. They could not deploy their massive artillery cannons while moving, but their lighter weapons could still be devastating. They opened up into the refugees, destroying a truck carrying medical supplies. Vultures from Eagle Squad attempted to slow their advance. They succeeded only in dying. The tanks unleashed another volley that shredded the rear guard. Daniel tried to bring them down with his rifle despite its inefficacy against the tank's heavy armor.

Globes of dazzling blue energy ripped through the darkness to collide with the foremost tank. The arclite didn't stand a chance. Before its crew could even react, the second tank was also destroyed. Farther up the pass, surrounded by dark templar, was a four-legged machine with some kind of cannon mounted to the top, which it turned on the Dominion infantry with deadly effect. Because he had been paying attention to the machine Daniel did not immediately notice that the dark templar had vanished. He did not know what had happened to them until he saw a dominion marine impaled by an eerie blue spike that seemed to come from nowhere. As the minutes passed more and more enemy soldiers died in brief flashes of light.

The fighting was still fierce but with the aid of the Protoss the fleeing terrans were able to hold their own. At last they came around a bend in the pass and reached the Myanot. It was somewhat less majestic than when Daniel had last seen it. One side was covered in burns from the zerg attack and several of its flower-pedal-like fronds had been bent when it crashed. A large portal had opened in its side, out of which issued a device Daniel took to be the protoss version of a crane. The terran vehicles spread out and stopped next to the protoss vessel. The civilians began to load supplies and equipment into the ship's hold. Major Mathews ran forward from the crowd.

"Form ranks! It's gonna take a few minutes to get the ship loaded!" The remaining soldiers formed an arc around the Myanot. In some places crude battlements were made from vultures turned sideways. Those protoss not involved with the repairs or the evacuation also joined them. Daniel crouched behind a vulture and replaced his nearly spent clip with a fresh one. Jessica settled down to the left of him. Ahead the dominion soldiers were assembling into ranks, preparing to attack. There were marines, goliaths, firebats, and at least one arclite tank. Major Mathews - standing just behind the front lines in his powered combat armor - shouted encouragement to the assembled fighters.

"They took our homes! Now it's time for us to take their lives!" A moment later the dominion forces charged. Daniel waited tensely for them to get into range.

The two armies opened fire almost simultaneously. The crack of rifles and the boom of grenades merged with the howl of the wind to create an all-consuming roar. Daniel sprayed into the first few ranks. He was fueled by a kind of cold rage that sent reason fleeing. With the aid of the Protoss the remaining warriors of Sanctuary were able to cause at least as many casualties as they suffered.

A psionic battle cry temporarily drowned out the din of battle. Some sense he didn't understand told Daniel it had come from behind. Looking, he glimpsed Marzare'ul. Eyes burning like hellfire, seeming like a demon from ancient mythology, he leapt over the defenders lines and charged the enemy. His reckless courage seemed to inspire the other protoss warriors who ran after him shouting war cries.

"For Aiur!"

"For Adun!"

"Khala guide me!" Christ, are they enjoying this? The dominion soldiers seemed equally shocked. They were faltering and losing cohesion in the face of the protoss's fury. Tikor ran forward to stand next to Daniel. The old templar summoned a globe of crackling azure energy and hurled it at an approaching goliath. The walker was completely destroyed. Tikor's eyes flashed with what Daniel assumed was triumph.

The audio pickups on Daniels helmet detected a new noise he couldn't immediately identify.
His heart jumped into his throat when he placed what it was.

He spun around and fired into the sky shouting, "Wraiths! Behind us! Wraiths!" They were almost on top of them. Dozens of tri-winged fighter craft. Crimson lasers lanced through the lines all around Daniel. His helmet filled with screams of pain and terror. The wraiths started breaking away from their aerial charge. Just before turning back one shot a bolt of fiery energy straight for Daniel and his companions.

At the last moment Tikor summoned a shield around them. The laser hit the shield, surrounding them in a conflagration whose heat could be felt through the shield. The shield dissipated at nearly the same time the fires of the laser died. All around the defensive ring there were now burning gaps in the ranks. Moans of the wounded could be heard over the wind. It was all the survivors could do to stay alive in the renewed dominion onslaught. The Protoss retreated to attempt to plug the holes in the line. Daniel emptied his clip into the advancing mass and reloaded. He knew it was only matter of which would happen first; the dominion overrunning them or the last supplies being loaded.

