ã€ŠThe Voyagerã€‹


 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 1: Lieutenant

    When a girl with no emotion at all was taken into a mysterious organization and forced to travel through different dimensions to complete missions, she was more than happy to comply. Follow Jean Turner as she navigates her way through all the hell.

    Ft. Starcraft¡­

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    Jean Turner¡¯s eyes snapped open. A surge of memory entered her brain. Her purple pupil turned as she processed the information.

    She was chosen by someone with ultimate power. She was given the blessing of having the chance to travel into different dimensions and, potentially, receive amazing benefits from these dimensions. As a result, she had to complete the missions she was given without question. Refusing to complete the missions was punishable by death.

    She tapped a watch on her right wraist. She didn¡¯t have it before she was knocked uncouncious. According to the memory the watch was the only way she could receive missions from the one that sent her here, the Supreme One.

    The watch turned and projected a few lines of words.

    Name: Jean Turner

    Dimension: Starcraft

    Current location: Hyperion.

    Mission: Terminate Amon, the dark god.

    Jean looked away from the watch. She should¡¯ve panicked. She would¡¯ve panicked if she was the girl she was months ago. After all, she was taken away from her normal life and thrown into a world with chaos, aliens, and death. The background and future of Starcraft was inserted into her mind along with the information of the Supreme One. But a while ago Jean realized something was wrong with her brain. She could no longer feel any emotions. Things that would usually make her laugh or cry no longer had the same effects on her. She once tried to watch a horror movie in bed at night and she didn¡¯t feel a single scent of fear. It was as if the part of her brain that controlled emotion was ripped away from her.

    She felt empty, but she learned to live with that. Getting rid of emotion was actually quite beneficial. She was efficient.

    Jean glanced around. She was in a room with metal walls. The room was not nicely decorated. Any room of a member of Raynor¡¯s Raider wasn¡¯t decorated. The rebels were more focused on practical use than colorful decorations. Plus, the Raiders don¡¯t really pay wages and their soldiers don¡¯t really have a place to buy stuff.

    Another wave of memories hit Jean, and she realized who she was. The Supreme One gave her an identity in the Raiders to help her complete the mission.

    She was Jean Turner, a lieutenantof the captain of Hyperion, Matt Horner.

    Jean frowned. If the Supreme One was powerful enough to alter the realities in the other dimensions, then why did he or she need her to complete this mission. Couldn¡¯t he just wipe Amon out?Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Suddenly a projected figure appeared on the table before Jean. It was the figure of a mechanical female. An adjacent.

    Adjacents are AIs the Terran commanders used to control their army. They could provide informational support to their commanders and help them control the battlefield as nicely as possible.

    ¡°Lieutenant Turner. Captain Horner requires your presence on the bridge.¡± The adjacent spoke in a mechanical, emotionless voice.

    ¡°Did Captain Horner say why?¡±

    ¡°It appears that the leader of the Raiders, James Raynor, is aboard. Captain Horner wants you to participate in the discussion of the future missions.¡± The adjacent replied.

    Jean learned from the memory that Captain Matthew Horner treated her like a student and taught her all she needed to know to command the Raiders. In return she showed impressive potential to be a wise commander.

    Jean wasted no time and walked out of her room. She navigated to the bridge with ease with the help of the memories she received. Men and women she crossed nodded at her kindly. The Raiders were a family, united under the same cause and against the same enemy. Their members were very close with each other. Jean nodded in return with a smile on her face even though she was ice cold inside.

    She entered the bridge, and the metal door closed behind her. There were three men beside the mission projector. One of them was wearing a clean suit. He was the captain of the Hyperion, Matt Horner. A man in big blue armor stood beside the captain with a cigarette in his mouse. He had a tough look, and Horner occasionally threw him some disgusted look. The third man was a man wearing short sleeves and had a beard. He had a tatoo on his arm and a pistol strapped to his side.

    ¡°Captain, Lieutenant Turner reporting for duty.¡± Jean reported formally, playing the role of a careful officer well.

    ¡°This is Lieutenant Turner. She¡¯s a great commander and a helpful officer.¡± Horner introduced the two sides. ¡°Lieutenant this is our leader Jim Raynor and this is his friend, Tychus Findlay. It wasn¡¯t a surprise Horner didn¡¯t expect Jean to know her boss. Jim Raynor, despite his legendary past, had been laying low for the recent years after the Brood War, and Horner was the one handling the affairs of The Hyperion.

    ¡°Damn Jimmy, I never knew your adjacent is such a beauty.¡± Tychus groaned as he scanned Jean from top to bottom.

    ¡±Sir.¡± Jean ignored the criminal and acknowledged Raynor, who smiled apologizingly in return. ¡°How may I help.¡±

    ¡°As you know, Lieutenant, The Raiders had been short on supply for quite a while. We had to act as mercenaries to keep the entire ship running. At this rate we need a miracle to stop the invading Zerg forces. We need to have our hardware and ammunitions are up to the challenge.¡± Horner explained and put on the footage of Zerg invading Terran territory. Bodies were put into bags. Things were tough.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check in with Swann down in the armory. Knowing him, he¡¯s already got upgrades for us.¡± Raynor assured.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need money for upgrades sir.¡± Jean suggested. ¡°Last I checked our finance can barely pay for the maintenance of the current hardware.¡±

    Suddenly the comm blinked, and Horner touched the screen.

    ¡°What the status Matt?¡± Raynor asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve picked up a distress call from the planet Agria. There¡¯s a colony there under attack by the Zerg.¡± Horner replied and pulled up the transmission. A woman in white suit appeared.

    ¡°To any ship receiving this transmission...the Zerg are invading Agria...The Dominion abandoned us here...We¡¯re just a small farming colony. We¡¯ve got to evacuate before we¡¯re overrun. If you¡¯re hearing this message, please help us!¡± She was desperate.

    Jean calculated the statistics. If she was making the call she wouldn¡¯t help the colonists. The only reward she might receive was perhaps dozens or even hundreds of untrained, unarmed men that might join the Raiders. This was nothing in exchange for the risk of fighting the Zerg and the amount of men and resources the Raiders might lose in the process. This was a bad exchange, but she was smarter than telling Raynor that. The man was known as a hero for a reason.

    Just like she imagined, Jim Raynor opened up a transmission with the woman from the distress call with any hesitation...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 2: Landing on Agria

    ¡°Thank you so much for responding to this distress call, commander. I¡¯m Dr.Ariel Hanson and I represent the people of the Agria Colony.¡± The woman in white, Dr. Hanson, said.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, doc. You can call me Jim. What''s the situation.¡± Raynor said warmly.

    ¡°The Zerg have overwhelmed our planetary defenses. The colony is lost. For the past twelve hours we¡¯ve been evacuating people to the nearest starport, but the Zerg attack have been so intense, we couldn¡¯t get any more through.¡± Hanson said desperately. ¡°If you can guard the highway we can send the remaining groups through every few minutes.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry doc. We¡¯ll get your folks to that starport safe and sound.¡± Raynor replied confidently. Jean bit her lips. The amount of manpower needed to hold back the Zerg for such a distance is challenging, and the Raiders don¡¯t have extra manpower to spend on this piece of rock.

    ¡°I pray you¡¯re right commander. The Zerg are more terrible than I ever imagined.¡± Hanson said with a haunted look. The transmission ended there.

    ¡°Lieutenant, how do you think we should do this?¡± Raynor wasn¡¯t blinded by the urge to protect the weak, at least not entirely. He was very aware of the trouble the Raiders were in, and he needed to find a way to minimize the losses the Raiders encounter. He didn¡¯t have a great way to do that, which was why he turned to the lieutenant Horner trusted.

    ¡°Our units are limited to marines, medics, and firebats.¡± Lieutenant Jean Turner said. If she had to do this, she might as well do it nicely. Raynor¡¯s Raiders was one of the strongest forces against Amon, and she needed to strength them as much as possible.

    ¡°We should build bunkers along the roads and position stationary marines to guard them and SCVs to repair. Use a mobile force made up of firebats, marines, and medics to escort the convoy. Even better, use the Hyperion to cover the convoy.¡± Jean listed.

    ¡°We have detected several zerg corruptors in the space near Agria. They appear to have escorted the zerg ground forces here. The Hyperion will need to deal with them.¡± Horner said. ¡°But your idea about the ground forces is great. How do you think about putting them into action yourself?¡±

    ¡°You want me in command of the mission?¡± Jean asked, acting surprised. Both Matthew Horner and Jim Raynor were more experienced than she was.

    ¡°I need to command The Hyperion and Jim is going to be on the front.¡± Horner replied, ignoring the criminal. He hid one of the reasons. He saw unlimited potential in the girl. The calmess she showed before dire situations. The orders he made. He just wanted to see her in combat. Furthermore, Raynor didn¡¯t want to be in the front with every other Raiders. It wasn¡¯t his style to hide in safety while his men fought and died.

    ¡°As you wish Captain.¡± Jean replied coldly. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    The Hyperion jumped to the space above Agria and unloaded dozens of dropships onto the farming planet before turning around and engaging the zerg corruptors. The Hyperion was probably one of the best ship the Terran technology could yield, but the corruptors were giant Zerg flyers with astonishing ability against other massive air units. Of course, The Hyperion could blast them out with ease with its variety of tricks, but that would empty the expensive storage of weapons on the ship. The Hyperion needed a while to disable them with minimum spending.

    Jean wasn¡¯t in one of the dropships. It was too vulnerable against potential zerg attacks. Instead, she stayed in a metal command center with dozens of SCVs as the flying building flew out of Hyperion¡¯s hanger and landed on the surface of Agria. Despite how Raynor liked to be in the front and be a hero, she had neither the skills and weaponry nor the need to do that. As soon as the building hit the ground near a pile of mineral storage, the SCVs poured out and started collecting minerals and bringing them to the command center, where they would then be turned into resources to build Terran weapons, armors, and other tools of arm.

    Jean wasted no time and got right to command. The zerg have not completely ripped the highway apart, yet. ¡°Commander Raynor, please lead all the combat units and converge at the colonist camp. Stay there until further notices.¡° The Hyperion unloaded 20 dropships, which included 180 marines, 36 firebats, and 24 medics.

    The hero marine didn¡¯t mind receiving orders from his underling. ¡°On it.¡± He replied concisely. ¡°Raiders roll.¡±

    ¡°SCVs, collect the minerals with maximum efficiency and load them into the command center. They¡¯ll be turned to our weapons against the Dominion. Get me the doctor in charge of this camp.¡± Jean felt like she needed to cooperate with Dr.Hanson if they were to reach the safety with little losses.

    ¡°Transmission to Doctor Ariel Hanson.¡± The adjacent said mechanically, and Jean looked down to make sure her lieutenant suit looked straight. A few seconds later the picture of the nice looking woman appeared on the screen.

    ¡°Hello Dr.Hanson. I am the commanding officer, Lieutenant Jean Turner. I am in charge of getting your people off this planet.¡± Jean said openly. ¡°But in order to do this, we need to work together and collaborate. I want you to give me command of the colonists.¡± She said openly.

    She had two reasons. First, she could function better with direct command of these men. Second, she would pave the road of these colonists joining the Raiders as long as she could show the colonists how successful they can be under the Raiders. It¡¯s not like the Raiders could go around in Dominion space and recruit soldiers. She needed every men available in the army to stop Amon. Once she had command of these men, she wouldn¡¯t give them back.

    Dr. Hanson hesitated. ¡°May I ask why?¡± She was grateful toward the Raiders as they came to her aid at her most difficult moment, but on the other hand she didn¡¯t trust this woman enough to hand over what was left of the colonist forces.

    ¡°Forgive my insolence,¡± Jean said harshly, ¡°but you have no experience in battle do you? I saw what you did. You were sending the convoys one by one. Why? It¡¯s much safer to put all seven transports together and use all the armed forces to escort them to the starport.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd! We need to get the people away as soon as possible. If we wait for all the transports to be ready then we might be overrun by the zerg forces. If that happens everyone will die.¡± Hanson replied with slight anger.

    ¡°Trust me doctor. According to tactical analysis it will be at least an hour until the zerg have enough forces to overrun a convey with 290 men as escort.¡± The colonists had around 50 men left. Jean was confident, at least she appeared to be confident. ¡°Now, do your best to prepare the transports as fast as possible. The sooner the transports are prepared, the quicker we get off this piece of rock.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 3: Military Disaster

    An hour later, the highway connecting the colonist camp to the starport was starting to get infested by zerglings and hydralisks, and yet Jean refused the suggestion to clean the zerg forces. She needed to complete the mission with minimal losses, and the best way she could do that was by catching a timing and hit the zerg forces with overwhelming firepower before they could be reinforced. The adjacent calculated the amount of time the zerg would need to mine enough minerals and hatch the first group of combat units.

    And the estimated time to leave was getting closer and closer.

    ¡°Dr. Hanson. How are the conveys doing?¡± Jean opened another transmission with Hanson. The SCVs were mining out the minerals and vespene gas on the site. These resources were on the command center and would be brought back to the Hyperion to solve the pressing financial issues.

    ¡°We are ready to go.¡± Hanson replied. Jean looked out the command center and saw the soldiers were converging. She nodded. ¡°Commander Raynor, please escort the convoy to the starport. Be careful and minimize the losses.¡± Or else everything will be for nothing.

    ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    The seven transports started to advance onto the highway in a long trail. Marines in both blue and white armor walked along the vehicles. They carried gauss rifles that could punch a hole in a meter thick metal board. Blue armor belonged to Raynor¡¯s Raiders and white armor belonged to the colonists. Along them were firebats in large red armor and medics in white armor. Firebats could roast zerg into a barbecue and medics could heal other soldiers. Raynor stood among his men with a modified grey armor and an enhanced gauss rifle.

    ¡°Get this building into the air and fly above the convoy.¡± Jean ordered. She needed to leave the camp because it is defenseless now and every men have left with the transports, but the last time she checked the Hyperion was still dealing with the corrupters. With limited firepower the corrupters were wounded but alive and fighting. The adjacent obeyed and lifted the command center, allowing Jean to observe the trail of vehicles from above.

    A few zerg units were scattered on the highway. As soon as they saw the vehicles, the zerglings and hydralisks swarmed upon the convey, but there was more than enough marine to spread down a wave of lead upon the beasts. Hydralisks were ripped apart by the gauss rifles while zerglings were roasted by firebats. Medics healed the armor of the units wounded by the spines and claws. Everything was going well, but Jean wasn¡¯t satisfied at all.

    ¡°Commander Raynor, you have ten minutes until a swarm of zerg reinforcement will arrive. They will not be able to overwhelm you but neither can your forces clean them up quickly.¡± Jean urged. ¡°I suggest you speed up.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Copy that, kid.¡± Raynor replied confidently. ¡°Move!¡±

    Suddenly some chaos appeared at the end of the convoy. ¡°What the hell?¡± Raynor groaned. ¡°Lieutenant?¡±

    ¡°One of the transports have been damaged.¡± Jean tapped something on the screen. fifty colonists aboard are trapped. They will never make it to the starport on foot. Without any sort of armor they couldn¡¯t keep up with the convoy. ¡°Fifty colonists are trapped. We don¡¯t have time to save them.¡± She said cruelly.

    ¡°What the hell Jean?¡± Raynor complained loudly as if he was insulted. ¡°I am not going to leave innocent people behind to the zerg! All units! Hold your ground and wait for the colonists. We don¡¯t leave anyone behind!¡± The entire convoy stopped, and the colonists from the last transport started to walk out of their disabled vehicle as quickly as possible.

    Jean¡¯s eyes twitched. She couldn¡¯t understand the rebel commander. If he stayed, the colonists would die anyways because they were too slow. He might as well abandon them now and get to the starport with the rest of the colonists to cut the losses. That was a choice any logical commander would do.

    But it wasn¡¯t her call, nor was the infamous rebel leader Jim Raynor a rational commander. She could only stand in the CC and watch as the entire group slowed down significantly. Even though she was technically the commander, Raynor was her boss and had the ultimate loyalty of his men, and he gave a direct order.

    A few minutes passed, and the Raiders were still a distance away from their destination. Jean realized what she feared the most had happened. More and more zerg units started to charge toward the convoy. Most of them were gunned down instantly, but as time passed more and more zerg survived long enough and stalled the convoy longer and longer. All of the zerg were blasted into a pile of flesh and bones, but Jean knew it was useless. These zerg were bio weapons that could be mass produced as long as the resources were sufficient. The zerg were endless while the Raiders were running out of ammo. ¡°Commander Raynor, we need to speed up.¡±

    On the ground, Raynor groaned and shot down a hydralisk. He pulled a spine out of his shoulder plate. It didn¡¯t penetrate the metal barrier. ¡°We are doing our best here.¡± One of the transports was penetrated by several spines and exploded. All fifty colonists were killed instantly. ¡°Damn it!¡± He cursed, but there was nothing he could do. He was a legend, but he was also human.

    On the command center, Jean didn¡¯t say anything as the blue dots that represented terran on the radar was gradually surrounded by more and more red dots that represented zerg. There was nothing she could do. All that was special with her was her tactics, which were rendered useless when she had an overlord above her. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she saw an especially large red dot appeared on the radar and started advancing toward the transports. She saw what the unit was and frowned.

    ¡°Ultralisk incoming!¡± She stated coldly, but these wordsstruck fear into Raynor¡¯s heart. Ultralisks...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 4: Monylth

    An hour later, Hyperion.

    Jean Turner sat in the cantine of the battlecruiser, all alone. A cup of water was on the table before her. She closed her eyes and went over what happened back in the field.

    An ultralisk appeared on the battlefield and charged toward the convoy. She knew the presence of such a beast might be a possibility that they couldn¡¯t afford, but according to the plan the convoy could get off Agria before any real zerg threat could appear. There was nothing that marines medics and firebats couldn¡¯t solve. Unfortunately her noble commander had to slow down for the sake of those pathetic colonists.

    It was a disaster. The gauss rifles could barely penetrate the plating of the beast. Firebats couldn¡¯t even get close enough. One slice of the monster cut half a dozen soldiers in half with no hope of salvation. A step from the beast turned the transports into metal graves. The Raiders held on with astonishing will, but they were overran. In the end the Hyperion came to their rescue and fried the ultralisk with its laser batteries, but most of the Raiders were dead and only one transport survived. It was a meatgrinder.

    The door to the cantine opened, and a man walked in. It was Raynor. He quietly walked to and sat by Jean.

    ¡°We lost 157 elite men and saved 70 practically useless colonists.¡± Jean reported matter of factly. She didn¡¯t feel any disgust or fear when she watched the soldiers being massacred, nor is she feeling any pity or anger now. ¡°If we left some of those colonists behind, we would¡¯ve come out of this battle a winner. Now our rewards can hardly compensate for our loses.¡±

    Raynor took out a wine bottle and took a sip. He stared off into the distance. ¡°Once upon a time I was a marshal of the Confederacy. Local people were massacred by the zerg, so I led my boys and put them down for good. I did it to protect my people, but the Confederacy put me in jail. Turned out they were experimenting on zerg. They caused the death of all those people.¡±

    Jean was a good listener.

    ¡°I realized the Confederacy didn¡¯t care about the people, so I joined Arcturus Mengsk and his rebellion. I thought he would be a good leader. I was wrong.¡± Raynor took another sip. ¡°That man unleashed the zerg on the Confederacy and killed billions of innocent to achieve his own goals. He¡¯s a monster! He left Sarah!¡± Raynor slammed the table. Jean didn¡¯t falter. In fact she stared at the sadden Raynor with a sense of pity. He seemed so pathetic. A while after not having any emotion, she was somewhat enjoying this thing that she saw as a curse. She was efficient and powerful. More importantly, she felt invincible. At least she wouldn¡¯t be broken by the loss of a loved one. Not if she didn¡¯t have a loved one.

    ¡°And so I turned away from Mengsk and created the Raiders. I want freedom for the people. Mengsk treated the people like tools, and so I stood against him. For my entire life I have been fighting to protect the innocent. This concept of freedom is the only thing tying the Raiders together.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have the technology of the protoss, nor do we have the number of the zerg. Hell we don¡¯t even have the menacing fleet of the dominion. All we have is the willingness to fight to the last man for what we believe in.¡± Raynor said steadily. Jean could see why the man rose from a marshal to a leader. He might seem broken and dunk by his past, but when needed to be the man was a flag for the justice. No wonder his Raiders could always make a comeback no matter how heavily hit they were.

    Raynor wasn¡¯t done. ¡°But freedom has its price. What happened back there, it was terrible, but those men sacrificed to protect the innocent.¡± He stared into Jean¡¯s eyes. ¡°They died for a cause. The least we can do is to make their death not be in vain. You are a great commander, Jean, but you need to adapt to the way of the Raiders.¡±

    Jean stared at her cup of water and thought about it for a while. She finally looked up. ¡°I understand, but I will nonetheless do what has to be done to save the people.¡± She told the truth, sort of.

    <hr>

    A few hours later Jean walked into the bridge. The resources on Hyperion was depleted. The resources she collected on Agria could barely supplement the loses. In order to solve the financial problem, Raynor¡¯s criminal friend Tychus gave out the news that the Moebius corps offered a reward to anyone that could find an artifact from a group of Protoss fanatics on Monlyth. Raynor didn¡¯t want to start a war with the protoss, but his financial problem forced him to make a decision. Like he said, freedom has its price.

    Now the four were checking the Protoss defenses on the planet. There were a large amount of protoss stalkers, zeolets, and sentries down there. Jean even saw an ascendant archive, which suggested the existence of ascendants which could do massive amount of damage. It was a tough nut to crack.

    ¡°There it is, Jimmy, just like the Meobius said, easy money.¡± Tychus said casually.

    ¡°It is hardly easy.¡± Jean rained on his parade. ¡°Protoss units are known for their strength. I am afraid these protoss are especially so. Look at their weapons and armors.¡± She pointed at the dark red fashion of the Tal¡¯darim. ¡°These warlike fanatics will stop at nothing to stop us from stealing their sacred artifact.¡± Tychus threw Jean a meaningful look.

    ¡°Wait a sec. What the?¡± Raynor frowned as the screen suddenly showed zerg drop pods hitting the ground. Zerg organisms protected the units within from being crushed to pieces. As the debris clear, countless zerg climbed out of the holes created by the drop pods. They converged and advanced upon the protoss guardians. The red protoss bravely charged toward the zerg and ripped their frontline apart, but they were few in number compared to the zerg. The plasma shields were broken by the endless waves claws and spines of zerglings and hydralisks. The armor of the protoss could barely protect their masters from being torn apart and vanishing into thin air. The psi blades of zeolets and particle disruptor of slayers, as well as the protoss¡¯s willingness to fight till the end, brought many zerg down, but they were quickly replaced by other zerg. The stream of brown consumed the random red dots and advanced toward the protoss shrine which held the artifact.

    ¡°What are the zerg doing here?¡± Raynor asked.

    ¡°Apparently the same reason as us.¡± Jean said quickly. ¡°We can¡¯t fight the zerg or the protoss, but we can use the opportunity as they fight to make a surprise assault on the shrine and grab the artifact. If we act quickly, we can get out of there without being dragged into a formal battle. The longer we wait, the less time we have.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Raynor said. ¡°Mobilize the forces. We¡¯re going in¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 5: protoss taldarim v.s. zerg swarm

    Monylth

    Ascendant Dyges stood before the Tal¡¯darim shrine. His neural cord was covered by a red armor. His eyes radiated red lights from inhaling terrazine. The air around him twitched and turned from his powerful psi abilities.

    A supplicant walked up to the ascendant and knelt down, despite having urgent news to deliver. Nothing was more important to the supplicant than showing his loyalty. The ascendant waited for a few seconds before allowing the supplicant to rise.

    ¡°Master, the zerg forces are overwhelming our defenses. They have destroyed the outposts and are advancing toward the shrine.¡±

    The ascendant smirked despite the dire situation. The terrazine, while providing him with astonishing psi power, took away most of his ability to think logically. ¡°The creation of god shall not be defiled. Assemble the warriors and wipe out those filthy beasts from this planet.¡± The supplicant left the gathered all the Tal¡¯darim forces available.

    Dyges stayed afloat for a few seconds. Suddenly he sensed multiple terran dropships landing on the ground near the shrine. ¡°Terran thieves.¡± He smirked, not worried at all. The artifact was guarded by four stone zeolets posing as zeolets statues. The terran filthy would never see them before being burned by their thermal beams. The zerg were much more of a threat. The ascendant ignored the terran dropships and went to fight off the zerg.

    On the other side, five terran dropships landed and unloaded 60 units, including 30 marines, 20 marauders, and 10 medics. Marauder was a unit the Raiders took from the dominion. Their quad k12 grenade launchers not only had armor piercing effects but could also slow enemies down with its concussive shell. Their modified CMC 660 armor provided much more support than the CMC armor of the marines, not that it would matter before a psi blade. Still, in the ideal case, the protoss would be gunned down before they could use their blades. The terran strike team advanced toward the protoss shrine and encountered no resistance at all. All the tal¡¯darim guardians were led to the zerg.

    Dyges arrived at the frontline and found the situation much worse than he imagined. The zerg brood belonged to the queen of blades himself. They had the best essence and all the evolutions the zerg had in the arsenal. They were commanded by one of the best commanders in the sector. Plus, they had overwhelming advantage in number. The zerg were overwhelming the tal¡¯darim, until the ascendant arrived with the reinforcement.

    Dyges growled, and his warriors engaged their foe. Zeolets drew their crimson psi blades and charged toward their enemies with astonishing speed. The fearsome warriors ran head on into the zerglings and sliced them apart. Havocs cleverly created force fields and cut the swarm to sections. Slayers fired upon the roaches and hydralisks, who were providing support for the zerglings. Their particle disruptor melting the body of th zerg.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The battlefield was a mess. Zerglings and zeolets were engaged in a melee combat in the front. Slayers and photon cannons were exchanging fire with roaches and hydralisks. The protoss were much more durable, but whenever they slaughtered a zerg another immediately took its place. A trail of creep was like a highway for the zerg reinforcements. The tal¡¯darim lacked ranged attacks. If they had a few vanguards everything would be different, but on the battlefield there is no if.

    Along with an earth shattering cry, a giant beast appeared on the battlefield. This ultralisk was much more fearsome than the one the Raiders encountered on Agria. Its chitinous plating deflected any attack that came his way. The monster stepped over other zerg units and charged at the protoss flank with maximum speed.

    One of the zeolets set his eyes on the ultralisk. He knew he would fail and die if he should attack, but he was willing to die to protect the creation and glory of god. In a swift charge he launched himself on the ultralisk. The two meter high warrior was tiny before the bio weapon, but he didn¡¯t let it get in his way. He jumped and punged his psi blade into the beast¡¯s leg. The psi blade cut through with ease The zeolet was surprised by how easy it was. But before he could cheer for his victory and glory the ultralisk, completely unaffected by the attack, stepped down on the zeolet. A red glare showed the fate of the warrior. The plasma shield was shattered with ease. As the beast stepped away, all that was left was a broken armor.

    Dyges groaned, annoyed, as the ultralisk stepped over any protoss unit in its way and punched a hole in the protoss line. The attack of particle disruptors and photon cannons did some damage to the ultralisk, but its randomly positioned organs kept it alive for a long time. The ascendant knew he had to do something.

    Dyges formed a mind blast with his enhanced psi energy and launched it at the ultralisk. The beast¡¯s head immediately exploded, covering all the units around it in goo. But the beast was still advancing. It was near dead, but the queen of blades ordered it to move forward and do as much damage to the protoss line as possible. Its body was about to slam down on half a dozen protoss zeolets when it suddenly floated into the air, defying gravity. Dyges smirked and slammed his right hand together, and the ultralisk was turned into a pile of flash in the air by the ascendant¡¯s menacing psi power. Dyges tossed out another psionic orb and paved a bloody way in the zerg flank that tried to go through the hole the ultralisk created. Zeolets immediately used the chance and covered the leak.

    Jean was watching the entire battle on the Hyperion. The swarm didn¡¯t exert full control over the shrine¡¯s airspace as most of the mutalisks were sent to the frontline against the tal¡¯darim and the few were no match for the hyperion. This allowed her the chance to watch the exchange between the two mightiest fractions in this world.

    Just now she knew how insiginificant she was. Anyone below could kill her in combat. Even a zergling could end her life. She had no emotion, but that doesn¡¯t mean she wanted to die. In fact, she still had the desire to not only live but live as a powerful figure. She wanted to be strong, strong enough to disregard any enemy, and strong enough to find out how she lost her emotion. She still had ambitions.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 6: The Queen of Blades

    ¡°Strike team report.¡± Jean turned around from the screen and demanded.

    On Monylth, the terran strike team stopped before the protoss shrine, which held the artifact. The captain of the team ordered the team to stop and responded to his commander immediately. He was a marine that was with Raynor since Mar Sara, and she realized something was wrong. They didn¡¯t encounter a single protoss on the way here, and he spoke of his concern. ¡°Sir we have encountered no resistance at all. The target is straight ahead. Shall we retrieved it?¡±

    Jean frowned. She was inserted with the memory of the general events of the Starcraft universe that would happen in the future, including things like the fall of the Golden Armada and the rise of Amon, but she received no memory of a small battle the Raiders took place in. She knew the Raiders used the artifact to disable the queen of blades, but she didn¡¯t know who they got the artifact. Still, she sensed something was wrong. The fanatics, no matter how desperate, would never leave their precious artifact behind with no guards. Then where were the guards?

    Dark templer? Blood hunter?

    ¡°Scan the shrine.¡± She ordered. A worker at the Hyperion control deck complied, and a few seconds later Jean looked at the feedback and realized what the guards were. Four stone statues with psi energy and heat signatures.

    Unfortunately a trap was only dangerous when it remained hidden. Jean merely transferred the result of the scan to the captain in the field, and the experienced soldier knew what to do. All fifty combatants aimed for one of the statues and stimmed and opened fire. Their stimpack left hidden damages in the soldier¡¯s bodies, which could be healed back onboard the Hyperion. The side effects were only dangerous when used too much. As of now, the soldiers with enhanced reflexes, strength, and speed unleashed upon one of the statues. It was blasted to pieces before it could even activate. The three remaining sensed the intruders and started to get into battle condition, but only two made it as another was shattered by the armor piercing rounds of marauders in the process. The two stone guardians unleashed upon the Raiders with their thermal lenses. One of the marines was melted instantly. Not even the medics could save his life. Another statue targeted a marauder. Unfortunately for the statue, the marauder''s CMC660 armor was modified from the armor of firebats, which were designed to protect its user from high temperature flames. A layer of the armor was melted, but the marauder immediately jumped out of the lance with the effect of stimpack. A medic healed the armor of the medic.

    All the while the rest of the strike team unleashed upon the statues. The marine¡¯s gauss rifles were weaker in effect, but their numbers supplemented their weakness in strength. The twenty marauders proved to the observers that they were worthy of their cost as they unleashed endless grenades onto the statues. After four more dead marines and one more melted marauder, the two statues were turned to a pile of rocks.

    ¡°Grab the target and evacuate.¡± Jean ordered calmly as the last guardian fell. Mutalisks started to appear in space, and the commander knew the longer she stayed the more risk she had to take.

    Dyges sensed the guardians being destroyed, and it sparked anger and fear in him. He was angry because some weak terran managed to steal the thing he was dedicated in protecting. He was afraid because he failed his mission. This would make him a weakling, and weaklings had no right to live in the tal¡¯darim society. If his failure was learned by Highlord Ma''lash, he will either kill him outright or turn him into a vanguard. Either way, his way of ascension was over. He would¡¯ve send some warriors to take the artifact back, but every warrior he had was in combat. Plus, they would never make it in time before the terran escape.

    As the ascendant was worrying for his future, a modified zerg drop pod landed in an area surrounded by zerg units. As the smoke cleared, a purple figure floated out of the hole and stood on the ground. It was a woman, or it looked like a woman. Zerg carapase covered her entire body. Two large winglike structures extended out of her back. Her hair were snakelike. Her eyes radiated yellow light. The area around her turned yellow from her astonishing psi power. Stolen story; please report.

    She was the queen of the blades. She was Kerrigan.

    Dyges sensed the blazing psi energy from the creature, and he was paralyzed. The best psi user he knew was Highlord Ma¡¯lash, who ruled over the tal¡¯darim with his menacing power. But even Ma¡¯lash wasn¡¯t as threatening as the queen of blades. Her energy was like a sun. Dyges could barely move. His level 9 psi level was like a dust against the level 13 of the woman.

    The swarm felt the presence of their queen and howled. For a moment the tal¡¯darim warriors felt their enemies strengthening. New reinforcements of banelings and mutalisks arrived, and the tal¡¯darim line shook. The only thing holding the line was the willingness to die for the Highlord.

    Kerrigan walked toward the protoss flank as if taking a casual walk on a sidewalk. Zerg units made a way for her even if it meant stepping on other, smaller units. Kerrigan, slowly but surely, walked to the tal¡¯darim flank.

    A zeolet saw the queen. She wasn¡¯t blind, and she sensed the threat. Still, she was a tal¡¯darim, and tal¡¯darim could never be broken. ¡°We strike at the Highlord¡¯s foes!¡± She charged at the Kerrigan. The queen smirked, and the warrior was dismantled into basic elements by the queen¡¯s psi power. Kerrigan continued without even slowing down.

    Dyges knew he was doomed. Just Kerrigan herself could kill every tal¡¯darim on the planet. He knew he could warp back to Slayn safe and sound, but then what? He would lose his warriors and any honor he onced had. He would either receive a long and painful death or being given the chance to redeem himself in a vanguard. He would rather die in glorious combat. He turned to the supplicant.

    The supplicant knew it was his time, and he did what every other supplicant would do.

    ¡°Without remorse!¡± He screamed, and his body transformed into a stream of pure psi energy and entered the ascendant. The ascendant felt his body filled with powerful energy. He knew even so he would still lose against the queen of blades, but at least the sacrifice of the supplicant gave him a chance to do some damage.

    The ascendant composed a mindblast with all his energy and used it on Kerrigan. The queen had a wicked smile on her lips and intercepted the spell with her own energy. An explosion one feet before the target told the ascendant his best spell was rendered useless. The attack that could¡¯ve destroyed any target was deflected. Dyges knew he overestimated himself. Even the sacrifice of the supplicant couldn¡¯t make her strong enough to combat the queen of blades.

    ¡°Go on foolish child. Show me what you can do.¡± Kerrigan smirked and spoke as if she was talking to a kid that posed no threat to her. The ascendant was enraged. He ignited his red psi blade and peaked around. The tal¡¯darim line was cut into pieces and overran by the swarm. The battle was lost, and so was he.

    The ascendant roared and charged to Kerrigan with his blades ready. Kerrigan signed as if she was a mother disappointed at her naughty child. As the ascendant approached she finally jumped in a flash.

    Dyges exited charge mode. He looked down at his body, only to find it disappearing.

    <hr>

    The strike team had boarded Hyperion with the artifact. The mission was successful. The Raiders retrieved their target with few casualties. Jean, on the other hand, had her focus somewhere else. She was watching the duel between the queen of blades and the ascendant. Her eyes twitched at the last strike.

    ¡°Adjacent report.¡± Jean ordered. She didn¡¯t see what happened, but the mechanical adjacent did. It was, after all, a computer.

    ¡°Sarah Kerrigan used her psi energy to increase her speed and cut the tal¡¯darim ascendant in half in 0.23 seconds with her wings.¡± The mechancial voice solved Jean¡¯s confusion.

    Jean suddenly saw Kerrigan closing her eyes and immediately knew something might be wrong. ¡°Jump away now!¡± She ordered quickly.

    Kerrigan¡¯s yellow eyes snapped open. She knew the artifact was taken away by her old friend, Jim Raynor. In fact, she could even sense the Hyperion. Unfortunately for her even with level 13 psi energy she couldn¡¯t taken down a battlecruiser in space. Still, she could sense every human being on the ship. She sensed her old friend and former lover. She sensed a lab nerd. She sensed a mechanic with robot arm. She also sensed...someone special.

    A certain woman...a lieutanent?

    Kerrigan sensed something was wrong with the lieutenant. For everyone else she could sense their emotions and see their feelings. But for this woman she couldn¡¯t sense anything. It was as if this woman didn¡¯t have any emotion.

    Curious, she reached toward her with her psi energy.

    ¡°Hello child¡­¡± She whispered.

    Jean frowned, but before she could do anything the Hyperion entered warp space, and the connection was broken.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 7: Project Supersoldier

    Jean sat on her chair and started thinking. Previously she thought she could win this war and defeat Amon by standing with the Raiders and follow Raynor as he went through the events and eventually defeat Amon.

    Now she realized it was impossible. If Kerrigan was this possible, how strong would Amon be? From what she saw from the battle between the tal¡¯darim and the swarm, the Raiders were insanely vulnerable in this sector. Both Protoss and Zerg could defeat them. Even the Terran Dominion, which was weaker, could force the Raiders into hiding with a few battlecruisers. What could she do with a ship and several hundred soldiers?

    The answer was nothing. Even if she won every battle she fought in, the sheer number of her potential enemies could overwhelm her. In the original timeline Raynor had to work with Dominion forces to even stand a chance against the swarm. Even though they took measures and crippled the swarm with strike teams and had the artifact to purify the zerg, the battle was still painful for the terran. The casualties were stunningly high. That was just the zerg. In the future Amon would have control over all three races. There was nothing she could do to stop the Xel¡¯naga...at least not with just the Raiders.

    If Jean wasn¡¯t able to feel desperation she would¡¯ve given up already.

    She left the bridge without saying a word. Raynor looked at her thoughtfully as she left.

    <hr>

    Hyperion armory.

    The Hyperion had two people responsible for the scientific developments. chief engineer Rory Swann and chief science adviser Egon Stetmann. Jean managed to get them together in private.

    ¡°What do you need from me lieutenant? A new weapon model? Some improved armor?¡± Swann was a fiery man with one cybernetic arm. He was a miner before joining the Raiders. His words were straightforward. Jean respected that. It was more efficient.

    ¡°I noticed how vulnerable the Raiders are against protoss and zerg units.¡± Jean said. ¡°For example, in the battle of Monylth, the Raiders lost six men while taking down the stone guardians even when they outnumbered the enemies 15:1 and had absolute advantage. On the battle of Agria, the marines were proven ineffective against ultralisks. Not only so, the marines could barely keep up with the speed of zerglings and had to use overwhelming firepower to keep them back. We need to find a way to solve that problem.¡±

    ¡°There ain¡¯t nothing I can do. We ain¡¯t got no credits to buy heavy metals.¡± Swann explained.

    ¡°I will find a way to get money. What I need is a way to strengthen our men if we have sufficient resources.¡± Jean turned to Stetmann. ¡°This is where you come in.¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Stettman frowned. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± He asked nervously.

    ¡°The main problem for us Raiders is not the lack of credits but rather the weakness of our human bodies in comparison to protoss and zerg.¡± Jean explained. ¡°Our men are limited by their human reflexes and are usually slower and more inexperienced than their alien enemies. The protoss have underwent centuries of training before going into combat. They could use psi energy to sense our movements and even dodge our attacks. Zerg are bio weapons. A larvae can be turned into an experienced killing machine in hours with the instinct of a fierce predator. It¡¯s in their genes. How are we human supposed to combat them? The Dominion faces the same problem but solves it by having more units. We Raiders can afford neither the men nor the resources. This is why I need a way to improve the battle instinct of our men.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°It¡¯s easier to say than to do.¡± Swann frowned. ¡°The best way is to have more firepower¡­¡±

    ¡°Which we can not afford. Even if we can the problem still remains. I need to find a way to allow a marine to take on a zergling or a zeolet in a one on one fight.¡± Jean cut him off.

    ¡°You¡¯re delusional.¡± Swann exclaimed. ¡°Like you said, we are weaker than the other races.¡±

    ¡°Is it possible¡­¡± Jean said slowly. ¡°to create a computer system to aid our men? Imagine this: A marine is facing a zergling. The zergling leaps at the marine, but at that time the computer positioned inside the CMC armor analyzes the motion of the zergling and calculate where the zergling will land in and utilize a protocol to counter the attack. The marine will know where and when to dodge and how to fire at the zergling to keep it from reaching the marine. If everything goes right the zergling will never even be able to reach the marine before being gunned down.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not all!¡± Stettman exclaimed excitedly. ¡°All the cpu in the marines could connect together and establish a model so that every inch of the space before the marines can be covered by gauss ammo. There will be no opening where stray zerglings can use to charge into the flanks...¡±

    ¡°Our marines can perfectly split while facing dominion tanks and live longer! Our marines can headshot every enemy marine in close quarter!¡± Swann immediately turned the enemy from zerg to fellow terran. His rough past with the dominion coming into place. ¡°Brilliant!¡±

    ¡°The concussive shell of marauders can cover every single protoss zeolet and prevent them from charging!¡± Stettman continued. ¡°Genius!¡±

    ¡°And expensive.¡± Swann suddenly frowned. ¡°The technology part is not the problem, but if we are to arm our boys down to the marines we need a lot of credits.¡±

    ¡°Let me worry about the credits. You two work together and deal with the tech. Can any of you write a report to our boss and tell him what we¡¯re up to?¡± Jean suggested.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, Hyperion cantine.

    Jean walked into the bar and found Raynor at a table drinking from a mug. She went to the bartender, Cooper, and took a cup of milk before walking to her leader.

    ¡°It was nice job back there on Monylth.¡± Raynor looked up and saw it was Jean. ¡°Six boys died, but it could¡¯ve been a lot more.¡±

    ¡°It could¡¯ve been a lot less. Every Raider is precious and difficult to replace.¡± Jean handed Raynor a stack of paper.

    Raynor glanced at the table. ¡°Project Supersoldier?¡± The title caught his interest, and he went down the paper. Jean waited patiently as he read, occasionally taking a sip of milk.

    Minutes later Raynor was done and looked up at Jean. ¡°Use computer AI to aid soldiers in combat. What happens if a hacker hacks the system? The AI controls everything on the soldiers. Stimpack. Weapon systems. Cooling systems. Life support. They can practically kill the men if they want to.¡± He was hesitant.

    ¡°The central AI is located on the Hyperion, and the men in field can switch back to manual control with the press of a switch. If something is wrong the firewall can stall long enough to disable the AIs.¡± Jean replied condiently. She had considered all of the possibilities.

    ¡°How are we supposed to get enough credits for this project?¡±

    ¡°I believe your friend Tychus has a way to have more credits.¡±

    Raynor nodded in support. ¡°Then do it. You have more support.¡± Jean nodded and stood up. She was about to leave the table when she heard Raynor calling from behind. ¡°And, Jean, thank you for what you did.¡± Jean turned back and grinned and left the cantine. The smile disappeared as soon as she left the bar.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 8: Xil

    Days later, above the planet Xil.

    ¡°Moebius wants us to go after a artifact on this dead world called Xil. Apparently they sent in a specialist team, but they lost contact with them two days ago. Their bad luck, I guess, figure we¡¯ll get hazard pay for this one.¡±

    ¡°What could¡¯ve wiped out a specialist team?¡± Jean asked herself. There were countless answers.