When he got up to fire again he saw a dominion firebat charging straight for him. On instinct he fired. The resulting explosion turned night to day and sent him, Jessica, and Tikor hurtling backwards. His head collided with a boulder causing his vision to momentarily blur.

"Are you injured, humans?" asked Tikor, who had already regained his feet. Daniel admired the resilience of the protoss, who was most likely older than the first terran space vessels.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he responded. Jessica was already returning to the front lines. Daniel hauled himself to his feet and jogged forward, blasting at the enemy. The battle raged on for long minutes. At last Mathews shouted that supplies were packed and gave the order to retreat. Protoss and terran alike broke ranks and poured through the hatches of the Myanot. The ship's engines rumbled to life and propelled it into orbit. The dominion wraiths tried and failed to stop the sleek ship from entering warp and escaping their clutches. They left behind a crescent of vultures and a devastated battlefield.

Daniel opened his eyes. There was a brief moment when he couldn't understand why he was sleeping on a thin mat on a hard floor instead of his usual bed. Damn. He remembered now. After the brutal flight from Trojia Five he had helped get the civilians organized. It must have been near four in the morning when he'd stumbled into the quarters the protoss had given him. Vaguely he remembered being told they had once belonged to an engineer named Tianu. The lights were dimmed but he could see the room was small, with a floor made of some dark blue metal and walls of gold draped with banners. A man sized lump rested against the opposite wall, snoring. It seems I have a roommate. A faint hum emanated from the floor.

Despite his exhaustion he found sleep elusive and eventually got up. He was quiet so as not to awaken his nameless companion. He had slept in his clothes so he merely left his mat and went to the door. It took him several minutes to figure out how to open the door, as it had neither handle nor control pad. Eventually he touched the door itself and it slid open with barely a sound. He stepped out into a corridor floored with the same dark metal. There were several offshoot halls in the area; all of them lined with doors just like the one Daniel had left. Each bore a pair of designs in the protoss script. I hope I don't get lost. He set off on a random direction and wandered aimlessly through halls and corridors. He might have been going in circles - he couldn't tell. The fear and anger of the night before had given way to a kind of detached shock. He took in the alien sights of the protoss ship focusing his thoughts into curiosity.

He came to a broad passageway that seemed to run most of the length of the ship. He turned right out of the hall he had come from and into the long passage. The corridors were deserted and the ship was nearly silent. He assumed that everyone was either asleep or, in the case of the protoss, running the ship. I wonder where we are? Marzare'ul didn't say where he was planning on going. His footsteps echoed off the metal walls. He could almost imagine he was the only one on the ship.

He started hearing the sound of running water. Realizing he was very thirsty, he hastened his stride.

The passage widened into a wide rotunda topped with a golden dome. In each of the broad, half moon shaped halves was a great pool. In the center of each pool was a flat platform sitting just above the water. Water poured in streams from the ceiling and onto the platforms forming odd fountains. The passage continued on at the other end of the room. Daniel walked to the pool on the left and kneeled at the edge. The bottom of the basin was decorated with stylized depictions of strange aquatic creatures. Probably animals from their home world. He scooped a handful of cool, clear water and sniffed it. Deciding it was drinkable he took a sip. It had a faint metallic taste but was otherwise very refreshing. He bent down and drank his fill.

After drinking he sat back and considered his situation. Evicted by the Dominion and living on a protoss ship. I doubt I could have thought of a stranger fate if I tried. Joining with them to fight the Khaydarin Mind was one thing, living with them was quite another. They probably feel the same way about us. He felt anger at the Dominion rising up again. Damn it! What did we ever do to them? Why did they attack us? He clenched his fist in anger causing its gears to hiss slightly. As quickly as the anger came it faded away again. He sighed. The people of Sanctuary had been cast out to drift through the stars less than a year after settling on Trojia Five. What will we do now?

Jessica's voice broke through his reverie, "Daniel! Come quickly! It's Billy!" He clambered to his feet, startled. It took him a minute to understand she had spoken into his mind. She would not have used her telepathy unless it was very urgent.

He ran back up the corridor. He began to receive impressions of where to find Billy from Jessica like a trail of telepathic breadcrumbs. As he got closer the images became more distinct, enabling him to zero in on Billy's location - a small room not unlike Daniel's. He was lying on a mat surrounded by the other members of Bravo Squad and a doctor. His skin was pale and shone with sweat. The wound across his chest was stained green, brown, and other unnatural colours. His breathing was shallow, barely noticeable. John looked stricken. He stared at his unconscious brother, hardly blinking.

Jessica stood and whispered to Daniel, "The doc says he won't make it. The infection's spread to his lungs and heart. He thinks it was the evacuation. Placed too much stress on his system." Daniel's heart went out to John. The Teckama brothers had been inseparable for far longer than he had known them. He and Jessica kneeled at Billy's bedside. He placed a comforting hand on John's shoulder. John showed no indication that he noticed. They watched in silence as Billy's breaths came increasingly far apart. No one said anything. There was nothing to say. Sorrow hung in the room like fog. Jessica struggled to hold back tears. Even Leblanc, who rarely showed sympathy for anyone, seemed somewhat moved. At last, after an indeterminate amount of time, the elder Teckama's breathing stopped. The doctor performed a brief scan and pronounced him dead. Tears rolled down John's cheeks and into his unshaven beard. Daniel and the others offered sympathies that John seemed not to hear and eventually left him alone with his grief.

Weeks passed aboard the Myanot. Life could not be called normal when one lived on a protoss ship but it gained a form of regularity. The Terrans became passengers as the Protoss resumed their search for the comrades they had lost in the flight from Kerrigan's swarms. Marzare'ul had promised to look for a new planet for humans to call home but so far none had been found that met the requirements.

Boredom became the biggest foe. There was absolutely nothing to do. Though they were undermanned, the Protoss had little use for human help. Most of the ship's systems were automated or required a telepath to operate them. They were also ridiculously complicated and had so far thwarted the few attempts to understand them made by Daniel and the others psionically sensitive enough to operate them. One day Daniel had screwed up the courage to ask a seven-and-a-half foot warrior if the Protoss had any forms of recreation. The alien had mentioned a form of psionic theatre but said the Templar had no time for it.

The castes were one aspect of protoss society Daniel had started to gain an understanding of. He was embarrassed to discover that he had started assuming all protoss were warriors. In truth the warriors, the Templar, made up only a third of the protoss population. It was the worker caste, or Khalai, that had comprised the vast majority of their society before their numbers were decimated by the Zerg. There was also a third caste: the Judicators. Daniel had a great deal of difficulty forming a clear picture of the protoss ruling class in his mind because he received a different description of them from each protoss he asked. According to the Dark Templar they were corrupt overlords who forced their rigid beliefs on all they encountered. Marzare'ul's ilk seemed to blame them for the destruction of their homeworld. However, most of the other protoss on the ship depicted them as righteous lords who, at worst, were merely too slow to change to adapting times and circumstances.

The dullness was not the only problem. In the first three weeks Daniel had come close to murdering his roommate - a former hydroponics technician named Brian Benson - who had kept him from sleeping with his incessant snoring. In the end the homicide was prevented by a swap of rooms that saw Carl Leblanc moving in with Daniel, and Brian rooming with Carl's deep-sleeping companion. The food didn't help either. They had not had enough time to bring all the greenhouse equipment with them when they left Sanctuary and the meals became increasingly paltry as their supplies dwindled. Near as Daniel could tell the Protoss did not eat so there was no hope of them sharing their supplies.

One of the few things Daniel truly had to be thankful for was that he was doing better than John. His brother's death had hit him very hard. As the days went by he didn't seem to get any better; in fact he seemed to grow more dejected as time went on. Daniel and the others made numerous efforts to comfort him without success and eventually gave up.

And the weeks dragged on.

Daniel sat by that water's edge listening to the sound of the fountains in what his fellow terrans had named the common room. The Protoss had a term for this type of chamber but it was not pronounceable by a species reliant on tongues for speech. It was the closest thing the Protoss had to a mess hall or place for recreation and it had quickly become a favorite place for the humans to spend their countless off-hours. Jessica and Leblanc leaned against the wall behind him. Not far away John stared into space. In addition to the small clusters of humans, several protoss were in the room drinking from the pools, meditating, or lounging. Daniel's artificial hand was throbbing again. He tried to ignore it.