    ¡°Before they went missing, the Moebius team reported artifact radiation emanating from that big old hunk of rock over yonder.¡± The screen before them showed what looked like an ancient alien temple. They bought a big damn laser drill to burn the way in.¡±

    ¡°Laser dill? That thing¡¯s a monster. If the Moebius team had access to that kind of hardware, I hate to think about what could¡¯ve wiped them out.¡± Raynor reasoned with a concerned look

    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Jean stated. ¡°Am I still in command?¡± She asked because in the last two operations she held command because either Jim Raynor had to go into the field or it was a small task that didn¡¯t need too much commanding. This time the Raiders were taking on some unknown and potentially menacing enemy. Raynor might want to lead this time. He is, after all, the leader of the Raiders. Jean was just a lieutenant.

    ¡°You did great last time.¡± Raynor grinned. ¡°Keep it up.¡± He knew himself wasn¡¯t the best commander, despite being extremely experienced in battle. He was too emotional. He would be a great soldier but not the best commander because sometimes a commander needed to be cold calculating. He saw that in Jean, and he trusted she wouldn¡¯t disappoint him. He turned and left the bridge.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean smiled. ¡°Captain Horner, bring us¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence because some warping signal appeared in the space before the Hyperion, and three ships exited orbit.

    They were protoss for sure, but unlike the daleem protoss, these protoss had a familiar red theme. Judging from the fact that they were holding a piece of the artifact, Jean had an educated guess on who these ships belonged to.

    Tal¡¯darim. The image of tal¡¯darim warriors, while facing absolute defeat, fought and died to the last man to protect the artifact from the overwhelming zerg swarm left a deep impression in her. They were only able to grab the last piece of artifact because the tal¡¯darim had a more pressing matter. They were lucky on Monylth, but here on Xil they had to face the tal¡¯darim alone.

    A transmission request popped up on the screen, and Jean nodded at a staff to patch it through. It was a protoss in red fierce armor. He seemed enraged by the presence of the Raiders.

    ¡°More terran thieves? The mysteries of this place is forbidden. You¡¯ll pay for your transgression with your lives!¡± He claimed as if it was a fact. After all the first group of thieves were wiped out with absolute ease. They didn¡¯t stand a chance. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Jean recorded his opinion and turned off the transmission. She knew who her enemy was and that was enough. There was no point to waste time arguing with these fanatics. She looked at the three void rays. These protoss ships were similar to nerazim void rays that was recorded in the Hyperion database. ¡°How will the Hyperion do against these ships?¡± She asked Horner, who was much more experienced in space combat than she was. She was better at commanding ground battles.

    ¡°The Hyperion lacks energy for its Yamato cannon and has no storage of defense drones. We only have one short range jump drive for tactical jumps. We only have a dozen tac fights available. The electric field generator is offline.¡± Horner explained. ¡°If these protoss ships are anything like the void rays all the Hyperion can do is keeping them busy.¡± The Hyperion was a very powerful warship with multiple high-tech weaponry, but the Raiders couldn¡¯t afford to use them. The mission on Agria didn¡¯t prove to be profitable. The artifact they retrieved from Monylth got them some credits, but most of them went into the ground units and operation Supersoldier. It was fine. Jean wasn¡¯t planning on wiping out the protoss fleet.

    ¡°Send the ground units to the laser sight. I¡¯ll be commanding in field.¡± Jean ordered. Staying on the battlecruiser meant her command might be disturbed by the exchange between the Hyperion and the three void rays. Going down there might be dangerous, but she had a few tricks that should keep herself alive. Horner nodded, and Jean went to the hanger to enter a command center.

    <hr>

    The command center landed at the position that previously belonged to the Moebius team safe and sound. 20 dropships unloaded 240 units. Most of them were marines, others were marauders and medics. No firebat participated because their melee flamethrowers were useless against protoss psi blades. All of the men were armed with AI guidance systems. During the days before the mission and after the conversation Jean had with the two scientists, the three had been putting the system together. They were successful in the coding and found enough credits to arm these 240 units.

    Jean examined the defense position. There were two ramps that protoss ground units could walk in. Potential protoss flyers could come in from all sides. A laser drill faced the temple gate.

    ¡°Cover the ramps with bunkers and position infantry units within. Build turrets around the cliffs. Factory, start producing siege tanks.¡± Swann updated the siege tank info to all factories so Jean could build them in field. ¡°Double time. The tal¡¯darim are not blind. They¡¯ll come at us very soon. Adjacent, get the drill working and break through that gate!¡±

    The entire site started working. SCVs worked as fast as possible and produced bunkers and turrets in key locations. Some workers gathered minerals and vespene gas from nearby. There was a reason the Moebius team chose to land here. This place had some resources available, and Jean knew she would need everything she could get to hold off the protoss. The two factories that landed from the Hyperion worked to assemble siege tanks, upload AIs, and put them into position.

    When the tal¡¯darim protoss arrived twenty minutes later, they were met with 8 siege tanks and 20 bunkers. Each of the bunkers had eight man. All of the firepower had AI support and coordination.

    The tal¡¯darim saw the defenses, but they chose to ignore it. They have had some experience with dealing with terran. They were weak and vulnerable. Their puny weapons couldn¡¯t even penetrate the plasma shields while the tal¡¯darim warriors could cut the terran metal armor open with a single strike. Even the metal buildings they hid in, the bunkers, couldn¡¯t stand against multiple psi blade strikes. Their will was weak. Cut them in half and these terran will scream in pain while any other enemy on the chain of ascension will continue fighting until the end. And so the tal¡¯darim charged toward the vulnerable terran...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 9: Fall of the vanguard

    ¡°Open fire.¡± Jean said quietly as she saw the enemies approaching in the command center. The entire defense line opened fire, and the power of the AI coordination started to show.

    At first the tal¡¯darim warriors didn¡¯t care about the wave of metal. All the projectiles could do was bounce off their plasma shield, but they realized something was wrong. This tal¡¯darim was a vanguard. They were composed of three units, zeolets, slayers, and havocs. Usually havocs would provide protection to the zeolets and slayers while the zeolets charged forward and the slayers fired from behind. But this time the havocs were immediately marked out by the AI as a threat and target fired by siege tanks. The light shield on these machines didn¡¯t stand a chance against the crucio shock cannon of the siege tanks.

    The slayers soon suffered a similar fate as the support unit was demolished in waves of flame. In most cases the slayers stayed behind the cover of the zeolets and used their phasing armor to deflect any attack that happened to come their way. If things got too much they could still blink away. This time, however, the AI controlled the terran units so accurately that every slayer would be blasted by a concussive shell that disturbed their blinking before being fired upon by a round of siege tanks. Sometimes the slayers had a chance to activate their phasing armor, but in that case the siege tanks would turn to other targets and wait for the semi-impenetrable shield to wear off. When the shield was gone, so were the slayers.

    The zeolets were stuck in an unfortunate situation. Their charges were halted by the marauders and their concussive shells. The AI calculated the location where the shells had to land for the all the zeolets to be disabled. Back on Hyperion Swann and Jean did countless research to make sure the AIs could examine the situation correctly. The slowed zeolets could only stumble as the slayers and havocs were taken down by siege tanks. All the time the marines in the bunkers were unleashing upon them with the effect of stimpack. A single round from the gauss rifle did little to the plasma shield. A string of rounds did few damage as well, but the endless firing of dozens of marines focusing on the first few zeolets was enough. The first few zeolets started to lose their shields. Once the shields were gone, the zeolets were left defenseless and were soon dead.

    The last zeolet fell meters before one of the bunkers. Throughout the entire battle no terran unit was hit. Some terran bunkers were damaged, but in exchange 30 zeolets, 10 slayers, and 2 havocs were dead. It was a miracle. Usually the terran needed several times the number to effective fight a protoss. Something like this was unheard of.

    In the command center Jean showed no sign of pride. ¡°Prepare for further attacks.¡± She said as the Raiders were starting to whisper to each other in disbelief. They were elite and experienced soldiers, and that was exactly why they were this shocked. When they first received the AI systems they didn¡¯t think it would be helpful and took it merely as an order. Now they were treating it as a treasure. To a soldier, nothing was more valuable than something that could keep him or her alive longer in the battlefield.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    On the other end, tal¡¯darim executor Nyon frowned as the vanguard he sent was demolished. The terran seemed to be prepared for this time. They had heavy firepower and sufficient defenses set up. Doesn¡¯t matter. He had his own heavy firepower, and he trusted he could break the terran defenses himself if he tried. ¡°Prepare for another assault. I will lead this attack myself.¡±

    <hr>

    Captain Eobard sat in one of the bunkers with seven other members of his squad. He was the captain that led the assault force on Monlyth, and he truly respected his young female commander after her wise decision that potentially saved half his man. His faith was only strengthened by the initial success against the tal¡¯darim. But even his faith couldn¡¯t suppress his fear as countless tal¡¯darim assembled just outside the siege tank range. ¡°What the hell? Commander?¡± Eobard complained and asked his trusted commander via the comm.

    ¡°Hold your position.¡± Jean ordered coldly. ¡°Your AI will make the best move. Just obey them.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Eobard obeyed.

    ¡°Commander, protoss warp prisms and scouts approaching. ETA 2 minutes.¡± In the command center the adjacent reported. The image of several red flyers appeared on the screen.

    ¡°It¡¯s a combined effort.¡± Jean concluded. ¡°The tal¡¯darim commander wanted to use a ground assault to cover their warp prisms. If their warp prisms enter our flank our defenses will be shattered.¡± She realized what the enemy wanted to do, but that didn¡¯t mean she could stop it. She had several hundred man and a dozen siege tanks and the enemy had thousands of tal¡¯darim with air control. All she could do was use her men as efficiently as possible and make them kill the most enemy before they die. Luckily for her she still had a laser drill.

    ¡°Adjacent, upload the control of the laser drill to the AI system.¡± Jean ordered. ¡°The computer will know how to use them most efficiently.¡±

    <hr>

    Two minutes later, Nyon was standing before the metal wall. As an upper member of the chain of ascension tasked with protecting one of the artifacts Nyon never lacked followers. Thousands of zeolets and slayers were behind him. Hundreds of havocs formed a line. Dozens of vanguards, armed with heavy artillery, stood by Nyon. The ascendant himself was surrounded by two dozen supplicants. They were the guarantee of his victory.

    ¡°Let our enemies feel the wrath of the tal¡¯darim!¡± Nyon lighted his blade and cried, and the thousands of tal¡¯darim screamed and charged at the Raiders. Warp prisms, under the cover of scouts, dashed into the terran flank with all their speed.

    And the battle began.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 10: Bloodbath

    Detecting incoming battle...injecting stimpack¡­

    Detecting vanguards... threat level 4...prioritize targeting¡­

    Detecting enemy warp prisms and scouts...missile turret prioritize targeting warp prisms.

    The siege tanks opened fire on the vanguards. These alternate versions of immortals no longer had their barriers to keep them alive longer and were especially vulnerable to enemy artillery fire. The plasma shield fell first, and the metal frame was next. Their relative short range made it difficult for them to reach the siege tanks. Marines and marauders fired at the other enemies who were slowed down by the concussive shell. The laser drill continued to break down the gate. It was useless against smaller enemy units because it took time for the drill to change targets. The amount of time needed for the drill to locate and eliminate the several thousands zeolets was unbelieveable.

    Warp prisms, under the cover of scouts, tried to avoid the missiles from the missile turrets as they charged into the defenses. The missile turrets, however, prioritized the prisms. Two of them fell immediately as the transports lacked real plasma shield. Scouts turned three missile turrets into burning scraps, but the others kept on ignoring them. That was the good thing about computers. They chose the better decision even if it meant their own death.

    Even though the terran did their best, there was just so much protoss. All the vanguards were dead, and the siege tanks were turning to the slayers and havocs. The protoss were dying by the tens every seconds. The shells of the tanks punched hollow openings in the protoss crowd with every landing. The protoss noble warriors were hungry for combat and were crowded together, maximizing the damage done by the tanks.

    Still, even slowed, the zeolets managed to get closer to the front. The first zeolet slashed down on a bunker and was blasted to pieces in less than a second, but his strike punched an opening in the metal frame of the terran structure, revealing eight desperate terran Raiders. The following zeolets charged up. The eight units were ripped apart instantly. Blood covered the remain of the destroyed bunker. The zeolets cheered in glory, and were targeted by marines and marauders from other bunkers.

    Jean saw the situation from the screen in the command center. The terran units did good damage, already killing hundreds of protoss units, but the best time to do damage had passed. The protoss were able to fire upon the bunker and the tanks. The bunkers that could stand against terran ammos and zerg claws did little against protoss psi blades and particle disruptors. Two tanks were already destroyed and three bunkers were wiped out. All men within perished. Even the AI couldn¡¯t find out a way to save them. The computers did calculate the attack moves of the zeolets, but it was impossible to dodge when you¡¯re surrounded by either comrades or foes. If this continued this position would be wiped out before the laser drills could take down the gate or the Hyperion could evacuate them.

    On the other end, Nyon grinned viciously as the first zeolets were slashing down on the bunkers. The tal¡¯darim suffered severe casualties, but those that survived would be stronger. All the vanguards were dead, but they were supposed to die in combat to redeem their glory. He keenly noticed how all the enemy fire were drawn away and the resistance was crumbling, and he knew now was the perfect time to show his bravery. And so commander Nyon drew his blade and charged toward the enemies.

    The tal¡¯darim cheered, and Nyon threw a mind blast on one of the siege tanks. The machine exploded from within. The blood and lack of driver showed the fate of the men within...

    <hr>

    ¡°Commander, our defenses can not hold against the tal¡¯darim forces. Evacuation is advised.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Jean knew she couldn¡¯t give up this mission. If she did, the Raiders would have lost hundreds of men with no result. Project Supersoldier would be halted due to financial problems, and her plan would be damaged. ¡°Adjacent, close of all internal surveillence.¡± She needed to do something she didn¡¯t want others to know.

    The adjacent obeyed. After all she was the commander. Jean tapped her watch. The watch was more than a mean the Surpreme One used to inform her of her mission. It also connected to a sub-dimension where, according to the memory she received, could store anything that doesn¡¯t have life. It was a way for people like her to discreetly carry their gear. It could also teleport the contents inside, like clothing and armor, directly onto the owner of the watch.

    Jean stripped off her lieutenant uniform, and a special suit appeared directly on top of Jean¡¯s body. It was thicker than the CMC armors, and it was more similar to the hostile suit of female ghosts. A blue color that stood for the Raiders covered the suit. Her braid was left out hanging in the air. Two wires connected to the back of her head. A pair of goggles covered her eyes. A plasma blade appeared in her right arm.

    Jean built this suit herself in secret. It took her tons of time and effort. It was her last resort and her saving grace. The suit held an experimental AI that, if functioned correctly, could connect the user¡¯s brain with the computer itself, granting the user access to countless data and the perfect strategies and moves to make. It was similar to the current model, but instead of projecting the directions onto the armor, this model sent them into the mind of the users. It also allowed the user to have access to a computer that could analyze the situation in less than a second. Of course, being able to calculate what to do didn¡¯t mean being able to act quick enough to dodge a strike. That was where the other component came in. A specialized stimpack that granted the user increased reflexes, strength, and speed. It also had a terrible side effect that should leave the user paralyzed for days afterwards. Everything about this suit was experimental, but Jean knew she didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Jean took a deep breathe and got used to the strange feeling of having the ability to compute anything she needed to. She looked at the statistics and knew the Raiders would be dead in minutes for a fact if nothing changed. Wasting no time, she walked out of the command center, and she saw that everything was in chaos. Tal¡¯darim scouts were left uncheck in the air as they bombarded the ground defenses. None of the warp prisms survived, but none were needed. Protoss zeolets were pouring in from a hole in the wall. Several bunkers there were ripped open and pieces of armors were laying around. The terran fought bravely, but they were near defeat.

    A scout noticed Jean. The pilot smiled wickedly and charged down, anxious for another kill. Jean looked up at the fighter. Instantly she calculated where the scout would be in the next second and overridden a missile turret and fired a pair of missiles at the fighter. At the same time she took out an EMP grenade and tossed it in the air. The grenade exploded, and the EMP wave washed over the scout moments before the missile hit. The scout didn¡¯t realize his shield was gone and ignored the missiles. The scout practically willingly smashed into the two missiles and exploded in a puff of blue smoke.

    Two zeolets charged at Jean, but with the full computing speed of the system AI she was able to see where the zeolets would be. She walked up and slashed her blade with the power of the enhanced stimpack. Two zeolets exited charge state with their bodies severed. They collapsed onto the ground, unable to believe how a weak terran just slaughtered them in melee combat.

    Despite killing three tal¡¯darim units with ease, Jean knew she wasn¡¯t doing enough. By the time she killed three enemies ten times that number of Raiders were massacred. She needed to do something that could truly change the course of battle. Her mind, with the help of the database and the cpu of her attached computer. She realized the tal¡¯darim were fanatics and warlike. They respected the strong and honored duels. In fact, their leadership was based on winners of the duels.

    Jean turned to a protoss in noble armor. The AI established hm as an ascendant and the leader of this protoss army. If she could defeat him in a duel, she might be able to get the tal¡¯darim to back off.

    ¡°Protoss executor!¡± She shouted loudly. Her voice ranged through the battlefield. ¡°I challenge you to a duel to decide the fate of the battle. Do you accept it?¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 11: The Duel

    To the Tal¡¯darim protoss, duels were sacred. Their whole society was based on duels. If someone wanted power, they would challenge others in a duel. If there was a conflict, the two sides would duel. The winner would get everything while the loser would lose everything, including his or her life. The tal¡¯darim valued strength, and there was no better show of strength than a duel to death. That was why executor Nyon was faced with a dilemma when one of the enemies demaned a duel.

    He could order his warriors to destroy her. Even Ma¡¯lash couldn¡¯t stand again thousands of tal¡¯darim with no support, but if he did then he, Nyon, would be known by his fellow people as a coward who didn¡¯t even dare to fight with a terran woman. He would be laughed upon by those above him and lose the respect of those below. News would spread across the galaxies, and he would lose the thing he valued the most, his honor. Nyon gave out an order, and all the tal¡¯darim stopped their attacks and turned back. The Raiders were surprised, but Jean gave an order via the AI and told them to fall back as well. Nyon walked to the front and faced Jean. He wasn¡¯t afraid of an assassination. He had dozens of supplicants that could regenerate his psi power. As long as he had his psi energy, he was fearless.

    ¡°I, executor Nyon, respond to your demand.¡± Nyon said in a deep voice. ¡°Tell me your name, terran female!¡±

    Jean glanced at the remaining Raiders. About fifty of them were left. All the siege tanks were dead. She landed here with 240 units. The casualty was great. ¡°I am lieutenant Jean Turner. Let¡¯s make a deal. If I win, you let us have your artifact and leave this planet in peace. If you win, we die.¡±

    Nyon thought about it. The deal was unfair for him. They would kill the Raiders anyways, but if he lost he would lose the artifact. Bot on the other hand he didn¡¯t really care. It¡¯s not like he, a warrior with thousands of years of experience in battle and powerful psi power, would lose to a woman in her twenties with no psi support. ¡°Deal. If you win my warriors will give you the artifact you need, but if you lose...¡± He smirked bloodthirsty. ¡°I¡¯ll make your death a long and painful one. In the name of Xel¡¯Naga I will follow these terms.¡± He drew his double bane blades and walked up. Jean grinned and ignited her plasma blade and walked to face Nyon.

    The scene seemed desperate. It was a battle between David and Goliath. The weak and the strong. The terran and the protoss. The survivors of the Raiders were touched. She was their commander. She should be sitting in a command center giving orders. She could lift off the command center and leave them to die. The few scouts in the air couldn¡¯t stop the command center from escaping to the Hyperion. But instead she chose to stay behind and fight for their lives. She was risking her life for theirs. All the Raiders gripped to their weapons, ready to save their commander if she lost and bring her to safety, even if it meant they would die.

    All for one and one for all. This moment all the Raiders were ready to die for Jean.

    Everyone thought Jean was the weak one, but was she?

    Nyon focused his psi energy on his legs and charged forward. The cameras in Jeans suit observed his movement and predicted where he would land at and how long that would take. The girl used her speed, which was enhanced by the super stimpack, and made a diagonal cut toward Nyon. The executor was in charging mode and couldn¡¯t respond quick enough. Luckily for him his plasma shield was modified and more durable than other zeolets and his psi energy was stronger than casual zeolets, or else he would be cut in half by that strike. Nyon backed off and strengthened his shield. For the first time he realized the solid faced blonde girl might not be the hunted in this dual.

    Jean flipped her blade and charged toward Nyon. She knew the protoss was capable of powerful psi abilities, and she had no intention of being blown to pieces. Suddenly her computer warned her about psi energy massing. She jumped to the side, and the ground where she was at exploded. If she remained she would be no more than a pile of flesh and blood. Nyon frowned as the mind blast missed. He tried to assemble a psi orb, but Jean threw something at her. The something exploded and emitted a psi wave. Nyon groaned and dropped on the ground from his floating state. His psi energy was cleared by the emp. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Jean silently coughed, and some blood fell on the ground. She wiped her mouth casually and looked back at Nyon. The transformation from a weak terran girl into a superwoman was costly. ¡°Give me another inject.¡± She sent out a mental message, and the AI that controlled the suit obeyed after a programmed warning of the damage it might cause. Jean knew the damage. In fact she programmed the warning herself, but she had no choice. A muscle tearing pain was soon overcomed by another surge of strength.

    Nyon noticed the girl regaining her strength, and he realized he could do the same. A supplicant exploded into a surge of energy and entered his body. Nyon grinned and was about to say something when another grenade landed at his feet. An explosion told him his energy was drained again.

    ¡°You coward¡­¡± Nyon groaned and another supplicant sacrificed himself. This time when the emp grenade came he tried to push it away. Just as his psi energy reached the grenade it exploded in midair. The shockwave disabled Nyon again. Jean kept the grenade in her hand three seconds after pulling the plug so it would explode sooner. Her computer brain calculated how the executor would react.

    Nyon knew this would go on forever. He didn¡¯t know where the girl kept all these grenades or how much she had left, but he knew someone as smart as she was wouldn¡¯t be lacking such a formidable tool against the protoss race. He was wrong. Jean had two more emp grenades in her watch. The Raiders could afford too much of this high tech gadget. The tal¡¯darim executor decided melee was the best choice as he once again reinforced his shield and charged at Jean.

    For the next several minutes Nyon and Jean exchanged strikes. None of them made any critical mistake, but Jean was getting closer and closer to the time limit of her stimpack. Finally, with one move, Nyon blocked the plasma blade with one of his blades and slash down on Jean with the other. Jean tried to back off, but she was too late. The blade ran across the flesh on her belly and left a deep wound. Blood poured out and painted the ground red.

    The Raiders cried in shock and anger. Nyon grabbed onto Jean and looked into her eyes, searching for a sign of desperation or anger. Usually his victims would either be angry or be afraid. He enjoyed them either way. The result would be the same.

    But this time something was different. This time the girl had a blank face on. Immediately he realized something was wrong.

    Jean rotated her plasma shield and dismantled the two psionic blade focusers that powered the bane blades Nyon used. She then, with a swift move, turned Nyon around and grabbed onto his neck with her left arm and held her plasma blade to his neck with her right arm. ¡°I am the victor of this duel.¡± She announced despite a puddle of blood forming below her.

    Nyon seemed debating for a while, as if considering whether he should ignore the rules and order his men to slaughter the terran or obey the deal and hand the creation of god to terran thieves. Either way he would be viewed as a failure and a weakling. Still, if he chose the first way he would probably be executed by this girl. He wasn¡¯t afraid of death, but he didn¡¯t want to die at the hands of someone so insignificant. If he died fighting the queen of blades, he would be viewed as a hero because the queen of blades was strong. If he died here at the hands of a random terran female, he would be viewed as not the one that sacrificed for the artifact but the coward that was weak enough to be killed by a weakling. And so he made up his mind.

    <hr>

    The Hyperion arrived after the three destroyers stopped fighting them and took away the piece of artifact from thousands of tal¡¯darim guardians. Some of them wanted to protect the work of god, but those loyal to Nyon were enough to keep them in line. Jean let go of Nyon before boarding the Hyperion and leaving the planet that took the life of hundreds of Raiders. Returned to safety, Nyon toyed with the idea of intercepting the ship but then gave up. The Hyperion could jump away whenever it wanted.

    On the Hyperion, Jean collapsed on the ground as soon as the hanger door closed. Her armor was stained red.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 12: Recovery

    Jean opened her eyes in the medbay of the Hyperion. She looked down on her body. Her hostile suit was taken off and put on a shelf next to the bed. Her entire body ached. She did inject enhanced stimpack for three times during the battle. She was lucky to be alive.

    A woman in white walked into the room. She was someone Jean met earlier. Doctor Hanson of Agria. Jean remembered the few remaining colonists remained on the Hyperion after losing most of their families. These survivors had nowhere to go, and none of them wanted to return to the Dominion after their men abandoned the colonists to the zerg. Thus they remained on the ship to help the Raiders against the zerg and the Dominion. They slightly compensate the losses the Raiders suffered on Agria. As their leader, doctor Hanson stayed to help the medical front of the Hyperion.

    ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Hanson saw Jean waking up. ¡°Adjacent, inform Jim.¡± She walked to Jean and pulled a chair to sit beside her bed. ¡°How¡¯re you feeling?¡±

    ¡°Aching.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡± Hanson replied. ¡°Your body was falling apart from the stimulants you took. The wound on your stomach and the loss of blood almost killed you. I had to use everything I had to bring you back to us. Still you¡¯re gonna have that scar on you for the rest of your life.¡±

    Jean grinned weakly and looked down on her stomach. There was a deep red scar that put a dent on her near perfect body. It doesn¡¯t matter. It wasn¡¯t like she would be going out in bathing suit anytime soon. ¡°Thanks.¡± She said to Hanson. The two have had some dispute on Agria, but now both of them let it pass. "What did I miss?"

    "Well several Raiders came to check you out. Jim came here a few times himself. He told me to call him as soon as you wake up."

    Footsteps drew closer, and Jean saw Raynor entering the room. Hanson stood up and left the room to the two.

    ¡°What were you thinking Jean? Going to a duel with a freaking protoss? You¡¯re smarter than that!¡± Raynor said loudly. He seemed furious, but Jean knew he was furious because the man was afraid of losing her. Raynor truly cared about her.

    ¡°I had no choice, and I told you I would do anything to achieve my goal.¡± Jean stated. ¡°It worked.¡±

    ¡°Just barely.¡± Raynor continued. ¡°Your stomach was cut open when you got on the ship. I thought I was going to lose you¡­¡± He paused for a while. ¡°just like how I lost Sarah to the zerg.¡±

    Jean frowned. She knew Sarah Kerrigan, formal ghost and current queen of blades, was the lover of Jim Raynor. The two had quite a past, and Mengsk¡¯s decision to abandon Kerrigan immediately resulted in Raynor¡¯s decision to hijack the Hyperion and lead a revolt against the Dominion for years. The problem was why would she, a lieutenant with no sexual relationship with Raynor, be connected to a ghost operative Raynor loved and slept with?Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Jean had no idea how much she represented the former queen. They were both determined and willing to complete the mission at all cost. They were both good looking. They were both brilliant strategists. And most importantly they were both lieutenants. The fact that their suits were similar was also an influence as Jean modified her specialized suit after the hostile environment suit of female ghosts. When Raynor heard about the terrible situation on Xil from the Hyperion it was as if he was back to Tarsonis where Mengsk abandoned Kerrigan.

    Jean didn¡¯t know why Raynor showed so much emotion, but she realized it would be an opportunity she could use.

    ¡°Anyways, just stay here and rest. We¡¯re currently above the planet Redstone III and are mining minerals for a guy named Tosh. It¡¯s safe and sound besides surges of lava.¡± Raynor assured. ¡°Your orders are to get well soon. The Raiders might need you for future events.¡± Jean nodded and smiled and Raynor left the room.

    <hr>

    It took Jean days to get back into the field, even though Dr.Hanson suggested her to stay in the medbay for a few more days. Jean refused. She couldn¡¯t afford spending more time on bed. From what she heard, the Raiders have completed the mission on Redstone, and the client, Gabriel Tosh, was onboard the Hyperion and planning to strike another deal with Raynor. She felt like she needed to be there.

    Jean walked into the bridge and found Raynor talking to a man with dark skin and an intriguing hair style. Before she came Jean connected a micro AI to her brain and the AI told her the man was a psionic user.

    ¡°Jean, you¡¯re here.¡± Raynor smiled as the lieutenant entered. ¡°Tosh, this is Jean. Jean, Tosh.¡± Jean shook hand with Tosh.

    ¡°Mr.Raynor have told me about you. He said you¡¯re one of the best commanders he had ever seen and a great fighter, even besting one of the tal¡¯darim fanatics in combat.¡± Tosh said and his eyes secretly twitched. He didn¡¯t sense any psi energy from the girl, which meant she was probably not physic. How could a human defeat a protoss executor who rose to his rank by skills in combat? Even with armor a normal terran would be severed by one strike from any protoss, much less a high ranking protoss executor. Still, he hid the confusion.

    Jean smiled politely. ¡°I got lucky.¡± She said before getting to business. ¡°Now, I heard you have another deal to make with the Raiders.¡±

    Tosh nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a rare gas on Bel¡¯Shir the protoss call ¡®the breath of creation¡¯. They think it be a gift from god.¡± He laughed briefly. ¡°We call it the terrazine and it be worth a fortune to the right bidders. Of course the protoss¡¯ll try to kill us if they catch us, or at least they¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°Wait, tal¡¯darim protoss?¡± Jean asked. She wasn¡¯t afraid, even though she almost died during the last encounter. She was just calculating the possibility of succeeding and she didn¡¯t like the odds. ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have the firepower to hold them back.¡±

    ¡°Relax girl, I did some digging before coming here.¡± Tosh reassured. ¡°The tal¡¯darim here are few in numbers. They are not the elite of the death fleet nor are they high on the chain of ascension. This is just one of the several planets that held terrazine geysers. The tal¡¯darim guarding here relatively weak members of their society. They¡¯ll still try their best, but I believe the raiders can beat them.¡±

    ¡°Swann added some new units to the arsenal when you were resting.¡± Raynor explained. ¡°He seemed to be hard on himself after you were hurt. Anyways, we now have goliaths and reapers at our command. We also took a stop at deadman¡¯s port and bought some new equipments. Of course, I can take over command if you want to stay back for a few more days...¡± Jean cut him off before he even finished.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 13: BelShir

    Hyperion bridge.

    Raynor and Tosh stood and watched as Jean and the forces landed on Bel¡¯Shir.

    ¡°There¡¯s something you need to know.¡± Tosh suddenly said. ¡°It¡¯s about that pretty lieutenant of yours.¡±

    ¡°Jean?¡± Raynor asked without batting an eye. ¡°What about her?¡±

    ¡°As you know, I am psychic, and sometimes I can sense the thoughts of others.¡± He saw Raynor¡¯s body tensing and knew he might have understood him wrong. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not strong enough to read minds. As far as I know only the queen of blades can read minds with ease. No. But I can sense the emotions of someone, especially when they get anxious and emotional. It comes in handy. Helps me fight my enemies. But when I was around Jean I couldn¡¯t sense anything from her.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯re you trying to say?¡± Raynor asked impatiently. He didn¡¯t enjoy talking about someone like Jean behind her back.

    ¡°I am saying your friend might not be who she appears to be. She might not be the compassionate and self sacrificing girl that you knew about.¡± Tosh continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with her, but I don¡¯t like her. She is hiding something. I can sense it.¡±

    ¡°Jean is a good girl. She might be pessimistic and sometimes cruel, but that doesn¡¯t make her a conspirator. She¡¯s just good at concealing her emotion. That¡¯s all.¡± Raynor defended. He didn¡¯t want to imagine the girl might have another identity. It would be a betrayal. He couldn¡¯t bear that.

    ¡°That¡¯s possible, except the part when I mentioned the tal¡¯darim.¡± Tosh kept going. ¡°On the outside she appeared worried and even scared, but I didn¡¯t sense any true feeling from her. It was as if she didn¡¯t care at all. I don¡¯t know about you but if someone almost killed me I¡¯ll be slightly worried to fight him after a few days. But Jean felt nothing.¡±

    ¡°Are you saying Jean is what, suicidal?¡± Raynor asked in disbelief.

    ¡°Maybe she planned the duel with the protoss to get into your mind. Anyhow, I suggest you take some precautions, Mr.Raynor, just in case.¡± Tosh suggested darkly while flipping a small silver blade up and down.

    Raynor was silent for a while as he stared at the Raiders being deployed on the planet surface. ¡°Tosh, did you know the Dominion used inhibitor chips to control the ghosts and ensure their loyalty? Mengsk didn¡¯t trust the operatives and chose to use technology to force them into obedience. The trust that connected the members was lost, and gradually the Dominion was turned from a justified uprising against the confederacy to a corrupt government even worse than the confederacy..¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Tosh looked at Raynor. ¡°I knew about the inhibitor chips. That¡¯s one of the reasons I turned against the Dominion.¡±

    ¡°Mengsk was worried the ghosts might betray them, and so he took away their freedom. It is who he is.¡± Raynor said deeply. ¡°The Raiders are all brothers and sisters. If I am worried about Jean and develop countermeasures against my own brothers and sisters, then how would I be different from Arcturus?¡± Tosh tried to make a rebuttal, but Raynor denied him the chance. ¡°The Raiders are based on trust. We trust each other with our life and that¡¯s where our strength comes from. I want you to keep that in mind Tosh. You will want to if you intend on continue your work with us.¡± He threatened the deadly spectueur.

    Tosh was solid for a while, as if he would take Raynor down any second. But then he grinned. ¡°I respect your call Raynor. I¡¯ll keep this in mind.¡± He turned and left the bridge. As soon as he left the bridge, his smiled disappeared and he tapped his comm and whispered cruelly. ¡°Keep an eye on the girl. If she does anything suspicious, put her down and make it look like the protoss did it. I will not let my plan be jeopardized.¡±

    On the surface of Bel¡¯Shir, an invisible figure obeyed and moved.

    <hr>

    Jean looked at the units tab in the command center. The things were very different here from Xil. The Raiders used the credits they gained in previous missions and purchased twenty goliaths. Not only so, due to lack in drivers and other reasons, all the goliaths were piloted by AIs programmed by Stetmann. These AIs were programmed to distinguish friends and enemies and fight with maximum efficiency. These AIs were not only better than human pilots, but their tendency of machines also allowed their commanders to give orders that would be frowned upon if given to human soldiers, like carrying out a suicidal mission or charging into banelings to prevent their detonation in a ball of bio. There were twenty goliaths in total. A fearsome force.

    Apart from the goliat squadron was a squad made up of the fifty or so men that survived Xil. Surviving the onslaught from the tal¡¯darim, they were the best of the best. They also had a blind belief in Jean after how she saved them from what seemed like certain death. She was their hope, and all of them owed their lives to her. These men would turn on Raynor himself if they had to. True, Raynor was the hero, the legend, but that was it. He never led them to victories and risked his life for them, even though he would if needed to. The seemingly weak girl, however, did.save their lives.

    Raynor saw that, but instead of treating it as a threat to his command of the Raiders like any other leader, he put all those men together in an elite guardian squadron and gave them enhanced weapons and armors to make them as powerful as possible. They only had one task, and that was to protect Jean and prevent what happened on Xil from happening again. Raynor knew Jean had skills extremely valuable to the Raiders, and he wanted to protect her as much as he could, whether it was for himself or for the Raiders. As for the risk, he trusted her, and that was all that mattered. Jean named the guardians the Wolfpack.

    Wolves were ultimately loyal to their leader and were slick, patient, and cold calculating creatures.

    Apart from the Goliath Squadron and Wolfpack, there were hundreds of marines and marauders. Jean didn¡¯t bring any medic because no medic could save a soldier severed in half by a psi blade. All of the units had computers in their armor that could maximize their damage.

    Jean looked at the units she had and knew it was an army she could win a battle with. What happened on Xil would be reversed, and this time her mission wasn¡¯t merely defeat the tal¡¯darim guardians. No, it was something else. Something much more important to her plan of defeating Amon...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 14: Nyon

    Ascendant Nyon had not had a good time recently. At first he was trusted by Highlord Ma¡¯lash and was tasked with protecting a piece of the artifact. It was an important job. He had thousands of tal¡¯darim and an entire fleet with him. He was among the top ten in the chain of ascension, until he met a certain terran female.

    A small group of terran came and attacked the artifact. Nyon had overwhelming forces and overran the terran defenses despite suffering heavy casualties. But just as he was about to wipe out every terran on the planet, he was challenged to a duel. The duel ended everything and put him on this insignificant planet to collect terrazine.

    After losing to the terran woman, Nyon¡¯s skills were doubted. Losing in a battle was bad. Losing in a battle with terran was worse. Losing in a battle with a terran female was close to being the worst. But losing in a battle with a terran female and lost the artifact was the worst of all.

    After the terran left with the artifact, Nyon was distrusted by everyone. In the days since the loss on Xil most of his followers left him to find a stronger ascendant to follow. The ascendant himself was questioned by Ma¡¯lash himself. The Highlord wasn¡¯t satisfied with losing two pieces of the artifact. Dyges died in combat, so he could only unleash his anger on Nyon. After a painful lesson, Ma¡¯lash took away most of Nyon¡¯s ships and sent him and what was left of his followers to Bel¡¯Shir to watch over the terrazine. Bel¡¯Shir was safe with few risk of facing enemies. In a terran world that would be a swift job, but in the tal¡¯darim society being sent to a place with no battle was a shame. The ascendant Nyon replaced was more than thrilled to be part of the death fleet. Nyon could never forget the mocking look on the ascendant as she left the planet and joined glorious battle.

    Nor could he forget the terran female that brought all this shame upon him. Jean Turner. He dreamed of facing her in combat one day and defeating him. He would defeat the girl, and then it her screams he would regain his lost honor. He knew the chances of that happening were low, but he still prayed as it was the only thing he could do.

    And then he felt the girl approaching, as if god heard his prayer. He sensed the female landing on the planet with a group of terran forces and established a base. He knew it was his best chance to get his revenge.

    Nyon was aware the table was turned. He sensed twenty mechanical units in the terran arsenal that could do massive damage to his warriors. His tal¡¯darim forces were thinned down. All the ascendants that followed him left, whether willingly or under orders from Ma¡¯lash, and they took away all his destroyers and leaving him with no fleet. He lost all his vanguards and had no replacements. Hell he was lucky to not become a vanguard himself. He only had around 500 zeolets, 200 slayers, 50 or so havocs, and a few supplicants, not that the executor would allow the lack of forces stop him. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Assemble my warriors. All of them.¡± Nyon ordered decisively before opening a communication request toward the terran forces. Jean patched him through.

    ¡°Jean Turner¡­¡± Nyon trailed off with anger in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment¡­¡±

    ¡°Executor Nyon.¡± Jean replied. ¡°We need not be adversaries. We¡¯ll just collect a few cans of terrazine and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±

    Nyon laughed widely. His eyes were glaring red, literally and figuratively. Jean watched him quietly. ¡°Only one of us can leave this planet alive.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have the numbers to attack our base.¡± Jean pointed out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡± Nyon grinned wickedly. ¡°I know why you¡¯re here. You¡¯re here for the terrazine. You shall not get any.¡± He closed the comm without waiting for a response.

    Jean was expressionless and the screen was turned dark.

    <hr>

    For the next few days the Raiders moved out across Bel¡¯Shir with the fire support of giant goliath walkers that escorted SCVs to terrazine geysers. The tal¡¯darim launched a few attempts to test the water, and the goliaths proved to be powerful. Even though their armor still couldn¡¯t stand against the psi blade of protoss, their firepower was enough to make sure no tal¡¯darim ever get close enough. Jean also requested a squad of 12 siege tanks which she deployed at the geysers, making it impossible for the protoss to attack, The few slayers that could hit the goliaths from far away didn¡¯t do enough damage before being taken down by the autocannons and crucio shock cannons.

    In the protoss nexus, Nyon wasn¡¯t depressed at all by the fact that his warriors couldn¡¯t overwhelm the terran. ¡°Assemble all the warriors for one final assault.¡± He ordered. A supplicant blindly obeyed even though he knew if they attacked the terran could wipe them out.

    In the command center, Jean frowned as the tal¡¯darim assembled outside the siege tank range. The zeolets and slayers couldn¡¯t breach the line of steel formed by 12 siege tanks, 15 goliaths, and hundreds of bio forces. Why would Nyon attempt a suicide attack. He was better than this. Jean knew the tal¡¯darim, even angered, wouldn¡¯t lose all his men in a futile assault. He was planning something.

    The tal¡¯darim attacked. Zeolets charged at the terran line and slayers blinked forward to open fire. Their phase armor buying them some time to attack before being broken and the slayers perished at the tide of steel. Zeolets were dying by the droves every second. Gauss rifles. Grenade launchers. Autocannons. Cruicio shock cannons. All these terran weapon formed an impenetrable system of death as no zeolet could even get close enough to do real damage. The tal¡¯darim fought bravely, despite all odds. Those that remained with Nyon after his shameful defeat were ultimately loyal to the ascendant. They charged until the end, doing their best to assist their leader even if all they could contribute to the battle was waste more ammo of the terran units.

    Jean¡¯s frown only grew deeper and deeper as the tal¡¯darim were slaughtered. She was confused until she heard the adjacent warning her about a small tal¡¯darim force engaged his base and were slaughtering the guards with impressive efficiency.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 15: Base trade

    Nyon crushed a bunker and ended the life of 4 marines within. The terran didn¡¯t stand a chance against the ascendant. Psi units like ascendants could be extremely precious and rare, but when uncontested they could do real damage. If there were a few siege tanks or goliaths present they could target Nyon down, but all of them were sent to the geysers. The bio forces couldn¡¯t even break the ascendant¡¯s shield before being wiped out.

    A group of marines that were left behind charged forward to the frontline, only to see a red psionic orb approaching and smashing into the crowd. The dozen marines exploded into a thick of blood and bones. Their CMC armor had no effect.

    Nyon grinned at the effect. He had been beaten by Jean so much that it felt surprisingly good to get so revenge. Dozens of elite zeolets and supplicants followed him and poured into the terran camp.

    Jean suited up and exited the command center. Her guards were already assembled outside. They were good at what they do, and none of them was frightened by the dire situation. Their eyes were trained by the slant figure in blue suit. Jean raised her plasma sword and yelled. ¡°Wolfpack, on me!¡± She charged headon toward the incoming protoss, and wolfpack guards followed her. Five goliath that Jean kept in the camp for safety followed them.

    Nyon sensed the terran female approaching and grinned bloodthirstly. He stabbed a brave but suicidal marine in the chest and pulled his blade out, ignoring the man as he fell on the ground, choking in a pool of his own blood. He frowned at the amount of enemies approaching. The number of foes that remained were much more than he imagined. Shouldn¡¯t commanders send every men they have to the front? Who would keep a powerful mobile force at the back?

    Jean tossed an emp grenade at the protoss units, which apparently weakened them as the protoss depended on psi energy to combat and the emp round weakened all psi usage. Most of the shields of the tal¡¯darim were gone. Jean injected a stimpack and smashed into a zeolet. Her sword ignited with the first contact and was plunged into the zeolet¡¯s chest. The warrior was reduced to ashes as Jean landed on the ground. She groaned and looked for Nyon.

    The two armies clashed. The Wolfpack was an elite squadron. Every unit stimmed. The marauders, with the help of computers, moved quickly and somehow managed to dodge all the zeolets. If some of the zeolets came too close they would hit them with a stimpack and then back off and keep a distance. Marines dodged and fired at the zeolets. All of the protoss units were melee, and the basic zeolets weren¡¯t powerful enough to use psi energy to form ranged attacks. Still, the protoss fought with amazing will. One of the goliaths was too slow and was ripped open. When the AI declared it was impossible to escape it overcharged the reactor, which caused an explosion that wiped out all 20 zeolets surrounding the goliath.

    Nyon noticed his men were decreasing with astonishing speed. He was worried, not because his people were being slaughtered but because the longer he waited the less likely he could kill Jean. If he failed to stop Jean this time then the best thing that would happen to him was becoming a vanguard. He couldn¡¯t allow that. The ascendant stayed back and scanned for Jean.

    Unknown to Nyon, Jean was doing the same thing. Unfortunately her computer was able to call down a scanner sweep from Hyperion, which instantly discovered the ascendant.

    Nyon suddenly focused his psi energy and gave a boost to his speed. He disappeared and reappeared five meters back, and an emp round exploded on the ground he was floating at. If he was a second slower he would¡¯ve been EMPed and be in a terrible situation. Jean walked out into the open from a cover after seeing her surprise failed.

    Nyon threw a mindblast at Jean. Jean ignored his movement, and a second later the mindblast was blocked one meter before Jean¡¯s body. Nyon frowned. The girl didn¡¯t even dodge against the attack. How¡¯s this possible.

    Jean had no intention of explaining to him how she and Swann reengineered the protoss plasma shield and developed a personal shield for her and her guards that was powered by circuits. She jumped at Nyon. The ascendant drew his blades, and the two fought.

    As the two fought, the terran had already cleared out most of the protoss on the planet. The main escort wiped out the main protoss decoy. The small squad of elite tal¡¯darim were kited to death by the Wolfpack. All that was left of the battle was the fight between Jean and Nyon.

    With a swift stroke, Jean pushed Nyon¡¯s blades aside and punched him in the face with her left fist. The ascendant had lost all his shield, and he was paralyzed for a second by the punch. Using the chance Jean cut off his psi blade focusers. Again.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Nyon went silent. Things were almost an exact copy of what happened on Xil, except this time the terran held an overwhelming advantage and the protoss were wiped out. He was doomed.

    Nyon couldn¡¯t understand how he dropped from a powerful ascendant with thousands of protoss warriors and dozens of ships into a prisoner at the mercy of a terran female. The first battle on Xil was reasonable. He was careless and undermined Jean, and he paid the price. But this time all he felt was unfairness. He was no longer angry at Jean. The tal¡¯darim worshipped the strong, and this time Jean had proven her strength to him. He was angry toward Highlord Ma¡¯lash. If Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t take away most of his army he would still be high on the chain of ascension. Now, because of Ma¡¯lash, he became a weakling at the mercy of the others. He fought hard and tried to trick Jean by holding out most of his army as a bait, but he nonetheless failed. Nyon wanted vengeance on Ma¡¯lash, but he realized he would never get the chance. Jean already had her blade on his neck. Nyon closed his eyes, waiting for his end.

    Then he heard the somewhat charming voice of the terran female. ¡°Wolfpack, spread out.¡± She ordered. The terran guards were confused but nonetheless obeyed. Their faith only grew after Jean demonstrated her strength and crushed the tal¡¯darim army. Nyon opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Jean pulled back her sword.

    ¡°Do it.¡± Nyon said, looking into Jean¡¯s goggled eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need your mercy.¡±

    Jean¡¯s goggles automatically came off, revealing her blue eyes. ¡°I told you from the start we don¡¯t need to be enemies.¡± She said. ¡°You didn¡¯t listen at first, but I am going to make this proposal again. We don¡¯t need to be enemies.¡±

    Nyon couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°What are you talking about? Is this a joke?¡±

    ¡°I am dead serious executor Nyon.¡± Jean said, staring into Nyon¡¯s red eyes with her blue ones. ¡°I am offering you a deal. I will make you the Highlord of tal¡¯darim. In return, you will lead the tal¡¯darim to my cause, whatever that is.¡±

    Nyon laughed. ¡°There are tens of thousands of tal¡¯darim willingly to die for Ma¡¯lash. He holds the essence of the death fleet. He has motherships that can burn down planets! Do you really think by destroying my forces you have what it takes to take him down?¡±

    Jean was not taken back by the outburst. ¡°A week ago I was just a girl that had never led an army. Now I have the blood of thousands of tal¡¯darim on my hand and I have just defeated a tal¡¯darim with hundreds of years of experience.¡± She stated not proudly but more as a fact. ¡°Your people are brave, but they can¡¯t fight.¡±

    Nyon wanted to make a rebuttal, but he knew he had no place for a counterargument after being decisively defeated. The tal¡¯darim valued bravery and not battle tactics. They preferred to stand together and charge at the enemies without real planning and whoever wins is the strongest. Nyon¡¯s brilliant plan of holding out his main army as bait and hitting the enemy command with a small strike force was enough to take down most tal¡¯darim commanders, but Jean simply thought of that possibility and made a counter. But that also made him think. If he could combine the bravery and strength of the tal¡¯darim and the battle tactics of Jean, than perhaps Highlord was not a dream. ¡°If you can help me defeat Ma¡¯lash, then I will fight for you and you alone.¡± Nyon said, slightly hissing as he thought of the image of Ma¡¯lash.

    ¡°Good, but before that I need to deal with something.¡± Jean said casually before throwing an emp grenade at her left. A figure in slant suit and ghost mask exited cloak mode. A psi blade fell on the ground. He was a terran specteur. ¡°I hope you were exhausted after the battle and didn¡¯t sense him in comparison to sensing him and hoping for him to kill me.¡± Jean spoke casually as if she wasn¡¯t being assassinated. The Wolfpack had backed off far enough for all of this to go unnoticed. Jean issued that order on purpose after seeing the specteur. She wore a personal detector on her that nobody knew about.

    Nyon frowned and didn¡¯t reply. Jean walked to the specteur and punched him in the face. The specteur was powerful in terms of psi energy, but the emp cleared off all his energy and made him as weak as any other terran. True, with psi specteurs and ghosts could literally tear CMC armors open, but now the specteur was even weaker than a marine. At least the CMC armor was designed to enhance the strength of the wearer. The specteur fell on the ground and Jean casually snapped his neck.

    ¡°Remember, you fought off the terran on Bel¡¯Shir and protected the terrazine from the thieves. All of your warriors died, but they died for a cause. You should gain some fame from this. When we leave open the first recording. Follow the directions.¡± Jean looked at Nyon and tossed him a recorder before picking up and psi blade of the dead specteur and igniting it. Nyon was surprised to see Jean slicing herself across the chest with the blade. A large wound was formed and blood poured out. Jean collapsed on the ground, and the Wolfpack approached to help.

    A medic injected Jean with something that helped with her wound. The marines and marauders looked at the ascendant with menacing eyes. One of them knelt down beside the dead specteur and examined the body. ¡°It¡¯s a specteur.¡± He said, surprised. ¡°He¡¯s one of Tosh¡¯s man. Why would he attack commander?¡±

    ¡°I guess Mr.Tosh has some explaining to do.¡± Jean said with a pained look and picked up the ghost¡¯s comm. ¡°Drop the terrazine and return to the Hyperion. I am not doing work for someone whose man almost killed me.¡± The SCVs dropped the terrazine. Non of the terran units objected. The authority of Jean was high enough among the raiders to make such decisions.

    ¡°What about him?¡± One of the Wolfpack marines asked, pointing at Nyon.

    ¡°Leave him.¡± Jean replied. The Wolfpack units didn¡¯t understand why Jean showed mercy but ultimately obeyed. Nyon watched as the terran entered their transports and left the planet.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 16: Confrontation

    Nyon watched as the terran left. He looked down on the recorder that held the instructions that, according to the terran Jean, should bring him power. He played with the idea of ignoring the deal and continue being an executor, but then he gave up. Even if Jean didn¡¯t come for him for the betrayal, he couldn¡¯t stand being enslaved by Ma¡¯lash. Unlike those petty slayers, Nyon had the ambitions of becoming the ultimate commander of the Death Fleet. He hesitantly opened the recorder.

    The figure of the terran female appeared. She was no longer in the battle gear he saw her in but rather in a blue uniform. Her blonde hair was tied into a braid. The only thing that was the same was her cold tone.

    ¡°Executor Nyon. I can see that you have decided to join me.¡± The figure spoke as if it was a live feed.

    Nyon was taken back. ¡°Is this a transmitter?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I am not Jean Turner. I am an AI coded to think and act like Jean Turner.¡± The figure explained. ¡°You can call me Assistant. My mission is to aid you to take the place of Highlord at the top of the chain of ascension.¡±

    ¡°Well, Assistant,¡± Nyon said. ¡°How do you suggest me get off this rock?¡±

    ¡°Send a message to Highlord Ma¡¯lash and tell him you defended the planet from terran thieves and protected all the terrazine. Jean left the terrazine tanks behind for that reason. This should be enough to redeem the loss on Xil. You have lost all your army, which means you can no longer stay on this planet. You fought for Ma¡¯lash and to a degree won, which means you are the victor and the Highlord can¡¯t punish you. As someone relatively high on the chain of ascension you can raise an army in a short period of time.¡± Assistant said systematically.

    Nyon frowned. ¡°You seem to know a lot about our society.¡± Assistant didn¡¯t move, and Nyon knew he couldn¡¯t get an answer out of the AI. ¡°Jean stabbed herself before leaving. Why?¡± He made an attempt to find out more about the girl he might fight for.

    ¡°I am not authorized to answer that question. Now, I suggest you get to business.¡± The Assistant ordered, and Nyon obeyed.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, Jean walked into the Hyperion bridge with all the fury in the world. She was pale, and her wound, despite being healed, stained her blue armor with red blood. Raynor and Tosh turned as she walked in, slightly surprised.

    ¡°What the hell? Jean what happened?¡± Raynor asked after seeing the wound.

    Jean stared at Tosh. ¡°I am afraid you have asked the wrong person commander. I think Mr.Tosh here is more capable than me to explain what happened.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°What are you talking about little girl?¡± Tosh had a guess on what happened. The specteur failed his mission and Jean survived and returned to confront him. Still, she had no solid evidence. He could claim the man went rogue. The communication between him and the specteur was encrypted. She had no solid evidence.

    Jean pointed at Tosh. ¡°This man just sent one of his soldiers after me. A specteur tried to kill me.¡± She accused, and all the raiders in the room looked at Tosh. Several men readied their weapons in case the assassin decided to make a move.

    ¡°I need an explanation.¡± Raynor demanded. ¡°If what Jean said is real¡­¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t real.¡± Tosh denied quickly. ¡°Why would I try to murder one of the lieutanents of my associate? Do you have any proof?¡±

    The Raiders looked at Jean. Jean silently transported a file to the adjacent. A second later the video appeared on the computer screen of the bridge.

    In the video Jean was confronting a protoss when a blade suddenly ignited in mid air and stabbed her in the stomach. In the video Jean screamed and fell on the ground, but luckily for her the terran failed to develop blades that could be cloaked, and Jean was able to throw an emp grenade at the blade. The emp exploded, and a specteur exited cloak mode and fell on the ground. In the video Jean groaned and stood up and stabbed the specteur with the blade he dropped. The video ended when Wolfpack marines came to the rescue.

    Tosh silently cursed. His boys should be smarter than this. He told them to make it look like a protoss did it, which meant use melee psi blades, but attacking fronton and stabbing non vital organs was just stupid. Furthermore, the man got completely disabled by one single emp and got executed by a heavily wounded girl. How stupid was he?

    At this moment even Tosh thought what happened in the video was the truth and the only reason Jean survived was because of luck and the lack of skills in the assassin. He couldn¡¯t possibly imagine Jean used her computer to put together the video. Hell she even stabbed herself in the right position to make the video look real.

    Raynor looked at Tosh with all the rage in his eyes. ¡°Explain this Tosh.¡± His hand rested on his pistol. Being betrayed by someone he trusted was one of the few things he despised the most. Kerrigan fell to the betrayal of Mengsk, and now Jean almost died because Tosh betrayed her. It took all the logic inside him not to shoot Tosh in the head the way he wanted to shoot Mengsk.

    Tosh¡¯s eyes twisted. He spent time to get in contact with Jim Raynor. If he was successful enough, then the Raiders would help him take down New Folsom prison and perhaps even take down Arcturus Mengsk. He really wanted to work with the Raiders, but his lack of control over Jean made him overreact. It was the first time he couldn¡¯t sense anything from a normal non-psychic person, and it scared him. He took actions, and they failed. As a consequence he had just lost all the trust he built with the Raiders. From what he sensed the entire bridge wanted him dead.

    ¡°That was unfortunate. I thought we could be friends.¡± Tosh whispered. ¡°Yes,¡± He gave up denying and finally admitted. ¡°I did order the assassination, but I am not going to pay the price.¡± His body disappeared into cloaking mode. He was confident he could escape. The Hyperion lacked mobile detectors, and no one would be stupid enough to launch an emp in a battlecruiser that would fry all the circuits. What could stop him?

    Until a bullet hit him in the chest. The last thing he saw was Jean holding a guass pistol. How¡­

    He never got the answer.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 17: A normal day in Raynors Raiders

    Jean woke up in her own room. It was a plain chamber. Jean had some money. After all, she was practically the second command among the Raiders. Still, she didn¡¯t find it necessary to decorate her own room like other girls her age do. It was an inefficient use of time and resources.

    She silently stood up and took the gauss pistol below her pillow out and put it on the counter. She walked to the bathroom and exited five minutes later in a straight uniform. Strapping the pistol to her side and hiding a dagger next to her thigh, she left the room and went to the cantine for some food.

    After a boring meal that involved a computer simulated conversation with half a dozen crew members that made them admire her like a goddess, Jean went to the second deck of the Hyperion. She entered a room which was guarded by 2 Wolfpack marines. They pulled back their rifles as soon as they saw it was her. Anyone unauthorized that entered would be killed without warning.

    Jean walked by the marines and entered the room. It was an old storage place, but Jean touched a certain brick, and a part of the ground moved aside, revealing a ladder. She walked down the ladder and was met with a keypad. Two security bots were aiming at her behind the door with autocannons. After typing in the correct code, which was 16 figures long, the door opened and the bots moved away. she had reached her destination.

    On one side of the room, a certain specteur was there, restricted by several means of containment. His eyes were half closed and half open. Several pipes pumped tranquilizers into his bloodstream to keep him unconscious. Tosh wasn¡¯t killed when Jean shot him in the chest. He was heavily wounded, and Jean bought him here for a certain purpose.

    Jean silently linked herself to a computer. Previously she had done surgeries to herself and inserted a computer chip inside her that not only held large amounts of data and provided her with the calculation power of a cpu but also allowed her to connect with other electronic devices remotely. For example, she could connect to any of Raider¡¯s computers in range and utilize them for her own purposes. She could literally hack into any computer device.

    Jean processed the results of the experiment. A few days ago after she captured Tosh and brought him here she programmed a computer program to control and analyze Tosh. It would inject the specteur with enough sedative to keep him unconscious but not damage his body. Meanwhile, the computer was doing experiments on the specteur to find ways to create man-made psi energy.

    Jean wanted to create her own ghosts. During the battles she fought with the tal¡¯darim she saw how psi energy could help strength the units. She was able to defeat the tal¡¯darim because they were stupid enough to attack into a position locked down by countless heavy firepower, but there was no denial that the protoss were powerful. Their psi blades could penetrate almost everything and their plasma shields could protect them against almost every possible attack before falling apart. Jean had already armed the Wolfpack units with electrically powered force fields, but they were less effective than plasma shields. Force fields had to be manually opened and closed because they would blocked firing from the user as well. They also consumed large amounts of electricity. Plasma blades were much more expensive and energy consuming than psi blades. Jean wanted a way to make common footsoldiers psychic.

    Jean learned from the data the experiments weren¡¯t as successful as she wanted. She wasn¡¯t the first that tried to create psi units. As far as she knew everything else failed. The human brain was one of the few things mankind knew little about. She had no idea how the brain controlled psi elements that made some human special.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Jean frowned. She was too hopeful in believing she could manufacture psi units after a few days of experiment. She ordered the computer to continue its mission before disconnecting and leaving the lab.

    <hr>

    Jean took a walk into the bridge and noticed the Raiders had no mission. She left the bridge and walked to the armory to meet Rory Swann. When she entered the armory, she saw the engineer was climbing off a certain vehicle.

    ¡°Ahhh Jean¡­¡± Swann said, excited. He just completed something and he wanted someone to share his excitement. ¡°I was going to find you, and here you are!¡±

    Jean grinned warmly. ¡°What are you so excited about?¡±

    ¡°You know how you managed to hack into that Tosh bastard¡¯s account and transfer all his credits to the Raiders right?¡± Swann said. Jean nodded. After she shot Tosh, she offered to hack into Tosh¡¯s account and give all his credits to the Raiders. Raynor wasn¡¯t normally ok with hacking for a profit but he was willing to let is slide against someone like Tosh. Tosh¡¯s computer had great firewalls, but Jean literally had dozens of computers connected to her brain. As a result...let¡¯s just say the specteur was rich.

    Swann continued. ¡°I used that money and bought a load of new stuff from deadman¡¯s port. I just completed linking them to the Raider¡¯s network. Speaking of, what are you planning to call this network now that the entire Raider depends on it?¡± Swann suddenly remembered Jean never named the computer network system that she created. Usually in the terran society inventors get to name their creations.

    ¡°Warden.¡± Jean said quietly.

    ¡°Ok. Great name. I¡¯ll tell cowboy about it.¡± Swann realized he was off topic. ¡°Anyways, this is¡­¡± He pointed to a vehicle with railguns on the back. Jean¡¯s internal cpu already brought up the information. ¡°Diamondback. It has railguns that can¡­¡±

    ¡°Shoot while moving, making it a great units at pursuing enemy units.¡± Jean finished her sentence. ¡°I did my homework.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Swann nodded and walked to a fighter. ¡°This is a wraith. This is a fighter dating back to the time of the Confederacy. But don¡¯t undermine its power. Its cloaking field is updated and its missiles and lasers can still pack a punch. It also has great speed.¡±

    Jean nodded. Finally the Raiders have something that could fight in the air that wasn¡¯t their flagship. ¡°And this?¡± She pointed at a motorbike even though she already knew what it is.

    ¡°Ahhh. No wonder you don¡¯t recognize it. It¡¯s a vulture, also from the age of the Confederacy. These bad boys can place spidermines underground and wipe out any ground enemies that goes near them. I linked the spidermines to the Warden so our units can be safe around it. By the way all three units can be piloted by AIs. You just need to code them.¡±

    ¡°Nice job.¡± Jean smiled and tapped Swann on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re my savior. I¡¯ll get to the coding as soon as I can.¡± She smiled and walked out of the armory.

    <hr>

    The biology lab was prehaps one of the places no crew members goes to. First, the place was restricted and contained important research data. Second, the owner of this lab, Egon Stetmann, wasn¡¯t the most popular one on the ship. He was a shy man, always rumbling about his research. And that was exactly what he was doing when a beautiful girl like Jean visited him and asked for a favor.

    ¡°Well I am not saying this is impossible. I mean I am the best biological scientist on this ship...but I need a lot of time to do this and a lot of resources too. It¡¯s just not that easy to turn common soldiers into psychic. You know what I mean?¡± Stetmann explained nervously. He had no intention of having the girl think he was incapable of the task.

    ¡°Of course, I am just suggesting a possibility.¡± Jean said, not disappointed because she physically couldn¡¯t feel disappointment. ¡°Good luck.¡± She turned and left the lab and went for the armory. She needed time and space to do the programming.

    <hr>

    Back in the lab, Egon Stetmann wondered if she would stay longer had he said he could do this.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 18: Infiltration

    ¡±So, our mission is to intercept a series of trains.¡± Raynor concluded after captain Matt Horner told Raynor and her how the Dominion were transporting something via railways on Tarsonis. The Raiders didn¡¯t know what the thing was, but since Mengsk wanted it so did the Raiders.

    ¡°Hardly.¡± Jean said. ¡°No commander will be stupid enough to continue the transportation when the first train is hit. Even if we defeat the Dominion forces on the planet they will just pull back to the planetary fortress and request backup from the Dominion fleet. Even the Hyperion¡¯s Yamato Cannon can¡¯t break that fortress before twenty battlecruisers warp in and cut us off.¡± She made the calculation already.

    ¡°So we should pull back and abandon the mission? Whatever is on the train must be important.¡± Raynor questioned. He would pull back if Jean said so. The girl had proven much smarter in battle than he was. The losses the Raiders suffered when Jean was in command was much less than when he was the commander.

    ¡°Not quite.¡± Jean said. ¡°According to the mission plan that I got by hacking the cargo will be brought onto a battlecruiser known as The Beetle. The Beetle will be escorted by four more battlecruisers to Korhal. If I can get into the cruiser I will be able to override and control the ship and jump into to a safe rendezvous point.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Raynor cut her off. ¡°I am not going to send you into an enemy battlecruiser with no backup. It¡¯s too risky. You¡¯re a commander, Jean, not some damn ghost!¡± He seemed furiously, but Jean met his gaze with no hesitation.

    ¡°Just like you said, we need to take down that cargo and find out whatever is inside that the Dominion so desperately want. This is our best chance Jim.¡± Jean referring to Raynor by his first name was a carefully calculated act to increase the chance of success. It worked.

    Raynor backed off. He didn¡¯t want to put a girl into harm¡¯s way, but neither did he want Mengsk to get what he wanted. What was in that box could be valuable. ¡°Do you have a plan that get in and get out?¡± He asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have any cloaking device, and even if you do there will be detection..¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t need cloaking.¡± Jean replied. She pointed at the computer screen beside. The screen displayed the file of a female lieutenant with Jean¡¯s face. The name read Kassandra Hart, examiner sent by the emperor himself to oversee the transportation of the product. ¡°The crew members on that ship will welcome me with open arms. I can use the chance to hack into the computer system of the cruiser with no hurry at all.¡±

    Raynor went through the plan in his head and found out there was no weak spot. Of course there weren¡¯t any. Jean calculated everything in her cpu beforehand. ¡°Fine, but get your ass out of the cruiser at the first sign of trouble. I will not risk your life for my victory.¡± He would feel guilty for the rest of his life is Jean died in the mission.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Jean nodded.

    <hr>

    The Beetle was a Gorgon class battlecruiser. It had stronger armor and better weapon than the standard Minotaur class battlecruiser the Dominion fleet employed. As a result Gorgon battlecruisers were much more rare in the terran arsenal. The Beetle was deployed by Mengsk himself to make sure the cargo reached Korhal safely. The Beetle had 16 J23 missile launchers, 25 laser batteries, and 125 point defense systems and was operated by 6500 crew members . To a certain point it could overpower the Hyperion. That was why the Raiders couldn¡¯t engage it and Mengsk trusted the ship enough to carry the cargo. The beast couldn¡¯t be broken from the outside.

    Captain Gregor of The Beetle was standing at the bridge and watching the crew members operate the ship in pride. He was a capable general in his thirties, and he got the command of the ship through sheer experience. Gregor considered himself a loyal soldier of Mengsk, and was willing to do whatever it took to complete his mission. In fact, he received orders to destroy the cargo if it was to be taken by enemy forces, not that he or Mengsk thought it might be possible. Even the zerg swarm couldn¡¯t take down a convoy of 1 Gorgon and 2 Minotaur battlecruisers before they warp away.

    The ship had just picked up the cargo and was about to enter warp space when a special ops transport exited warp space near The Beetle. Laser batteries were immediately aimed at the ship, and the crew member looked at their captain for instructions. Gregor stopped them. Scans show the ship had Dominion markings. ¡°Send a transmission to that ship.¡± He ordered.

    A few seconds later a transmission appeared on the computer screen. Gregor saw a woman in blonde hair and straight Dominion officier uniform. She seemed serious and cold.¡°State your identity.¡± He ordered.

    ¡°I am inspector Kassandra Hart here on the behalf of the emperor to oversee the transportation of the cargo.¡± The woman said calmly.

    Gregor was unmoved. ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard of any inspector.¡±

    ¡°The emperor has his own concerns.¡± Kassandra, Jean, replied. ¡°I am sending you my identification now.¡± Gregor noticed a file was sent to his ship. He opened up the file and checked it. The data was valid. The woman seemed like a perfect Dominion soldier loyal to her emperor. He checked a few hiddens stamps, and all were present. Gregor nodded to a crew, who moved away the laser batteries. The hanger door opened, and the transport was brought inside.

    On the transport, Jean showed neither pride nor relief as the captain was fooled by her computer work. She forged the document she sent, but she trusted the captain wouldn¡¯t notice it because she studied the details dozens of Dominion files beforehand to know what a standard officer file looked like.

    Behind her captain Eobard let out a sign of relief and glanced a Jean as if wondering how the girl could be so calm when a full grown man like him was frightened to death. He noticed the weapon system on the battlecruisers were aimed and ready, and if something went wrong they couldn¡¯t even get into warp space before being blasted away. Eobard was here because it wouldn¡¯t make sense for an inspector to be all along, and Jean might need someone to cover her. Ten other Wolfpack marines in Sons of Korhal armor were behind him.

    ¡°Proceed as planned.¡± Jean said coldly as her transport flew inside the metal beast like a Trojan Horse. Most fortresses were broken from the inside.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 19: Massacre

    Gregor¡¯s first impression of Kassandra was her coldness. All female officers of the Dominion were cold and efficient, but this Kassandra seemed the coldest of them all. She was matter of factly and held a straight face the entire time they interacted. The eleven sons of Korhal elite marines behind her made her look like a queen as she walked down the carpet covered aisle into the bridge.

    ¡°Captain Gregor Liam.¡± Gregor held out one hand for a handshake, but Jean ignored him.

    ¡°Let¡¯s skip the politeness and get to business, shall we?¡± Jean ignored the hand. Gregor pulled back, slightly awkward for being ignored. ¡°Where is the cargo?¡±

    ¡°In a safety vault guarded by fifty fully armed marines and twenty marauders.¡± Gregor explained confidently. ¡°Nobody, not even the best of Kerrigan¡¯s swarm, can take this ship down before we escape. Even if someone sneak onto our ship, they will be stopped by computer operated defenses like auto turrets and flame turrets. Apart from that there are 7000 crew members onboard, 3000 of them are combatants. The vault is to be sealed for the entire trip to prevent enemy infiltrators. No one can get the cargo.¡±

    ¡°Impressive. In that case shall we start moving?¡± Jean urged.

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Gregor replied, and the battlecruisers entered warp space and jumped away. Jean looked on as the space before the ship turned purple, and she knew the game was on.

    <hr>

    ¡°Do you want a drink?¡± Gregor asked the female inspector as the two stood at the bridge. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a long trip to Korhal.¡± He clapped his hands, and a female crew brought them a pair of alcohol.

    Jean glanced at Gregor and ignored the offer, which only made her more attractive. Computer calculations told Jean that male tend to go after female they couldn¡¯t get their hands on easily. Plus, as someone supposedly close to Mengsk, she should be cold and prideful. If she was nice and polite Gregor would notice something. Just like she thought, Gregor smiled as if he wasn¡¯t offended.

    A few minutes later Jean¡¯s eyes turned slightly. She had been trying to hack into the computer system the moment she got aboard. She didn¡¯t have any chance to operate the computer system on the cruiser, but she didn¡¯t need to. The computer had great firewall, not that it could stop her. All it did was slow her down and force her to go through minutes of conversation with a semi love puppy captain that tried to get her to sleep with him.

    Jean made a gesture to the Raiders, and all the marines quietly closed their masks. Jean silently pulled up a gas mask and put it onto her face. ¡°What the?¡± Gregor turned around and asked in confusion, but Jean didn¡¯t give him a chance to ask questions before pulling something out of her pocket(watch) and slamming in on the ground. A gas emitted into the bridge, and every Dominion crew member that breathed in the gas fell on the ground, choking and dozing off.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    The gas couldn¡¯t kill these crew members, but it was enough to disable them long enough for the marines do to their job. The Dominion marines walked up to the crew members and snapped their necks one by one without any mercy. Gregor was barely conscious, and he looked at Jean with begging eyes, pleading for mercy. Jean ignored him and continued with her hacking. Eobard broke Gregor¡¯s neck, ending the promising career of the captain.

    The door leading the bridge to the rest of the ship started closing. The two Dominion marines standing at the door walked into the bridge to see what happened and never came out.

    All the auto defenses in the ship activated. The Gorgon wasn¡¯t only armed against outside threats but also against inside threats. Every piece of the ship had detection. Hidden auto and flame turrets were all around the ship. A hidden poison gas system could eliminate the entire crew. The last measure was designed to prevent crew members from going rogue or other special situations. The order was hidden deep, but not deep enough.

    The crew members coughed and fell on the ground. Their uniform didn¡¯t have any protection against the poison gas, nor did anyone bring gas masks like Jean did. The infantry units, on the other hand, had CMC armors that protected them. Still, Jean thought of that factor.

    Outside the safety vault, the 70 Dominion units looked at each other in confusion as a dozen auto turrets rose above ground and their 12mm gauss cannons turned to the Dominion forces...and opened fire without any hesitation.

    The gauss cannons ripped through the terran armor and punched through the Dominion bodies. Men fell on the ground. None of the fallen made any sound as all of them were killed instantly. Computer programs were precise and efficient. Some of the units had time to react while others never had the chance, but it was 12 turrets against 50 some marines and marauders with the element of surprise. In the end 10 turrets were functional and the floor was covered by the bodies of dead units.

    Things like that happened all over the ship. Dominion forces were taken by surprise as Jean cut off the communication. Flame turrets roasted units close by and sent them screaming and burning, and auto turrets blasted through unsuspecting men and women without mercy. It was a massacre. Blood stained the medal ground.

    Yet there were 7000 Dominion forces onboard. 2500 or so weren¡¯t in their armors and were taken down by the gas without a fight. Some of them were infantry out of their armor and others were merely unarmed and defenseless operators and engineers. Another several thousand perished from the hundreds of internal defenses in the battlecruiser. Still, some of the forces responded quick enough and took out the defenses with sheer number. They were scattered but alive.

    ¡°Commander, what do we do with the survivors?¡± Eobard asked Jean after seeing multiple enemy movement in the ship through surveillence. Jean sealed all the doors and stopped putting in oxygen, but there were life support in the CMC armors. Granted the oxygen reserve would disappear in 12 hours, but that was still too long.

    ¡°The Raiders will take care of them.¡± Jean stated and gave a few commands to the battlecruiser The Gorgon suddenly exited warp space. Jean typed in another set of coordinates, and the battlecruiser jumped again toward the rendezvous point, leaving the two Minotaur battlecruisers behind, lost and confused.

    Jean just captured one of the strongest battlecruisers in the Dominion within an hour and with no casualty.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 20: Deadmans Port

    The Beetle landed in a spaceport of Deadman¡¯s port, right beside the Hyperion. Raider marines, marauders, and medics in full combat gear streamed into the now gasless and oxygenless chambers. Jean linked the surveillance of the ship to the AI of the units so they knew where the enemies were. Scattered and taken by surprise, the Dominion troops were hopeless.

    Raynor walked to Jean in the bridge. The Wolfpack marines exited the room. ¡°That was a good job back there.¡± He said as distant gunshots ringed. ¡°What¡¯s the cargo?¡±

    ¡°Eobard went to the safety vault and brought it here during the trip. It¡¯s an old Confederacy adjacent. I hacked it on the trip here.¡± Jean handed a piece of paper to Raynor. ¡°Here.¡±

    ¡°Oh wow¡­¡± Raynor frowned as he went through the contents on the adjacent. ¡°We can pin Mengsk down before the media with this evidence.¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t share his optimism. ¡°So what? Mengsk rules with his fleet. Even if we show the world who he really is Mengsk can still defeat any effort of rebellion with his fleet. As long as his forces remain Mengsk will stand tall against the world. He is a cunning leader, and people like him don¡¯t care about public opinion.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not, but we can stop him from using media as a weapon against us.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± Jean replied. ¡°but how are we supposed to get this to the entire Dominion? Mengsk will do everything he can to stop the broadcasting of something like this. But in the meantime I need to go a drink.¡±

    Raynor looked surprised. ¡°You want to go for a drink?¡± He rose his eyebrows with an interesting look.

    ¡°Yah,¡± Jean replied at the surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me this way. I am human being as well.¡± She grinned warmly. ¡°And it¡¯s being a while on this ship.¡± To the rest of the world she had been here for her entire life, but in reality she was merely here for a few days. Apart from the battles she fought with the three races she had been on the Hyperion all the time.

    Raynor nodded. ¡°I guess you can use some time away from everything. We¡¯ll be here for a few more hours to buy supplies and stuff. Horner is going to see his girlfriend¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s not my girlfriend sir.¡± Matt Horner complained in the background.

    Raynor ignored him. ¡°Just bring some bodyguards. Deadman¡¯s port can be a dangerous place. Mercenaries and fugitives are literally everywhere. People will kill for a couple thousand credits.¡±

    <hr>

    Jean walked out of the Beetle with 6 Wolfpack marines without their weapons or armors. They all carried sidearms for defense, but it was a silent rule in Deadman¡¯s port not to walk around in combat gear. Ships and soldiers have a certain area to be in, while another area was reserved for those that wanted a short period of time away from all the bloodshed. Things like bar fights were normal, but if someone tried to make a kill in the peaceful area they would be attacked by every other force. Even the craziest killer needed a place to rest. There was a reason Deadman¡¯s port could prosper in this turbulent sector. Those that wanted to destroy the port didn¡¯t have the power, those that had the power didn¡¯t want to waste units on a neutral port. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Jean looked around the sidewalk. Men and women with tough looks were everywhere. Most of them were mercanieries, and all of them had experience with battle. They were one of the strongest terran forces ih the sector. Granted, they didn¡¯t have the high technology arsenal of the Dominion nor the computer aided forces of the Raiders, but their experience and battle instincts made up for their disadvantages. Spend some credits and provide some weapons, and these mercenaries can stand up to the toughest enemies.

    Unfortunately for them, when darkness overwhelmed the sector a few years later, these elite soldiers would be turned and used against life itself. Most of them would be bought over by the Moebius Foundation and therefore Amon and sent against the Daleem protoss. From the memory she received Jean knew that Mira Han¡¯s forces went to the side of the Dominion, but that was it. In the end, when the light won out, most of the mercenaries would be dead. What a waste.

    Jean intended on changing that and putting the mercenaries to a good use. That was the sole reason she was in the port instead of staying on the Beetle. Sure, she programmed construction droids to repair the ship, but she could do it better herself. Obviously she didn¡¯t came here for food and drink or a walk. Jean came here to find a way to control the mercenaries.

    Jean walked into a bar. Some of the people within looked at her, but most of the people were too drunk to respond. Jean sat down on one of the seats and the marines sat down around her.

    ¡°Are you trying to find someone sir?¡± Eobard asked as he noticed Jean was scanning everyone in the bar.

    Jean nodded. Her eyes sparkled, literally, as she moved from one to another. After a few minutes Jean suddenly found her target and stood up. She motioned for the marines to stay behind before walking to another table and sitting down. There was only one man at the table. He looked down and drunk, but his eyes were sharp and alert.

    ¡°Hey, Liam Holden?¡± She asked with a polite smile.

    The man looked at Jean with alertness. His right hand reached into his pocket. Jean ignored him. ¡°It appears that you have being pursued by some powerful people in the port. People that are willing to pay big bucks for your head.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to earn those big bucks?¡± Liam asked and gripped tightly to his gauss pistol.

    Jean grinned. ¡°Colonel Orlans might be a powerful figure in the port, but give me a few minutes and I can turn everything he owns into ashes.¡± She said confidently.

    Liam¡¯s eyes lit. ¡°Get to the point, will you?¡±

    ¡°I want to make you a deal. I avenge your family and take care of the colonel for good, and you will in turn give me your life.¡± Jean stated, her eyes analyzing the man¡¯s expressions.

    Liam frowned. ¡°You gotta be kidding me. What makes you think I will believe the words of some random girl I meet in a bar? As far as I know, you are delusional.¡± He took another sip of the drink before him.

    Jean smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s prove this, shall we?¡± Jean¡¯s eyes twitched and turned, and suddenly a loud sound exploded from faraway. Liam¡¯s eyes turned and charged out of the bar. In a distance far away, a blinding light destroyed a certain space platform. The entire platform was ripped apart, along with all the ships and men on that platform. Pieces of broken metal flew everywhere. Some of the scattered pieces fell toward the port. Others journaled endlessly into the void.

    It was the peak of terran weaponry. It was the explosion of a tactical nuke.

    Liam fell on the ground with a drop of tear sliding down his face. He recognized who the platform belonged to. It belonged to the one that ended the life of his wife and two children. It belonged to colonel Orlan.

    ¡°That was a tactical nuke that belonged to the colonel exploding in his own platform.¡± Jean said. The hacking skills of the colonel was great, but it wasn¡¯t enough to stop someone like her. She literally hacked into the best battlecruiser of the Dominion a while ago. Hacking into a tactical nuke was not a challenge, even though its firewall was made by the renowned hacker in the port.¡°Now that I have fulfilled my part of the deal, it¡¯s time for you to do yours.¡±

    Liam¡¯s eyes snapped open and all the pain disappeared. ¡°As you wish.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 21: Conspiracy

    Jean and her men left the bar and started returning to their ship after the explosion and the conversation with a certain Liam Holden.

    Jean had been doing everything she could to prevent the darkness. Her enemies were menacing. Amon was practically a god. He would eventually control the golden armada, the death fleet, a fraction of the feral zerg, and the mercenaries of the Moebius Foundation, and thus combine the might of all three races.

    Jean intended on crippling those forces as much as possible. By making connection with ascendant Nyon, Jean established a possibility of winning over the death fleet as long as she made Nyon the Highlord. Now, by making a new leader to unite the mercenaries of deadman¡¯s port, Jean might be able to weaken the Moebius Foundation and decrease the amount of elite terran units in Amon¡¯s forces. Of course, Liam needed to be made as the leader of all the mercenaries for that to happen, but Jean was confident she could manage a few mercenaries. After all, she did just took out one of the strongest forces in the port with some hacking and a nuke.

    Now that her work here in the port was done, Jean wanted to return to the ships. She left another AI with Liam to aid him, just like what she did with ascendant Nyon.

    <hr>

    ¡°What happened back in the port?¡± Raynor met Jean as soon as she returned. ¡°Adjudent told me a nuke went off in Orlans¡¯ place. Did you do it?¡± He asked.

    ¡°No. Of course not.¡± Jean replied, looking completely honest. ¡°I was at a local bar at that time.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Raynor seemed fully of relief. ¡°I know you¡¯re not a butcher that will nuke a space platform with thousands aboard. I can¡¯t image what kind of monster is behind this. Who can possibly have the power do this?¡± He seemed shocked.

    Jean frowned. ¡°Why are you so affected by the death of thousands of mercenaries? I don¡¯t recall Orlans being our ally.¡± She didn¡¯t care about those mercenaries, but she needed to be mindful of the opinion of Jim Raynor. The majority of the Raiders still answer to the legend.

    ¡°True.¡± Raynor exclaimed as he looked out the window at the debris. ¡°Still, even mercenaries are human beings. It is one thing to kill an enemy in battle, it is another to slaughter several thousands out of combat. This is just too much.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Horner?¡± Jean changed the topic.

    ¡°Ummm.¡± Raynor hesitated and looked away. The man seemed slightly embarrassed. ¡°Well, the thing is we needed to buy supplies at the lowest price possible, so¡­.¡±

    ¡°So you sent Horner to Mira Han.¡± Jean completed the sentence for him. ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty wise.¡± She concluded.

    ¡°I love your sarcasm.¡± Raynor smiled, assuming it was a joke. ¡°We¡¯ll likely be here for a few more hours. Speaking of,¡± He looked at Jean. ¡°what do you think of the Beetle.¡±

    ¡°It is a Gorgon battlecruiser. Extremely powerful.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Any interest in commanding the ship?¡± Raynor invited.

    ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, but I am not the best at commanding ships.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Not that it¡¯s going to be a problem.¡± Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Good. Do your best to get the cruiser into a state capable of battle.¡± Raynor¡¯s eyes radiated confidence. ¡°It¡¯s time to show the world who the emperor truly is.¡±

    <hr>

    A few hours later, Jean was onboard the Beetle. The ship was almost empty, except for her and the wolfpack units that acted as her guard. There were no crew members. The entire ship was programmed by computer AIs Jean coded.

    Jean was doing exercises in the bridge with a dumbbell. The exercise methods stayed the same even in the future. She wore sports clothing that covered only a certain part of her body and allowed full movement. The tight clothing emphasized her beautiful curves, not that there was anyone around to watch.

    In previous combats Jean realized her body was too slow to follow up with her computer¡¯s tactics. Using stimulants was a good way to boost the strength and speed of her body, but it was extremely harmful to her health and would kill her if she used too much of them. She needed a naturally strong body to support her skills in combat.

    Suddenly, Jean rested the dumbbell on the ground. The metal door opened, but no one walked in.

    ¡°Nova Terra.¡± Jean suddenly smiled. ¡°Mengsk must value the deal very much to send her best operative here as a messenger.¡± She looked at an empty space. Nothing happened. ¡°You do realize I know where you are, right? Right next to the table.¡±

    The empty space before Jean twisted, and a second later a woman in female ghost suit appeared out of nowhere. She carried a long canister rifle that was improved from that of normal ghosts. A long list of special equipements were along her belt. Her tight hostile environment suit allowed her to maximize her psi power, cloak, and move without any obstacles.

    ¡°I am wondering what will happen if instead of making a deal with you, I just kill you right now?¡± Nova said in a soft voice that was somewhat cute, but if someone thought the female was a soft teenage girl then he or she would be very dead very soon. The ghost had killed countless without mercy. ¡°Without your help, that fugitive will no longer pose any threat.¡±

    Jean¡¯s smile didn¡¯t decline as she walked to the side and grabbed a towel. ¡°I am merely a sidekick. Raynor will continue to fight the Dominion if I die, and, trust me. If I get assassinated by a ghost, then you¡¯ll have no chance of slipping onto the Hyperion and sniping Raynor. It¡¯s much smarter to work with me. Now, shall we get to the deal?¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Nova replied coldly. Jean admired her coldness. She liked to talk to smart people. It was more efficient. The ghost pulled out an untraceable transmitter. She pressed something, and Mengsk¡¯s image appeared on the hologram.

    ¡°Hello, little girl.¡± Mengsk said in a deep voice. ¡°So you¡¯re the one that hijacked one of my Gorgons and killed my men. You told me you wanted to talk to me. What do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want to make a deal with you.¡± Jean replied and covered herself in the large towel. She had just worked out, and it wasn¡¯t like she could take a shower. She¡¯s freezing. She silently ordered the AI to turn up the temperature of the bridge. ¡°In a few years a wave of darkness is going to sweep the entire sector. This darkness is stronger than the protoss and the zerg combined and will destroy every life it can find. I want to kill it once and for all and I want your help in doing so.¡±

    Mengsk smirked viciously. ¡°And why should I believe you?¡±

    ¡°Good point. I have proof.¡± Jean closed her eyes for a second, and on the other end of the communication Mengsk saw some data entering his private computer.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Mengsk groaned. His computer was supposed to be secure, but this random girl from his enemies¡¯ side just hacked it in the blink of an eye. Who the hell is she? How is this possible? It takes longer than the blink of an eye for the computer transmission signal to go from Deadman¡¯s port to Korhal. A sense of fear appeared in his heart.