"I shoulda brought a deck of cards," said Leblanc. The boredom was starting to get to him. He resembled a caged animal more and more these days.

"At this point I would happily watch one of Mengsk's propaganda films if it meant I had something to do for an hour," he said.

"Don't mention that bastard to me, Leblanc," said Daniel staring into the pool. Jessica let a sigh that ended up being closer to a growl.

"What I wouldn't give for five minutes off this damn ship," she said. A protoss dressed in a simple loincloth came over and began to drink from the pool. Jessica visibly tensed as it approached. She did not relax until the protoss got up again and left the room. Daniel had noticed her doing this several times before.

"Why do you do that?" he asked her.

"Do what?"

"Look like you stepped in something nasty every time one of them walks by."

She grimaced, "I can hear them. Hear their minds. It's like whispers in the next room. My neural implants don't seem to be able to filter them out the way they can with human thoughts. When I'm alone I can almost ignore it but when they're close it's loud enough I can almost understand what they're thinking." Daniel tried to think of something comforting to say but couldn't think of anything that didn't seem like a pointless pleasantry so he settled on apologizing for bringing it up. Jessica only shrugged. The throbbing in his hand strengthened, recalling images of a burning city and a bloodthirsty hydralisk. He tried to focus on a different topic.

"I heard Mathews wants to organize drills for the soldiers," he said.

"Might be a good idea. I'm getting out of shape sitting around all day and you never know when we'll have to go into combat again," said Jessica.

"Where would he hold them? There isn't a whole lot of extra space on this ship," said Leblanc.

"Well there's the problem. The ship is packed to the gills with refugees and the Protoss don't want us disrupting the operation of the ship by taking over more space. Shimizu is trying to work out a solution but…" Daniel let the conversation die. He was sick of the same old gossip and conversations that went nowhere.

Clenching his fist he grimaced at the pain therein. It's not supposed to hurt. Damn doctor that did it said I was supposed to be immune to pain in that hand. He noticed a protoss meditating near them. The protoss, named Arakor, had not moved since they had arrived nearly an hour before. I envy their discipline sometimes.

Marzare'ul stepped into the chamber. It was full of humans again; clustering around the fountains and talking. He shook his head, the motion almost imperceptible. It wouldn't be accurate to say he regretted saving them but he deeply wished he could have done it without them living on his ship. He kneeled next to the fountain on the right trying to ignore the buzzing, discordant chatter of the human's thoughts. It filled the ship. Never ending. Even their dreams lacked harmony. It's a wonder they don't go insane. Even the Zerg's ravenous hatred is more structured than this. We can't find a new home for them soon enough. Some, like Je'dax; the ship's navigator, found them fascinating. Marzare'ul was not among them. Times like this when he was getting off duty and wished some peace were often ruined by the presence of the humans and their blaring, chaotic minds. He tried a mental calming exercise Tikor had taught him. It helped, but only slightly. He unwrapped the cloth that covered his head. Its talismans clacked slightly. He set it to one side and plunged his head into the water. He opened the gill-like slits in the side of his facial hide and drank deeply for several minutes.

When he straightened up he surveyed the room and the other members of his race within it. I wonder if anyone wants to spar? Arakor is meditating but maybe when he's done… A deep-seated instinct told him that one of the humans was thinking about him. He looked around and his eyes locked briefly with the dark skinned terran named Cortez. Marzare'ul knew he had found his quarry even though the human looked away. Marzare'ul studied the human and wondered why he was the subject of his Cortez's thoughts. The task was made difficult by the mind of Cortez's companions - the fiery haired one and the female. Like many humans, their minds were diseased, flawed. One had suffered damage at the hands of others while the other had dark and twisted areas deep in his consciousness. Neither was desirable to be around but his curiosity did not allow him to block them out. A moment later the human excused himself from his friends and walked towards Marzare'ul.