    Jean saw the effect. She obviously didn¡¯t hack the emperor¡¯s pc in less than a second. Rather, she had breached it a few hours ago and had a tough time doing so. The computer was well protected. She just pretended to be stronger than she is to make Mengsk fear her power. For someone like Mengsk only absolute strength can make him yield, and Jean¡¯s seemingly invulnerable effect was certainly menacing. To Mengsk, Jean could commandeer all of his tactical missiles with the blink of an eye and send them crashing onto his palace. In reality she could do no such thing.

    She was still human.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 22: Conspiracy(2)

    Mengsk glanced at the date for a while before turning back to Jean. He seemed a lot more polite this time. Before he was talking to someone inferior. Now he was talking to the vulnerable girl in towel with caution. ¡°Tell me more about the deal. What were those things?¡±

    Mengsk was referring to the creatures Jean showed him in the files. ¡°Those were hybrids. A single one of them can take down a Thor with ease, and they are just the soldiers of the dark god, Amon. But don¡¯t act so surprised, you have seen these creatures before. In fact, you helped to develop them.¡±

    Mengsk stared into Jean¡¯s eyes for a few seconds. Nova gripped to her rifle behind Jean. Jean returned the stare at Mengsk. Underground 12 auto turrets with detection were ready. Mengsk hesitated. He could order Nova to kill this hacker. No matter how good she is at hacking, she couldn¡¯t stand up to an elite ghost trained to end life, but he wanted to learn more about the hybrids. He fell like he had fallen into a well knit trap. If the hybrids were truly soldiers of this Amon, then someone was using him and his resources to develop bio weapons for his future enemies. The proud emperor could not accept that. He saw what the hybrids could do in tests he conducted. They were not only powerful but could also be mass produced with relative ease. In the end thousands of hybrids were much more devastating than one single hacker. He might be a ruthless dictator, but he had no intention of dying.

    The emperor finally nodded. ¡°Yes, I have a lab developing hybrids, but I have no idea they belong to this Amon. I will order my men to capture the doctor that came to me with the idea of hybrids. Now, tell me more about the deal.¡±

    ¡°First of all I want to make something clear.¡± Jean clicked her fingernails together. ¡°I am not a hero like my boss. I don¡¯t want to bring freedom to the people of the Dominion. In fact, I want you to be the head of the Dominion. Your ruthlessness and efficiency can prove useful in the upcoming war. A united Dominion is much stronger than a leaderless one. Unfortunately my leader is not going to accept that.¡± Her tone was cold. ¡°So my deal is this. I will give you Raynor¡¯s head, and in exchange you will lead the entire Dominion and stand with me during the end war against Amon.¡±

    Mengsk thought about it for a while. ¡°Deal. Agent Nova will be with you to make sure your end of the deal is kept.¡± Jean nodded. Both of them were not people of trust, and they both knew they would betray each other as soon as their common enemy fell. Still, Jean believed she would come out on top.

    The transmission ended, and Jean turned to Nova. ¡°Here¡¯s the plan...¡± She suddenly turned around, grabbed onto a dagger from the counter, and tossed it at the door. Nova turned around at the same time and fired a round. The two girls ran to the door, where a certain captain laid on the ground.

    It was Eobard, the captain of Wolfpack. The dagger hit his stomach and disabled him. Even if the dagger missed the gauss bullet in his leg would¡¯ve done the same. Jean looked at him, and his eyes were full of fury.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Why?¡± He yelled desperately. His eyes stared at the one he swore allegiance to. ¡°Why? We¡¯re the Raiders! We¡¯re supposed to fight the Dominion, not make a deal with them!¡±

    ¡°I am doing what has to be done.¡± Jean replied coldly, now that she had no need to hide her true self. ¡°You had been here since the start of the conversation. You know why.¡± She had noticed Eobard at the start of the conversation, but she allowed him to hear the entire conversation for a reason. She wanted to test him.

    Eobard coughed. ¡°I have sworn to fight for you ever since you saved me from those aliens, commander.¡± His eyes turned red. ¡°But my family died at the hands of the Dominion, and I have sworn to avenge them no matter the cost. This is the reason I joined the Raiders. I will not side with those filth.¡± He groaned. ¡°And I will not side with you.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean acknowledged the man¡¯s determination, so she knelt down beside the man and snapped his neck. Two machines came out and disposed the body.

    ¡°That is just cold,¡± Nova commented as Jean just killed one of her closest guards. ¡°and I thought we ghosts are cruel.¡±

    Jean stood back up and stared at the special agent. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll make sure you don¡¯t get detected.¡±

    Nova frowned. ¡°And what if you betray me?¡±

    ¡°I assure you, my dear, if I wanted your death then you¡¯ll be dead the second you set foot on this ship.¡± Jean said casually and looked down on her body. ¡°I¡¯ll clean and change and meet you here in 10 minutes.¡±

    <hr>

    In the shower Jean let the water slide down her body as her mind went over the plan again.

    What she was going to do would disappoint many people. People that considered her as friends. Raynor. Horner. Swann. Stetmann. These people trusted her with their heart and helped her whenever she needed assistance. She wouldn¡¯t be the second in command of the Raiders if Raynor and Horner didn¡¯t trust her. Without Stettman and Swann¡¯s help she couldn¡¯t develop the Warden system. She wouldn¡¯t have one, soon to be two, elite battlecruisers and several powerful allies. She would just be a girl with some especially experiences and a mental illness.

    She would likely die in some combat. These people practically saved her life.

    Nonetheless she will still do what must be done. She had gained everything possible from the Raiders and being friend with the rebels could no longer prove beneficial. With the use of the Warden among the Raiders, she had reached to a point where she could wipe out all those who opposed her with ease. The Raiders could no longer help her complete her mission, and to Jean destroying the Raiders would win her a powerful ally against the dark god. It¡¯s an efficient trade, is it not?

    Many will die...yet she didn¡¯t care a bit.

    Jean turned off the water and dried her body with a towel. She stepped out of the shower, and one second she was naked the next second a layer of specialized suit was on her. Her mental chip connected to every single AI among the Raiders. Her fists gripped together. A pair of specialized goggles covered her eyes. Her ponytail dangled behind her. She walked out of the bathroom and into the bridge to meet Nova. The ghost raiseed her eyebrows as she saw the girl in her suit.

    ¡°Neat.¡± That was her only comment.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Jean said. ¡°Now, let the operation begin.¡°

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 23: The Betrayal

    The route to the Hyperion was nice and simple. A transport brought Jean to the Hyperion. She entered the ship without any trouble.

    When Jean entered the bridge, Raynor, Horner, and Tychus looked up at the fully armed girl in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Raynor asked, confused but still trusting. ¡°Is there enemies approaching?¡±

    Jean was expressionless. She gave no answer, but instead grabbed two gauss rifles from her watch and fired upon the the Raider crew members in the bridge. The unsuspecting men and women fell on the ground with bloody holes on their heads and hearts. All of them were killed instantly. Jean¡¯s computer chip calculated the angle of firing so all the bullets would hit the critical areas of the crew members.

    Raynor¡¯s battle instinct saved his life as he subconsciously dodged to the right as soon as the weapons were drawn and evaded a gauss round. His young captain, however, had no such luck as captain Matthew Horner fell on the ground with a hole in his skull. His eyes were wide open in disbelief. He was a loyal soldier dedicated to fighting for the freedom of the people, but he died as insignificant as any Dominion soldier. Jean didn¡¯t even bat an eye. To her, the captain that introduced her to Raynor and saved her life many times was just like any other enemy she faced. He might as well be a zergling. All she knew was he had to die. That¡¯s it.

    When Raynor stood back up, his eyes were filled with anger of the betrayal. He quickly scanned the surrounding, and saw all but two crew members were dead. Jean returned the two emptied gauss rifles to her belt. For a moment Raynor was so angry that he lost whatever logic he had. The man walked out into the open and grabbed the pistol from his belt. Behind him, Tychus touched the dent on his armor, feeling lucky. The modified armor saved his life.

    ¡°Why? Jean!! What have you done?¡± Raynor yelled at Jean just like he once yelled to the queen of blades. What angered him more was how the girl, the butcher, ignored him. ¡°Answer me you bitch!!¡± He continued and raised his pistol at Jean to fire.

    Jean was brought back by the warning of her computer chip. For the past few seconds she had been occupied with taking care of the rest of the Raiders. She connected to the Warden system and took over command via a backdoor she installed when she first designed the program. She had been planning for this moment from the very start. As soon as she was in control, Jean made a serious of orders.

    In the armory, all of the mechanical units suddenly activated at once. Their AIs went online. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they were programmed with a hidden code to obey Jean¡¯s every command. Chief engineer Rory Swann just finished repairing a goliath and was admiring his work when the weapon system of the unit suddenly went online. The engineer¡¯s eyes widened and he wanted to say something, perhaps a warning, but his words were cut off by the sound of autocannons firing...

    In the hallway marines and marauders heard the gunshots. These elite and experienced soldiers rushed into their armors. It was usually the right call as they were only combatants in their suits. Unfortunately the once trusted Warden system that saved the lives of countless Raiders was no longer on their side.

    As soon as the units got into their suits their Warden system went online and, without any warning, injected the men and women with all the stimpack available. The human body couldn¡¯t take that many stimulants, and a few seconds later all the men and women were dead with blood running from their noses and mouths. The stimulants destroyed their hearts. The suits opened up and dropped the bodies out before going back into seemingly normal marines and marauders. The only thing was they didn¡¯t have a Raider inside. Jean had spent quite a while to secretly download AIs into every piece of armor so they could do her bidding even if the people inside were gone. These units marched through the ship, eliminating any Raider that they came across. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The whole process from the units getting into their armors to the armors patrolling the ship merely took several seconds, but the majority of the Raiders were gone. The others were massacred with extreme efficiency. AIs don¡¯t care who the Raiders were. All they knew was they were programmed to terminate these men and women, and so they did.

    In the lab, Egon Stetmann heard the sound of the door opening and looked up with surprise. It was a fully armed marine with closed masks. ¡°Hey, this is a restricted¡­¡± The scientist never completed his sentence as the marine lifted his rifle...

    Doctor Maya Hanson heard the gunshots and charged into the hallway. There she saw a pair of marines patrolling. Not suspecting anything, she walked up to them¡­

    Back in the bridge, Jean dodged to the right the moment Raynor pulled the trigger. She wasn¡¯t quick enough to dodge gauss bullets, but she was quick enough to dodge Raynor. When the man pulled the trigger Jean¡¯s head was already away from the point where the bullet would land. A gauss bullet slid past Jean and hit a wall. Jean looked at Raynor coldly. The near death experience had no effect on her.

    Raynor¡¯s expression turned as he looked into Jean¡¯s eyes. The look in the girl¡¯s eyes was completely different from anything he saw in the girl before. Previously the girl was positive and, despite sometimes being negative, loyal to the Raider¡¯s cause. She fought for freedom and almost died to save her men. Now the girl was cold and expressionless, as if nothing in the world could change her frozen heart. Raynor shook slightly. Even the queen of blades that murdered countless innocent didn¡¯t have such a cold look. He couldn¡¯t imagine what the girl would do...

    ¡°You go right. I go left.¡± Tychus said through the comm, reminding Raynor whatever the reason was this girl had to be dealt with. Unfortunately Jean hacked the device from the verg beginning. The man sneaked to the left and suddenly charged toward the seemingly unsuspecting girl, using his large armor as an advantage. Jean¡¯s hand wiped on her belt, and a blue blade appeared in her hand. Tychus tried to stop himself, but he was too late.

    Raynor helplessly watched as Jean turned around and stabbed his brother in arm in the chest. The blue blade penetrated his heart and took all life away from the man. The girl pulled back the blade and allowed the armored body to fall onto the ground. She walked toward the final Raider.

    ¡°You bitch¡­¡± Raynor cursed as there was nothing he could do. He was wordless and confused. His brain was misfunctioning. ¡°Who are you? Who really are you? A zerg? A Dominion agent? Who the hell are you?!¡± He yelled. During the process he keenly noticed no matter how loud they were no Raider came to the assistance. The door was wide open, but all that entered the bridge was the sound of gunshots and screams from afar. He knew the rebel group that he single handedly created was gone...all because of the girl before her. The cold calculating bitch would have considered every possibility before abandoning her cover.

    Jean looked at the man. The legend. The hero. She didn¡¯t say anything before stabbing Raynor in the heart just like any other Raider she killed. The man looked at Jean as if he wanted to strangle her, but eventually his eyes grew lifeless, and the hero fell on the ground in a pool of his only blood. His life was ended.

    Jean gave one last look at the body before giving an order. Several AI marines came in and carried the bodies out. Jean turned to an empty space beside her. ¡°Satisfied?¡± She asked.

    Special agent Nova silently reminded herself to keep an eye on this girl and tell her emperor to may close attention to this so called hacker. She considered herself cold and fearless, but the way she fought and massacred thousands of soldiers without raising an eyebrow frightened her. She asked herself if she could survived Jean if she really wanted her dead. The answer was not satisfying. ¡°Yes.¡± She replied with a tight lip. ¡°I¡¯ll report this to the emperor.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Jean smiled innocently. She saw the fear in Nova¡¯s eyes. The ghost would warn Mengsk not to mess with her. She had no intention of fighting the Dominion and Amon at the same time. She might seen invincible, but she wasn¡¯t. A stray bullet could kill her.¡°Now go.¡± The ghost nodded and left the ship in cloaking mode, which gave her some comfort even though she knew it wouldn¡¯t change anything. Jean looked around the ship after Nova left in a transport. She was the only life left onboard. The once populated and crowded beacon of hope was no longer. All that remained were thousands of Warden units and one voyager.

    She mentally made a command, and the Hyperion and the Beetle lifted into the space and jumped away.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 24: Ascendant Nyon

    While Jean Turner was busy finding allies and strengthening herself in Deadman¡¯s port, her first ally was climbing the chain of ascension with the help of a certain AI.

    Ascendant Nyon was walking in the haul of Highlord Ma¡¯lash¡¯s mothership. Despite losing all of hs units in the battle of Bel¡¯Shir, Nyon proved his bravery by protecting the terrazine from the terran thieves. As a reward to his bravery, Ma¡¯lash brought Nyon back to the Death Fleet.

    Generally speaking as long as the tal¡¯darim society existed, ascendants always had followers. Previously Nyon had few units because he was ashamed from being defeated by Jean, and no warrior wanted to follow a coward. But now that he redeemed himself in battle, more and more followers joined Nyon. In the few days Nyon had already regained hundreds of zeolets and stalkers.

    Another thing was that as soon as Nyon returned to the main forces he was challenged by a lesser ascendant in a Rak¡¯Shir duel. The ascendant had 200 zeolets and 50 stalkers and was a threat to the weaker ascendant, but with the help of Assistant Nyon won with ease. The ascendant was made into a vanguard, and the survivors of his forces joined Nyon, doubling his army.

    Nyon walked into Ma¡¯lash¡¯s hall. Dozens of other ascendants were already present and were sitting by the place of the chain of ascension. Ma¡¯lash was at the top. Nyon greeted Ma¡¯lash, who ignored him, and found his place in a somewhat higher part despite being weaker than everyone around him. Some ascendants were above him. One of them was Alarak.

    ¡°Report.¡± Ma¡¯lash ordered after a few minutes when all the ascendants were present. The ascendants reported their gains. The tal¡¯darim society was usually scattered across the stars under a few powerful fleet lords(Ascendants with starships). Nyon was once one of the fleet lords before Ma¡¯lash took away his ships as a punishment. These fleet lords carried out missions to strength their own forces. Only when the entire society had one target would the Highlord assemble all the fleet lords and form the menacing Death Fleet.

    ¡°My warriors have wiped out 5 Nerazim outposts.¡± Alarak reported proudly. ¡°Those cowards have no place to hide under our detection.¡±

    The other ascendants continued reporting their spoils.

    ¡°I have destroyed 3 feral zerg hatcheries.¡± That was a female tal¡¯darim. Nyon recognized her as Ji¡¯nara, a fearsome warrior.

    ¡°I have burned a terran colony and killed those weak terran to the last.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of weak terran,¡± Alarak suddenly grinned wickedly and looked at Nyon.¡±Ascendant Nyon, how does it feel like to be defeated by a fragile terran with no psionic power?¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Nyon¡¯s expression changed, and for a moment he wanted to challenge Alarak for the insult, but the Assistance stopped him. He did a trick so they could sense each others words without anyone else noticing it.

    ¡°If you want to die then stand up and challenge him.¡± Assistant said coldly. ¡°You¡¯ll lose and die pointlessly. Don¡¯t do that.¡± She stated, and Nyon calmed himself.

    Alarak frowned, unsatisfied. The ascendant was calmer than he expected. His plan was to anger the ascendant so much that he drew blade on him, which will give him an excuse to punish or even kill him. Nyon had been a powerful fleet lord before making the mistake of being defeated, and he would become a threat to his power. The fact that Nyon came back from the failure and gained more forces in a few days was a proof of his potentials. Alarak wanted to make sure he could never challenge him, but in the chain of ascension the highers ones couldn¡¯t actively attack the lower ones with no reason. His perfect plan of eliminating opposition somehow failed.

    ¡°I have redeemed myself on Bel¡¯Shir.¡± Nyon replied. ¡°It is the decision of Highlord. Do you wish to challenge it?¡± The other ascendants observed the conversation. Even Highlord Ma¡¯lash was curious how Nyon would respond.

    Alarak responded quickly. He didn¡¯t want to anger Ma¡¯lash the same reason Nyon didn¡¯t want to anger him. ¡°I am not questioning Highlord decision. I merely question your ability to carry out the will of god.¡±

    ¡°Fine.¡± Nyon turned to Ma¡¯lash. ¡°I will prove my strength by fighting the Firstborn.¡± The ascendants exchanged confused looks. The Daeleem protoss was a force to be reckoned with. Their Golden Armada, despite suffering defeat at the hands of the endless swarm, was still menacing. Even the entire Death Fleet needed to be careful. Besides the armada, the combined ground forces of both Aiur and Nerazim protoss was also frightening. Only the few powerful fleet lords, such as Alarak, dared attacking the Daeleem. The few forces of Nyon didn¡¯t stand a chance.

    Ma¡¯lash thought about it for a while. ¡°There is a Daeleem facility in this coordinate. I¡¯ll give you a ship. Go, but if you fail, then don¡¯t come back.¡± Just like Alarak said, Nyon was too weak. His forces were weaker than the other ascendants of his place and he had few ships. Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t even consider giving Nyon his ships back. If Nyon won and came back, then he would be stronger and victorious and suitable for his place. If he died, then his place would be opened up and someone capable would take his place. Either way, Ma¡¯lash wins.

    The Highlord handed Nyon a crystal. Nyon took over the crystal and observed the information within. After he was done, he bowed down to show gratitude before leaving the council. On the way out, he used his psi energy to consult Assistant.

    ¡°We can¡¯t win a straight up engagement.¡± Nyon stated for a fact. ¡°The defenses are too powerful. If I fail, then I might as well be dead.¡±

    ¡°Only fools will do a straight up engagement against a superior force.¡± Assistant replied. ¡°Show me the data, and I will find a way through.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Nyon doubted. ¡°The defenses are impenetrable.¡±

    Assistant smirked. ¡°Nothing is impenetrable. Everything has its weaknesses, and I am designed to find those weaknesses and use them.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Nyon acknowledged and assembled his warriors. He had no choice but to trust this girl that had a tendency of bring miracles.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 25: Astras

    The research facility of Astras was one of the protoss factories that produced ships for the Daeleem fraction. Its coordinates were classified to protect it from enemies, but Ma¡¯lash was able to discover the location in a raid.

    The first line of defense was the secrecy of the factory, but the Daeleem were smarter than relying on hope that the enemies couldn¡¯t discover the factory. One carrier was positioned upon the facility. The capital ship made sure any enemy would be stalled long enough for reinforcements to arrive. The ground forces consisted of zeolets, dragoons, and immortals. High templar Zeldi led the defenses. She was an experienced commander and a powerful warrior, appointed by Hierarch Artanis himself.

    The ship Ma¡¯lash gave Nyon had cloaking abilities. Ma¡¯lash wanted Nyon to show his strength, not die pointlessly by a round of interceptors. With a small gap, the ship sneaked onto the planet surface and unloaded 350 zeolets, 100 slayers, 2 vanguards, and 5 havocs.

    Assistant computed the data she saw. ¡°The facility is heavily guarded. We need to infiltrate the facility. The carrier in the air made sure any large enemy movement will be stopped. A Khaydarin monolith is the second layer of protection. It can fire energy beams that can do mass damage to enemy ships in orbit. We can dodge both by sneaking inside, but we can¡¯t dodge the Daeleem forces within. According to intel there will be over 800 Daeleem warriors within. There will be immortals and reavers to support the zeolets and dragoons. There is going to be a hard life.¡±

    Nyon held his hands into fists. ¡°My warriors can take care of them.¡±

    Assistant looked at him. ¡°No they can¡¯t. They¡¯ll be outnumbered and slaughtered.¡± She didn¡¯t give a damn about Nyon. Assistant¡¯s conscious was coded after Jean Turner, who was practically the example of not giving a damn about anything.

    Nyon frowned, slightly angry at the Assistant¡¯s merciless comment, but he realized the Assistant was right. His forces would find themselves surrounded. The Daeleem protoss was a worthy component. Linked via the Khala and armed to the teeth, these warriors could match the best of the tal¡¯darim. ¡°What do you suggest?¡± He asked.

    ¡°We go in head on.¡± Assistant replied, not even joking. Nyon looked at Assistant in confusion.

    <hr>

    Two zeolets stood guard at the entrance to the facility. They were fierce warriors, but none of them thought there might be any potential threats. A large force couldn¡¯t get past the carrier undetected, and no one would be stupid enough to strike the compound with a small team.

    That changed when a dozen slayers blinked on top of them. Their phase disruptors ripped open the zeolets¡¯ shield and destroyed their bodies. Luckily for them the emergency warping system brought the zeolets¡¯ bodies to safety a second before the killing blow. They would likely live off as either immortals or dragoons.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Nyon walked through the slayers and charged into the facility. He knew despite how his warriors sniped the guards quickly the facility would know that something was wrong. He couldn¡¯t waste to waste even a second.

    As the tal¡¯darim forces walked past the gate, they found themselves in a hallway whose width only allowed several zeolets to pass at once. On the opposite side, hundreds of Daeleem forces charged out with all the rage in the world.

    The two forces with equal will, training, and equipments clashed together. Psi blades clashed with psi blades. Psi blades stroke on plasma shields. Phase disruptors on both sides smashed into shields.

    But a few seconds into the engagement the Daeleem realized something was off. Every zeolet in front was smashed with several phase disruptors rounds while their tal¡¯darim counterparts were only hit by at most 1 round. The thing with combat in short quarter was that ranged weapons couldn¡¯t pass through the allied forces and hit the enemies. Even with the advanced technology of the protoss their ranged weapons needed a clear sight to fire. This was why even though hundreds of slayers and dragoons were in the hallway only a few could fire. That limited the output of dragoons, but that wasn¡¯t exactly the case with the slayers. Somehow they managed to sneak a few shots via small insignificant gaps. These shots missed the tal¡¯darim zeolets but hid the Daeleem, severely weakening their shields.

    Despite the difficult, the Daeleem fought bravely. They did their best to dodge the blades of the enemies and, whenever one zeolet in front fell and was warped away, another zeolet would take his or her place.

    The tal¡¯darim, however, did a very different thing. One of the tal¡¯darim zeolets was hit by a psi blade and his shield fell. Instead of standing and fight till death like normal tal¡¯darim would, his body turned into a surge of energy and entered charge mode. The only difference was that he charged behind instead of forward. A second later the zeolet appeared in a blank space that was relatively safe. Out of danger, he used his own psi energy to replenish his shield. Another tal¡¯darim zeolet with full shield took his place in combat.

    As time went on, dozens of Daeleem were wounded and wrapped out of combat while most of the tal¡¯darim were intact. It was most because there were a few zeolets that were either too honorable to retreat or too slow and were lost. Nonetheless, as time passed and the battle dragged on, the zeolets that first fell back started to have their shields back and were fighting again. The advantage of the Daeleem were shrinking every second.

    High templer Zeldi noticed the threat, but she was stuck in an awkward situation. It wasn¡¯t like she could attack the facility with her carrier. She groaned and warped back from the carrier to the facility. As soon as she entered, several zeolets walked up to her.

    ¡°High templer. The intruder is a small group of tal¡¯darim forces. They are outnumbered, but our warriors can¡¯t use our numbers in the halls.¡± A zeolet explained via telekenisis. ¡°The tal¡¯darim are cowards. They have no sense of honor, but their demise is near..¡± He stated angrily.

    ¡°And yet this group of cowards has few loses.¡± Zeldi stated for a fact. Her hundreds of years of battle experience with most of the possible forces in the sector warned her things were not as good as it appeared. She used her psi energy to sense the battlefield, and she realized her warriors were decreasing every second while the majority of her enemies were still intact. She knew she couldn¡¯t stay back anymore. She walked to the frontline with two psi blades ignited. Several zeolets followed her loyaly.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 26: Victory

    ¡°So why shouldn¡¯t I join combat myself?¡± Nyon asked. Before him, the vanguards he brought unleashed upon the core of the Daeleen dragoons. The scatter cannons did massive damage to the armored dragoons. One single wave destroyed two dragoons and broke the shields of three more. The dragoons obviously tried to fire at the vanguards, but the vanguards were behind the zeolets and slayers in front so that they couldn¡¯t be hit but their scatter cannons could go over the head of the friends and smash into the foes.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Assistant replied vaguely. ¡°For now, trust me.¡±

    Nyon smirked. Trust was something that didn¡¯t exist in the tal¡¯darim society. There was only order and obedience. Nonetheless he kept quiet. From what he saw Assistant was doing what was best for him. His only choice was to trust her.

    ¡°I never noticed vanguards are so powerful.¡± Nyon suddenly said as the vanguards unleashed another wave of cannons and took down a dozen more dragoons.

    Assistant made a smirking gesture. ¡°That is because you tal¡¯darim have no tactics. Only fools put artillery units in front as vanguards.¡± She was right. Vanguards were usually armed with scatter cannons, which were incredibly powerful in general but especially against armored units, and were then put to the front of the combat to literally die. This was because vanguard pilots came from defeated ascendants, but nonetheless it was stupid. If vanguards were protected, as they were now, then their powerful weapons could fire more and do much more damage than if they were targeted and killed as soon as the battle started. Somehow none of the tal¡¯darim lords thought about that.

    Nyon growled. Suddenly he sense psi energy condensing, and one second later a destructive psionic storm landed in the center of the tal¡¯darim forces. Plasma shields were torn apart instantly. The wounded stalkers and zeolets immediately retreated, but even so a dozen units were killed before they could get back. That was almost the number of total tal¡¯darim forces lost in this battle. This was the terrifying power of a protoss high templar.

    Nyon took a breath of relief. High templar and ascendants could kill each other in one shot. High templer¡¯s feedback could ignite the ascendant¡¯s psi energy and use it against him. He didn¡¯t have any ascendant that could save his life. Ascendant¡¯s mindblast could kill the high templar as well. If he participated in previous combats then the high templar would have the element of surprise and therefore an upper hand. Now he has the element of surprise. ¡°Impressive. How did you know there will be a high templar?¡± He asked curiously.

    ¡°It¡¯s in the information your received.¡± Assistant replied with no pride. She was literally a machine, and pride or ¡®I told you so¡¯ wasn¡¯t part of her programming. ¡°Now, kill the high templar. If she lives, we¡¯ll have to deal with a carrier.¡± Nyon nodded and focused his energy toward the high templar¡­

    <hr>

    Zeldi frowned as the psionic storm she used did less damage than she imagined. According to her thoughts, her attack should¡¯ve either killed or severely weakened all of the units underneath, and her zeolets could follow up and wipe out the weakened intruders. Instead, the vanguards rained on the zeolets that tried to engage and pushed them back. Fresh zeolets charged forward to cover the vanguards and slayers blinked into positions. Everything was as if she never used the storm at all. The bruised units were recovering their shields.

    Well, let¡¯s see how many times you can do this. Zeldi formed another storm and was about to use it when she sense foreign psi energy converging around her as if it wanted to rip her open. Ascendant. She cursed. She had dealt with ascendants before, and she knew threatening they could be if they had the upper hand. She assumed there weren¡¯t any ascendant because if there were any than they would be in combat right now. She had no idea this ascendant had a certain AI as adviser.

    Zeldi knew she was in trouble, but her experience saved her. The high templar let go of the storm and used the energy on strengthening her shields. The mindblast collided with her plasma shield, and Zeldi was pushed back into a crowd of zeolets.

    ¡°Order the vanguards to target the high templar.¡± Assistant suddenly ordered. Nyon passed on the order, and all the vanguards turned and faced Zeldi, who was struggling to recover. They fired without hesitation.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Zeldi knew she had lost. Even if she was alive she knew the facility was lost. She was too injured to pilot the carrier. Now she realized the ascendant had this planned out all along. She fell into a trap the second she came here from the carrier. But it was too late. The scatter cannons hit her body and melted her skin. Her emergency wrapping system didn¡¯t work because Nyon blocked her signal. Previously he had to hide himself and allowed hundreds of Daeleem to escape. Not anymore.

    The rest of the battle went on quite one sided, despite the fact that the Daeleem still outnumbered the tal¡¯darim. The Daeleem were leaderless and without reinforcements. Nyon was able to unleash upon the enemies. Dragoons were mind blasted. Zeolets were shattered by psionic orbs. His melee skill also proved useful as he skillfully dismantled zeolet after zeolet. In the end all the Daeleem were dead, and most of the tal¡¯darim were roaming the land.

    Nyon stabbed the last zeolet in the chest until his body disappeared and walked through the field of broken armors and destroyed dragoons. On the device in his hand, Assistant showed no pride or accomplishment as she gave orders to Nyon, who then carried them out. Her tone was usual as if she didn¡¯t accomplish something that seemed impossible. ¡°Execute all Daeleem survivors onsite. Control and reprogram all mechanical units to your side. Go to the warp site, locate the carrier, and warp onto the ship via the internal Daeleem warping system. I can hack it. Once onboard control the carrier and wrap all units onboard. Speed up. The reinforcements will be here quickly.¡±

    Nyon nodded and did exactly what he was told, an odd site for a tal¡¯darim.

    <hr>

    Minutes later, Nyon was walking onto the well decorated bridge of the carrier. The carrier could hold an army, but for now it was empty. The capital ship could launch thousands of interceptors at the enemies and had plasma shield that could deflect most attacks. The tal¡¯darim forces Nyon had didn¡¯t stand a chance if the carrier was able to freely unleash its firepower. That was exactly why Assistant suggested sneaking into the facility. First the carrier couldn¡¯t attack the facility. Second the high templar piloting the ship would likely join battle herself, which allowed Nyon to kill her. Since only one single protoss was needed to pilot the giant ship because most of the work could be controlled by computers and the one protoss was dead, the carrier was left defenseless.

    Nyon walked to the pilot seat. The computer rejected his psi energy, but the ascendant didn¡¯t allow that to be a problem as he connected Assistant AI to the ship¡¯s computer. A few minutes later the ship was radiating with red psi energy. Assistant altered the warping coordinates, and all of the tal¡¯darim forces inside the facility, along with their prizes, were warped onto the carrier.

    As soon as everyone was aboard Nyon wasted no time to bring the carrier into warp space. As soon as they were safe, Nyon assessed his prize.

    The protoss facility was designed to build mechanical units, including dragoons, sentries, and immortals. The tal¡¯darim took all the storages, including 500 dragoon shells with no driver, 250 disabled sentries, and 60 immortal shells. They weren¡¯t much in general, but they were enough to boost Nyon¡¯s forces. A carrier was also added to the arsenal.

    Nyon examined his forces left. All 2 vanguards survived. The havocs were well protected as well and 4 of them lived. 307 zeolets and 65 slayers were left. Overall the losses were insanely small for the prize.

    Nyon sat back, amazed. A while ago he was still a loser with couple hundred followers and no ship. The ship he came to the planet on belonged to someone else. Now he could easily arm a thousand units that were mostly powerful mechanical units. He also had a carrier that could wipe out armies. Carriers were rare among the tal¡¯darim. Even the death fleet was majorly made up of destroyers and only had two dozen carriers because the tal¡¯darim had no production and had to rely on looting to gain weapons. Among those carriers Ma¡¯lash held half of them, which secured his position as Highlord. Nyon knew his carrier could make him a powerful member on the chain, but he also knew none of this was possible without the help of Assistant.

    Speaking of Assistant, Nyon¡¯s mind flew back to the woman who programmed the AI that helped him become who he is today. The efficiency Assistant showed when she controlled his forces opened a new door to him. Previous all he knew was attack or retreat. Battles were worn by the numbers and the personal skills of the warriors. Never before had he being exposed to the concept of microing his units. If he took a few more engagements like this his way to Highlord would no longer be a dream.

    But then again if Assistant was this powerful then how powerful would Jean Turner be? Nyon imagined what would happen if Jean really wanted him dead. Could he fight her or even escape? The answer was no. If he betrayed her then he was sure what happened today would happen on himself, the only difference was he would be the side being slaughtered.

    Nyon silently made up his mind not to betray Jean...Even if he did, he would make sure Jean was truly doomed first before acting.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 27: Chain of Ascension

    Nyon''s return onto Slayn was suprising for the entire tal¡¯darim community.

    Many tal¡¯darim have heard of ascendant Nyon. At first he was just another ascendant on the chain of ascension. He was trusted by Highlord Ma¡¯lash to guard a piece of artifact, but he was defeated by a terran female in combat and had to hand over the artifact and let the terran leave. Since then he became the laughing stock and was sent to Bel¡¯Shir, the backyard of the tal¡¯darim as punishment. There, however, he managed to regain his glory by protecting the terrazine from terran thieves. This earned him some fame and got him some followers, but most terrazine still disrespected him because of how weak he was. Nyon was challenged by an ascendant and, despite winning, showed how weak he truly was. Many more ascendants wanted to challenge him, but he went to battle before any of them could do that.

    But now, as the carrier landed on the surface of Slayn and Nyon walked out of the ship, the only thing these tal¡¯darim could do was kneel down and show their respect and obedience. Even a few ascendants higher than Nyon put away their mocking face. Some of them had enough to take down a carrier and others didn¡¯t, but none of them wanted to fight a capital ship because they decided to mock the owner of the ship.

    ¡°Ascendant Nyon.¡± Ma¡¯lash was able to hide his surprise. ¡°You did not fail my trust. I knew it was the right decision to send you on this mission.¡±

    Nyon kneeled in obedience even though he was actually hating Ma¡¯lash. He was sent on a suicide mission. The only thing that turned the result from certain death to victory and honor was a deal he made with a girl. How dare Ma¡¯lash be so shameless? Nyon made a decision to one day make the Highlord die screaming, but now he hid his ambition.

    ¡°What do you wish to do next?¡± Ma¡¯lash continued. ¡°Who is your next foe?¡±

    ¡°The protoss. I will stay on this planet for a while, but eventually I will be hunting down the protoss.¡± Nyon replied. ¡°The ships of the Firstborn will be a good supplement to the Death Fleet.¡± He didn¡¯t know why it was the protoss. Personally he wanted to attack either the Terran Dominion or the zerg swarm as both were weaker than the Golden Armada. Unfortunately Assistant told him it was Jean¡¯s decision, and he had no intention of disobeying the girl.

    ¡°The Daeleem¡­¡± Ma¡¯lash thought about it for a while. If Nyon failed, ah well, he had no losses. If Nyon succeed, he would strengthen the Death Fleet. Of course, there was always the threat of Nyon becoming more powerful than him and wanting to move up a few steps, but unless the ascendant could capture 20 carriers with 1, then he wouldn¡¯t pose a threat. Even if he did, he would merely be a threat and nothing else. ¡°Very well.¡± He finally spoke. ¡°Go on and prove your skills. Ascension awaits.¡± Nyon bowed his head before walking out.

    <hr>

    Alarak and Ji¡¯nara looked at Nyon¡¯s carrier from a distance away.

    ¡°Pity.¡± Ji¡¯nara said with regret. ¡°If I acted sooner I¡¯ll be much higher in the chain by now.¡± She looked at the giant capital ship with envy. ¡°Now I can do nothing with my three destroyers. Countless warriors that seek ascension will join Nyon. Even ascendants will fight for him in exchange for a chance to glory.¡± She glanced at Alarak. ¡°I wonder what Nyon will do with his newly gained forces.¡± Alarak was above Nyon in the chain of ascension, but not my much. Alarak had 2 carriers and 7 destroyers, which seemed like a lot, but considering how Nyon got a carrier with a couple hundred zeolets and slayers Alarak couldn¡¯t guarantee he would win if he was challenged.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be taking on the Golden Armada.¡± Alarak said expressionlessly. ¡°He got lucky this time, but his luck led to his ignorance. Nyon thought he could take down the Golden Armada just because he somehow took down a ship. He¡¯s a fool.¡± Alarak smirked.

    Ji¡¯nara looked at Alarak. ¡°This fool destroyed a heavily guarded Daeleem facility with a small group of ground forces. Even the great Alarak can¡¯t do that, can he?¡± She provoked. Alarak groaned and turned around and slammed Ji¡¯nara to a wall.

    ¡°You will show me respect.¡± Alarak threatened as he went closer to Ji¡¯nara. ¡°Ascendant.¡± He focused on the last word to remind Ji¡¯nara her social status. ¡°I can have you punished for your disrespect.¡± Ji¡¯nara stared back without faltering, and finally Alarak backed off and dropped Ji¡¯nara. ¡°Do what you can and find out more about Nyon. Meanwhile talk to him. Make an invitation.¡± He turned to leave.

    Ji¡¯nara grinned behind him. ¡°So you are threatened.¡±

    Alarak didn¡¯t turn around. ¡°I perfer to keep an eye on any potential competitors.¡±

    <hr>

    Nyon was standing in his carrier. A zeolet came to report the situation every hour.

    ¡°3400 more warriors joined our forces. We now have around 4000 warriors, including 2 ascendants, 10 havocs, 250 sentries, 3500 zeolets, 500 dragoons, 60 modified immortals, and 300 slayers. You also have 12 supplicants.¡± Assistant reported. Modified immortals were immortals that kept their barriers but were armed with scatter cannons instead of phase disruptors. Both dragoons and immortals no longer picked their pilots from defeated ascendants but were instead from regular tal¡¯darim similar to the slayers. All the sentries were hacked by Assistant.

    Nyon stayed silent for a while. ¡°Do you think I should challenge someone?¡± He asked. A look of ambition was in his eyes.

    ¡°No.¡± Assistant replied brutally. ¡°The risk will be great and unnecessary.¡± She had already gathered enough information about the first few ascendants. Highlord Ma¡¯lash, First Ascendant Nuroka, Second Ascendant Guraj, Third Ascendant Zenish, Fourth Ascendent Alarak were all above him and could crush Nyon if they wanted to do so. Even Sixth Ascendent Ji¡¯nara was somewhat a threat to Nyon.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Nyon sat back on his seat. Suddenly the metal door snapped open and a zeolet walked in. He knelt down for a few seconds before standing up and reporting.

    ¡°Ascendant Ji¡¯nara is here, my lord. She wants to see you.¡±

    ¡°Ji¡¯nara?¡± Nyon frowned. Ji¡¯nara was one of the few female ascendants on the chain of ascension. Guraj was another. ¡°Summon her.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡± The zeolet walked out, and Ji¡¯nara walked inside. She knelt down obediently.

    ¡°Ji¡¯nara.¡± Nyon said quietly. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

    ¡°I am sent by Fourth Ascendent Alarak.¡± Ji¡¯nara replied. ¡°Alarak wants me to invite you to join our alliance.¡± Highlord Ma¡¯lash and Second Ascendent Guraj were side by side in Rak¡¯Shir duels. First Ascendent Nuroka and Third Ascendent Zenisk were allied. Finally Alarak and Ji¡¯nara were of the same side. Of course, being allied didn¡¯t mean being loyal to the alliance, but an alliance was better than nothing. The main conflict was between Ma¡¯lash and Nuroka, but Alarak was also a cunning figure.

    Nyon thought about it for a while. ¡°What can I get from this alliance?¡±

    ¡°Alarak and I will stand by you if you¡¯re challenged in a Rak¡¯Shir or if you¡¯re challenging others. Likewise you have to stand by us as well.¡± Ji¡¯nara explained. ¡°Of course that is if your challenges can be won.¡± If Nyon challenged Ma¡¯lash then no one would support him.

    ¡°I have no intention of rising in the chain.¡± Nyon lied. Ji¡¯nara merely smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving for battle soon.¡± He bargined and paused to see if Ji¡¯nara could offer something more. Ji¡¯nara didn¡¯t say anything but instead merely stared at Nyon. Nyon finally gave in. ¡°Of course, I am willing to form an alliance with you and Alarak.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Good luck on your battle.¡± Ji¡¯nara completemented before leaving the bridge. Nyon tapped his chin, deep in thought.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 28: Hybrid

    While ascendant Nyon was dealing with external and internal threats, Jean Turner was enjoying the freedom she received after the death of all of her superiors. Now that no one could question her motives she could do whatever she needed to do.

    ¡°Commander Turner.¡± In the transmission, emperor Mengsk said slowly. ¡°Good job on the Raynor case. Nova told me how efficient you were.¡±

    Jean looked at Mengsk without any sign of being flattered. ¡°What is it, emperor? It better be about the Hybrids because I am not helping you assassinate your political enemies.¡±

    Mengsk showed no sign of being ignored. ¡°It is about Hybrids. There is a research facility on the Castaner orbital platform that developed Hybrids. I was told they could be a powerful weapon that can bring peace to the Dominion. They could bring an end to the terror brought on by the protoss and the zerg..¡± He said with a sense of justice, but Jean ignored his act. ¡°After I was being informed I sent a squad of special forces to eliminate the entire lab. They never returned.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how I am needed in this scenario.¡± Jean was unmoved. ¡°You have fleets under your command that can burn the entire facility to ashes.¡±

    ¡°True,¡± Mengsk replied. ¡°but mobilizing large fleets will raise questions. A special force strike team was all I could send secretly, but now I need a way to solve the problem covertly.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want the entire Dominion to know you created a weapon that might destroy humanity.¡± Jean concluded.

    ¡°You can think that if you want. So?¡± Mengsk understood he couldn¡¯t really lie his way across Jean. The two were the same type of people. Brutal. Merciless. Willing to do anything and everything to reach their goals.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Jane agreed explicitly.

    ¡°Leave no survivors.¡± Mengsk added.

    Jean nodded and ended the transmission.

    Of course Jean didn¡¯t agree to aid Mengsk out of the kindness of her heart. First, the research center was, after all, a research center. It held the peak of the terran technology. She could find something that would strengthen her mechanical forces from that place. Second, Jean knew she would eventually clash with the Hybrids as her mission was to kill their master. It was much smarter for her to test the water before she clash headon with an enemy she knew little about. She could use the hybrids from the facility as a testing subject to see how powerful they truly were and what measures she could take against them.

    Jean¡¯s two battlecruisers warped to the Castaner orbital platform. The platform was designed to be secret, and it seemed completely normal from the outside. The research installation was disguised into a warehouse.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Hyperion. Prepare a strike team. I¡¯ll lead the assault.¡± Jean ordered. She programmed AIs of different degrees. The AIs for Hyperion and Beetle were given authority over the AI of goliaths or siege tanks. Jean had a computer in her, but there was always the possibility that she was disconnected or unconscious. Hyperion and Beetle, AIs named after the ships they control, were vice commanders that could take over if Jean herself was compromised.

    ¡°Unnecessary risk. Your presence. Dangerous. Not needed.¡± Hyperion warned concisely.

    ¡°It is necessary.¡± Jean vetoed the objection and walked to the hanger to join a transport. The simply AIs might miss something. The mission was too important.

    A few minutes later Jean was standing on the surface of the platform. A variaty of units were behind her. Marines. Marauders. Goliaths. Siege tanks. Even the newest model of ghost AIs that Jean recently developed by diagnosing Tosh¡¯s equipements. Even though it was impossible to create manmade psi users, the research AI developed a body that could power the ghost equipments, like emp and cloaking, with electricity. She was here for a weapon test. Of course, all of the suits were empty.

    Two Warden marines walked up and placed a charger on the door. They backed off, and the charger exploded and bashed a hole in the gate. The Warden forces streamed inside.

    The facility within was completely in ruin. Pieces of red armor and bodies were scattered all around the ground. Dried blood and gauss shells laid on the ground, reminding Jean about the desperation the local Dominion troops faced before being wiped out by a seemingly invincible opponent. ¡°Where is the Hybrid?¡± Jean asked Hyperion, who ran a scan on the facility.

    ¡°Deeper in the lab.¡±

    Jean waved her hand, and the Warden forces advanced, undisturbed about the scene of massacre. Machines don¡¯t know fear, unless they were programmed to respond to fear.

    Jean went even further and reached a wide space. The Wardens spread across the facility. Across a turn she saw pieces of enhanced grey armor and weapons all around. They belonged to the special forces Mengsk sent. They put up a fight, as shown through the drops of blue blood on the ground, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make a difference. Jean ignored the bodies and ordered a marine to collect some hybrid blood. The blood was corrosive and melted through the marine¡¯s armor, but Jean had planned for this as the marine moved the blood to a special container.

    The lab contained zerg and protoss specimens, but both races were disabled. The protoss were weaponless and armorless and the zerg were restrained and injected with sedatives. Warden forces, by Jean¡¯s order, executed these specimens.

    ¡°Commander. Neutral mechanical units.¡± A marine warned, and Jean¡¯s eyes were lit and she walked to the side to find a large mechanical beast. Information of the weapon appeared in her eyes.

    A.R.E.S.

    A.R.E.S. was a powerful weapon developed by the Dominion, armed with 120mm cannon, T82 missile pod, and Napalm burninator. Don¡¯t ask how Jean knew about one of the top secret weapons in the Dominion. A little hacking wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. The weapon was positioned to protect the lab from accidents, but judging from the fact that the machine wasn¡¯t destroyed the Dominion troops failed to activate the weapon before they were wiped out. Jean silently hacked the unit and ordered it to follow her forces. She also uploaded the diagonisis of the machine to the Warden system.

    As the forces continued toward the location the Hybrid was, Jean picked up a variety of gadgets, including specialized grenades, plasma rifles, and chrono rift. With any luck she could reverse engineer all of these weapons and use them in her forces.

    Eventually, after walking past half a dozen fields of dead soldiers and killing a brutalisk, the Warden forces reached the room where the Hybrid was in.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 29: Experiment

    Amon created the Hybrids by combining the essence of the zerg and the protoss, giving the weapons both powerful psi power and strong physical power. With incredible life and powerful psionic abilities, one single hybrid could obliterate a terran army. There were different type of hybrids, just like there were different types of terran units. Hybrid reavers were like the marines in the terran forces. They used their claws to do melee damage to their opponents and had armor to keep them alive long enough to do mass damage.

    And yet one of the foot soldiers destroyed a heavily protected Dominion base and a well armed special ops team. No wonder Jean was threatened by Amon despite her initial successes. She could have the entire Dominion behind her back and still lose to the Golden Armada in space and hundreds of Hybrids on the ground.

    Jean knew she needed to develop effective countermeasures, and the idea was just strengthened as she looked at the giant blue beast before her.

    The reaver¡¯s eyes radiated blue energy. Its mouth was packed with countless teeth. Four tentacles extended out of his back. Two giant claws were in front. They were its main weapons and could tear through anything. Even the plasma shield couldn¡¯t stand against the raw strength of the hybrid.

    Jean silently created a file by the name of Hybrid reaver. She gave out an order, and a marine walked up and fired at the reaver with its gauss rifles. The bullets, capable of penetrating meters of steel, bounced off the reaver¡¯s skin. ¡°Advance.¡± Jean ordered coldly. The Warden marine walked up in offering, and was ripped apart with a single swipe. Jean silently took down a few lines of notes in her drive and motioned for the experiment to continue.

    A marauder came up. Its punisher grenade smashed into the hybrid, and practically nothing happened. The concussive shell had no effect on the hybrid as it charged up at the marauder. The marauder walked up and lead the hybrid away. However, even though the marauder was faster than average marauders, it was still caught up and torn open. The heavier CMC armor fell apart just like the armor of marines.

    A ghost launched an emp round on the reaver, and it had surprising effect as the reaver collapsed for just a second. But a second later it stood up, completely healthy and in combat mode. The emp could only stop it for less than a second. The ghost, for the purpose of experimenting, fired a lock on toward the hybrid. The ancient weapon from the brood war was returned to the ghost arsenal after Jean realized how effective they were against protoss and terran mechanical units.

    Obviously the lock on did no damage. The hybrid charged at the ghost, who backed off and kept a distance. The reaver only had melee attack, which made it semi vulnerable to kiting. The ghost fired at every part of the hybrid¡¯s body, looking for a weakness, but there wasn¡¯t any. Reasonable. Even the zerg knew to randomly position the organs of its units to prevent any weakness. There was no reason for Amon to not do so. Finally the ghost entered cloaking mode and stopped, and was instantly crushed by one decisively swipe of the hybrid. Jean took down more notes as the hybrid dismantled the AI¡¯s armor. The hybrids could detect cloaked units.

    A goliath fired its auto cannons at the reaver. The beast, whose attention was shifting to Jean for a brief moment, turned around and charged at the machine. Jean noticed the goliath did some damage to the reaver, but it was not enough to make a difference. The autocannons pierced the skin but couldn¡¯t really break through. The goliath survived 2 strikes due to its extra armor.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    A siege tank in siege mode fired at the reaver. The beast was obviously damaged as it backed off from the impact, struggling to straighten his body. The reaver¡¯s giant form was an obvious target and the creature suffered the full impact. The reaver charged toward the siege tank and crushed it with its claws. This time, however, the reaver was actually damaged and had to take some time to mend. Jean knew a planned system of siege tanks and goliaths could stop the reaver and maybe even kill it. The beast was not as invincible as it appeared, but Jean¡¯s worry only grew. She needed tier 2 terran units to fight a single tier 1 hybrid. What would she need to fight more powerful hybrids?

    Now that Jean had discovered the true strength of the hybrid reaver, the girl saw no point to remain in danger. She casually ordered most of the Warden units to perform a suicidal charge on the reaver to cover her escape. As soon as she was back on the Hyperion, the ship fired a round of Yamato Cannon on the facility. The two battlecruisers continued raining down on the half dead hybrid until scans showed the hybrid was no more.

    Jean gave one last look of the ruins before warping away. She got what she came for.

    <hr>

    ¡°The space platform is down. No evidence is left.¡± Jean turned off the comm to the terran emperor. She laid back in her seat and touched her lips, her chip turning with lightning speed.

    Across the computer screen before the girl were dozens of files on different terran weaponry. The peak of the Dominion¡¯s technology, one of the most well kept secrets in the Dominion, was listed there like they were choices of a barbecue. Jean had no mental burden in hacking her ally.

    ¡°Send data of the newest designs of thors, banshees, liberators, and battlecruisers to Liam and order him to speed up expanding. I need more than 2 battlecruisers to win a war.¡± Jean ordered silently. She connected to Liam¡¯s AI Assistant and realized the man just took over the majority of Deadman¡¯s port through assassinations and bribery. Those that couldn¡¯t be bought over were involved in unfortunate accidents that left them either dead or too wounded to stay in charge.

    Jean closed her eyes and touched the handle to her plasma blade and flipped it around while deep in thought. She considered how she could weaken Amon even more. Now might be the golden period to strike as the golden armada, no pun intended, and the death fleet weren¡¯t controlled by Amon. As insignificant as they appeared in the original history, the golden armada was one of the top fleets in the sector. Eventually Amon would take over the two most feared fleets possible and ravage the galaxy to destroy all life forms. As for now, the only real enemies she had to face were the tal¡¯darim and a portion of the Moebius Foundation forces.

    Suddenly her eyes snapped open. The Moebius Foundation was lead by one Doctor Narud, a xel¡¯naga that served Amon and had been plotting his revival from the very start. Granted, a xel¡¯naga wasn¡¯t a soft target, but the sooner she could send him back to the void the easier her life would be in the future.

    ¡°Prepare a jump to Tyrador III.¡± Jean realized he might not be sufficient. Tyrador III was the headquarter of Moebius Foundation and where Narud would be. It would be defended by large groups of mercenaries, but they weren¡¯t the only one with mercenaries.¡°Send a request to Mengsk for backup. Dispatch a squad of mercenary forces and order them to do everything I say.¡± Jean silently ordered, and she knew the order would be passed down. Maybe Jean could win the battle with Warden forces, but AIs were valuable and modifying mech weapons to fit AIs were expensive. Jean needed a plan to minimize the losses.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 30: Tyrador VIII

    Captain Edward Kart poured another cup of alcohol into his mouth and grinned as he felt the burn in his mouth. He was a man in his twenties. It was a common age, for most mercenaries don¡¯t live past 40. He had three pistols attached to his side and wore an army uniform, which was, again, a scene frequently seen in the mercenary forces.

    Edward stumbled to the bar and grabbed another bottle of bear after tossing a stack of credits to the bartender. Mercenaries preferred to live in the moment and spent their hard earned credits on things that could diverge their attention from the harsh reality, including woman and drinks. They knew very well they might become a piece of floating body the next day, but they didn¡¯t care. That was what made mercenaries a dangerous enemy.

    Edward took another drink. Suddenly his comm was lit, which signaled for him to report to his commander immediately.

    The man hesitantly stood up. If it was a few days ago he would have taken his time and report after a few more drinks and perhaps a gorgeous lady, but things changed.

    At first everything was completely normal. Mercenaries completed missions and earned rewards. Frequent bar fights took over the life of several mercanries every day. Several mercenary forces dominated Deadman¡¯s Port. Edward spent his time either on leading his own flying squad on missions or on wasting the reward on alcohol and whores.

    Until one of those powerful forces, the one lead by his boss, the infamous hacked Colonel Orlan, messed with the wrong person and got hit in the face with his own nuke. Edward always felt lucky because he was on the bed of a pretty blonde when the nuke exploded. The blast wiped out his squad, but he survived.

    Before Edward could move on to a new leader a wave of crisis washed over the port. Following Mira Han¡¯s mysterious death that was merely hours after the destruction of Orlan, most of the merc leaders suddenly announced their support toward a new leader. One known by his man as Liam. There were some exceptions, and all of them suddenly died of all sorts of accidents. Before the basic mercenaries could realize what happened they were already united under a single banner.

    This Liam was different. He installed actual orders to the mercenaries. They were taught discipline and the concept of obeying orders, and those that violated orders were executed. The only thing that kept the mercenaries in line was the handsome salary Liam paid. Still, Edward had no intention of being later.

    The man got to the local starport in a speedster. The guards at the door examined his credentials before allowing entry. He walked into a meeting room and saw the big boss himself.

    ¡°Sir.¡± Edward tried to be as professional as possible.

    ¡°Captain Edward, I heard you are the best pilot in our fleet.¡± Liam smiled widely and continued without waiting for a response. ¡°That¡¯s great, because we might need every ounce of your expertise in this mission.¡±

    Edward smiled at the praise. ¡°I am flattered, but what is this mission about exactly?¡±

    ¡°Before I tell you this, keep in mind that if what I am about to tell you gets leaked, then you¡¯ll be a dead man, my allies and I will hunt you down until your dead.¡±

    Edward nodded. He had no doubt of the man¡¯s promises.

    ¡°So here¡¯s the plan¡­¡± Liam started¡­

    <hr>

    Tyrador VIII was heavily guarded. A few days ago Emperor Mengsk suddenly declared that the Moebius Foundation had betrayed the Dominion. It raised a wave of questions to the government. Common questions were raised. One of the most confused was the emperor¡¯s son, the prince of the Dominion and the ¡°leader¡± of Moebius Foundation, Valerian Mengsk himself. The Dominion ignored the questions and quickly dispatch three fleets to the planet and halted any transportation.

    The Moebius ignored the demand from the Dominion to surrender all arms. Instead they mobilized their ships and hired large groups of mercenaries in an attempt to combat the Dominion.

    The Moebius was outnumbered. The Dominion fleets were lead by General Warfield, a famous general and a loyal supporter of Mengsk. The fleets contained 36 battlecruisers and hundreds of supporting vessels. On the other side, the Foundation itself had few spaceships that could engage the Dominion Minotaur class battlecruisers. Still, Moebius Foundation had their own advantages. They were fighting on their home planet, which was packed with all sorts of planetary defenses. Rail cannons and missile turrets could make the intruders suffer much more damage than the defenders.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Moebius Foundation also made an effort to hire mercenaries with large rewards. Even though the enemy was the ruling government, the mercenaries¡¯ desire still drew at least a dozen ships to their aid.

    <hr>

    The command center of the terran fleets was located in the Gorgon battlecruiser Helios, General Warfield¡¯s flagship. It was on the cover of the cruiser that the general would watch battles unfold from below and, occasionally, charge into the field to use the enhanced ship to turn the tide.

    For now the general was in a specialized CMC armor. Unlike most captains or officers, Warfield was a true soldier. He despised the cowards that hide behind layers of Dominion men and give out orders that might send these good men to die. The noble general preferred to fight with his men in the line of danger, and this noble act earned him respect from all sides. Eventually he became one of the most trust commanders of Mengsk.

    For now, the general was in doubt, and the source of doubt was a girl on the other side of the computer screen. ¡°Jean Turner. The backstabber among the Raiders.¡± The general had no respect of Jean. He had no idea of Jean¡¯s grand plan and Amon¡¯s existence, so from his point of view Jean was just a woman without honor that betrayed her formal commander in exchange for power. Warfield despised her.

    Jean saw the despise, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°General.¡± She greeted, but Warfield cut her off.

    ¡°How is the Beetle, Jean?¡± The general looked at the battlecruiser that formerly belonged to the Dominion but was snatched by Jean. Mengsk either forgot about the ship or didn¡¯t want to risk making a powerful hacker enemy for a single Gorgon battlecruiser. ¡°How long did it take you to kill every men and women onboard the ship?¡±

    When Jean hijacked the control system of the Beetle she, via various ways, executed the thousands of crews aboard the ship. Jean remembered the event, but she didn¡¯t realize why the general was so angry about that. Neither Mengsk nor Nova mentioned the incident. It was as if those casualties were forgotten.

    Jean had been cut off from emotion for so long that she saw everyone else as emotionless as her. This was only supported by her deal with Mengsk. She forgot that Mengsk was someone that could unleash zerg on billions of Confederacy civilians and Nova was a ghost operative trained to obey orders. Warfield, however, was a normal general loyal to the terran race. He valued his men instead of seeing them as mere numbers. Anyways, Jean ignored the taunt and answered it like it was a real question.

    ¡°It took my 3 hours and 21 minutes to execute all 5532 Dominion crew members on the ship.¡± She replied for a fact. ¡°Now, I noticed your ships were planning for an assault. You need to postpone the attack.¡±

    Warfield struggled to control himself as the girl just spoke as if she was merely saying what she ate for lunch. Behind him, Dominion crew members groaned as well. ¡°We should attack the planet as soon as possible.¡± The general argued loudly, trying to make his views neutral. ¡°The longer we wait the more prepared Moebius Foundation is going to be. For every hour we wait hundreds more will die.¡±

    Jean wasn¡¯t moved by the furious general. ¡°I have a plan.¡± She stated concisely without bothering with any more explanations.

    Warfield groaned. ¡°Look girl, I don¡¯t know how you convinced emperor Mengsk to make a move on one of the most advanced science research corporations in the Dominion, but I will not stand by and lose an opportunity just because a girl,¡± A butcher, he silently said, ¡°told me to do so.¡±

    Before Jean could reply an alarm rang throughout the bridge. Warfield turned his attention away for a brief moment. ¡°Report.¡± He demanded.

    ¡°Commander, a small mercenary fleet is approaching. They will be reaching Tyrador VIII in several minutes.¡± The adjudant reported.

    ¡°Shall we intercept them?¡± An officer asked.

    ¡°No.¡± Jean ordered. ¡°Let them pass.¡±

    Warfield was not happy with the girl¡¯s words. ¡°Why? These mercenaries are obviously hired by Moebius Foundation. We need to pay a much higher price if these forces converge.¡±

    ¡°These forces are part of my plan.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Warfield processed the information. ¡°But even if those ships get the enemies¡¯ trust and make a surprise attack there was nothing they could do against the majority of the Moebius forces and the planetary defenses. Most of that fleet were mere fighters.¡±

    ¡°Just trust me general.¡± Jean pleaded, even though Warfield saw no sense of honesty on her well crafted face. ¡°I believe you have read my file. When did I ever make a mistake?¡±

    Warfield was out of words. The girl was right. From what he heard every move Jean made was carefully planned and executed and ended in success, although the success for her might not be the success for her allies. ¡°Fine,¡± He said. ¡°but if your plan fails my men will not be the only ones dying.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean looked out the window as the mercenary fighters approached the planet a distance away.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 31: Trojan Horse

    Doctor Narud sat in his seat, deep in thought.

    Out of nowhere and with absolutely no warning, the Terran Dominion sent three fleets to blockade the base planet of Moebius planet. This type of militray movement could only originate from the command of one man.

    Arcturus Mengsk.

    And the only thing that could turn the Dominion against the Foundation was that those ignorant fools realized who he really was and what he was up to. The chance of that happening was low, considering how easily fooled they were, but that was the only possibility. Now Narud had to face the problem of two dozen hostile battlecruisers before his front door.

    Narud wasn¡¯t worried about himself. As a xel¡¯naga even if he was killed here, which was unlikely due to his powerful psi abilities, he would live on in the void. What he was worried of is his mission. Narud created the Moebius Foundation to develop hybrids to aid his master, Amon, in his war against life. If he was sent back to the void, then all researches and production would be obliterated. Amon would lose his best weapon when he came back to life and he would not be happy about it.

    Unfortunately even a xel¡¯naga like him couldn¡¯t survive twenty Yamato cannons to the face. Psi units were powerful, but they weren¡¯t invincible. The queen of blades, the strongest individual in the sector for a while, wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat without the swarm. A couple battlecruisers could deal with her. It was her ability to control and lead the swarm to victory that made Sarah Kerrigan the top enemy of the Dominion. Similarly, if Amon had no Golden Armada, no Death Fleet, no hybrids, no Moebius Foundation, no mercenaries, and no zerg forces, he would meet a quick end.

    This was the same thing of Narud. He knew he could fight the queen of blades herself and maybe even win, but if he charged out there right now he would literally evaporate before thousands of laser batteries.

    Narud glanced at a certain project on his computer screen and flirted with the idea of unleashing the beast, but then he decided now wasn¡¯t the time.

    Suddenly a young lieutenant walked into the room. Narud refused to use adjudents because he considered these machines untrustworthy. As a xel¡¯naga he could manipulate human minds and draw to their desires, but machines were, in a certain sense, incorruptible. The xel¡¯naga preferred to use human pawns to carry out his will. He enjoyed watching them struggle, for it only support the cause of his master.

    This young lieutenant, for example, was a loyal young man who believed the Moebius Foundation was besieged by rogue Dominion warships and emperor Mengsk¡¯s reinforcements would be here any minute.

    ¡°Doctor.¡± The lieutenant greeted loudly. ¡°The mercenary ships that we hired from Deadman¡¯s port is arriving. Rogue Dominion fighters are after them.¡±

    ¡°How many ships?¡± Narud asked quietly, not caring. He remembered posting a bounty in Deadman¡¯s port and promising a huge reward, but that wasn¡¯t his top concern.

    ¡°50 Vikings and 20 wraiths.¡± The lieutanent replied. ¡°With their aid our chances will grow.¡±

    ¡°Order them to fall back onto the planet.¡± Narud commanded. The mercenaries would likely be intercepted by the Dominion and most of them would likely fall. Still, a few was better than nothing, not that he countered on them to win the battle.

    <hr>

    On top of the planet, 70 fighters were approaching the planet. They had sharp platings and pointy blades extending out of their sides. The only use of these blades in space was to hopefully frighten the enemies. It wasn¡¯t like they could stab other vikings. All the fighters were painted grey, which stood for mercenaries. Dominion was red and the Raiders were blue. The Warden forces were painted black for the sake of cover, not that camouflage could do anything. Moebius forces were yellow.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    The Dominion fleet, under Jean¡¯s suggestion, put up an act of attempting to stop them but were too slow. Eventually the mercenaries entered the firing range of the planetary defenses and the pursuers were forced to back off in spite.

    In his seat Narud frowned as the mercenary fighters got to the planet without a scratch. It was successful. Too successful. The common soldiers might be fooled by the excellent tricks the mercenaries did to avoid taking damages, but as a xel¡¯naga he knew better. Those Dominion vikings and wraiths weren¡¯t even trying to hit the mercenaries.

    Something was wrong.

    Narud closed his eyes and focused his psi energy on the mercenary fighters. With a psi level almost as high as the queen of blades he sensed something strange within the belly of the wraiths. Something dangerous. Something that made him feel threatened.

    Narud¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°Shoot down those fighters!¡± He ordered loudly. Whatever was in those fighters could potential send him back to the void. ¡°Launch all fighters! All batteries open fire on those fighters! Go go go!¡±

    The young lieutenant scrambled out of the room.

    <hr>

    Captain Edward sneaked another glance at the wraiths beside them. The wraiths were faster than vikings and much more agile, but they made sure to maintain the position behind the cover of the vikings.

    His mission was to escort these wraiths to as close to the planet as possible, and as soon as the signal was given he and his men were ordered to turn around and run, leaving the wraiths behind. Tactically speaking Edward didn¡¯t see how 20 wraiths could damage a well fortified planet, but he didn¡¯t really care. Why would he? As long as he got payed he didn¡¯t care if his boss sent someone not him to die. The wraiths weren¡¯t part of his crew. In fact these wraiths were merely positioned with him before the mission and were completely mysterious for the entire trip here. The only thing the mercenary pilots knew about those fighters was that they were piloted by brilliant pilots and those pilots were very quiet. The only conversation they had were regarding the mission.

    Edward was fine with that. He knew from experience the more he knew the more dangerous he was. All he wanted was to get paid.

    Suddenly the comm between him and the captain of the wraiths was opened. ¡°Captain Edward.¡± The captain of the wraiths was a male with mechanical voice. ¡°Our cover is blown. Move on to plan B.¡±

    ¡°Copy that.¡± Edward nodded and opened up comm to all the viking pilots. ¡°Get ready for some danger boys. It¡¯s going to be a rough journey.¡±

    On the ground hundreds of missile turrets and ground to air batteries poked their heads out. Their computer locked on to the hostile fighters and opened fire.

    Blazing batteries and hissing missiles from the ground brought lines of destruction to the skies. Dozens of vikings rose from the ground and moved to meet the mercenary vikings.

    Edward responded quickly. He turned his fighter and flipped to the side, and a missile went by his fighter¡¯s belly and smashed into a viking from behind. Endless laser batteries forced the mercenaries to use everything they had to have a chance of surviving. One misstep, and the fighter would be gone and the pilot would be dead.

    In merely seconds at least 10 vikings had gone down, and the Moebius fighters were closing in.

    The skilled captain unleashed a pair of torpedos on an enemy viking and tilted to the side to avoid the burning mess the enemy viking had been transformed to. Using the brief second he glanced at the mysterious wraiths. He needed them to be alive to complete the mission.

    What he saw was astonishing.

    Among the 20 wraiths only 1 of them fell. All 19 others were alive. They made tricks that only the most skilled and daring pilots dared making. Sometimes a missile or a laser was just meters away from the fighter, but somehow the meters made all the difference and the fighter survived with a stunning move. All the while the wraiths were advancing.

    Edward silently admired the inner strength of the wraith fighters. Even the bravest and more experienced pilot would shake slightly by such close calls, and that slight shake would result in a direct hit, but none of the wraiths shook. The only wraith taken down was because it was covered by a dozen projectiles from all side. It was as if these pilots were machines...

    The Moebius command responded quickly as the ground defenses failed to achieve results, and 2 squads of vikings were dispatched to halt the wraiths. These vikings were merely getting started when 19 pairs of Gemini missiles darted toward the vikings. Some of them had a chance to dodge, but the missiles simply followed the vikings as they moved. When vikings turned so did the missiles. When vikings dived so did the missiles. In the end of the first round the 24 vikings only had 5 survivors...and then the second round came...

    As the vikings burned and the pilots died, the wraiths kept on going toward the planet...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 32: Nuclear victory

    Narud¡¯s office. The young, once courageous lieutenant had lost all of his confidence as 20 wraiths just took down 24 vikings and were getting closer and closer to the planet. All the laser batteries and missiles and fighters merely destroyed 4 of the wraiths. 4! If they were 20 Moebius wraiths then they would be wiped out already.

    The ground defenses kept on firing. The closer the wraiths got the harder it was to dodge the projectiles. In a few seconds another 2 wraiths fail. The wreckages, just like previous destroyed wraiths, crashed onto the surface of the planet and laid there, motionless.

    In his cockpit, Edward again frowned as the wraiths didn¡¯t even bother slowing down as it engaged the planet. What the hell? Anyone with common sense would know to slow down and move parallel with the enemy fortress so it was easier to dodge. Only fools would charge head on into the base. The explosion of wraiths couldn¡¯t do anything to enemies¡¯ heavily fortified position. But then again no one with common sense would do what the wraiths did.

    All of a sudden a signal on Edward¡¯s computer glared. The captain knew it was the sign to retreat. He didn¡¯t know what his commander wanted. The wraiths would be destroyed if the vikings left and the ground defenses and fighters could focus fire. Then again he didn¡¯t really care as long as he got paid.

    ¡°Pull back boys.¡± Edward ordered and turned his ship around and added all power to the engine. The 32 survivors from his team did the same and left their enemy fighters and ran. The Mobius unleashed a few rounds, but then decided not to chase after them because there was a whole Dominion fleet outside the firing range.

    In Narud¡¯s office, the young lieutenant took a sign of relief as all the wraiths crushed into the planetary defenses. Some of them crushed into missile turrets and laser batteries. One of them paved a bloody way through a dozen marines. One of the wraiths even landed on top of Narud¡¯s base. Luckily none of the wraiths exploded upon landing.

    ¡°These mercenaries are idiots.¡± He said, regaining his confidence and trying to cover up the shame of being so frightened before. ¡°A pity. They¡¯re brave and skilled, but nonetheless stupid. If all those rebels can do is this then our victory is sealed.¡±

    Narud didn¡¯t share his optimism. Something was off. The skills showed by the wraiths meant these ships could only be piloted by elite veterans. What kind of commander would send a group of veterans to die for no reason.

    His thought went to the ship wreckage. Something was wrong. They were too evenly distributed. Also the dangerous feeling only grew stronger and stronger every second. Narud hesitantly reached into one of the wreckages with his psi energy. Now that it was closer he could feel the contents of the ship more clearly.

    Mercenary styled wraiths. Cloaking engine removed. No pilot body. Computer guided system. Missiles in storage. Tactical nuke two seconds to explosion. Fractured wing¡­

    Wait what?

    Narud had no time to respond as all the wraith wreckages exploded, and thousands of Celsius degrees of heat engulfed most of the Moebius base. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Tactical nukes were powerful weapons. They could do massive amount of area damage in a short amount of time by releasing astonishing amount of heat that could destroy almost everything. Usually getting them to the enemy center without being stopped was most of the problem. Once the nukes get close to their targets, they couldn¡¯t be stopped. This was exactly the case now.

    Nuclear explosion consumed everything. Heavily armored missile turrets and ground to air batteries that could stand against battlecruiser laser batteries for hours lasted seconds before melting down. Human bodies were evaporated into absolutely nothing by the immense energy. Their CMC armor survived a few more seconds than their wearer. The entire process was painless for the human because they were long dead before they could feel any pain. Bunkers and buildings turned into metal barbecue chambers.

    Narud did his best to use his energy to form a barrier around himself as the heat hit him. All around him things were reduced to basic elements. His seat. His table. His room. Men and women outside disappeared without making a voice. This was so sudden they didn¡¯t even have the time to scream. Beside Narud the lieutenant evaporated instantly. The xel¡¯naga ignored the lieutenant¡¯s death and struggled to hold on, but one of the wreckages landed on top of where he was, and he was hit with the majority of the nuclear missile.

    Psionic didn¡¯t mean invincible, and Narud learned that just before his barrier broke down and his body was turned to ashes, just like the human beings he looked down upon, and his conscious returned to the void to a disappointed master¡­.

    <hr>

    On Helios, Warfield stared in wonder as massive explosions of blinding light destroyed the majority of the Moebius stronghold. As the smoke cleared, the once populated and beautiful planet now looked like it had went through a nuclear apocalypse. Most of the things that halted the Dominion fleet, batteries, missile turrets, bunkers and siege tanks that were ready for any type of landing forces, were melted to ashes. The few survivors were no threat to Dominion advances. There were still some vikings in the sky, but they weren¡¯t enough without the ground support.

    Now that he had watched everything unfold Warfield realized what Jean¡¯s plans were. The girl hid nukes in the wraiths and made them appear like mercenaries on Moebius¡¯s side and sent them in. If the Moebius were stupid then the wraiths would get to the planet safely and if they were wiser then the wraiths would make an attack. Either way the wraiths would deliver the nukes to the planet.

    It was effective, but Warfield knew he could never do something like this. First he would never send his men on a suicide mission, even if his man agreed to join the mission. Second, Warfield considered himself a man with a code. He would do anything against aliens like zerg or protoss, and he might even hunt down rebels for the sake of the Dominion, but he would never use weapons of mass destruction on men.

    ¡°Send in a squad.¡± Warfield ordered. He knew Moebius was gone, but his experience and logic told him to be careful. On the battlefield anything could happen.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡±

    The Dominion efficiency was inquestionable. Sure, from a certain point of view the Dominion wasn¡¯t the nicest government, but it had a great leader and a group of patriotic men and women in service. The military was ruled with strict discipline and armed with the most advanced military. These ideas kept the relatively weak Dominion alive from the menacing swarm and the powerful protoss.

    Within a few minutes after the order was given a small squad of special ops troopers was sent down to the surface of the planet within 2 medivacs.

    As the transport full of elite Dominion troops flew down toward the ravaged planet below, Jean, in the Hyperion, tapped on her computer screen and opened a file.

    She looked at the figure in the file and wondered if the beast survived the nuclear assault.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 33: Moebius Hybrid

    The elite marines and marauders walked out of their medivacs and briefly spreaded out to cover more ground. They looked for any enemies, but all they found were broken armors and shattered buildings. As far as the soldiers could see there were no living things on site.

    ¡°All clear sir.¡± The captain of the scouting squad tapped the side of his helmet and reported. Suddenly he heard an ear piercing roar that seemingly penetrated his brain and reached into his soul. The man dropped to his knees and grabbed onto his head, groaning in pain.

    ¡°What is it soldier? Report in!¡± Warfield commanded as he heard the groan.

    ¡°Sir?¡± An officier said hesitantly. Warfield turned around to a computer screen. On the screen was a giant red beast.

    It was a menacing monster. Its entire body radiated red psionic energy. Strangely, the entire body of the hybrid was covered with metal armor similar to the terran technology. A pair of metal wings extended out of its back. Its head was covered with metal plating. The hybrid was a combination of terran and hybrid technology. It wasn¡¯t too happy after being nuked, but it was alive.

    Warfield¡¯s eyes widened and the armored man walked to the comm, where Jean was online. ¡°What is it?¡± He hissed.

    Jean glanced at him. ¡°It¡¯s a Moebius hybrid, a powerful weapon developed by the Moebius Corps. Extremely dangerous. I advise you to open fire as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°You knew about this?¡± Warfield complained. His fist gripping together. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me before I sent my men down there?¡± Jean tilted her head and didn¡¯t respond. Warfield turned to the small squad. ¡°Men! Get out of there now!¡±

    The special ops soldiers turned around and ran back to their medivacs with full speed, slightly desperate but remembering their training. Jean frowned, unable to comprehend why Warfield was so tense. It was a dozen men on the ground. If she was Warfield she would just ignore about the stranded soldiers and order the fleet to unleash on the hybrid. A dozen collateral damage was something she could brush off.

    The Moebius hybrid, floating in the air with its psi energy, disappeared and appeared right before the medivac. It formed a red orb of psi energy and threw it toward the medivac. The metal ship plating of the transport that could survive multiple gauss rounds was ripped apart. As the ship was gone, so was the chance of survival of the scouts.

    General Warfield turned around as the elite scouts were slaughtered by the hybrid. Their enhanced gauss rifles and enhanced grenade launchers did no damage to the hybrid¡¯s shield, let alone to its health, while the psionic blast of the hybrid could kill the marines and marauders in one single shot.

    ¡°Open fire on the Moebius hybrid now general.¡± Jean stopped the silent mourning of the good general. ¡°General Warfield.¡± She urged without any patience. A general should be less attached to his men. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Warfield groaned and waved his hand. ¡°Do it.¡± He said quietly. The crew members around him obeyed and passed down the order. A minute later the entire Dominion fleet started unloading upon the hybrid.

    Every minotaur battlecruiser, apart from a Yamato cannon, was armed with 24 pairs of laser batteries. 12 pairs were anti air and 12 pairs were anti ground. There were 36 Minotaur class battlecruisers, which added into a total of 432 pairs of air to ground laser batteries. All of these firing power that were formerly used to bombard planets created a deadly effect when focused on a single target.

    Hundreds of laser beam smashed into the hybrid every second. The computer guided batteries made sure all the rounds hit the target. The hybrid¡¯s plasma shield, formed by its astonishing psi energy, blocked all of the hits at first and have the hybrid some time to fight back. Unfortunately the hybrid¡¯s psionic blast that was unstoppable against ground units nearby did close to no damage to the giant ships in high orbit. The laser batteries were designed to bombard ground targets, but psionic blasts simply weren¡¯t durable enough to fly across miles of air and still have enough energy to penetrate the layers of plating of the battlecruisers. The hybrid fired a few shots with no success.

    The bombardment went on for minutes. At first the hybrid fought back, but eventually it was drained off by the continuous bombardment. The plasma shield disappeared a while later, and the hybrid could merely use its body and platings to take the batteries. But with no way to fight back and no chance of escaping, the hybrid¡¯s powerful psionic ability merely made it a more durable punching bag for the Dominion fleet.

    Five minutes later, the Moebius hybrid was already collapsing on the ground with no more energy to make itself float. Its plating was battered and its entire body was covered with scars. The hybrid suddenly made a piercing scream, as if calling for a combat or complaining about the cowardness of the terran. Jean wasn¡¯t moved. There was a reason earth was dominated by human beings. Human beings were weaker in terms of strength and abilities in hunting than beasts like lions and tiger, but they learned to use tricks to enhance themselves. Starting with bows and arrows, human being eventually found themself with giant fleets. Here in the Corpuru sector, the terran didn¡¯t have the protoss psionic abilities, nor did they have the raw strength of the zerg, but they could fight both superior races with their tricks. Sometimes intelligence was much more important than raw strength. Jean knew very well a thousand her with her suit and computer aid couldn¡¯t defeat the Moebius hybrid, but now, with a few tricks, she was practically slaughtering the seemingly invincible hybrid.

    As Jean was thinking Warfield wasn¡¯t foolish enough to call off the attack. The man merely watched in silence as the beast finally fell apart from the firing. A weapon that could massacre a ground army from any race was taken out with ease.

    Jean tilted her head and frowned with a blank expression. The hybrid was surprisingly weak against air units. Eventually she would hack into what was left of the Moebius network and find out why. The Moebius hybrid was designed to take down ground units. In Amon¡¯s plan the hybrids would be supported by both the Death Fleet and the Golden Armada. The hybrid would never have to fight air units and would simply stump over the enemy ground units with the protection of the almost unbreakable plasma shield.

    In the future Jean would also realize how significant the mission was. According to the Moebius plan these hybrids would be created in numerous numbers and would be in the thousands when Amon returned. The scene of thousands of Moebius hybrids charging forward into your line was never a scene a commander wanted to see. She made sure that would never happen.

    ¡°Good luck with the cleanup general.¡± Jean ackknowledged. She had no intention of the spoils of war. She got what she came for and there was no reason to stay with someone that despise her for some reason. Warfield nodded, and the two terran battlecruisers jumped away from the ruined planet.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 34: Zeratul

    The Hyperion and the Beetle were parking in a neutral space after taking a trip to Deadman¡¯s port for some more resources. For now the ships were waiting for their female commander to set eye on a new target.

    And where was the leader now?

    In the bridge of the Hyperion, Jean was facing an unexpected ancient Nerazim protoss.

    ¡°State your request, protoss.¡± Jean ordered quietly as she sat on her chair. In front of her was an old dark templar. His skin was pale and his cloth and armor were stained. Jean knew from the memory she received that he was Zeratul. Zeratul was old, even by the protoss standards. He had been present since the zerg first appeared and invaded Aiur. The templer was, to a degree, responsible for the fall of Aiur because he accidently leaked Aiur¡¯s coordinates to the overmind as he assassinated one of his underlings. As far as Jean knew he had been travelling through the stars for redemption of his sin.

    Her memory ended there. She had no idea why Zeratul was here.

    Zeratul was not thrilled to be here. At first he came aboard this ship to find an old friend of his, James Raynor, and warn him about the dark future and what he had to do to stop it, but the ship that once belonged to his friend now laid in the hand of some girl he never met before. Zeratul planned on getting out of there and learn more about the terran society to see if he could locate Raynor when 8 auto turrets rose from the ground and aimed at him. The direction of the weapons told him he was detected and he knew from experience the gauss rounds could penetrate his plasma shield before he could disable them all. Four goliaths painted in pure black walked in and aimed at him. Zeratul didn¡¯t resist because he didn¡¯t knew who he was against, and he was escorted to this girl in front of him now.

    ¡°Greeting, terran. I am Zeratul. I seek a man named James Raynor.¡± Zeratul said carefully. He didn¡¯t want any unnecessary trouble.

    Jean tilted her head. ¡°Hello Zeratul. I know who you are. Unfortunately I can not help you. Jim Raynor is dead.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?¡± Zeratul roared. ¡°Who killed him? Who committed such atrocity?¡± Apart from being the key to fight the darkness, Raynor known for his bravery on Aiur and was a dear friend to a lot of protoss, including Zeratul himself. Apart from the friendship, Zeratul learned from the prophecy that Raynor was the key to winning Kerrigan over, who was then the key to defeating Amon. If Raynor was dead...Zeratul hated to imagine how the queen of blades would react to the death of her lover.

    ¡°I did.¡± Jean replied quietly with no change of expression.

    For a second Zeratul was standing meters away from Jean. The next second he was on top of Jean. His green warp blade was close to Jean¡¯s neck. Jean¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°From what I know,¡± Jean said quietly, ignoring the weapon that could potentially end her life. ¡°you came here to find Raynor. Unfortunately Raynor is very much dead right now. Therefore the best thing for you to do is cut the losses and find someone to replace Raynor. Someone like me.¡±

    Zeratul was unmoved. ¡°You¡¯re a fool. You have no idea what you¡¯ve done.¡± Jean¡¯s request was ignored. ¡°And now I shall avenge my friend¡¯s demise¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother. You can¡¯t kill me.¡± Jean said confidently and for some reason Zertal hesitated. ¡°But if you make a move I promise you will not leave this ship alive. If you die, whatever quest you¡¯re after dies as well. Make up your mind.¡±

    Zertal faltered. He wasn¡¯t afrad of death. What he was afraid of was not being able to stop the dark one from consuming the world. The girls words were brutal, but logically speaking she made a good point. There was no point in killing her and taking the risk if he could get her support. No need to be enemies if they could be friends. Still, Zeratul had trouble forgetting about the death of his friend and move on to work with the killer. The two were close ever since Raynor helped holding off the swarm on Aiur. Zeratul hesitantly put down his blade and moved back to a safe distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m Jean. Jean Turner.¡± Jean straightened her body in her chair and casually introduced herself.

    ¡°I came here because the dark one is rising.¡± Zeratul went straight to the topic.

    ¡°You mean Amon.¡± Jean cut him off. Zeratul frowned at the surprise.

    ¡°You know about Amon?¡± The dark templar asked suspiciously.

    ¡°I have heard some news from an informant inside the tal¡¯darim.¡± Jean lied, but Zeratul believed her. The tal¡¯darim knew about Amon all along as they treated the xel¡¯naga as gods and were brought off Aiur by Amon himself. It was reasonable Jean knew about Amon from that source.

    ¡°Then you know the power of Amon? The prophecy showed me the future. Only the queen of blades can defeat Amon and save everyone. Thus I came to Raynor for help.¡±

    ¡°Why do we need the queen of blades?¡± Jean asked. ¡°Drop fifty nukes on the dark one and he will burn just like everything else.¡±

    Zeratul shook his head. ¡°Without Kerrigan Amon will control the swarm. He will be unstoppable with the zerg behind his back. In the future I saw Amon wiping out the terran and then overrunning the best of the protoss. We didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± He struggled to recover from the painful memory. So many protoss died for nothing. Selendis. Artanis. Uran. What was left of the protoss race crumbled under the infinite swarm. Jean merely looked at the old protoss.

    Jean silently went over the info she knew. She had been crippling Amon¡¯s future forces. The mercenaries belonged to her now. The tal¡¯darim were starting to be taken over by Nyon. Moebius forces and the hybrids were maimed. If everything went right then when Amon came back to life all he had left would be the Golden Armada and the swarm.

    Jean could easily say they wouldn¡¯t be a challenge...but then she would be lying.

    The Golden Armada was the peak of protoss technology. It consisted of firepowers that could burn down planets and wipe out armies in seconds. Even if Jean had the Death Fleet to deal with the Golden Armada, which was still a question, the zerg swarm that for multiple times defeated the Golden Armada would still be a problem. Zeratul was right. If Jean did nothing then eventually endless zerg swarm would overrun any opposition in the sector.

    ¡°What can I do?¡±

    ¡°Win Kerrigan over. It¡¯s the only way.¡± Zeratul said before disappearing into the shadows.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 35: A deal with Kerrigan

    Sarah Kerrigan, the infamous queen of blades.