"May I speak with you?" asked the terran. "In private?" he added. His curiosity still piqued, Marzare'ul agreed. He grabbed his head cloth and led Cortez to his quarters farther up the main passage of the Myanot. Though larger than the rooms given to other crewmembers, his living area was still very small and Spartan. About four meters square, its only furnishings were some cushions and odd-looking chairs. His private meditation chamber was located across the hall.

When they were both settled on cushions within the center of the apartment Marzare'ul said, "Speak human."

Looking a little nervous, Cortez responded, "Please, call me Daniel."

"Very well Daniel." An uncomfortable moment followed with both waiting for the other to speak first. Eventually Marzare'ul gestured for Daniel to speak.

"This isn't easy to talk about. Bear with me." Marzare'ul nodded. He wondered where this was going. This was not a side of humanity he was familiar with. "I grew up on Tarsonis. That was the capitol of the Confederacy."

"I know of it. Tikor fought there under Executor Tassadar."

"Anyway, I spent my whole life there until the Zerg attacked. The Confederacy never warned us until there were zerglings in the streets. I had to flee with my sister." It was getting harder for Daniel to speak. "People were dying all around us. The Zerg were killing everyone and those that were left were, um, finished by your people." He mumbled the last part.

"Tikor told me that it was very painful for Tassadar to harm your people. That was why he tried to fight the Zerg up close, on the planet instead of obliterating the planet from orbit as was done in the Sara system." Daniel looked surprised to hear this but continued.

"We ran through the streets trying to get to the dropships off the planet. I lost her. She fell behind and I couldn't find her. I couldn't find her." His voice was thick with emotion. Marzare'ul was unsure exactly how to react.

"You cared for this sister?" Daniel suddenly became angry.

"What the hell kind of question is that? She was my little sister! My parents were both dead; she was all I had." Marzare'ul did not appreciate being shouted at. However he let it pass because of Daniel's pain.

"We Protoss often have hundreds of siblings and there is no bond between us. Am I to understand this is different with your people?" Marzare'ul's tone let Daniel know he had overstepped his bounds.

Chagrined Daniel said, "Oh. Sorry. Ah yes. We do care about our brothers and sisters a great deal."

"Then I understand."

"I looked all over terran space for months afterward. I never found any word of her. If she was alive she would have looked for me as I looked for her. She must have been killed by the Zerg." Tears rolled down Daniel's face. Marzare'ul felt sympathy for the human.

"I too have lost many close to me to the Swarm. They are creatures of endless cruelty." Daniel nodded in acknowledgement. After a pause he spoke again.

"Just after I lost sight of her a hydralisk attacked me. I lost this hand." He held up his right hand.
"Oh it looks real but its machine under the skin. It hurts all the time and every time it does it takes me back to that day. I think about it everyday but when my hand hurts I can't ignore it. And that's why I'm here. You Protoss can do all sorts of things with telepathy. Can you get these memories out of my head?"

Marzare'ul's blazing red eyes turned a warmer orange in sympathy. "Truthfully I do not know. There have been attempts to do similar things with our people in the past but never with outsiders and when it has been tried the results were… mixed." He felt it best not to mention that most who had tried to have memories removed had been severely brain damaged. "Certainly no one on this ship would know anything about it. I am sorry but there is no way I could sanction any attempts to modify your memories. It is just as likely we would destroy your mind as save it." Daniel looked disappointed if not surprised. He stood up to leave.

"Well, ah, thank you for your time," he said. Marzare'ul stood as well.

"Trust me that I am not unsympathetic to your plight. I too have lost much to the Zerg. The first time I saw my homeworld was just a few weeks before it was destroyed. I will never know much of the wonders Aiur once held." Daniel nodded and gave a weak smile. As he stepped out the door Marzare'ul said, "Be strong Daniel Cortez."

Five months after the exodus from Sanctuary and three months after his talk with Marzare'ul Daniel stood in the core of the Myanot. In human terms the core was a sort of joint bridge and engine room, the heart of all major operations on the ship. Over the last three months he felt he had finally begun to get used to life aboard the Myanot and its alien inhabitants. The talk with Marzare'ul had shown him there was at least some common ground between the two races. It had allowed him to get over their bizarre appearances. He would probably never be able to understand them fully; there were still parts of their culture he found baffling, but he was no longer uncomfortable around them. There were even some aspects to them he found fascinating. The other terrans were adjusting with varying levels of success. Jessica was still tormented by hearing the thoughts of the Protoss. She spent more and more time alone in her room. Like Daniel, Councilor Shimizu had become interested in protoss culture and was spending more and more time studying them. Leblanc and Major Mathews, used to working hard, were becoming ever more frustrated with the lack of activity.