    It was ironic how the one that butchered billions of innocent turned out to be the sole path to salvation, but Jean wasn¡¯t really into ironies. When Jean had a problem she looked for and carried out solutions.

    What happens when you needed help from someone? You make a deal with them.

    That was exactly what Jean did.

    <hr>

    The meeting was set on a neutral planet with no affiliation with any power. Jean sent the queen of blades the coordinates and a request to meet at a given time.

    Now Jean was standing in the bridge of the Hyperion, looking down on the pale planet, computing how she could convince a queen to aid her.

    An alert popped, and the Hyperion AI produced a warning. ¡°Commander, unidentified ship warping in.¡± Jean turned to the space the Hyperion plotted out.

    A few seconds later a zerg leviathan exited warp space. Leviathans were basically the zerg version of a battlecruisers and carriers. It had tentacles extending off its sides acting as its main weapons. These tentacles seemed small in comparison to the giant living spaceship, but in reality they were thick enough to penetrate layers of terran plating. Thousands of drop pods were attached to its bottom, allowing it to transport some of the countless zerg units within onto ground level when needed. Ranging for kilometers long, the Leviathan could withstand waves of punishment and still be in combat state. Hatcheries within the beast extracted minerals from storage and could hatch units within the ship. Jean had a feeling just this Leviathan could take down half the Dominion fleet. No wonder even Amon desired the power of the swarm.

    ¡°Open up a transmission.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t moved by the living ship hundreds of times larger than her own cruiser. If things went well she wouldn¡¯t need to fight the Leviathan.

    But things didn¡¯t.

    Suddenly the Leviathan moved forward past the safety range. Its speed was astonishing for its size. Usually larger things were slower, but in this case the leviathan moved like it was on steroids. The beast closed onto the Hyperion, and two of its tentacles striked forward and grabbed onto the battlecruiser.

    ¡°Commander, we have been held in place. Retaliation is initiating.¡± The Hyperion urged.

    ¡°Command override. Make no move.¡± Jean ordered cruelly. She was willing to sacrifice one battlecruiser to get into a conversation with Kerrigan. The ship AI obeyed even though it knew what the order meant. AIs were programmed to obey, and the Hyperion obeyed.

    The Leviathan¡¯s tentacles ripped open the Hyperion¡¯s side plating and pulled the ship right next to the Leviathan until the metal armor of the battlecruiser was touching the carapace of the Leviathan. Zerg units started to pour into the battlecruiser through the breach.

    ¡°Commander, if we don¡¯t do something we will be left defenseless. All the Warden forces are on the Beetle.¡± The Hyperion said again as Jean saw through the security camera that the zerg were overrunning the rest of the ship except for the bridge, which was protected by metal doors. Before Jean came here she transferred all the infrastructure and units onto the Beetle to minimize the losses in case something like this happened.

    ¡°Follow orders.¡± Jean was unmoved.

    Suddenly, on a security camera that faced the breach, Jean saw a certain figure. Her eyes lit up, not because she had a kink for naked woman with zerg platings and hair but because the figure was exactly who she came to talk with.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    But Sarah Kerrigan didn¡¯t feel the same way. She glanced into the camera. Her eyes glaring with uncontrolled anger. Jean suddenly felt her neck being tightened and she couldn¡¯t breath. She made a signal, and the camera closed off, and the life threatening feeling disappeared. Still, she was a stranded girl with the number one killer in the sector on her tail.

    The zerg units were stirred up by their leader¡¯s anger, and they simultaneously growled into the ceiling and doubled their efficiency.

    The zerglings before the gate started hacking on the metal door with their claws and teeths. A few seconds later they were past the gate and pouring into the bridge. Jean silently tapped her watch, and her clothes were transformed to a layer of modified armor. Still she made no effort to fight the zerg, and the zerg made no effort to fight her. They merely surrounded her to keep her in place for their leader.

    The queen of blades entered the bridge with a confidence and a strength few others in the galaxy could. She stared at Jean menacingly, but Jean merely stared back as if the woman didn¡¯t have the power to kill her instantly. The two were silent for a while.

    ¡°You killed Jim,¡± The man, the butcher, said with a sadness unlike her look. ¡°and today you¡¯ll pay the price.¡± The zerglings growled as if they would charge up any minute.

    ¡°You can kill me whenever you want,¡± Jean said slowly. ¡°but for now we have a common enemy. Someone we must work together to even have a chance of winning. Amon.¡± She said, full of logic. ¡°You can do whatever to me, but only after Amon is dead.¡± When Amon was dead she would be gone from this universe. Even with the might of Kerrigan she couldn¡¯t travel through dimensions.

    Kerrigan smirked with a sense of pride. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to help me. I will kill you and then kill Amon.¡±

    Jean grinned wickedly. ¡°Hardly. If you kill me¡­.¡± She made a gesture. ¡°you¡¯ll have to survive the explosion of 5 tactical nukes.¡±

    Kerrigan used her psi energy to do a scan and sensed 5 nukes in the hanger of The Hyperion. Undoubtedly they were programmed to detonate the second Jean died. Even she couldn¡¯t survive five nukes this close.

    The queen growled. The sight of Jean being so in control reminded her of someone she knew. Arcturus Mengsk was also this in control when he talked to her. This thought burned away all her logic. The queen moved a few steps forward and digged her sharp wing edges into Jean¡¯s shoulder blades and held her in the air. The modified armor did nothing against the peak of zerg mutation. ¡°I don¡¯t take threats.¡± She hissed, and her wings turned in Jean¡¯s wound, causing a puddle of fresh blood to form on the metal ground. She searched Jean¡¯s face for any expression of pain or fear, but there wasn¡¯t any. All she saw was infinite coldness and logic.

    ¡°I have connections, connections that can help our cause.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t begging for mercy or bargining for a chance of survival. Instead, she was merely stating a simply fact. ¡°If I live, I can bring the tal¡¯darim, the mercenaries, and the Dominion to our side. With your swarm among us, Amon will be by himself. We can defeat Amon.¡± She didn¡¯t even falter as her face turned pale from the loss of blood. As soon as she was pinned down her mental chip blocked all pain signals sent to her brain.

    Kerrigan hissed. Her love for Raynor demanded her to execute the girl in the slowest and most painful way possible, but her logic told her to be patient. The threat of Amon was real, and killing Jean now would do more harm than good. The wisest choice would be joining her for now and kill her when Amon was done¡­.but she really wanted to avenge Jim. Finally, she pulled her wings back and slammed Jean on the ground. ¡°What do you know about Amon?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I know how to defeat him, and I am taking countermeasures now.¡± Jean struggled to stand up. Even though her pain signals were cut off the physical damage she received was devastating. She was bleeding out, and two big holes in her shoulder blade wasn¡¯t exactly helpful to her movement. Kerrigan smirked as Jean struggled. ¡°For instance, I know one day he will take over the Golden Armada. Of course, he had other plans, but I¡¯ve taken care of those. With you on our side the Golden Armada will be the only problem.¡±

    Kerrigan frowned. The Golden Armada was a tough enemy, even for the swarm. Sometimes under a certain amount of firepower number simply didn¡¯t matter. ¡°How?¡± She asked. ¡°Artanis is a fool, but he is not an agent of Amon.¡±

    ¡°Through the khala.¡± Jean answered concisely as she realized getting up was impossible and decided to sit down instead. ¡°Unfortunately we don¡¯t have enough proof to bring the protoss to our side, which means the Golden Armada must be disabled by force.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Jean motioned for the zerg units around. ¡°you can start with sending your pawns off my ship.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 36: Boarding the Leviathan

    ¡°The Golden Armada is, with no doubt, very powerful. The plasma shields can protect the protoss ships from damage and the energy weapons can burn down any opposition.

    Even the swarm can¡¯t fight it head on and have a sure win.¡±

    The swarm units had already exited the Hyperion, and the only zerg remaining in the ship was Sarah Kerrigan. The queen of blades was confident. She didn¡¯t even consider the possibility that Jean would try to kill her. After the brief encounter Kerrigan knew exactly who Jean Turner was. She wouldn¡¯t do something so stupid and illogical. Jean had her wound treated and was standing before a computer screen.

    ¡°However, the Golden Armada has a glaring weakness.¡±

    ¡°Entering warp space. Turning on and maintaining the plasma shield. Firing the weapons. Even maintaining battle condition. All of these need energy.¡±

    Kerrigan understood Jean. ¡°Are you saying¡­¡±

    ¡°If we can¡¯t fight the enemy, we cripple and weaken them until we can fight the enemy and win.¡± Jean said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s what I did for Amon and this is what I am going to do with the Golden Armada. If we can¡­¡±

    ¡°...constantly put the Golden Armada in a state of battle to maximize the energy consumption...¡± The queen of blades wasn¡¯t new to the art of war either.

    ¡°...attack Shakurus and destroy the economy of the Daeleem civilization to cut off further supplies...¡± Jean continued.

    ¡°...use the number advantage of the swarm and attack multiple protoss territories at the same time...disengage as soon as the protoss reinforcements arrive¡­¡± Kerrigan tapped her chin. Now that she thought about it, attacking a powerful enemy headon wasn¡¯t the best idea. There was so much more to the art of war. She was even considering infecting Jean after Amon was done instead of killing her. The girl¡¯s mindset was impressive.

    ¡°If everything goes right, then when the dark god comes back to life, assuming he still has enough Daeleem protoss left to corrupt and use to form his body, he will have a body and a worn out armada to work with. His enemies will be the combined forces of the rest of the sector. His time will be very limited.¡± Jean concluded.

    Now that she looked at this after everything she put in place Jean found herself in a great situation. Moebius and the hybrids perished under 20 nukes. Tal¡¯darim was being chipped away by Nyon. The swarm would never join Amon if their queen lived. The Golden Armada would be dealt with soon. Everything was great...if things went like she planned.

    ¡°I will go after the Golden Armada.¡± Kerrigan said but suddenly changed her tone. ¡°Meanwhile, considering how damaged your ship is, I would like to invite you to my ship.¡± The queen of blades ¡®invited¡¯. Jean¡¯s expression changed, and Kerrigan grinned. ¡°You didn¡¯t expect me to just let you go did you?¡± She said wickedly. ¡°Don¡¯t think about threatening me with the nukes. While we were having the conversation my children have disabled them. Of course I can kill you know but you may be of use to me in the future.¡± Her smile was wide. From the very beginning she had no intention of making a fair deal with the girl even if she didn''t kill her lover. The only change of heart she had after all the conversation was that she wanted to turn Jean instead of killing her. It would be a waste for the swarm if someone this gifted just died when she could join the swarm.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Jean looked at Kerrigan¡¯s smile with tight lips as if she wanted to protest. She pulled out a device and saw the nukes were offline. Eventually she yielded. The two left the Hyperion and boarded the Leviathan. As soon as they were gone, the leviathan pushed with its tentacles and completely destroyed the battlecruiser. The tentacles eventually pulled back, and the leviathan wrapped away.

    What Kerrigan didn¡¯t know was the second they left the Hyperion, the 5 disabled nukes in the ship disappeared as well.

    In the leviathan, Jean silently tapped her watch.

    <hr>

    The entire leviathan was covered with creep. This purple substance made it easier for zerg units to make around and increased their efficiency. Kerrigan led the way like a queen. Countless zerg units moved around the ship. Zerglings. Banelings. Hydralisks. All of these units were mutated and evolved far beyond any other zerg brood. As the queen of blades Kerrigan had the best essence and the best scientist to use for her army. One Leviathan zergling could defeat at least three feral zerglings.

    ¡°You are intelligent, Jean.¡± Kerrigan said as a complement. ¡°Granted, you¡¯re somewhat inexperienced and occasionally foolish, but give you some time to practice and you will be a good agent of the swarm.¡±

    ¡°You want to infect me?¡± Jean asked with a scent of fear and desperation in her tone.

    ¡°Not now.¡± Kerrigan grinned with a sense of confidence. ¡°I need you to contact your allies, but once we¡¯re done with Amon, I will infect you.¡± She said openly. Now that Jean was literally in the heart of the swarm she had nothing to worry about. She glanced at Jean and saw the correct response of emotions on her face. Now this was normal. Now she was scared. Kerrigan felt like everything was in control.

    She was wrong.

    Jean received a watch when she was teleported to this universe. From the memory she received she knew the watch was modified by a power beyond anyone¡¯s comprehension. First of all it was invisible to anyone but the owner of the watch. Jean even flashed her watch before Kerrigan a few times and the mighty queen of blades didn¡¯t see it. The watch was beyond the power of this world.

    Another thing about the watch was that it could store things. The amount of things it could store was infinite, but there were limits. First of all the watch could only store objects that belonged to Jean. Jean didn¡¯t know how the watch organised what belonged to whom, but she once tried to store a rifle that belonged to the Raiders and failed. When she eliminated all the Raiders she tried to store that rifle again. This time she was successful. Another thing was that she couldn¡¯t store living things. From the memory Jean was given she knew she could bring everything in the watch with her to the next world.

    Now Jean had countless objects in her watch. Her suit. 5 disabled nukes. Oh, and a Gorgon class battlecruiser full of elite mechanical AI units.

    Jean wasn¡¯t as weak as she appeared to be.

    The two walked past hundreds of other swarm units and entered an evoluation chamber. All zerg buildings were technically alive and made up of flesh and blood. Jean¡¯s eyebrows turned as she walked into the living building. It was like walking into the stomach of a monster. In front of her Kerrigan walked with a surprising confidence. All the zerg units moved away when the two approached.

    A strange creature was in the evolution chamber. It was a small green creature with multiple fragile claws and a flickering mouth.

    ¡°The swarm will be engaging the Golden Armada,¡± Kerrigan turned to Jean. ¡°and I will need your help with the tactics, but before that you¡¯ll have to stay here. Abathur will make sure you¡¯re healthy and nutritious.¡± She touched her chin thoughtfully. ¡°Of course nutritions and health will no longer be a problem once you become a zerg.¡± She turned around and left the chamber, leaving Jean with the strange creature.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 37: Abathur

    ¡°So, Abathur, right?¡± Jean asked curiously. She knew the small creature in front of her was the chief genetic engineer of Kerrigan¡¯s swarm. He was like the Swann of the swarm. Most of the evolutions and mutations that enhanced the battle capabilities of the zerg units Kerrigan had came from this fragile creature.

    Abathur looked at Jean with his multiple eyes. ¡°Affirmative.¡± He said shortly. Abathur¡¯s speaking style was special. He used concise words to convey his point because it was more efficient than saying long sentences. The evolution master was the perfect example of zerg efficiency.

    ¡°If I am to be infected, then what is the best way to enhance my battle skills?¡± Jean asked as she sat down on the ground like she was in a picnic rather than in the body of a giant kilometer long monster. The creep felt soft and comfortable even for a human being like her.

    Abathur moved forward slowly, and Jean didn¡¯t falter as he moved to a dangerous range. The Abathur looked at Jean and reached out a claw. Abathur was slow, so slow that even without her computer chip Jean could dodge him, but Jean didn¡¯t dodge. Abathur casually stabbed Jean in the shoulder and clawed out a piece of flesh. Jean hissed, this time it was real, not acting. She took off her mental chip and put it into her watch, so there was nothing to block her pain signals. She was immune to emotions, but she wasn¡¯t immune to pain. She could still feel the burning sensation in her shoulder. The only difference was she could think logically despite the pain. Abathur put the piece of flesh into his mouth and consumed it.

    ¡°Human genes¡­.weak...no psionic potential...add zerg mutations¡­add carapace...add claws... grant additional strength, mending, protection...keep intelligence...¡± Abathur said slowly as he processed the genes in Jean¡¯s flesh.

    Jean frowned as she processed the image of her with claws and carapace...oh, and naked. ¡°Is there a way to keep the mutations hidden normally and allow me to change into the zerg form whenever I need to?¡± She demanded. In reality she didn¡¯t mind being a zerg monster or being naked. She was simply aware that having claws and armor all the time didn¡¯t really help her to fit in during further missions.

    Jean had been thinking ahead. She knew her journey wouldn¡¯t end with this universe. Eventually she would go to other worlds and complete other missions she was given, and she knew she wouldn¡¯t be successful all the time. There would be a while when her tactics couldn¡¯t save her. Sure, she still had the Warden forces and ships in her watch, but chances were they might not be enough in certain situations. She needed to use every chance she had to make herself stronger and increase her chances in the future. This was why she was on the zerg leviathan instead of in the safety of the Beetle. The zerg were masters in biotechnology, and with any luck she could use them to strengthen her currently vulnerable human body. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Everything, including the betrayal of Kerrigan, was part of her plan. She didn¡¯t get surprised. No one, not even the queen of blades, could capture her if she wanted to hide.

    Abathur thought about it for a while. ¡°Possible...need mass energy...switch between forms...human form normally...switch zerg form ...mutation of certain genes...costly...inefficient...Unnecessary..¡±

    ¡°But possible.¡± Jean persisted.

    ¡°Why...terran cover?¡± Abathur asked straight to the point. He was right. Why would the swarm bother keeping Jean¡¯s human form if all they needed was Jean¡¯s mindset? Jean was a captive, not a customer. A zerg that looked like a zerg could think just like a zerg that looked like a terran. Why would the zerg spend extra energy to satisfy the demand of a captive?

    Jean was prepared for this. ¡°I might need to contact my allies, and if I¡¯m infected they will notice something was wrong.¡±

    ¡°You...odd¡­¡± Abathur mummered. ¡°You...want...infection...why¡­others...despise infection...¡± Usually the swarm needed to use force to apprehend and infect terran. The level of welcome this particular girl demonstrated was odd and suspicious.

    ¡°Well, I am going to be infected anyways¡­¡± Jean said with a desperate and hopeless tone, as if she had already given up on everything. ¡°The least I can do is keep my pretty look and wear clothes all the time.¡± Abathur thought about it, but he was a zerg genetic engineer, not a terran psychologist. Logically speaking it made sense.

    ¡°I..report to...queen...decision.¡± The scientist said quietly. ¡°For now...stay¡­here...¡± He crawled away, leaving Jean in the chamber alone.

    <hr>

    For the next hours Jean stayed in the evolution chamber and did practically nothing. The waiting ended when a broodmother came to the evolution chamber and summoned Jean to Kerrigan.

    Jean found Kerrigan in what acted as the bridge of the Leviathan. The queen of blades was there alone. Jean started to understand why Kerrigan wanted her to join the swarm even though she killed Raynor. The swarm lacked legit commanders. Most of the zerg units couldn¡¯t really think and were more weapons than individuals. The broodmothers and special units like Abathur could think individually, but their commanding skills were troubling. Usually they would just use the overwhelming number of the swarm to conquer any enemies, but the Golden Armada was one enemy the swarm couldn¡¯t overwhelm. In this case Kerrigan needed advisers like Jean.

    ¡°The swarm will be moving against the Golden Armada soon, but I need you to have psionic abilities first to be able to command zerg units.¡± Kerrigan flicked her fingers. A strange sense of beauty shined from the queen. ¡°Abathur told me your advices of infection. I allow your plan.¡± She grinned at how Jean¡¯s seemingly weak and emotional plea. To the queen of blades Jean¡¯s plea of maintaining her original form and wearing clothes was laughable. Still the girl made a good point. Kerrigan still wanted to use Jean¡¯s connections, and a fully infected Jean Turner with tentacles out of her mouth would be an obvious giveaway.

    ¡°Very well, my queen.¡± Jean perfectly played the role of a scared girl as she spoke quietly.

    Kerrigan smirked and led Jean to a spawning pool. There, Jean stripped and jumped into the pool. She closed her eyes and allowed her entire body to sink into the liquid.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 38: Kerrigans demon

    The transformation process wasn¡¯t a comfortable one. Jean found that out the hard way.

    Jean¡¯s entire body from head to toe was merged into the liquid of the spawning pool. The liquid was modified to prevent Jean from dying by suffocation.

    As soon as Jean was inside, Kerrigan made a grin and psionically gave out an order. The mutation process officially began.

    Jean keenly felt the water around her getting warmer and warmer, as if the spawning pool was set on fire. Her body subconsciously twisted and resisted as she felt like her body started to burn. Jean forced her eyes, which were also burning, open, and found black sparkles were up and down on her naked body. She thought it was likely a normal process in a transformation and closed her eyes.

    Outside the spawning pool, both Kerrigan and Abathur were waiting and staring at the transforming body.

    ¡°This process...risky for subject¡­¡± Abathur advised quietly. ¡°potential...mental damage¡­unpredictable...¡±

    ¡°Yes, but it is a risk I am willing to take.¡± Kerrigan responded coldly and not caring. ¡°I have lived in fear for too long.¡± Abathur understood Kerrigan¡¯s seemingly confusing words.

    The world thought Tassadar was the end of the Overmind. Kerrigan knew better. She could still remember what happened on the exact day the zerg leader fell.

    She had just completed the transformation from the Dominion ghost to the Zerg queen of blades. With increased psionic power and physical strength, she felt invincible. The only creature she knew she might not win against was the Overmind, her father. Apart from the Overmind, she felt invincible. And then she realized how wrong she was.

    The fool Tassadar slammed his ship into the Overmind, but the zerg leader survived the blast. Sure, he had a few injuries, half of his body was gone, but it was nothing the zerg mending abilities couldn¡¯t fix. It wasn¡¯t that easy to kill one of the strongest creatures in the sector.

    And then he came.

    He came out of nowhere and appeared right in the middle of the swarm. He wore something that looked like an ancient armor. He was obviously a foe. The best of the swarm. Ultralisks. Guardians. Hunter killers. Zerg units with the best strain in the entire sector made a move on the man.

    The man casually tapped something on his armored wrist and held out his right arm, and a black lance appeared out of nowhere and straight into his grip. His face was covered by a black mask, which, somehow, prevented the queen of blades from sensing anything from the man. It was strange. Blocking the psionic senses was much more difficult than blocking the visual sight. A piece of wood could do the later. Kerrigan suddenly had a bad feeling about this, but she hid the feeling. After all, what could go wrong? The man had a freaking lance, and his enemy was a race that was known for their pure physical strength. Under Kerrigan¡¯s mocking eyes, the man flipped his lance and strolled forward into the sea of zerg. It was one man against an army. The result was....surprising.

    Melee zerg units like Ultralisks and zerglings charged forward, willing to give up their lives to crush any enemy of the overmind. Thousands of hunter killers, elite hydralisks, created a forest of death with their spines, but the man¡¯s seemingly decorative armor flashed, and all the spines simply bounced off one feet before reaching the man without making a dent. An attack that could wipe out an entire protoss legion was deflected with ease. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The melee units weren¡¯t concerned with the power the man showed. Instead they bravely and selflessly launched themselves toward the man, trying to use their numbers to overwhelm their foe. However, the man merely moved his lance slightly, and it was as if the zerglings offered themselves up and smashed into the tip of the lance. The carapace that could stand against dozens of gauss rifles without breaking immediately was cut apart like they were hot butter. None of the zerglings even got close enough to the man to do real damage.

    The Ultralisks followed their smaller comrades and smashed their tons of weight toward the man, but the armored man was as cold and confident as ever. One strike. All the man did was making one stab with his lance, and all the Ultralisks that made contact with the tip of the lance collapsed and died. If someone dissected the bodies they would find out that the randomly positioned organs that were aimed at keeping the Ultralisks alive longer were precisely taken out as if the man knew where the organs were.

    Ten minutes later the man casually walked toward the Overmind. The best of the swarm charged at him fearlessly, but the man was an invincible foe. A thousand Ultralisks attacked. A thousand Ultralisks died. The man didn¡¯t even pause for a millisecond as he brushed off the guardian acid spores just like the hydralisk spines.

    And just like that, when the man was up to the Overmind, the surrounding was covered with rotten flesh and dead bodies, and the last hunter killer collapsed a second ago due to a wound in the neck. The man had no sign of accomplishment as if he just did stomped some ants on the ground. Kerrigan was beside the Overmind. She was the only one living except for the man and the Overmind. She keenly noticed something. The other zerg units died because they made a move attacked the man. She didn¡¯t attack, and the man just ignored her.

    Kerrigan didn¡¯t know if she should feel lucky or ashamed, but she lived, and that was all that mattered.

    ¡°You know too much.¡± The man shook his lance, and all the blood from the dead zerg fell off. He looked at the Overmind and said in a foreign language, but Kerrigan somehow understood the meaning.

    The Overmind made no reply. He was too intelligent to keep any more hope. Any resistance was futile. Mercy was impossible. What he knew was unacceptable to the one that sent this man. The next thing Kerrigan knew the Overmind, one of the strongest beings in the sector, was dead and the man was gone, leaving her alone in the field of the massacre.

    For the following years Kerrigan rose to power. She was known by the world as a butcher and a queen, but no one knew her deepest fear. Kerrigan took down the UED. She took down the protoss by a cruel betrayal. She controlled the majority of the zerg swarm and she was the ultimate winner of the Brood War, but the more she learned about the zerg the more she feared the man and his mysterious power.

    Later Kerrigan took on the corrupted Xel¡¯naga, Amon. Amon wasn¡¯t exactly the man she saw years ago and feared ever since, but he was also a formidable enemy. The queen used everything she could to gain an upper hand, but she knew very well even with the swarm she was no match for the xel¡¯naga and whatever trick he had prepared in the thousands of years of his existence. She would be crushed by Amon just like the Overmind was crushed by the man.

    The girl, Jean Turner, showed Kerrigan a signal of hope. Jean was smart. Very smart. Of course, she still made some mistakes that led to his capture, but Kerrigan analyzed everything Jean did in the past, including the war on the tal¡¯darim and the war on the Dominion, and realized the girl¡¯s tactical mind was impressive. She was a miracle maker. If the girl could grab a piece of artifact defended by a tal¡¯darim fortress with a small group of terran Raiders, then what could she do with the might of the swarm behind her back?

    Watching Jean, Kerrigan¡¯s mind was years away from the spawning pool.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 39: Metamorphosis complete

    Jean¡¯s fingernails digged into her palms as every single part of her body continued to burn. The zerg virus slit past her skin and sank into her bones. Jean let out a sharp and calculated scream that was designed to express her pain. For a second she thought of unleashing the Warden forces in the ship and end the metamorphosis by force, but her logic forced her to give up that idea.

    She had spent too much to get this valuable opportunity. If she fell back now, she would not only be hunted by the swarm and potentially die but also lose a chance to be much stronger than she was before. She had no idea what opposition she might need to face in the future, and that wasn¡¯t good. She needed to be as powerful as possible...no matter what the price was.

    Jean had already lost her count of time when she heard the sound of her bones cracking and felt as if her mind exploded. The endless waves of pain had already numbed her senses, but the horrifying sound and the sudden comfort woke her up. Jean opened her eyes and saw the organic liquid in the spawning pool had already turned from green to translucent as if its essence was drained. In contrast to the depressing nature of the spawning pool, Jean herself felt full of strength, as if there was nothing in the world that could stop her. Kerrigan couldn¡¯t. Amon couldn¡¯t. The one that sent her here couldn¡¯t. But her logic side told her it was a hallucination caused by her sudden increase of power. In reality a single Kerrigan could kill her. Re-entering the concealed and logical state, Jean stood up in the spawning pool and looked down on her body. What she saw not very visually pleasant.

    Her pale skin was now covered in a thick layer of specialized blue carapace similar to that on Kerrigan. The carapace was modified to include minimal weight and provide maximum protection. Her back was bare, unlike Kerrigan. She looked down on her hands and saw that her long fingers were turned into long, dangerous claws. The wound in her palms that her fingernails created during the transformation was gone due to the mending ability she gained. Her entire body radiated with strength, but in exchange she had lost the beauty she had in terran form, not that Jean cared. Having a pretty face couldn¡¯t save her from enemies. Having a powerful zerg body could. Plus, she could always transform back.

    ¡°Congrats.¡± In front of the spawning pool Kerrigan said with a smile that would only make normal people scared. ¡°Your transformation is successful. You are now a zerg.¡± Jean nodded and walked out of the spawning pool and revealed her body to the queen. Kerrigan looked at Jean like she was looking at a piece of art. It was creepy to human standards, but neither of the two female was really human, and Jean replied Kerrigan¡¯s glare with her own glare.

    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± The queen of blades ordered. Jean obeyed with no fear. If Kerrigan wanted her dead she wouldn¡¯t need to trick her.

    ¡°Reach out into the surrounding with your mind.¡± Jean heard Kerrigan¡¯s voice and understood what she was trying to do. All zerg units had psi abilities, and a special unit like her usually had a very powerful psi ability. Jean needed to be in control of her psi power to help Jean and lead the zerg. The girl reached out into her mind, and realized she could sense the surrounding without using her eyes. She sensed there were two other figures in the chamber. One of them gave off a weaker psi signal, but his signal was zerg specified. That was Abathur. The other one gave off an incredibly strong psionic signal and made Jean felt threatened. This one was Kerrigan.

    Jean also noticed Kerrigan giving off a psionic order, and another figure walked into the chamber.

    ¡°What unit did I summon?¡± Kerrigan tested.

    ¡°A hydralisk.¡± Jean replied confidently. She could sense the psionic signal of a hydralisk in the room.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Good, now try to control it.¡± Kerrigan ordered as she gave up the control on hydralisk.

    The zerg command structure was fairly complicated. Even the Overmind couldn¡¯t afford to use psionic energy to control every zerg unit in the sector. Sure, he was powerful, but even he couldn¡¯t control billions of zerg. The amount of psi energy needed for one single unit was neglectable, but the amount of zerg was just too many. That was why the Overmind needed cerebrates to aid him in commanding the swarm. The cerebates, in turn, relied on queens and overlords to control the basic zerg units. In this case all the Overmind needed to control were the cerebrates, which made the job much easier.

    Of course, no real leaders would risk trusting all his army to his or her underlings, even if these underlings were created by the leader and were genetically programmed to obey the leader. The Overmind had his own elite brood that he had direct psionic control over in case of rebellions.

    This leadership style was passed on to Kerrigan¡¯s swarm. Kerrigan relied on other Broodmothers and queens to control her gigantic sized forces, but she also had her own Leviathan and elite zerg units that she had direct command over. The leviathan Jean was on now was Kerrigan¡¯s own ship.

    Another thing was zerg units that had no psionic command would become feral. Feral zergs were aggressive and hostile to other creatures. Feral zerg could be controlled again psionically. The hydralisk, for example, was a member of the swarm before Kerrigan let go of her control. Now it was feral.

    Jean tried to make a connection with the hydralisk and order it to obey her command, but the hydralisk became much more aggressive as it was no longer commanded by a higher power. Powered by a natural need to consume, it growled and suddenly charged toward Jean with its claws high. Jean did the only thing she could without breaking her cover. She held out her right arm in an effort to stop the claws.

    The claw that could tear open the standard CMC armor of a marine in one strike smashed into the arm carapace...and didn¡¯t even make a single dent. Jean¡¯s eyes were still closed, but it didn¡¯t stop her from grabbing onto the hydralisk¡¯s claws and tossed it against the wall of the evolution chamber. The 2 meter tall living weapon was strong, but it was easily tossed into the wall. The hydralisk survived, thanks to its advanced carapace.

    ¡°Control it.¡± Kerrigan urged. If Jean couldn¡¯t control the zerg units then she would be very useless to Kerrigan. The Swarm didn¡¯t need another fighter. Instead, it needed a commander. ¡°Make the minion realize it¡¯s obedience or death.¡±

    The feral hydralisk stood back and launched a needle spine toward Jean. Its 4000 or so muscles launched the projectile at Jean, but Jean subconsciously held her palm out, and the needle spine stopped right in front of Jean¡¯s hand. Behind the girl¡¯s eyelids, her eyes were radiating blue from the use of psionic energy. Before the hydralisk could do anything else Jean dropped the spine, focused her energy on her legs, and pushed herself toward the hydralisk. Her hand went up to the hydralisk¡¯s neck and held it in place while her mind focused her psionic energy into the hydralisk. After a few seconds the hydralisk sent out a signal of obedience. Jean let go of the beast, and the hydralisk stood by instead of attacking her.

    Jean ordered the hydralisk to take a few steps forward. It did. Like a girl that got a new doll, the new zerg creature ordered the zerg killing machine to go back and forth as if she was having fun.

    ¡°Violence is not the best way to demand loyalty,¡± Kerrigan, who had been silent during the entire process, finally spoke. ¡°but sometimes it is necessary.¡± Kerrigan had been killing cerebrates and queens that disobeyed her since she became the queen of blades. ¡°You need more practice to properly command an army.¡± Kerrigan concluded, and Jean nodded.

    ¡°Try...terran...phase.¡± Abathur, who had been quiet the entire time, suggested.

    Jean nodded and tried to shift her body. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the carapace on her body started to turn into the skin she had as a terran. Her hair returned to normal from the snake like fashion. Her claws disappeared and fingers took their place. In less than a minute she was back to the vulnerable terran lieutenant in figure, but what was underneath her skin was completely different.

    Deep down, she was a monster.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 40: Tactics

    ¡°So, how does my transformation actually work?¡± Jean asked Abathur. The two were in the evolution chamber, and Jean had just put another Ultralisk under her command. She had been practicing this for quite a while. The girl was in her terran form and was wearing the specialized suit that she took off before going into the spawning pool. ¡°How am I able to shift between my terran body and my zerg body?¡±

    Abathur casually ate a larvae. ¡°Terran phase...carapace under skin...hide zerg characteristics...zerg phase...carapace emergy...psi level identical¡­¡±

    Jean nodded in satisfaction. If the zerg carapace was under her skin then she didn¡¯t need to be afraid of being sniped by surprise. The pain and suffering she went through was worth it.

    Suddenly she received a psionic command from her queen, and Jean obediently stood up and head straight toward the bridge of the leviathan.

    All the zerg units moved to the side and made a way for Jean as she walked through the hallway of the Leviathan. The purple creep made her much faster as she moved now that she was a zerg. She entered the leviathan bridge with radiating confidence.

    The bridge was somewhat crowded. Apart from Kerrigan, there were dozens of broodmothers. Broodmothers were commanders of the zerg forces. They looked like queens, but were of a higher rank. Broodmothers answered directly to the queen of blades and were to Kerrigan like the cerebrates were to the Overmind.

    ¡°Jean.¡± Kerrigan noticed Jean¡¯s presence instantly. The broodmothers turned to Jean in curiosity. For a moment they didn¡¯t realize it, but that curiosity quickly turned to anger as they saw Jean was a terran, or at least she seemed like a terran.

    ¡°Why is a terran here?¡± One of the broodmothers asked in fury. It took all she had to not rip the terran open with her claws. Jean wanted to shift into zerg mode, but a hidden order from Kerrigan made her give up that choice. She simply remained in terran mode went to the side, ignoring the broodmother. The broodmothers growled in anger for Jean¡¯s lack of respect.

    ¡°Jean here¡­¡± Kerrigan explained after a few seconds of tense situation. She was secretly glad how the broodmothers despised Jean. She knew Jean¡¯s way of thinking and she knew what Jean did to the last group of people that trusted her. The Raiders trusted Jean, and she used that trust to develop means and eventually terminated all the Raiders. Kerrigan learned from the Raider¡¯s mistakes and knew not to trust Jean from the very beginning. Furthermore, she didn¡¯t want her underlings to trust Jean. A zerg would never trust a terran. Kerrigan made Jean a zerg so Jean could help her, but she needed to do everything she could to keep Jean loyal to her. She would not allow what happened to the Raiders to happen to her and the swarm. Now Jean was isolated in the swarm. Every broodmother would keep an eye on her.

    Kerrigan was known for her abilities to trick others, but she had no intention of being the tricked one.

    ¡°Jean here is my new adviser. Sure, she is a terran, but she is the smartest commander I know.¡± Kerrigan said casually. The broodmothers groaned in fury. There were dozens of broodmothers here in this leviathan, but their queen needed to turn to a terran for advises. It meant the broodmothers were seen as incapable, which pissed the zerg off. None of the broodmothers dared to question Kerrigan, so they directed their anger to Jean. Granted they would never do anything to sabotage the swarm, but that didn¡¯t mean the broodmothers wouldn¡¯t make Jean¡¯s life as tough as possible. That was exactly what Kerrigan wanted.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Our enemy will be the Golden Armada.¡± Kerrigan announced. ¡°We have 25 leviathans in total. Each of them carry their own share of corrupters and mutalisks.¡± Jean noticed there were 17 broodmothers in the bridge. Each of them had at least one leviathan and countless other units. All the broodmothers here were the powerful ones. Usually they had their own planets and their own enemies, but now that their queen summoned them they converged and formed the zerg fleet.

    ¡°The Golden Armada consists of both Aiur and Nerazim ships, including motherships, carriers, tempests, void rays, phoenixes, and scouts. The exact numbers are unknown, but it is certain that there will too much protoss for the swarm to attack and win.¡± Kerrigan said matter of factly.

    ¡°My queen, the swarm is unstoppable. Under your command we can crush the protoss!¡± One of the broodmothers said loudly. Jean noticed she was the broodmother that first complained about her presence.

    Kerrigan seemed entertained by the flatter, but deep down she knew better. ¡°I¡¯m flattered, Zagara, but this is a fight that takes careful plannings...and my new adviser have came up with an...interesting plan. Jean.¡± Kerrigan nodded and Jean, and the girl nodded in acknowledgement and took a few steps forward into the center of the bridge. The broodmothers looked at her challengingly.

    ¡°It is clear that the swarm can not win against the Golden Armada.¡± Jean didn¡¯t even bother to be polite. She saw what Kerrigan was trying to do and she knew it was in her own best interest to let the queen get what she wanted.

    ¡°But the swarm has one advantage the protoss can not match.¡± Jean continued. ¡°In order for a protoss fleet to be 100% efficient, they have to have a steady energy supply. Protoss need energy to do everything. Fire their weapons. Use their plasma shields. Warp in or out of places. If we can get the protoss constantly on the move, then we can eventually weaken the Golden Armada to a degree that the swarm can defeat them with acceptable losses.¡±

    ¡°How exactly are we going to do that?¡± Zagara challenged with a hissing voice.

    ¡°Make the leviathans mutate more warping organs to make sure our ships can outrun the enemies. Locate planets that are essential to the protoss. Separate our fleet into different portions and hit different areas.¡± Jean suggested.

    ¡°We can send one or two leviathans toward a protoss planet and start assaulting it with cheap ground forces. The protoss need to save those planets, whether it was to save their resources and their infrastructures or to save their people. When the protoss fleet, whether it is a small portion of the Golden Armada or the entire fleet, arrives, the leviathan can just abandon the ground forces and warp away. Meanwhile other leviathans will strike other protoss planets to keep the Golden Armada moving.¡± She said casually when mentioning abandoning the ground forces. None of the broodmothers objected. To them all zerg units were expendable.

    Zagara thought about it, trying to find out a weakness in the plan, but she couldn¡¯t. The plan was actually pretty good. Well, at least it was better than going into a fair fight with a semi invincible foe.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Kerrigan concluded. ¡°Abathur will develop the mutation necessary. As soon as all the leviathans are mutated, the attack will begin. Jean stay here.¡± The broodmothers exited the bridge, leaving the chamber to just Jean and Kerrigan.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 41: Still tactics

    The bridge of the leviathan was quiet. Only Jean and Kerrigan were there.

    ¡°Do you still have contact with your allies?¡± Kerrigan questioned. One of the reasons she needed Jean to help her was because Jean had many allies. These allies could be helpful in the war against Amon.

    ¡°Yes my queen. I have contact with executor Nyon of the tal¡¯darim, commander Liam of Deadman¡¯s port, and Arcturus Mengsk of the Terran Dominion.¡± Jean noticed Kerrigan¡¯s face twisting for a bit when she mentioned Mengsk, but the queen concealed her anger. She was past the part where she would get emotional every time someone mentioned Mengsk.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Kerrigan completemented. ¡°How did you convince them? Mengsk is not a trusting one.¡±

    ¡°I made them a deal.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Unfortunately we are allies, which means I can''t give them orders.¡± Of course that was only half true. Liam was Jean¡¯s underling and Nyon obeyed Jean¡¯s AI. Mengsk might not be a friend, but Jean knew he would trust her in terms of fighting Amon. Still, if Kerrigan knew that her suspicion would only grow. Jean needed the swarm against Amon, not against herself.

    Kerrigan thought about it as she slid her long claws down her cheek, making an ear piercing screech. ¡°In that case, contact your person in the tal¡¯darim. A conflict between the Golden Armada and the Death Fleet will distract the Daleem.¡±

    ¡°Very well, my queen.¡± Jean agreed.¡±Now, if there is nothing else¡­¡± Kerrigan waved her hand, and Jean exited the bridge.

    <hr>

    Jean¡¯s chamber was similar to Kerrigan¡¯s chamber in that other zerg units didn¡¯t need a place to stay and rest. Usually normal zerg units just burrowed underground when they were not needed. Technically neither Jean nor Kerrigan needed a place to rest, but as commanders they had the luxury of having some privacy.

    Jean walked into her chamber and gave out a psionic order. Then, with no obvious response, she sat down on the purple creep with her legs crossed and closed her eyes. She wasn¡¯t about to waste any fragment of time. It was efficient.

    A few minutes later a few zerglings dragged in a functioning terran computer. Their claws were carefully curved to prevent them from damaging the computer. As an ex terran Kerrigan had some captured terran gadgets on her ship. What happened to the former owners of the device was obvious, but that wasn¡¯t Jean¡¯s concern. She opened her eyes and started hacking into the computer device.

    Of course, Jean had dozens of computer devices in her watch that could complete her task, but Jean knew very well Kerrigan had eyes and ears everywhere, and she wasn¡¯t planning on showing her best card before one of her potential enemies. She had to put up an act.

    The firewall stopped Jean for a few minutes as Jean lacked her usual computer chip, but the girl had something better. Her mind was enhanced by the psionic developments, which allowed her to think and act much faster. A few minutes later Jean was opening up a transmission to a certain tal¡¯darim.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Executor Nyon.¡± Jean said formerly and politely. the background was modified to make it look like she was on her ship.

    ¡°Commander Turner.¡± Nyon replied with a typical tal¡¯darim smirk. He showed few respect. ¡°You better have something important to say. I am...occupied.¡±

    ¡°I need you to start a war between the Death Fleet and the Golden Armada.¡± Jean said openly.

    ¡°I am at war with the Golden Armada.¡± Nyon replied casually.

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Jean replied. ¡°I need you to spark a total war between the tal¡¯darim and the daleem.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Nyon hummed slowly. ¡°What can I get?¡± He asked, not even pretending. ¡°The Golden Armada is not an easy foe.¡±

    ¡°Defeating the Golden Armada will make you the hero of your world. Think of what you can do with that reputation.¡± Jean lured. ¡°You can be the Highlord.¡±

    ¡°...I will see what I can do.¡± Nyon thought about the advantages and disadvantages for a while. ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Nyon turned off the comm without any politeness.

    Meanwhile, in Kerrigan¡¯s chamber, the queen of blades opened her eyes in satisfaction. She had been connecting to the zerglings that brought Jean the computer. Either accidently or planned Jean never ordered the zerglings to depart. Through the zerglings Kerrigan saw the conversation between Jean and Nyon. The girl seemed to be telling the truth. Good.

    Meanwhile, across the sector, a small tal¡¯darim fleet was in the space. It contained one carrier and three destroyers. It wasn¡¯t invincible, but nor was it insignificant.

    ¡°How did I do?¡± Nyon turned off the communication and turned to a terran device he put on a cabin. He was the only one in the bridge. The other tal¡¯darim units were either on other ships or in the back of the carrier.

    ¡°Not bad.¡± The device shined and constructed the hologram of a girl with blonde hair and wearing a uniform.

    ¡°Why is she doing this? Why bother? I don¡¯t need a reason to strike the Daleem.¡± Nyon asked curiously. He put up the act because Assistant told him to do so, and he trusted the Assistant...for now. The device had never betrayed him. Instead, it had helped him accomplish the impossible. He was merely curious.

    ¡°The Golden Armada is too powerful for your fraction to take down along. The Death Fleet might be able to win, but that would defeat the purpose.¡± Assistant explained. ¡°You can only be the hero in your people¡¯s mind if you win an impossible battle.¡±

    ¡°Defeating a fleet with another fleet is not impressive. Defeating a fleet with a few ships is a miracle, but I need the act to make that happen. I promised to make you to Highlord of the tal¡¯darim, and in order to do that you need to be seen as a hero and a leader. Plus, the Golden Armada is a force that must be defeated.¡±

    Nyon frowned in awe. Now that Assistant explained everything he started to feel bad for Ma¡¯lash, but just a bit. If...no, when he returned to Slayn with a victory against the Golden Armada with a few ships, his people will value him even stronger than Ma¡¯lash. Even Ma¡¯lash never accomplished such a crushing victory. Countless will swear their allegience for him in the duel. His own forces will grow after the victory. He can crush Ma¡¯lash.

    He didn¡¯t even doubt whether or not he could win this war. He trusted the Assistant. In fact, he relied on the Assistant. Lucky for him Jean needed a puppet in the Death Fleet, or else Nyon¡¯s body would be floating in a container in Jean¡¯s watch. The last person that trusted Jean without any question got killed in his own ship.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 42: Plan in action

    Shakurus

    Ever since the fall of Aiur the survivors of the protoss have converged to this planet, joining their Nerazim brethrens. From those survivors the Golden Armada was created.

    The Golden Armada was created by Artanis after the fall of Aiur with the purpose of one day retaking the planet. Currently located on Shakurus, the armada combined the technology and manpower of both the Daelaam and the Nerazim. Motherships acted as flagships that held the protoss commanders and held the majority of the ground forces. The armada had up to 500 capital ships alone, including motherships, carriers, and tempests. The amount of smaller ships like void rays, phoenixes, and scouts was numerous.

    It was safe to say the Golden Armada was what kept the Daeleem race from extinction.

    In the haul of one the motherships above Shakurus, a light beam dropped down from the ceiling, and a slant figure started to solidify. In merely a few seconds the warping was complete. It was a female protoss. She was fully armed and armored. Her advanced armor showed that she wasn¡¯t just a casual zeolet but was instead an executor.

    ¡°Where is the hierarch?¡± The protoss, high executor Selendis, asked one of the zeolets guarding the warp zone.

    ¡°Hierarch Artanis is in his chamber.¡± The zeolet recognized the templer and replied politely. Selenis nodded and continued on walking. She moved past a hallway, which was guarded by 20 heavily armed and armored zeolets, and entered a chamber. There, she met the one she came for.

    ¡°Hierarch Artanis¡± Selendis said with respect. The hierarch was worth the respect. When others have fallen he rallied the remaining protoss together and fended off the zerg. Every Daeleem knew the leader was willing to do anything to take back Aiur.

    ¡°Selendis.¡± Artanis was looking out the window. He turned around when his assistant entered. ¡°I can sense your anger.¡± He said peacefully.

    ¡°The swarm have attacked several outposts. Casualties are high.¡± Selendis said with some anger. The protoss race once dominated the stars, but after the Overmind and the fall of Aiur the amount of Daeleem protoss was dwindling fast. Elite warriors were rare and precious. Protoss members needed centuries to grow before they could fight in combat. Sure, the outposts held some resources and represented some strategic value, but that wasn¡¯t what made Selendis angry. What really angered her was the loss of protoss life.

    Artanis frowned. ¡°The swarm have not attacked for years.¡± After the brood war Kerrigan pulled her forces back to the zerg planets and left the other forces untouched. Both sides knew a war wouldn¡¯t benefit either side. In a serious war the Golden Armada would win, but not without serious losses against the overwhelming zerg numbers. Why would Kerrigan break this peace now?The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°The survivors said in all the cases of attack a leviathan entered warp space and unleashed hundreds of drop pods. The zerg easily overwhelmed the outpost and slaughtered most of the warriors with their overwhelming numbers.¡± Selenis explained. Some protoss survived thanks to their emergency warping system.

    Artanis considered his options. Such an attack couldn¡¯t go unchecked. The warriors couldn¡¯t die in vain. Still, it could be a trap. As far as he knew there might be two dozen leviathans behind the other side waiting for the small fleet he would send. ¡°Send 3 carriers to every outpost and prepare the Armada. Tell the templar to direct all power to the shields and call in the armada if anything goes wrong. We can¡¯t afford to lose them.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, hierarch.¡± Selendis obeyed and exited the chamber. Artanis continued to look out the window, doubting what would happen to his race.

    <hr>

    Jean stood in the bridge as Kerrigan¡¯s leviathan warped on top of another planet that held an outpost. A few hours ago they had just destroyed another protoss base. The Daeleem put up a good fight against all odds, but there was just too many zerg. The casualties of the zerg was three times that of the protoss, but even so the zerg was the final winner. A zerg unit could turn from a larvae to a combatant in a few hours. The protoss needed centuries. If there were more trades like this then the Daeleem would be erased from the sector.

    Kerrigan looked down on the surface of the planet as waves of drop pods were thrown down from the leviathan. The zerg capital ship carried dozens of hatcheries within that could constantly produce all kinds of zerg units as long as there was enough resource. Obviously the queen didn¡¯t lack minerals and vespine gases, which meant there was practically limitless zerg units. Those permanently sent down to the planet below to either fight to death or bury underground and wait for further notice were merely a portion of the overall zerg units onboard.

    But this time the zerg didn¡¯t efficiently and explicitly overwhelm the protoss base. Instead, they grouped up and waited. Jean looked at Kerrigan. There was only one person that could command the zerg forces to hold their ground. Kerrigan glanced back at Jean.

    ¡°You have the best zerg essence in you, and with this essence you have high potentials,¡± The queen of blades said slowly. ¡°but you need more practice to efficiently use that power.¡± She gestured for the ground below.

    ¡°Now is your chance.¡± Kerrigan said as if it was a suggestion, but Jean knew she didn¡¯t have a choice. Kerrigan was a queen for a reason. She wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.

    Still, the girl wasn¡¯t bothered. Instead, she was more than happy to have a chance to enhence herself. But before she could enjoy herself she needed to make sure nothing went wrong. ¡°I am more than happy to crush those protoss, but is it the best way? The Golden Armada can be heart any second.¡± Previously all that was sent down to the planet were expendable zerg units. Jean was fine with sacrificing them, but she wasn¡¯t fine with being sacrificed.

    Kerrigan grinned. ¡°Your caution is foolish and unnecessary.¡± Jean frowned. Kerrigan was being oddly insistent on her going down to the surface, but Jean knew she didn¡¯t have a choice. The queen would take no further questions, and so she nodded in agreement and walked away from the bridge.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 43: Combat

    Jean looked around as she was in a zerg drop pod waiting to be tossed down to the planet below. A few seconds later the drop pod was thrown out of the leviathan and down to the surface below.

    Normally a crash like this would turn the internal organs of any living thing into jelly, but the drop pod was designed to make those they carried survive. Tiny zerg organisms were within the drop pod to diffuse the impact. Jean learned about that when she smashed into a wall of soft jelly and was unharmed.

    Wiping some unknown liquid off her face, she stood up and exited what was left of the drop pod.

    A queen was outside the drop pod. She was one of the lower queens and lead the assault on the base.

    ¡°Jean.¡± She said with a deep voice. Her name was queen, but she had no characteristic of being female. She knew why Jean was here, still she made no effort to show Jean any respect. The girl had no rank among the swarm. Due to the mission the queen knew Jean was a zerg, but that didn¡¯t earn Jean respect. ¡°You should act quickly.¡± She urged.

    Jean nodded and held her hands into fists. A few seconds later a layer of carapace emerged, replacing her skin. Her fingers turned to claws. Her eyes turned blue. Her suit was still on her, and the terran technology and the zerg body forming a strange sight. Jean painfully growled and walked slowly toward the protoss establishment.

    The protoss saw the zerg approaching a distance away. The base was an outpost, and was held by a small group of protoss. They stood no chance, but the protoss warriors were willing to fight until the end, or rather until they were so injured that their emergency warping system had to kick in and bring them back to safety.

    Technically the protoss forces could just abandon the settlement and warp away, but Artanis gave no such order, and the forces on the ground did no such thing. Sure, evacuating could save dozens, perhaps even hundreds of warriors, but it would also ruin the will inside the protoss. If they could flee once, then they could flee twice. Artanis knew if he gave that order then the zeoletry and sense of honor in his warriors¡¯ heart would fade away. This sense of honor was what kept the survivors through the pain of losing their home and kept them strong against enemies from all sides.

    If the warriors lose their hearts, then all hope of the Daeleem would be gone.

    The templar leading the defenses tried his best. An immortal was positioned in the back while 20 zealots lined up in the front as the templar knew very well the damage dealing unit should be well protected. 2 sentries stood behind the zealot wall and around the immortal. The high templar stood in front of the zealots. Two psionic blades were attached to his wrists. The fact that high templar chose to use psi power to fight didn¡¯t mean they lost the ability to use psi blades. All templar started with being zealots. This high templar was no different. 2 photon cannons were on the side, standing tall. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    They only had one enemy, and now this enemy was walking past the zerg that surrounded the outpost and walking toward them.

    Jean glanced at the protoss formation and silently reached inside her body. A few seconds later two blades made up of strengthened bones replaced the claws Jean had. The girl knew very well she could use blades better than claws thanks to her experience with the plasma blade she had. After she had a handy weapon, Jean looked at the protoss in consideration.

    ¡°For Aiur!¡± The high templar screamed and bravely charged toward Jean. Unlike most terran commanders protoss commanders usually fought alongside their warriors. The zeolets followed as their body temporarily turned to energy form.

    Jean tilted her head and dodged two shots from the photon cannon. This was something she couldn¡¯t do with the computer chip. First of all the computer could barely respond quick enough. Second even if it did Jean¡¯s body couldn¡¯t move that quickly, but now with the zerg mutation Jean could easily do that, not that she needed to dodge. A third round hit her in the chest, but all it did was rip open Jean¡¯s suit. The shot barely penetrated her chest carapace, and whatever damage it did was instantly healed. Next came the zealots.

    Jean turned her right blade around just in time to block a blaring blue psi blade with her own bone blade. The psi blade, able to rip through metal with little effort, was halted by the peak of zerg technology. Jean used her left leg to support her body while kicking the zealot in the chest with her raised right ankle. The bump should be harmless, except Jean just mutated another bone blade along her calves beforehand for situations like this. The blade, powered by Jean¡¯s mutated leg muscle, smashed through the plasma shield with pure strength and went deep inside the zealot. With his chest penetrated, the emergency warping system acted. However, Jean was never a merciful girl. She quickly slashed down with her right blade and decapitated the defenseless protoss before he could escape. As the protoss lost all life, his body faded into the air in a sea of sparkles.

    The process seemed complicated, but it was hardly a second from Jean blocking the zeolet¡¯s attack to Jean killing the zealot. Still the other 19 zealots and 1 templar were upon Jean.

    Unfortunately the two sides weren¡¯t on the same page. Jean¡¯s blades, and even punches and kicks, could easily break through the defenses of the protoss while the psi blades could barely break through her carapace. Jean slashed horizontally and took out two 2 meters tall zealots with ease and kicked another protoss in the chest...

    ...

    Jean kicked the 13th zealot in the chest and sent her onto her back a few meters away. The female zealot was warping away defenselessly, but before Jean could make the kill something hit her in the chest, hard. Jean felt a surge of burning sensation in her front and wisely moved a few steps back to deal with the impact. As she stabilized, Jean saw that her front carapace was ripped open. She groaned.

    A zealot saw an opportunity and leaped at the ravaged girl, but Jean silently turned her right hand from blade to fingers and grabbed onto the zealot in the air. She penetrated him with her left blade and watched as his body faded away. Standing up, Jean¡¯s body had completely mended.

    The high templar saw how ineffective the immortal¡¯s phase disruptor, and he knew his forces stood no chance. Their enemy was enhenced and held superior power. She wasn¡¯t here to fight. She was here to play. Even the templar himself was unable to beat the girl, no matter how hard he tried. A terran would be scared and be in desperation, but a surge of anger clouded the high templar¡¯s mind. The thought of the zerg using the honorable protoss warriors as a practice dummy was just too much.

    He made a penetrating psionic roar and charged at Jean.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 44: Return and imprisonment

    Jean pulled her bone blade out of the chest of the high templar and watched as his body faded away. A distance away a destroyed immortal and two shattered sentries laid on the ground. Broken armors were all over the ground. When zealots die, their body fade away, and all that remained were the armors.

    Frowning slightly, the girl looked at a bloody wound on her belly. The high templar fought bravely and made no intention of protecting himself. Instead he was attacking her like he was mad. The result was the wound. Nonetheless, the wound healed in 2 seconds. The sacrifice of the high templar was in vain.

    Jean turned around and left the site of destruction.

    <hr>

    ¡°Izsha, what do you think?¡± Onboard the leviathan Kerrigan asked. She was watching the entire combat by psionically connecting to the queen below.

    A strange creature was beside Kerrigan. She was a long creature, connected to the haul of the leviathan. She had a somewhat cute voice. She had grey eyes. Izsha acted as the adviser for Kerrigan.

    ¡°Jean Turner does not pose a threat to your rule, your majesty.¡± Izsha said with a soft voice that contradicted her appearance. ¡°She is weak.¡± Perhaps Jean was invincible to that small group of protoss, but to Kerrigan and the swarm Jean was very weak. If she betrayed Kerrigan could easily crush her.

    ¡°Her weakness comforts me, but that doesn¡¯t mean she is not a threat.¡± Kerrigan replied.

    ¡°Your majesty, you don¡¯t trust her?¡± Izsha asked.

    ¡°Anyone that trusts Jean is a fool.¡± Kerrigan said with slight hatred. She wasn¡¯t wrong.

    ¡°If Jean is a potential threat then order the swarm to terminate her. Your minions will bring her head to you in an hour.¡± Izsha said cruelly. She was a zerg, and zerg were practical. It didn¡¯t matter that Jean was a zerg as well. Izsha stood from the point of view of Kerrigan, and if Jean was a threat to Kerrigan then she had to die.

    ¡°No. Jean is still useful.¡± Kerrigan watched as Jean moved into an overlord, which started floating toward the leviathan. Now was a perfect opportunity if she wanted Jean dead. In space she was defenseless. ¡°All I need to do is make sure she doesn¡¯t somehow take over my swarm.¡± She gave an order to the queen that led the zerg units that guarded her.

    <hr>

    And so when Jean returned to the leviathan, she didn¡¯t even see the queen of blades. Instead, she was surrounded by a dozen elite zerglings and hydralisks.

    ¡°I demand to see the queen.¡± Jean said slowly but with determination as she scanned the units around her. They were elite units, dedicated to the protection of Kerrigan. These units themselves didn¡¯t pose a threat, but the fact that they were upon her wasn¡¯t good. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°The queen have ordered your return to your chamber. You are to remain there until being summoned.¡± The queen replied with equal determination. ¡°That¡¯s an order from the queen.¡±

    Jean came to a realization and nodded in agreement. She had no choice. She turned around and walked back to her chamber. Dozens of zerg units escorted her. Jean noticed there were large groups of zerg units burrowed underground. Their muscles were tense, as if they were ready to jump out and strike anytime. This was inside the leviathan. Jean immediately realized who they were for.

    Walking into her chamber, she sat down on the ground. Her suit was practically destroyed, and she couldn¡¯t risk exposing her watch to Kerrigan, which meant she had to maintain a zerg form.

    The zerg units stopped outside the chamber and stood guard there. Jean knew they were meant for inside threats, not outside ones.

    Closing her eyes, Jean went through what happened today.

    She noticed something was wrong when Kerrigan asked her to go down there and fight the protoss herself. This was unusual and inefficient, and Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t do that without a purpose. The rest was clear.

    Kerrigan wanted to test her power because she felt threatened. If she turned out to be too powerful, then Kerrigan would take measures. The queen of blades wouldn¡¯t allow such a threat.

    Another thing was the timing. There was a reason now was when Kerrigan put her doubts into action. The battle against the protoss was going well. Several broodmothers just reported that they managed to dodge the incoming protoss carriers with ease after wiping out settlements. The guerilla warfare seemed to work and the threat of the Golden Armada was minimized, which meant Kerrigan didn¡¯t really need Jean anymore¡­

    Granted, Jean had allies, but she couldn¡¯t really command them¡­

    Luckily Jean saw that early enough. During the battle below she got hit several times when she could have dodged the attacks. She also weakened her carapace on purpose and relied on her healing ability to survive. The hit from the photon cannon shouldn''t even go through her carapace, but she allowed it to do damage. All this was to make herself seem weaker. The weaker she was, the more likely her value would overcome her threat, and Kerrigan would allow her to live. Such was the case now. Jean was imprisoned but alive.

    If Jean easily slaughtered the protoss below without taking a single wound then she would be met with the claws and spines the second she landed on the leviathan. No, the overlord she was in might just be shot out of the air.

    Granted, that would hurt both sides. Jean would lost the aid of the swarm and be forced to deal with the Golden Armada with a weaker Dominion fleet, a smaller mercenary fleet, and a small portion of the Death Fleet, and Kerrigan, well¡­

    The sight of a fully armed, completely prepared Gorgon battlecruiser suddenly appearing next to an unsuspecting leviathan would lead to a disaster...so would the feeling of 5 tactical nukes landing in the relatively soft belly of the beast. Leviathans were tough, but even they couldn¡¯t act as if nothing happened after being nuked five times.

    The current situation was the best for both sides. Kerrigan could continue to ravage through the Golden Armada and take out the last card of Amon, and Jean, as trapped as she seemed, had other ways to make a difference to the ongoing battle and speed up the fall of her enemy.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 45: Cranmir II

    ¡°Cranmir II. A Daeleem mining base and, most importantly, a ship manufacturing facility.¡± Assistant¡¯s empty voice ranged through the empty hall of the carrier.

    ¡°What are the defenses?¡± Nyon flicked his fingers in boredom. He was secretly hoping there would be someone strong down there that he could fight and win. The high templar he faced yesterday couldn¡¯t even stand a single mindblast. He felt disappointed.

    ¡°I observed one carrier.¡± Assistant connected to the observers she sent out a while ago. These cloaked spies were extremely useful for commanders.

    It had been weeks since Nyon received the message from Jean. Since then he and his ships had been harassing Daeleem outposts and settlements. They would warp onto a planet, send a warp prism to the ground, warp in an overwhelming amount of units, kill or maim the defenders, take what could be taken and destroy the rest, and warp away before enemy reinforcements arrive. All the Daeleem carriers and Nerazim void rays could see were shattered armors, destroyed buildings, and empty storages.

    Even though the loot wasn¡¯t much each time, the wealth added up. The most valued price was a carrier that was being fixed in a hanger of a shipyard. Nyon charged in and smashed the high templar before he could enter the carrier and took over the ship. The interceptor projecting part of the ship was contaminated by some sort of zerg projectile, but the warping and plasma shield mechanisms were still functional. Nyon mercifully gave the carrier to a trusted ascendant, who was basically on his knees when Nyon told her about his decision.

    Strengthened, Nyon wanted an enemy to show his might, which was why he was disappointed to hear Assistant¡¯s report.

    ¡°Only one carrier?¡± The ascendant groaned in dissatisfaction. He felt one single carrier was not a worthy foe. ¡°This is a major shipyard. What type of fool only send one single carrier to protect it?¡± Nyon¡¯s fleet consisted of 2 carriers and 5 destroyers.

    Assistant frowned, or at least her hologram projection figure of Jean Turner frowned, to show her doubt. ¡°It may be a trap.¡± The target was just too soft to be true.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Keep the warp drives ready. We can just escape if it turns out to be a trap.¡± The plasma shield of carriers could hold on long enough against almost anything for the warp drives to kick in. Of course the void rays may not live long enough to escape, not that Nyon or Assistant cared about a few destroyers. The new emergency warping system that were installed by Assistant¡¯s order could save the ascendants.

    The seven ships entered warp space in a blur.

    <hr>

    In a Daeleem carrier above Cranmir II, a high templar was meditating in her bridge. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and dozens of interceptors exited the carrier. A second later seven crimson red tal¡¯darim ships exited warp space. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Target the hanger, the interceptor manufacturing plant, and the warp drive of the carrier. I want that ship in my fleet.¡± Nyon ordered. ¡°Prepare asquadof warriors for boarding.¡±

    The two carriers launched their own interceptors to fend of the Daeleem ones. Red interceptors tangled with blue interceptors. Destroyers used the anti armor tendency of their destruction beams to the top by ignoring the interceptors and going directly for the enemy carrier. The plasma shield blinked rapidly, struggling to hold on.

    Using the costly chance the high templar sent down a signal to the protoss on the surface of the planet. Unfortunately it was pretty much useless. A surprised settlement was no different from a fully prepared settlement in front of a small tal¡¯darim fleet.

    ¡°Templar!¡± A zealot charged into the bridge. She was an apprentice of the high templar.

    ¡°Wrap back to Aiur and call for reinforcements!¡± The high templar ordered loudly. The plasma shield of the carrier have already broken down, and the hanger and warp drive were being targeted. The armor protecting the two spots were being melted rapidly. ¡°The tal¡¯darim are taking out our weapons but nothing else. They intend on capturing the ship.¡±

    ¡°I can fight.¡± The zealot argued. Running away from battle was a shame that were even worse to the protoss than death.

    ¡°No! Go and inform Artanis of this!¡± The high templar demanded. The zealot stood her ground, but the high templar gave out a psionic order, and a light beam consumed the zealot.

    The blue carrier was now defenseless as it was ridden of its weapon and its ability to escape. The high templar watched as a warp prism left the tal¡¯darim carrier and flew toward of her carrier. The flyer stopped above the Daeleem carrier and transformed. Eleven light beams landed in the bridge of the Daeleem carrier.

    The high templar didn¡¯t try to attack before the tal¡¯darim could solidify. She knew it didn¡¯t really matter any more. At this moment all she felt was anger.

    The Cranmir II shipyard was once protected by around 15 carriers. An entire fleet. Unfortunately recently the zerg swarm had been ravaging through the sector under the protoss control. 20 leviathans randomly jumping through the planets was mind bothering.

    What was more mind bothering was the fact that the leviathans unloaded wave after wave of drop pods upon any planet that they came across. If the planets contained protoss, then the drop pods would wipe out the settlement and plant down hatcheries and create settlements. Even if the planets didn¡¯t contain protoss, the drop pods would be thrown down as well. The zerg would slowly but eventually contaminate the entire planet.

    This was easy on the zerg part. All the leviathan had to spare was a small group of disposable forces and some drones, and the resources from the planet would do the rest. Unfortunately for the protoss they needed much more time and energy to warp in units and cleanse the planet of zerg presence. In the time it took for the protoss to cleanse one planet the zerg could contaminate ten more.

    The efficiency and adaptability of the zerg units was used to its full potential.

    Due to this reason Artanis had no choice but to pull away all the ships he could spare and use them to try to chase down the leviathans in groups of three. 14 of the 15 carriers were pulled away, leaving just the female templar and her carrier protecting the shipyard below.

    And now she was stuck here. After she was defeated she knew the shipyard she was supposed to protect would be wiped out as well. The high templar felt more shame than fear.

    But for now all she could do was ignite her psi blade and wait for the end to come.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 46: Looting

    On the planet of Shakurus, a light beam dropped down on the wrap zone, and a figure gradually solidified. The zealot guarding the warp zone went up. A female zealot emerged out of the light beam. ¡°Quick, I needed to see the hierarch¡­¡±

    A few minutes later...

    ¡°Hierarch! Cranmir II is under attack from a tal¡¯darim fleet! They have 2 carriers and 7 destroyers.¡± The zealot said with haste. She was worried about her mentor.

    Artanis¡¯s eyes twitched. Cranmir II was one of the shipyards that provided ships for the Golden Armada. It contained 3 unfinished carriers. It would be a disaster if these carriers were lost to the tal¡¯darim.

    This never should¡¯ve happened. He positioned 15 carriers to defend the planet. Even if the Death Fleet arrived the carriers could defend long enough for the Golden Armada to arrive.

    But now these ships were dispersed to hunt down the zerg infestation. After an incident where three pursuing carriers that were chasing one leviathan got lured into a trap that left two carriers destroyed and one wounded Artanis had no choice but to put the carriers into groups of ten. Among the 500 carriers, 300 of them were put into groups of ten and sent out chasing the leviathans while 200 were either left on Shakurus to protect the protoss homeworld or dispatched to guard key locations. 30 small fleets might seem to be a lot, but across a sector with thousands of planets it was not enough. The zerg were the ones running away, and in a world where warping system was this advanced the protoss could never respond quick enough. The zerg were the ones that decided whether or not to engage the protoss.

    Artanis was an experienced commander, but never before had he faced such a...cowardly and unhonorable strategy. What was worse is that this strategy was working. His forces were overall unsuccessful in dealing with the swarm.

    ¡°Hierarch?¡± The zeolet asked hesitantly. Artanis recovered from his thoughts.

    ¡°Selendis, lead 5 carriers to Cranmir II and take out the tal¡¯darim thieves.¡± The protoss commander ordered. Selendis nodded and walked away. She had a battle to win.

    <hr>

    Two tal¡¯darim zealots charged toward the high templar. They were willing to ignore the danger in exchange for a chance of ascension. Killing a high templar would be a great boost to the social status of the zealot that completed the task.

    But then again if this was such an easy task then the effect wouldn¡¯t be so impressive.

    The high templar held her right hand out, and one of the zealots, the zealot on the left, screamed as red flares exploded out of him. He fell on the ground and perished. The feedback ignited the zealot¡¯s psi energy and ended his ascension.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The other zealot on the right wasn¡¯t frightened. Instead he charged and vertically slashed down on the templar. The high templar ignited her right blade and took a small step to the side, dodging the red blade, and punched the zealot in the face. The psi blade punched through the plasma shield and melted a hole in the zealot¡¯s skull. The body vanished before things could get real ugly.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Nyon casually commented, not angry at all. Those zealots chose to strike, and they were dead because they were weak.

    The high templar pointed her blade at Nyon. ¡°You may win this battle with your trickery, tal¡¯darim, but eventually the Golden Armada will destroy you. Your fate is sealed.¡± She said as if it was a fact. The strength of the Golden Armada was in every Daeleem¡¯s heart.

    Nyon smirked and ignited his own blades.

    At the exact same second both the ascendant and the high templar charged. The two met for a brief moment in the middle and then separated into two sides of the bridge.

    Nyon grinned and turned off his psi blade. Behind him, the high templar collapsed and faded away, becoming one with the khala.

    As the high templar died for her cause, 1000 tal¡¯darim units were warped onto the surface of the planet. They fiercely charged toward the Dealeem ground forces¡­

    <hr>

    Nyon walked over the layers of broken weapons and armors of the Daeleem forces. Broken zealot armors were everywhere. Destroyed immortals, dragoons, and stalkers were ripped to pieces.

    The Daeleem put up a good fight after the tal¡¯darim took out their air support. Using the structure of the facility and Nyon¡¯s need to take over the carriers on the ground, the Daeleem fought from hallway to hallway, not giving away a piece of land without a good fight. Nyon faced the same problem the Daeleem carrier faced on Astras. He had superior air control, but he couldn¡¯t use it to bombard the Daeleem.

    In the end even with the superior manpower and excellent control the tal¡¯darim lost over 150 units. Most of them were zealots and slayers. Most of the dead were taken down by superior ranged attacks that instantly killed the units, not allowing them a chance to fall back and replenish the shields. All 500 Daeleem units died fighting.

    At a certain point the Daeleem planned on destroying the three carriers in the hanger. Luckily for the tal¡¯darim Assistant foresaw that and sent a strike team to secure the carriers. All three were officially placed into tal¡¯darim possession.

    Three more ascendants knelt down to show obedience as they were given control to the three carriers, and Nyon found his fleet including more carriers than destroyers¡­

    The five carriers and three destroyers rose into the air and all the tal¡¯darim warped back onto Nyon¡¯s flagship. Nyon was about to give the order to leave when he saw five blue carriers exiting warp space.

    Selendis¡¯ eyes shined fury as she sensed from the khala that all the ground forces didn¡¯t live to see the reinforcements. ¡°These tal¡¯darim filth.¡± She groaned despisingly. As an honorable templar she had a strict hatred toward the power driven tal¡¯darim. From her point of view the tal¡¯darim were worthless honorless cowards. They had no code. They had no sense of honor.

    ¡°Wipe them out.¡± The noble templar ordered with haste.

    At the same time Nyon gave a very similar order, and the two small fleets engaged.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 47: Battle

    Both sides were protoss, and since the tal¡¯darim ships came from modified Daeleem ships there was few technology differences.

    The tal¡¯darim had six carriers and two destroyers. Unfortunately among those six carriers one of them had lost its ability to fire interceptors. The phase smith just barely fixed the warp drive of the ship during the brief stop on the planet when the ground forces cleared the facility, but this meant the tal¡¯darim actually only had the firepower of five carriers. Even from these five carriers three of them were previously being repaired in the facility below. They were functional but not in the best state.

    On the other hand the Daeleem carriers came from the fleet guarding Shakurus. They were fully functional and at their peak efficiency. The pilots were experienced templar trained to pilot the carriers. In terms of carriers the Daeleem won. The tal¡¯darim had two more destroyers, but the Daeleem also had phoenixes and scouts the carriers carried, so the situation was favorable for the gold side.

    Still, battles weren¡¯t just numbers, or else all the commanders had to do was meet up with their enemies, compare the number of ships on both sides, and the side with less ships could just surrender because they were destined to lose. Battles were a mixture of all kinds of factors. One of these factors was the commanders on each side.

    Carriers started to unleash swarms of interceptors. These computer piloted killing robots from both sides flew toward the enemies with incredible speed. They clashed in the middle of the two fleets and started to exchange laser fires with a speed faster than human eyes could process.

    The two destroyers were stuck in an awkward state as the Daeleem started to unleash phoenixes and scouts. These smaller and faster fighters could easily dart through the complicated battlefield and use their speed to get in and out of trouble. The larger and few destroyers, however, could do no such thing. Destroyers were large ships designed to take down large, armored vessels such as carriers and tempests. Hell, they could even melt colossi and immortals on the ground with absolute ease, but there was few they could do to a swarm of tangling interceptors. Their destruction beams just weren¡¯t built to take down large groups of small targets. The interceptors, phoenixes, and scouts could easily use their speed to get around the destroyers and attack if the destroyers were out of position. At the same time their slower speed and larger body made the destroyers a vulnerable target.

    This forced the destroyers to stay behind near the carriers. If they could get closer to the enemy carriers they could do miracle, but in order to do that they had to go through the interceptors¡­Of course the destroyers could try to warp to an area closer to the carriers, but the enemy carriers could detect jump signals and would know where the ships would be way before the ships were actually there. When the destroyers actually arrive right next to the carriers they would face the small fighters the Daeleem called back and be trapped and killed.

    ¡°This is not going well.¡± Nyon muttered and looked at Assistant for any advise as the red interceptors were rapidly decreasing in number. The AI stayed silent. Nyon suddenly frowned and looked at his own ship count for a second. Something didn¡¯t add up, literally.

    ¡°We arrived here with 2 carriers and 5 destroyers, but I only see 2 destroyers here. Where are the other 3?¡± He asked. Three destroyers in the front might not change the tide of the battle but they would certainly help.

    ¡°I thought you would notice it sooner.¡± The AI glanced at Nyon. ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough. However, I need you to do something...¡±

    <hr>

    On the Daeleem flagship, executor Selendis stood in pride as her fleet was setting more and more interceptors aflame. The presence of high speed fighters in the Daeleem fleet gave them a sharp advantage. ¡°These tal¡¯darim are no match for the might of the firstborn.¡± She said with pride. ¡°They are cowards, unable to face the templar in a real battle. We will destroy them with ease.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Suddenly she sensed something approaching from the back. Pilots of the carriers could sense what was close to the carriers, but only if they were dangerously closer. If the pilots were strong enough or were focused enough they could even detect cloaked units. However, in most cases the Daeleem commanders needed to use either scouts(not the fighter, but actual scouts) or observers to prevent themselves from being taken by surprise. Selendis did exactly that as she created a web of observers in the front, allowing her to see every move of the tal¡¯darim fleet. She didn¡¯t put any observers or scouts in the back, though, because it would take way too long for a tal¡¯darim ship to maneuver around the field of observers and hit the Daeleem in the back. The battle would already be over.

    Granted, the tal¡¯darim could warp a few ships to the back of the Daeleem and then approach them from the vulnerable back, but Selendis was an experienced commander. She had counted the amount of ships the tal¡¯darim had as soon as she arrived. 6 carriers. 2 destroyers. If some of those ships warped away she would know.

    Then who were the ships approaching her from the back?

    Selendis closed her eyes and reached out with her psi energy. She wasn¡¯t impressed with what she saw.

    Two altered void rays. Red. Destroyers. Tal¡¯darim destroyers. Tal¡¯darim destroyers a short distance away from five carriers that launched all interceptors in an attempt to defeat the enemy carriers.

    The situation was dangerous, but Selendis was experienced. She had faced many enemies. Zerg. Other protoss. Terran. She had been so experienced that she knew panicking could only lead to defeat.

    As calmly as possible, Selendis gave a psi order and pulled back 20 phoenixes. 20 fighters left the heated center of the battlefield and fell back with top speed, but could they be in time?

    The two destroyers approached one of the carriers and turned on its destruction beam. The bright red beam was deflected by the durable plasma shield of the blue and gold capital ship, for now, but from the point of view of the pilot the shield was sharply decreasing. Void rays were known for their abilities to do damage to armored units, and the modification of the tal¡¯darim only made things stronger.

    At this time of emergency the Daeleem pilot demonstrated his skill and belief. He knew very well he couldn¡¯t call back the interceptors of his ship. Even if the interceptors returned in time the temporary loss of ? of the interceptors would be a disaster. In a battle between the same units number was critical. That was why Selendis sent out all her interceptors and fighters and put her carriers in a risky position. If she held back then her forces would be overwhelmed.

    The Daeleem had a slight advantage, but that wasn¡¯t enough. The tal¡¯darim fought hard, and if the Daeleem lost a portion of their interceptors then they would gain the upper hand. The templar couldn¡¯t risk the entire battle to protect himself, and so as his ship was dying he continued to focus on piloting his interceptors, making sure they could do maximum damage before he, along with the carrier and all the interceptors, die.

    Selendis saw the willingness to sacrifice of her comrade and ordered the fighters to fall back even faster.

    As the destroyers¡¯ attack continued, the plasma shield of the carrier started to blink. The pilot did his best to strengthen the shield, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The plasma shield gave one last blink before disappearing. The destruction beam swept pass the body of the carrier...and took out the warp drive and hanger with a surprising amount of experience.

    The ascendants piloting the destroyers were experts in disabling enemy ships without endangering its main body. After all, these carriers might one day belong to the ascendants.

    Unfortunately the sacrifice of the one carrier payed off. Before the destroyers could move on to another carrier the 20 phoenixes returned. The phoenixes had all the rage in the world. The filthy tal¡¯darim used another trick, and now they had to be pulled away from the battle, which meant more of their brethrens would be killed in battle. The emergency warping system couldn¡¯t save a protoss if their ship exploded. Every protoss was valuable, and via the khala the survivors shared the pain and suffering of those killed. It was no wonder the phoenixes were so eager to hunt down the destroyers.

    The destroyers turned to face the phoenixes. Anger and readiness for battle was within the eyes of the ascendants. The destruction beams were turned on. The plasma shields were ready. They waited when the phoenixes got close enough, and then they jumped away¡­.

    ¡­

    ¡°Tal¡¯darim scum!¡± Selendis roared, but before she could unleash her anger upon the enemy carriers a zealot ran up to her.

    ¡°Executor, foreign warping signals are detected within our ship.¡± The zealot said urgently. ¡°It¡¯s the tal¡¯darim. They¡¯re warping into our ships.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 48: Boarding Party

    ¡°What!? How?¡± Selendis¡¯ eyes widened with disbelief.

    Even with the advanced protoss technology they couldn¡¯t just disappear and appear somewhere else with no limitations. Protoss needed a force field to warp into. In most cases these force fields were either created by pylons or warp prisms. In this case it could only be a warp prism. But how did the tal¡¯darim get a warp prism past the heated battlefield?

    Still, the executor realized how this happened didn¡¯t matter. She communicated with the other pilots and realized they were in a similar situation. All five carriers were being boarded by tal¡¯darim ground forces.

    She came to a depressing realization. The tal¡¯darim wanted her carriers, and they had been wanting it from the very start. It was a trap, and she walked right into it with all the confidence in the world. Now the hunter had became the hunted.

    The female executor felt trapped, like she was caught in a carefully nested web with no escape, but her sense of duty didn¡¯t allow her to give up. She had lost this battle, fine, but she needed to bring these five carriers back to safety. Selendis had been with Artanis long enough to know how much the devoted leader cared about the Golden Armada. He did everything he could to piece together this invincible fleet after the fall of Aiur. Every ship was priceless, and reinforcements were slow since the ship production wasn¡¯t exactly prospering after the zerg disaster. Losing five ships would be a blow to the head for Artanis, and Selendis didn¡¯t want to disappoint her leader.

    ¡°Templar, command this ship and pull back the fighters. Sacrifice the interceptors if you need to but cover the fighters¡¯ retreat. Ready the warp drive.¡± Selendis turned to a fellow templar. Interceptors could be rebuilt with ease, but the fighters, especially the pilots, were much harder to replenish. The fighters were the only reason why she didn¡¯t order the carriers to warp away now. Each fighter had a protoss pilot, and she could never order the abandonment of hundreds of brothers and sisters. ¡°Zealot, assemble the ground forces. We will meet the tal¡¯darim in real combat. For Daeleem!¡± She ordered decisively, showing absolutely no fear of the dire situation.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, on Selendis'' flagship, dozens of bodies solidified. Most of them were zealots, but an ascendant was leading them.

    ¡°For Nyon!¡± The ascendant screamed and mindblasted a dragoon. Nyon told all five ascendants that they would get control of the ship if they were to capture it. It was enough to make the ascendant do everything he could. A carrier could effectively rise his status in the chain of ascension. Dozens of zealots followed their leader as they charged into the battlefield.

    All of the zealots were specially chosen for this mission. The inside of carriers were smaller, and the hallways were thinner. This meant only a small amount of units could fight. The scatter cannons of vanguards would either hit the ceiling or blast a hole in the ground. Slayers had a similar fear. Thus everything depended on old fashioned blade to blade melee battle. With this in mind, all the zealots on this mission were experts in the art of blades and were armed with the best weapons, armors, and plasma shields.Stolen novel; please report.

    Several Daeleem zealots that made an attempt to cut off the warping process were too late, and they were quickly overwhelmed by the tal¡¯darim ones.

    The ascendant ignored the dying zealots and charged headon toward the bridge. His master, Nyon, told him his time would be limited. Nyon predicted as soon as the Daeleem fighters re-entered the carrier the ships would jump away. If that happened the ascendant and his warriors would be trapped and slaughtered. The ascendant had no intention of dying, which was why he moved quickly.

    As the tal¡¯darim made another turn, they found themselves facing a certain female templar and a group of zealots.

    Selendis came here as soon as possible. Every protoss warrior available onboard was here. They were mostly zealots. Even though carriers could hold an entire army, Selendis¡¯ carriers came here to chase away the enemy fleet, not fight a ground battle. They were only packed with a small group of units. After all if a carrier filled with zealots was destroyed, then the protoss within would die as well. It was just too risky.

    There was no exchange of words. The tal¡¯darim wanted to get to the bridge as soon as possible. Selendis didn¡¯t want to waste words with tal¡¯darim cowards. The two sides charged and clashed¡­

    <hr>

    On Nyon¡¯s flagship, Nyon watched as the Daeleem fighters were pulling back. In contrast, the interceptors bravely and mindlessly launched a suicidal charge on the tal¡¯darim interceptors. Despite being few in numbers, the Daeleem interceptors held on. They were suffering heavy losses, but the fighters were already halfway back. As soon as the fighters were back into the carriers, the capital ships would warp away, and Nyon would lose access to the five carriers.

    ¡°They¡¯re getting away. Our boarding party will not be on time.¡± Nyon said impatiently. Five more carriers could make him even more powerful and allow him to move higher in the chain of ascension.

    ¡°All carriers move forward.¡± Assistant ordered, as calm as ever. ¡°All destroyers jump right next to the carriers and take down their warp drives. Ascension awaits.¡±

    <hr>

    The ascendant¡¯s blades clashed with those of Selendis. The red clashed with the blue. Behind them the tal¡¯darim zealots smashed into the Daeleem zealots. Blades slashed into plasma shields.

    Selendis screamed and focused her strength on her arms, pushing the ascendant away with her crossed blue blades. The ascendant fell back and smashed into a few friendly zealots. The zealots helped him up, but the ascendant merely pushed the zealots away in anger. But while he was done, Selendis held her hand out and channeled a spell.

    ¡°Nooo!¡± The ascendant screamed as violent psionic energy ripped through the tal¡¯darm line. The psionic storm ripped apart the shields of the tal¡¯darim zealots and torn open their flesh. Selendis might bewasted in battle by Assistant¡¯s tricks, but she was the student of Artanis and a powerful psionic warrior.

    The ascendant knew he had lost the battle. His zealots were either dead or heavily bruised. His chances of winning over the carrier was lost. He would escape, but he knew very well who Nyon was. If he failed his master would kill him in the longest way possible. In comparison to a certain death he perfered a chance.of survival.

    ¡°My life for Nyon!¡± He screamed and charged forward. Two mindblasts took down two zealots. What was left of the tal¡¯darim zealots followed their ascendant. The tal¡¯darims were never afraid of dying.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 49: Bad news

    ¡°All warriors boarding the enemy flagship is dead.¡± Nyon said quietly, showing no sadness or anger.

    ¡°I am not surprised. The commander of a fleet tend to be a powerful templar.¡± Assistant replied. ¡°The other boarding parties are much more successful. Two carriers have already joined your cause. Two more are about to fall. The enemy flagship is the only survivor.¡±

    ¡°I am just glad the fool leading the charge is dead.¡± Nyon said coldly. ¡°Anyways, one fewer ship is not a problem. Order the destroyers to destroy that ship.¡±

    While the zealots were assaulting the carriers from the inside, the five destroyers have warped right next to the carriers. The last two carriers have fallen, and Selendis¡¯ flagship was the only survivor.

    The destroyers opened fire on the last standing carrier, but both Assistant and Nyon knew it was too late. The carrier blinked and disappeared.