While his roommate became ever more irritable, Daniel had managed to find ways to overcome the boredom - at least some of the time. Early on he had noticed the Protoss practicing a form of calisthenics resembling a cross between Tai Chi, Yoga, Kung Fu, and general aerobics. One day after nearly four months aboard the Myanot he had asked to join them. Despite some exercises that were simply anatomically impossible for him, he enjoyed the practice and had made a habit of it. It helped alleviate the boredom and was helping get him back into shape. These facts had caused other terrans to start the exercises. Major Mathews was even considering making them mandatory for all soldiers.

"You're doing well. Tell me, what is this?" said Je'dax, the Myanot's navigator, pointing to an icon on the screen. This was the other major way Daniel was fighting boredom: Je'dax was teaching him to navigate the ship. It had taken weeks to find a system on the protoss ship he could understand but after much effort he found he was getting the hang of the navigator's station. It helped him feel useful as well; though his hosts would not yet let him do anything beyond scanning their surroundings and minor course corrections.

"A… brown dwarf star!" responded Daniel proudly. Je'dax nodded.

"Correct. You're getting better." Daniel also found himself liking his teacher. More than any other protoss on the ship, Je'dax was fascinated by humans. He had been more than happy to get to know Daniel during the learning process. Daniel often caught Je'dax studying him and sometimes felt like a fly under a microscope in his presence but the discomfort was outweighed by Je'dax's friendly nature and encouraging attitude. Je'dax was a young, by protoss standards, dark templar with smooth, pale blue skin and turquoise eyes. "Now let's try a course correction. Adjust our heading by twelve dienes to the left." Daniel placed his hand on the semi-transparent blue screen. He felt a tingling sensation run up his arm - he needed to use his left to properly interface - and into his head. Like the other systems aboard the Myanot the navigation computer worked partly by linking with the mind of the user. Through a combination of mental instructions and keystrokes with his right hand he was able to steer the ship slightly towards the left. He grinned at his success.

A large white icon, the symbol for a warp rift, appeared on the screen. It was followed by a number of small red blips.

"A warp gate's opened! It's the Dominion again!" Daniel called to Je'dax who had looked away briefly. Over the last few weeks the Dominion had been launching repeated raids against the Myanot. Je'dax unceremoniously shoved Daniel out of the way and began to run his station. Marzare'ul had ordered him to track the Dominion warp gates in the hopes of triangulating their origin point.

"Five wraiths, two valkyries!" Je'dax announced. The great khaydarin crystal in the center of the room brightened as it powered the shields and weapons. The Dominion opened fire and the deck emitted a low rumbling. "I have it!" shouted Je'dax. He began reading out coordinates that Daniel was still too untrained to fully understand. Daniel suddenly felt rather useless watching the Protoss defend their ship without being able to help. Before long the Myanot's warp engines had engaged and they were escaping the clutches of the Dominion. Once the warp distortion had passed Je'dax began to head out of the core. Beckoning, he said, "Come Daniel. Let us give Marzare'ul the good news."

"Je'dax has pinpointed their origin as a point near the edge of the Sho'lon system," said Marzare'ul. He, Daniel, Mathews, Shimizu, John, Jessica, Leblanc, Krassus, and Tikor were assembled in some sort of meeting chamber Daniel had never seen before. The walls were covered with abstract designs in blue, gold, and silver. A low pillar in the center of the chamber projected a hologram showing the coordinates of the Dominion base.

"I recognize the coordinates," said Daniel after mentally translating the alien symbols to their terran equivalents. All eyes were on him. "We terrans call it the Breallis system. I never went there but I heard about a dominion mining station there when I was in the marines. It's possible they expanded it into a military base."

"Obviously they have," said Mathews. He continued, "I think it goes without saying we'll attack them, so my only question is what kind of defenses do they have and what are our chances of defeating them?"

"We sent an observer through a discreet warp gate just after we found them. It should be returning soon," said Marzare'ul.

"Observer?" asked Mathews.

"A cloaked drone used for surveillance," explained Krassus.

"I always thought you Protoss' intelligence was far too good," muttered Mathews. "No offense," he added quickly.

"None taken," Marzare'ul replied.

They didn't need to wait long for the observer to return. No word came; the information simply began to appear over the earlier readout. None of the terrans were able to decipher the protoss symbols, but after a moment of telepathic conversation between them the protoss announced that the Myanot was capable of destroying the station, though not without taking damage.

"When can we attack?" asked Mathews, clearly happy to be taking action.

"We should run some system checks and prepare for combat. A few hours at most," Krassus replied.

Leblanc studied the hologram closely for a minute and said, "Major! I have an idea." Mathews looked at him. "A station this size is bound to have a great deal of supplies onboard. It may even have its own greenhouse and fabrication equipment. We could send a boarding party to capture their supplies and equipment before we destroy them."

"Excellent idea Mr. Leblanc."

"Are you suggesting we rob them before we kill them?" said Marzare'ul.

"That's the general idea," Leblanc said.

"Such a thing is dishonorable, disgraceful. I will not allow it."

"Hey now, we need food. What gives you the right to tell us what to do?" said Major Mathews.

"You are guests here and I have the right to dictate what you use my ship for. Not only will what you propose bring shame on my people, it will put the Myanot in danger if we have to wait for your boarding party to return before destroying the station. I forbid it."

"You forbid it!?" said Mathews raising his voice. Shimizu raised his hands.

"Settle down gentlemen. I'm sure there is a way to satisfy both parties."

Krassus said, "No. On this there can be no debate. We are not thieves who take we want and destroy the rest. We are Protoss!" His voice reminded Daniel of rolling thunder.

"If we don't get more food soon people are going to start suffering from malnutrition. We need to do something," said Shimizu.

"That's right. I understand the importance of honor but there are times when it must be put aside," Mathews said with his best attempt at diplomacy.

"We will not lower ourselves," Marzare'ul said in a low growl that was somehow more intimidating than if he had been screaming. His eyes were flashing so bright Daniel half expected to see real flames burst from them.

"You can't do this. People are going to start dying if we can't get better food," insisted Mathews.

"Don't dictate to me human!" Marzare'ul roared. Daniel had been wrong. The rage of the dark templar was far more terrible to behold than he could have imagined. "This is my ship and while you are on it you will obey my rules! I will not endanger my people for you no matter how desperate the situation! I didn't need to rescue you! What gives you the right?!" Daniel could feel fury of the protoss leader in his very soul. The air and the floor seemed to pulse with it. Jessica was holding her temples and squeezing her eyes against it. Mathews responded with an angry volley of his own but it seemed insignificant in comparison. Like a fly screaming at the swatter.
Tikor looked at Marzare'ul with blazing eyes. Marzare'ul faced him and his eyes began to flash as well. Daniel got the impression Tikor was trying to calm his master down.

"I can understand your objections-especially not wanting to put your people in unnecessary danger - but you did save us before. We humans have a saying 'in for a penny in for a pound'. You made a commitment to help us. Why stop now?" said Jessica.

"You do not understand." Daniel was thankful for her sake that Marzare'ul seemed to have reined in his anger for the moment. "It is against our code of conduct to steal," he maintained. Daniel started speaking.

"But aren't there always exceptions? Times when these things can, or must, be put aside? Look at the people next to you. Tradition states that as lawful members of the Khala Krassus and Tikor must at least shun you if not destroy you." Everyone seemed surprised by Daniel's knowledge of protoss culture - himself included.

Marzare'ul didn't seem to know what to make of this. He stared at Daniel for close to a minute clenching and unclenching his fists. All were silent. The air was tense.

"Very well," he said at last. "I will permit you to raid the station." The terrans breathed a collective sigh of relief. The protoss seemed uniformly angry.

A few more details of the attack were worked out and then the meeting dissipated. A fact for which Daniel was infinitely grateful. Four hours later he stood with the rest of Bravo Squad, Major Mathews - who was probably just coming out of need for something to do - and a select group of other terran soldiers in the protoss teleportation chamber. To Daniel it looked more like a fancy ballroom than anything else. Like the rest of the ship it was coloured in blue and gold. It had an intricately patterned floor and a domed ceiling and was devoid of any furnishing. They were arranged in the center of the floor pattern, waiting.

They entered warp space. Reality blurred and distorted. Daniel's stomach lurched at the alien sensations. Then it ended. It couldn't have been more than five seconds between the exit from warp space and the teleportation field's activation but it dragged on much longer for Daniel as he wondered and worried. He had never been teleported before and didn't know what to expect.

It started. A loud crackling, buzzing sound filed the air while electric-blue energy twisted itself around Daniel and the other terrans. His stomach dropped impossibly into his feet then into the floor and beyond. All around him was energy.

Illuminated by the fires of battle, the clouds seemed to burn with a light of their own. General Paul Greenefield grabbed a heavy blaster pistol from his belt and used it kill an approaching hydralisk. A flight of devourers swooped over the Ragnarok compound hurling their acidic spores at the soldiers below. Greenefield ignored their screams.

What had once been the town of Sanctuary was burning; men were dying everywhere. As he surveyed the destruction around him he could come to only one conclusion. The compound was about to be overrun. Even our best defenses are no match for the Swarm, he thought bitterly. He had one hope left, one last ditch effort. He activated a communicator disguised as an ornamental pin in his collar.

"This is General Greenefield; all units fall back to the primary lab. Repeat: all units fall back and defend the primary lab." He set off at a steady jog through the streets. Up ahead a zergling crawled from the rubble of a supply depot. He dispatched it with his pistol.

Greenefield burst through the door of the laboratory after dodging the living projectile of a mutalisk. He ran down the corridors of what had once been a factory in Sanctuary. He could still hear the battle outside. It sounded like the Zerg had been halted for the moment but he'd fought in enough campaigns to know that would change soon. He came to a heavily reinforced door in the center of the facility. It scanned his retina and then opened. He stepped through into a tall, domed chamber filled with monitoring stations and scientific equipment. To his left were a group of white robed scientists. Among them was Professor Mitchell Jenkins, the blonde-headed lead scientist of Project Ragnarok.In the very center of the room was a waist-high machine with four devices resembling audio speakers jutting from near its top. It was crowned by a shimmering, multi-faceted shard of khaydarin crystal: the prototype Ragnarok.

"They're about to break through the last of our defenses! We need to fire the prototype," Greenefield said to the professor.

"We aren't finished testing it yet. It could put the prototype at risk," Jenkins protested.

"In about five minutes the Zerg are going to overwhelm our defenses and we'll all be zergling bait. Activate the prototype." Greenefield's tone brooked no argument. The researchers began scurrying about; activating Ragnarok's firing sequence while the battle continued outside.
The prototype began to emit a low humming as the speaker-like emitters began to spin. They started to accelerate their revolutions - much too slow for Greenefield's liking.

"Power levels rising," said one researcher.

"I'm reading a resonance in the khaydarin crystal but it's within acceptable parameters," reported another. Mitchell told him to keep an eye on it. Sweat ran down Greenefield's neck as the machine gradually picked up its pace. It's gonna be right down to the wire Greenefield.

"Power surge!" Greenfield almost had a heart attack.

"Control it!" commanded Mitchell.

"Diverting… Got it. That was damn close." The general breathed a sigh of relief. The emitters were now going fast enough to blur. The hum had become a high whine that was getting louder by the minute. "Discharge in approximately ten seconds!" The battle around the lab reached a crescendo as Ragnarok's firing sequence entered its final stage. The emitters were now spinning at dizzying speed. The whine was now loud enough to drown out normal conversation. The prototype began to glow with blue light. Faint at first, it grew brighter until the machine radiated crackling, blazing energy. The whine escalated to its loudest point and then stopped. The haze of energy faded, the emitters began to decelerate.

"Was that it?" Greenefield asked.

"That was the discharge. Now we see what effect it has on the Zerg," said Mitchell. Greenefield realized things had gone somewhat silent. He quickly moved to a computer terminal and activated one of the lab's exterior video feeds.

The battle had ended. Every zerg inside or outside of the compound was dead. There was no indication of any survivors.

General Greenefield broke into a wide grin. Project Ragnarok had passed its first major test.