    <hr>

    A few hours later, the tal¡¯darim fleet, now consisting of nine carriers and five destroyers, was still in the battlefield.

    The phase smith were fixing the warp drives of the one carrier that the tal¡¯darim destroyers destroyed with the surprise attack. Groups of tal¡¯darim were hunting down Daeleem survivors. These survivors included khala phase engineers onboard, pilots of the fighters that got into the carriers and were stuck inside, and units that survived the boarding and were making a desperate stand. Nyon and Assistant were standing in the bridge of the flagship.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe to be here? The Golden Armada can be here anytime.¡± Nyon asked suspiciously. He was proud, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. His 14 ships couldn¡¯t fight even a small portion of the Golden Armada. Consisting of 500 capital ships and thousands of support ships, even the Death Fleet would think twice before attacking.

    ¡°Artanis is smarter than that.¡± Assistant replied. ¡°I have calculated the train of thought. If I were Artanis I would cut the losses and pull back.¡±

    Nyon nodded. ¡°Speaking of, how did you get the warp prism near the carriers?¡±

    ¡°I modified them and added cloaking devices.¡± Assistant replied casually. ¡°I wonder why no commander before me thought about that.¡±

    ¡°But pilots in carriers can sense cloaked units if they get close¡­¡± Nyon questioned.

    ¡°...which is why I sent those destroyers to hit the carriers in the back. The enemy commander thought it was a kill shot, but it was just a decoy.¡± Assistant tilted her head. ¡°The enemy commander did what any commander would do when being attacked. He responded to the attack. Moving units and dealing with enemy ships that are so close tend to divert the attention of a commander. He was looking over his back, and I used that chance to sneak a cloaked warp prism onto his ship.¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Impressive...what should the commander have done differently? What would you do?¡± Nyon asked, impressed.

    ¡°If I were the enemy commander I would cover the field with observers the minute I arrive. That should shut down most types of tricks. Assumption leads to defeat.¡±

    ¡°Very well¡­¡± Nyon trailed off. ¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°I have sent a group down to the captured facility and move all the ship production hardwares onto the carriers. With these hardwares we can produce our own ships instead of relying on capturing ships from the enemies. As soon as they are done we will warp back to Slayn. The Death Fleet will be a critical part of Jean¡¯s plan, and now you have what it takes to play a role in the tal¡¯darim leadership..¡±

    <hr>

    A bruised carrier exited warp space above Shakurus¡­

    A few minutes later, Selendis was facing her disappointed teacher. She just told everything that happened to Artanis. She could see the disappointment in her teacher¡¯s eyes. Losing four ships was a painful damage to the Golden Armada. Sure, four ships among a total of five hundred capital ships was insignificant, but these four ships could hardly be replenished. This was especially the case since the ship production facility on Cranmir II was taken over by the tal¡¯darim.

    ¡°Send another fleet to Cranmir II and wipe out the tal¡¯darim. The tal¡¯darim attack can not go unchecked.¡± Selendis requested, desperate to wash away her shame.

    Artanis wasn¡¯t so confident. ¡°The tal¡¯darim might be a pest, but they pose no real threat.¡±

    ¡°Hierarch, is there something that I should know?¡± Selendis asked cautiously.

    ¡°Reports came in when you were fighting the tal¡¯darim. Kerrigan tricked us. As the Golden Armada spread apart to chase after individual leviathans Kerrigan converged her leviathans into a single fleet and started picking off small groups of carriers. Over 20 carriers have gone down before we could response. Admirial Urun is recalling the rest of the 280 carriers to face the converged swarm in combat.¡±

    Selendis frowned darkly. Things have went down really quickly. Before she left the planet the Daeleem had been chasing the fleeing leviathans across the entire sector. But now for some reason the swarm have decided to come together and fight the protoss. Selendis didn¡¯t feel good about this. Kerrigan would never do something if she wasn¡¯t confident.

    ¡°This is why the tal¡¯darim are the least of our concern. We need every ship we can get on the swarm.¡±

    ¡°The Golden Armada is invincible.¡± Selendis reminded.

    ¡°Indeed, the Golden Armada is invincible. But if the Golden Armada suffers too many losses we will not be able to recover. One leviathan can effectively fight 5 carriers. The swarm can rebuild twenty leviathans with enough resources much faster than we can rebuild 100 carriers. We need to end Kerrigan and take acceptable losses.¡± Artanis explained. ¡°This is why I am sending the majority of the Golden Armada to the front. Apart from the 100 carriers and 2 motherships guarding Shakurus every capital ship, support ship, and fighter will be sent to the battle against the swarm.¡±

    ¡°Is it safe? Shakurus might be attacked¡­¡±

    ¡°100 carriers and 2 motherships will be enough to fight whatever enemy that approaches. The swarm is our top priority.¡±

    ¡°What can I do?¡±

    ¡°I want you to lead the reinforcements to Urun. When you arrive stay with Urun and help him fight the war against Kerrigan.¡± Artanis ordered.

    ¡°As you wish.¡± Selendis nodded and left.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 50: Assassination

    In a random part of the sector, two opposing fleets were facing each other.

    The zerg fleet was on one side. Consisting of twenty leviathans, hundreds of corruptors, and tens of thousands of mutalisks, the zerg fleet clouded the space like a large piece of stain on a piece of white paper.

    On the other end stood the protoss fleet, what was left of the three hundreds carriers sent after the leviathans was present. Despite suffering several losses there was still plenty of ships left. Phoenixes and scouts dotted around the carriers. Motherships towered over smaller vessels. Void rays were positioned in front of the carriers. Tempests and carriers were at the very back so they could do the most amount of damage before they were destroyed. The protoss fleet was menacing.

    And yet neither side opened fire. The protoss were waiting for the reinforcements from Shakurus, and the zerg, well, the zerg were receiving an interesting visitor.

    Jean had been in her chamber for days. Ever since she showed her strength on the protoss outpost she had been kept here. Jean knew what was going on. Kerrigan had been victorious, and she had realized she no longer needed Jean. Kerrigan didn¡¯t really need allies, and the plan Jean gave her was working perfectly. Jean didn¡¯t know Kerrigan altered her plan and, instead of patiently harassing and stalling until the protoss fleet was weakened enough, ambushed and destroyed two protoss groups and 20 carriers. Not only so, perhaps excited by the victory Kerrigan decided to fight the protoss fleet headon. Jean¡¯s perfect plan was torn apart.

    Despite the lack of knowledge Jean wasn¡¯t concerned. She had more than one trick up her sleeves. That was why she was comfortable sitting in her chamber for day doing nothing but meditating.

    Meanwhile, a specialized Nerazim ship approached the main leviathan. It was detected instantly by the web of overseers Kerrigan expertly positioned around her fleet.

    And yet Kerrigan did nothing.

    The Void Seeker stopped right next to the leviathan. The pilot of the ship blinked and entered the leviathan. Strangely, despite noticing the intruder, there were no zerg units to intercept.

    Zeratul took a few steps forward when he heard a voice in his head.

    ¡°What do you want, Zeratul?¡±

    ¡°The Golden Armada is not your enemy, Kerrigan. The swarm have been at peace with the Daeleem for years.¡±

    ¡°Things have changed. Now I have a way to destroy the Golden Armada. Your people will burn.¡±

    ¡°You have killed many of my people, but I am not here for you.¡± Zeratul said solemnly. ¡°I am here for the girl you took. Jean Turner. She is the one that sparked the war between the swarm and the Golden Armada, is she not?¡±

    ¡°She is.¡± Kerrigan sold Jean without a second thought. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Zeratul was suspicious. ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± The queen of blades was oddly friendly. Not only that she allowed Zeratul aboard her leviathan it appeared like she intended on allowing Zeratul to continue his mission.

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s say I don¡¯t feel comfortable with a backstabber around me.¡± Kerrigan replied casually. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If I mean any harm to you I would¡¯ve opened fire on your ship the second you approached.¡±

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t kill Jean yourself because¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re asking too many questions.¡± Kerrigan replied harshly.

    Zeratul groaned, but nonetheless he stayed on course. He used his own psi energy to search for his target as he walked down the hall of the leviathan.

    Jean opened her eyes as she sensed a foreign, protoss figure moving down the hall. She also sensed the zerg units backing off, giving a way and allowing the obviously hostile protoss figure to pass safely. The figure was searching every room he came across.

    Well, now that Kerrigan¡¯s opinion was clear, Jean knew she might need to leave this ship. She got what she came for. She was mutated and evolved. The Golden Armada was stuck in a war with the swarm. Her plan was working.

    Wasting no time, she stood up and walked to the door. A group of zerg elite units were guarding the door. They hadn¡¯t left their post since Jean was demanded to stay in her chamber. A queen of leading the units. She looked at Jean suspiciously as she walked out.

    ¡°Jean, the queen of blades ordered you to¡­¡± The queen didn¡¯t finish her sentence as Jean¡¯s right hand mutated into a bone blade, a blade in which Jean used to stab the queen in the neck.

    The other units, hydralisks and zerglings, were about to move forward, but Jean emitted a powerful psi signal into their minds. The zerg units halted, controlled by Jean¡¯s psi energy. Jean might not be as strong as Kerrigan, but she could override the control of Kerrigan on a few units with a planned assault. This was also partly because she was zerg and her psi energy gave off zerg vibes. If she were a protoss she could never force the zerg units to obey.

    Horizontally pulling her bone blade out of the neck of the queen, Jean watched as the giant head of the beast fell on the ground. Its carapace shattered under Jean¡¯s enhanced muscles.

    That was when a certain dark templar walked around the corner and saw Jean.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± Zeratul asked furiously as he turned off his cloaking mode to confront Jean. Frankly speaking Jean found this conversation pointless and stupid. If she were Zeratul she would just attack without asking any questions at all. Assassins should strike with all the secrecy in the world, and yet Zeratul exited cloaking mode to have a conversation with her.

    ¡°I did what you told me. I stopped Amon¡¯s rise to power.¡± Jean replied casually.

    ¡°By killing my people?¡± Zeratul replied angrily.

    ¡°I know for sure one day the Daeleem will become slaves of Amon. I am making sure they will never aid the dark god.¡±

    ¡°By slaughtering them? You could¡¯ve prevented them from being controlled by Amon. You could¡¯ve warned the Daleem leadership. You could¡¯ve taken precautions, and yet you chose the path of war.¡±

    ¡°I chose the safest path. Dead protoss can never be corrupted by Amon.¡±

    Zeratul shook his head with disbelief. ¡°I never should¡¯ve came to you. And now because of my action countless more of my brethrens will die.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not like this is the first time your action caused your people to suffer. Remember Aiur? You¡¯re the reason the protoss is now hiding on Shakurus.¡± Jean provoked Zeratul like she was a bitch that enjoyed the suffering of others. In reality she merely wanted Zeratul to grow emotional. An emotional assassin was much easier to kill than a cold calculating one.

    ¡°My burdens weigh heavily,¡± Zeratul signed before igniting his green blade. ¡°and yet I will be redeemed.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 51: Thoughts

    Zerglings and hydralisks charged toward the dark templer.

    An elite zergling was sliced apart with absolute ease. Zeratul¡¯s cloaking was easily detected by Jean¡¯s psi energy and was made useless. Still Zeratul showed his enemies the strength of an old warrior with centuries of experience in combat.

    The zerglings present were the strongest zerglings possible. The adrenal gland and metabolic boost upgrades made the zerglings extremely fast. The enhanced carapace and enhanced claws made the zerglings much tougher to kill...and yet these upgrades only meant the zerglings would run quicker into their death. The carapace did nothing as Zeratul easily one shotted every zergling that got close to him.

    Slicing his way through another half a dozen zerglings in merely seconds, Zeratul found himself facing the projectiles of elite hydralisks.

    Spines pierced through the air, but somehow Zeratul, with the help of plasma shields, blinks, and quick movement, dodged all the hits. All the while he was dropping zerglings like it was nothing.

    Another zergling leaped toward the dark templar and got sliced apart into two bloody pieces. But the next second a spine pierced through with the cover of the dead zergling and smashed into Zeratul¡¯s shield. Zeratul didn¡¯t reflect in time and took the hit. The spine was deflected by the plasma shield, but the shield blinked heavily. The plasma shields dark templar carried were more mobile and weaker than that of zealots and high templars.

    Zeratul looked at Jean, who tilted her head provokingly. It would be cute, except Jean¡¯s entire body was covered by menacing zerg carapace and her hands were in the form of sharp blades.

    As Zeratul was looking at Jean, the hydralisks unleashed another wave of spines. The seemingly unsuspecting dark templar jumped into the air and dodged all the attacks. The hydralisks turned up to the templar in the air and opened fire. Zeratul was unable to dodge in the air.

    But just before the spines hit the dark templar, a wave of smoke consumed Zeratul. Spines went through the cloud without any delay and hit the wall of the leviathan.

    Jean looked around in confusion. Suddenly she leaned forward and reached her hands out. A hydralisks was lifted into the air and moved behind Jean. Jean held the hydralisk there. Nothing was behind Jean, but something cut through the body of the hydralisk.

    Dropping the hydralisk, Jean turned around to face Zeratul.

    ¡°Impressive skills, but I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±

    Zeratul frowned. There was no way out for the girl, and yet Jean wasn¡¯t someone that would issue empty threats. He readied his blade and walked slowly to Jean.

    Jean kept her eyes trained on Zeratul but held out her left hand facing the wall of the leviathan. A powerful psi energy converged, formed a powerful kenetic blast, and smashed into the wall. The inner layer of the leviathan was ripped open.

    Jean casually ordered the hydralisks and zerglings that survived the previous battle to perform a suicidal charge upon the dark templar before she turned and jumped out of the opening.

    There was no air resistance in space, which meant Jean could technically go on forever if she didn¡¯t hit anything. The deadly radiation, lack of oxygen, and freezing cold were brushed off by Jean¡¯s mutated body.

    The space seemed deep and dark, but Jean had no intention of admiring the beauty of nature. She controlled a mutalisk and ordered it to fly to her. As soon as the flying unit was near, she grabbed onto its body and ordered it to fly away.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Kerrigan was taken by surprise, and it took her a few seconds to react. A flock of mutalisks mobilized and moved toward Jean. Unfortunately they were a few seconds to slow, and the few seconds made all the difference as Jean fled to a direction opposite of the Golden Armada.

    ¡°Hunt her down.¡± Kerrigan ordered concisely before returning her attention to the protoss fleet. A potential threat like Jean no longer deserved her attention in this intense moment. She had a battle to win. ¡°Prepare for an attack.¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t know what happened as the Golden Armada engaged the swarm, and she didn¡¯t care. As long as the swarm held the majority of the Golden Armada here then her plan would work. A glave wurm slid past her face and left a bloody scar there, but the scar immediately healed. Jean turned around and looked at the mutalisks. They were already far away from the touch of the swarm, which meant anything that happened here would stay here, which meant Jean could use some of her stranger methods¡­

    Jean tapped her watch, and all of a sudden a giant mechanical beast appeared out of nowhere.

    ¡°Commander, Beetle reporting.¡± A familiar voice appeared in the earpiece Jean took out of her watch and put onto her right ear.

    ¡°Terminate all mutalisks and open the hanger.¡± Jean ordered cooly before grabbing onto the neck of the mutalisk she controlled and ripped it open. As the body trailed off into a distance she took out a viking and put around her.

    The Gorgon opened fire on the mutalisks with its laser batteries. The mutalisks didn¡¯t stand a chance as they desperately fired on the Gorgon and were slaughtered to the last. Their glave wurms did little to the heavily armed Gorgon.

    Meanwhile Jean entered the hanger of the Beetle through the viking. The battlecruiser hadn¡¯t aged a day since she put it into the watch. A brief check of the ship¡¯s log showed that apparently she had just put the ship away a second before she took it out.

    So items in the watch didn¡¯t experience time...Jean silently made a note to herself before proceeding to business.

    ¡°Jump to Deadman¡¯s Port. Beetle, create a logic string.¡± Jean sat down in the bridge and closed her eyes, thinking. A logic string was a thinking method she created. ¡°My objective is to defeat Amon.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± The Beetle asked, doing its best to help Jean think as the ship entered warp space.

    ¡°Cut off its claws. Destroy all potential forces that will aid Amon. The swarm, check. The hybrids, check. Moebius Foundation, check. Golden Armada, not checked.¡±

    ¡°How to defeat the Golden Armada?¡±

    ¡°Utilize the swarm. Drag the Golden Armada into an endless pursuit. No, this plan failed. Kerrigan lost her patience. The swarm is in a frontal engagement with the Golden Armada. The swarm will lose.¡±

    ¡°What is the backup plan?¡±

    ¡°Assault Shakurus and destroy all protoss civilization. Wipe out all of the potential reinforcements of the Golden Armada. Make the Daeleem fleet a rootless, supportless army. Use endless conflict and engagements to take it down. When all opposition are gone, move into the void and destroy Amon.¡±

    ¡°Shakurus will be guarded. Artanis is a wise commander. He will not leave his homeworld in danger.¡± The Beetle AI replied as he pulled up the information on Artanis and Shakurus, information that Jean entered into the Warden system based on the knowledge she received.

    ¡°I will need a fleet. Mercenary fleet is too small. Nyon needs time to control the Death Fleet. The Dominion Fleet...That¡¯s it. I wil use the Dominion Fleet against the Daeleem.¡±

    ¡°How will you convince Mengsk to act? Attacking a powerful alien race is a dangerous move. Mengsk will need reasons.¡±

    ¡°Mengsk is not afraid to attack the protoss. This can be seen when he attacked the protoss on Tarsonis because the protoss were cleansing the zerg. Defeating the protoss will make Mengsk a hero. It will gain loyalty and fame for the emperor.¡±

    ¡°What if that fails?¡±

    ¡°I will promise Mengsk to destroy the other terran governments, including the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan Protectorate, if he decided to stand by me. It will act both as a reward and as a warning. If Mengsk still refuses to act, I will threaten to destroy the Terran Dominion. All of these destructions will be carried out by my hacking skills. Unleash nukes. Control AIs. With my enhanced mind and the help of AIs programmed for hacking I can easily hack into other terran devices. Beetle, open a transmission to Arcturus Mengsk.¡±

    ¡°Yes commander.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 52: Betrayal

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± On a giant computer screen, Arcturus Mengsk demanded. Jean had just told him her offer. She would destroy the other two terran fractions and make Mengsk the head of all terran in the sector. In return Mengsk will lead the entire Dominion fleet and perform an assault on Shakurus. The offer wasn¡¯t the problem with Arcturus. The problem was that Jean mentioned slightly how the other two fractions would be more than happy to take the offer if Mengsk turned it down. The emperor didn¡¯t enjoy being threatened.

    ¡°Just stating a fact.¡± Jean glanced at a young man with blonde hair beside Mengsk. It was Valerian Mengsk, the son of Arcturus Mengsk and the heir to the throne of the Dominion.

    ¡°Very well. I will take the offer. However, you need to prove to me your ability. Hacking into a single ship is very different from hacking into a government.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I will do my part of the deal first. Once I¡¯m done, it will be your turn to act. Just remember, don¡¯t try to betray me, for the price is beyond your ability to pay.¡± She ended the transmission.

    In the emperor¡¯s palace, Arcturus smashed the table before him.

    ¡°Father?¡± Valerian asked with confusion.

    ¡°That bitch is becoming a problem.¡± Mengsk whispered, trying to conceal his emotion. Who does Jean think she is? How dare she talk to the emperor of the Dominion like this? She must pay. And she will.

    ¡°What are you going to do with her threat?¡± Valerian asked. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen this Jean Turner can be a real threat. She will not hesitate to strike. If we reject her deal...there¡¯s no telling what she will do.¡±

    Mengsk smirked like a viper. ¡°Remember, son, we Mengsks don¡¯t take threats. We don¡¯t bargain. We don¡¯t yield. We don¡¯t surrender.¡± He held his right fist together forcefully. ¡°When we get threatened, we neutralize the threat. Nova! How is the plan going?¡±

    A figure solidified behind Mengsk. Valerian glanced at Nova Terra with a scent of fear. The ghost was as merciless as she was beautiful. Nova was Arcturus Mengsk¡¯s most trusted blade. Countless innocent have perished under her hands.

    ¡°Two of my best men have landed on Deadman¡¯s Port. They will examine the defenses and make sure Jean Turner is present on that planet. Once the target is confirmed, they will send a signal to the Pride of Augustgrad fleet. The fleet will obliterate the port and capture Jean Turner.¡±

    ¡°I want her alive. Who is the head of Deadman¡¯s port?¡±

    ¡°A man named Liam.¡±

    ¡°See if he can be turned. If he can, tell him to imprison Jean and hand her over to the fleet. I will take as little risk as possible.¡±

    Mengsk added viciously and turned to Valerian, who was obviously surprised. ¡°This, my son, is how we deal with our enemies.¡±

    The Pride of Augustgrad fleet was Mengsk¡¯s elite guardian fleet. Consisting of over 30 Gorgon battlecruisers and more than 50 other battlecruisers, the fleet was one of the strongest armadas in the Dominion. Every men in the fleet was willing to give their life for their beloved emperor. Normally the fleet stayed with Mengsk, but the emperor sent it after Jean to make sure she couldn¡¯t escape. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Mengsk had wanted Jean down a while ago. Jean was a threat. She had always been one. The only difference was that her benefit had always outweighed her potential damage. At first the Raiders and Raynor were more threatening then Jean, who Mengsk saw as just a hacker. As a result Mengsk went for the greater enemy. Later, Jean¡¯s threat was deemed much less than that of Amon. This was why Mengsk, again, worked with Jean against the Moebius Foundation.

    But things have changed.

    Things changed when Jean offered to take down Umojan and Kel-Morian. A normal person would be thrilled, but not Mengsk. There was a reason why he hadn¡¯t conquered them already. The three terran fractions were similar in strength and technology. This meant if Jean could destroy Umojan and Kel-Morian, then she could also destroy the Terran Dominion.

    This was something Mengsk couldn¡¯t accept. He couldn¡¯t accept the presence of someone with the ability to destroy him. He didn¡¯t go through everything, the Confederacy, the UED, the swarm, to be taken down by a girl with some talent in computers. What was the best way to not get attacked by someone? Attack them before they can attack you. Mengsk did exactly that.

    Hundreds of battlecruisers would sprang into action as soon as Jean¡¯s presence was confirmed by the ghosts. Mengsk knew she had two enhanced battlecruisers, but they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against his fleet. The captains wouldn¡¯t allow her to get close to anything electronical to start hacking. Jean was a hacker, nothing else. What could a hacker without her computer do against hundreds of armored men?

    Motioning for his son and Nova Terra to leave, Mengsk sat in his seat, wondering what he would do with a captured Jean Turner. Torture? Execution? Imprisonment? Brainwash? Maybe he could brainwash her and use her talents against his enemies. Kel-Morian. Umojan.

    But would things go as the emperor expected?

    <hr>

    Valerian walked back into his own chamber. He glanced at a device, which showed there was no cloaked units in his chamber. Another sweep from another device told him there was no surveillance around him.

    Valerian might seem too careful, but with what he was doing he could never be too safe.

    Tapping a tab on his own computer screen, the face of a certain female blonde popped up.

    ¡°My father has no intention of making a deal with you. There are two ghosts approaching your location. As soon as they confirm your presence the Pride of Augustgrad fleet will jump above and open fire on the Deadman¡¯s Port. You should run as soon as possible.¡± He advised.

    Jean smiled, something she was getting better and better on. ¡°Are you caring about my safety? I am flattered.¡±

    ¡°You know very well why I am helping you.¡± Valerian moved closer to the screen. His tone was full of anger and hatred. ¡°I did what I promised. I expect you to do the same.¡± He broke off the connection. For some reason he left out the part about Liam.

    Of course Jean knew why the Dominion prince was helping the enemy of his father. She thought of the possibility that Arcturus might have something else in mind, which was why she planted a mole within the Dominion. Someone Arcturus trusted. Someone in a place high enough to take part in major decisions.

    Valerian wasn¡¯t exactly excited to help the enemy of the Dominion, but he complied after what happened later. Jean threatened to wipe out a Dominion civilian planet everytime he refused her offer. The first time Valerian doubted her determination, and Jean merely broke off the communication. The next day the prince received report of losing contact with a colonized planet. Further information told him everyone on the planet was slaughtered. Left with no choice and wanting to protect his people, the prince yielded.

    Since then the Dominion prince became Jean¡¯s eyes and ears in the heart of the Dominion.

    Valerian hated her, but he wouldn¡¯t attempt anything to her because the price was too great. Only when the prince could confidently protect every Dominion civilian would he act, but that was impossible.

    Jean sat back in her seat. The plan she had just came up with was useless, but that didn¡¯t mean the Dominion Fleet was off limits. In fact, she had just came up with another plan...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 53: More Betrayal

    Receiving a silent order, the Beetle departed from the port and jumped away. It would go to somewhere private and be taken into Jean¡¯s watch.

    Meanwhile, Liam was shaking on his bed. A spec ops ghost before him. Behind the ghost was a trail of dead marines and marauders. Two naked girls laid on the ground. Their beauty was shut down by a bullet into their skulls.

    ¡°I bring a message from emperor Mengsk.¡± The ghost said in a cold, mechanical voice. ¡°You have a choice. You can either arrest and turn over Jean Turner and continue your life as the king of Deadman¡¯s port, or you can die right now.¡±

    Liam gulped. The ghost just charged into his chamber and killed his girls. If this was anyone else treating him like that he would make a move the gauss pistol on his table and fight. But this was a ghost. This was someone that could read his mind and break his neck before he could lift his fingers.

    Plus, even if he could somehow kill the ghost, then what? He would be at war with the Terran Dominion, one of the strongest terran fractions in the sector. The only reason the Deadman¡¯s Port was still standing was because those strong enough to destroy it didn¡¯t find a reason to do that. Liam had no doubt his fleet would fall apart under the might of the Dominion.

    The ghost saw Liam¡¯s hesitation. ¡°200 Dominion battlecruisers can reach the port in minutes. Make a decision.¡± He pushed. ¡°If you hand over the girl, the emperor will be very happy. If you don¡¯t...¡±Somethings didn¡¯t need to be spoken to get the point across.

    Liam debated within himself. Jean helped him and avenged his family, and he was grateful, but he was a mercenary, and mercenaries weren¡¯t exactly the most thankful group of people. Even if he tried to protect Jean he would make any difference. The only thing different would be the amount of dead mercenaries and the change in his status from alive to dead.

    Unlike Nyon, Liam didn¡¯t know the real danger of Jean. Nyon had been defeated by Jean multiple times, and he knew better than betraying her. The strength of Jean was carved into Nyon¡¯s bones. Even if Jean was stabbed in the heart Nyon would believe that was part of Jean¡¯s plan. He might not be wrong.

    Liam, however, knew Jean as a hacker. That was it. Liam knew about the mission on Tyrador VIII, but all the mercenaries that participated in the mission died in combat, which left Liam clueless about Jean. Naturally, Liam thought Jean as a weak, defenseless girl that crossed the wrong person. He chose to betray her, and he would live to regret that decision, not that things would go any better for him if he protected Jean.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    <hr>

    Jean was taken back as mercenary marines broke through her door. Liam was leading them.

    ¡°Liam!¡± Jean shouted with a mixture of anger, disbelief, and despair. Her ability to control her facial muscle was enhanced greatly by the zerg mutation. In other words she had became a great actress. This, combined with her overpowering psi energy, fooled everyone, including the cloaked ghost. ¡°I made you who you are today.¡± She screamed as the marines cuffed her.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Liam held his hand up. The mercenaries paused. The ghost discreetly aimed his rifle at the man¡¯s head. Jean looked at Liam with hope in her eyes.

    Liam walked to Jean and, without any warning, punched her in the face. Jean fell onto the floor with a small trail of blood in her mouth. Liam turned and walked out of the room without a word as the mercenaries detained Jean.

    <hr>

    ¡°What is this? Your twisted victory dance?¡± Jean complained viciously. Her arms were tied to the ceiling of her cell by two metal chains. Her suit had been changed to an orange prisoner uniform. Four other ghosts were in the room. Detection covered the entire area to prevent any cloaked unit from doing anything. 50 special ops marines, marauders, and medivacs were outside the cell, ready to charge in if anything went wrong. The ship they were on was protected by around a hundred Dominion battlecruisers. These precautions were put in place under the order of Nova Terra. She was aboard the ship on behalf of the emperor, which gave her lots of authority.

    It had been half an hour since Jean¡¯s capture. Liam turned her over to the Dominion Pride of Augustgrad fleet, where she met the elite female ghost. The last time they met was on the Hyperion where the two conspired against Raynor and his men. Oh how things have changed, not that either of the two felt restricted by their past cooperation.

    ¡°I have read all of your files, Jean.¡± Nova dodged the question. Jean noticed her rifle was really close to her reach. ¡°The undertaking of The Beetle. The cleansing of the Raiders. The assault on the Moebius Foundation.¡± She leaned closer to the restricted Jean. ¡°You are not just a hacker. I have seen you in action. You are a fighter. You are a killer. You have so many tricks up your sleeve that there is no way a betrayal surprises you. The safest thing to do is to shoot you in the head.¡± She touched her canister rifle, thinking. Nova was present when Jean turned and executed James Raynor and Tychus Findley. She saw how capable Jean was at fighting.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you do it? What¡¯s keeping you from executing me?¡± Jean asked as she looked up at the chains restricting the movement of her arms.

    Nova¡¯s fingers left her rifle. ¡°The emperor doesn¡¯t believe in my words. He thinks you can be convinced to help the Dominion. But mark my words. Try to do one of your tricks on this ship, and you will fail. I will be watching your every move. You will never be in the same room as an electronic device.¡± She stated.

    Jean smirked bitterly. ¡°For a ghost operative you are very talkative today. Don¡¯t worry. I am not planning to do anything.¡± At least not here...

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 54: Striking back

    Deadman¡¯s Port. Liam¡¯s headquarter.

    Liam poured a bottle of alcohol down his throat. He had no problem with betraying the girl that once helped her. After all, even if he wanted to protect her the Dominion fleet could just crush his fleet and take the girl anyways. He did what every other mercenary would do in his place. He turned without a sense of regret...and he was rewarded. The Dominion fleet saw no point in destroying the port, and they simply left. Liam lived on as a powerful warlord.

    Suddenly Liam felt something was very wrong. The air felt different, and he couldn¡¯t breath. His skin started to burn as if he wasn¡¯t under the cover of a building with computer monitored environment control but in space with no armor. This shouldn¡¯t happen. His headquarter had an air system that could filter out any harmful substances from the space and protect the vulnerable human beings within. All of these systems were controlled by the best AI he had.

    AI...

    As Liam¡¯s muscle failed and he fell on the ground, he realized something. Jean gave him the AI. He betrayed Jean. As the programmer of the AI Jean could¡¯ve very well planted a back door or a fail safe in case something like this happened.

    The girl thought about this from the very beginning. She might not have known for certain that he would betray, but she had precautions, and he, Liam, trusted the AI and fell into the trap like a fool.

    Struggling, Liam smashed the emergency button below his table. Put in place in case of abductions or infiltrations, the button should create an alarm and warn the guards of this situation. The guards were armored and should be safe against whatever poison gas or radiation that was in the air. If they could get into the room in time...

    And then he realized the security alarm was on the same network as the AI.

    Liam¡¯s councious started to fade away. Choking sounds came from outside his door. There were hundreds of staff members and officers in the headquarter, but none of them were armored and all of them were vulnerable to the gas. As the choking sounds gradually disappeared, so did any life in Liam.

    <hr>

    In the bridges of all of the battlecruisers in the mercenary fleet, a transmission request from the mercenary headquarter suddenly appeared. The captains patched the transmissions through immediately and stood at attention. The image of their leader appeared on the screen. The captains showed their respect. Liam¡¯s cruel methods and his tendency to kill everyone that disobeyed him gained him respect from these mercenaries.

    ¡°Load this AI into your systems and give it full access. That¡¯s an order.¡± Liam said coldly. His voice was somewhat empty. To the Assistant it wasn¡¯t that hard to fake the now deceased mercenary leader. His image and voice were pre-recorded. Everything the captains saw was made up by the AI.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The captains had their doubts. This order seemed abrupt and strange, but they knew better than to question their leader. After all, it was Liam¡¯s fleet. Why would he do anything that would harm it?

    An hour later, all the crew members were choking and coughing to a painful end. What happened on the Hyperion happened here again in much larger numbers. This time the executioner didn¡¯t have access to the armors of the infantry units and the vessels of the mechanical units, but that didn¡¯t stop her from using Liam¡¯s image to order the captains to order all ground units and fighters to exit the ships, load the provided AI to all fighters, order the crew members to load the fleet with all kinds of ammunitions, and then take over the ship and kill everyone aboard with poison gas.

    The mercenary fleet under Liam was relatively powerful. It included around one hundred battlecruisers and much more fighters. Liam practically united the Deadman¡¯s Port and all of the mercenary forces there under a single fleet. The mercenary fleet, now the Warden fleet, also held around two dozen nukes. God knew what the mercenaries wanted to do with the nukes, not that it mattered anymore. The fleet was no match for the Dominion fleet, but it wasn¡¯t weak either.

    Without a word and not wasting a second, the now Warden fleet left the port and jumped away, leaving Deadman¡¯s Port in chaos..

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, Jean was still in the holding cell. It had been around an hour, and her arms were getting ache, not that it mattered to anyone. The five ghosts were still around her, alert. Jean glanced down on her new orange suit. It was as if she had given up all hope of escaping, but Nova wasn¡¯t impressed. The girl was planning something. She coud sense it.

    Nova thought about disobeying her emperor¡¯s order and kill the girl now, but that thought disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.

    ¡°Why do you fight for Mengsk?¡± Jean suddenly asked a seemingly pointless question.

    Nova rose her eyebrows, surprised. ¡°If you want to turn me to your side you can stop wasting your time.¡±

    ¡°I know Mengsk controls his ghosts by inserting neural inhibitors into their heads. It suppresses their memories and gets rid of disloyal thoughts. A good method,¡± Jean said slowly. She was really impressed by the scientist that designed this. ¡°for the controller, that is. Controlled, not so much.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±  Nova asked in confusion.

    ¡°I am just wondering if your loyalty is a real thought, or a product of terran technology.¡± Jean provoked. ¡°It makes a lot of difference.¡±

    If Nova was really loyal to Mengsk, then Jean would have to kill her when her plan was done. Otherwise Jean could do something much more effective with an experienced ghost operative like Nova. Of course she didn¡¯t say that out loud. Now was not the time to reveal her strength and spring the trap.

    Nova smirked, but before she could say anything she touched her earpiece as if receiving an order. ¡°We have arrived on Korhal.¡± She said as the ghosts untied Jean and started to put more mobile restrains on her. No one thought she might try something under the watchful eyes of the ghosts, but such restraints were still necessary to remind the prisoner of her state. Plus, if something went wrong it would be a lot harder for a weak girl to run with metal handcuffs. It wasn¡¯t like she was a trained ghost with psi energy to increase her strength.

    As Jean was freed, Nova grabbed onto Jean¡¯s shoulder and pushed her forward. ¡°Go on. The emperor is waiting for you.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 55: Just like that

    Entering the Dominion palace, Jean noticed the place was heavily guarded. Elite terran units were all over the place. Marines, marauders, and medics patrolled the hallways in groups of twelve. Ten marines. One marauder. One medic. Elite ghosts hid in the shadows. Their modified personal cloaking fields allowed them to cloak longer than other ghosts. Jean could only sense their presence due to her overwhelming psi abilities thanks to Kerrigan. These ghosts could suddenly appear in unexpected areas and take any intruder by surprise. Any intruder could find themselves EMPed, leaderless, and picked off by these invisible elites.

    An open area was built in every cross intersection of the palace. It allowed the presence of larger mechanical units like siege tanks and thors. Hidden turrets were scattered all over the field. Detectors could make the place a death trap for anyone that tried to cloak and infiltrate the palace. After all, this was the heart of the terran Dominion. As far as Jean knew the Pride of Augustgrad fleet could get into action in minutes if there were intruders.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything.¡± Nova noticed Jean glancing around and warned. She felt something strange on Jean. She didn¡¯t knew it was because of Jean¡¯s newly gained psi abilities. The ghost didn¡¯t realize the change Jean underwent in the swarm. Abathur¡¯s genetics skill was to be praised. Without changing Jean was a vulnerable human being. The carapace under her skin protected her from being sniped and killed before she could change, but otherwise she was weak. An unarmored man like Liam could punch her and make her bleed. Jean didn¡¯t respond.

    Walking across three more hallways, Jean finally arrived at a door guarded by twenty Son of Korhal elite marines. Four special ops ghosts were also in the shadows. Nova walked up and opened the door. Some random female ghost pushed Jean inside.

    ¡°Jean Turner.¡± The girl saw the emperor of the Dominion walking up to her. He seemed glad. Nova walked to the side, leaving the field to the emperor and the girl. The emperor¡¯s son, Valerian Mengsk, was also present. It was as if the father was trying to teach the son a lesson.

    ¡°Mengsk.¡± Jean stated before being hit in the face and falling on her back. She felt blood falling down from her nose. The man was not holding back, nor was he afraid of hitting a girl.

    ¡°Show some respect, girl.¡± Mengsk hissed as he took out a napkin and wiped his fist of Jean¡¯s blood. ¡°You¡¯re not so menacing without a computer. Threaten me?¡± He walked up and kicked Jean in the stomach. Jean fell back, coughing. ¡°This is what you get for threatening a Mengsk.¡±

    Valerian seemed to be taken back. He wanted to say something, but chose not to.

    Sitting back up and seeing Mengsk was about to continue his abuse, Jean held a hand up. ¡°Hit me again and I will never work for you.¡± She threatened weakly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you wanted me alive?¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Mengsk smiled wickedly as he grabbed onto Jean¡¯s suit and pushed her to a wall. Mengsk wasn¡¯t exactly strong, but as a girl Jean was light and weak. ¡°Oh I need you to work for me, hacker, but that doesn¡¯t me you¡¯ll do it willingly.¡± He touched his temple. ¡°A small surgery here, and you will be my most loyal servant.¡±

    ¡°Just like Nova?¡± Jean grinned, sensing Mengsk¡¯s hot breath.

    Mengsk frowned. ¡°Yes.¡± He said, either not realizing what Jean was trying to do or just not caring. ¡°Just like Nova Terra.¡±

    Beside him Nova¡¯s mind twisted and turned. A surge of anger from being manipulated appeared, but all rebellious thoughts were suppressed and erased by the inhibitor in her brain. The agent stood back, unmoved.

    Mengsk looked at Nova¡¯s response and grinned viciously.

    ¡°Well.¡± Jean got the answer she wanted, which meant she no longer needed to be punched around by the thug. With a silent order her body started to turn.

    Mengsk watched in horror as the vulnerable blonde whom he was just hitting around seconds ago started to transform into a zerg abomination. Well, abomination didn¡¯t really put it. Her orange suit was ripped apart by the layer of zerg carapace. Her fingers turned to claws. Before Mengsk could back off, those sharp claws moved forward and digged their way into his stomach. The metal restraints did nothing to hold the now zerg back.

    It was easy and quick, just like a katana cutting through butter. The emperor stood in disbelief as waves of pain signal washed over his brain. Blood started to emerge from the wound where Jean¡¯s claw was still inside the man.

    Every ghost in the room, nine including Nova, raised their weapons and aimed at Jean¡¯s head. A psi powered bullet would appear a second later and tear through Jean¡¯s skull, but before that could happen eight figures appeared behind eight of the ghosts. Almost simultaneously eight plasma blades pierced through the backs of the eight ghosts.

    As the ghosts fell, the eight killers showed their face. They were AI ghosts. Mechanical Warden units Jean designed that were similar to terran ghosts. Jean took them out of her watch.

    Nova survived, but only because Jean took out three Warden ghosts and tackled her. They EMPed her and restrained her. Nova was alive but captured. It was a waste for her to die like this.

    Jean saw the horrified look on Mengsk¡¯s face. If it was Kerrigan here she would make this as painful as possible, but Jean saw no point in torturing her enemies unless they could provide valuable information. She merely pulled back her claws and watched the man collapse and die. A Warden ghost punched a bullet into his skull to make sure he was completely dead.

    Beside, Valerian Mengsk stood horrified as his father, his cold, brutal, merciless, tricking father, just died in seconds. He almost cried out when Jean walked to her, but caught himself.

    Walking to Valerian, Jean seemed like a monster and, to a certain point, she was. She was technically naked as her orange suit was destroyed, but the carapace and claws would make any men or women that came across her drop their dirty thoughts. The blood and organs on her claws didn¡¯t help her appearance either.

    ¡°As far as I know, Prince Valerian,¡± Jean said slowly and concisely. ¡°You are the rightful heir of the throne, which, since your father is dead, makes you the emperor of the terran Dominion.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 56: Lies

    ¡°You...you¡¯re a zerg!¡± Valerian whispered. Deal with a terran hacker, and he was a princewith flawed history. Deal with a zerg, and he was a traitor.

    ¡°You planned this all along¡­¡± Nova realized. She was EMPed and restrained, but she was still conscious. It all made sense now. The capture. The transportation. The confrontation. Everything seemed so easy for her. Jean barely resisted. Nova knew something was wrong, but she didn¡¯t realize what it was. ¡°I brought you to the emperor!¡±

    There was no way for Nova to know that, within a few days, Jean got inside the swarm, mutated, and got out. Thanks to Abathur the mutation was completely hidden. Another factor was Mengsk¡¯s carelessness. If he had been more cautious, if he had stayed further from Jean instead of beating her up himself, it would be much harder for Jean to get to him.

    There were twenty elite marines and god knew how much ghosts outside. If the ghosts could hold on for just a second Arcturus could get a signal out to the security. These twenty marines could buy more time either for Mengsk to escape or for more reinforcements to arrive. Once exposed Jean would just die. Even with the mutation she couldn¡¯t fight an army.

    But that didn¡¯t happen. The door outside Mengsk¡¯s chamber was pretty thick. Designed to be the last line of defense against any potential assaults, it would take several crucio shock cannon hits to break. It was no wonder the door blocked all sound from getting out, not that there were many sound made. Claws and plasma blades were silent. So was EMP. The EMP Nova received also disabled her communication with the outside world. No one survived long enough to produce a scream.

    As for surveillance, who would dare putting cameras in the emperor¡¯s office?

    ¡°Depends on your point of view. I am part human part zerg.¡± Jean exited zerg mode to prove that she wasn¡¯t a zerg. It was an important part to buy Valerian over. She needed the Dominion fleet as her friend, not her foe. Valerian blushed and turned away as the carapace disappeared. Jean looked down, frowned. It had became a difficulty to find a suit strong enough to survive her transformation and still be on her when she turned back. A Warden ghost took out a jacket from its bag. In reality Jean took the jacket out off her watch and put it into the ghost¡¯s bag to hide her watch.

    Putting on the jacket, Jean returned to Valerian. The prince looked back, much calmer. After all he was trained to be the successor of an empire. He was just taken by surprise. Now that he had a few seconds to calm down he regained control of his emotion.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± He demanded.

    ¡°I want to make you the same deal I made with your father. I offer to make you the emperor of the Dominion. In return you give me control of the Dominion fleet.¡± Jean replied, tucking her jacket tighter to make herself seem more trustworthy.

    Valerian smiled as if Jean said something funny. ¡°You¡¯re a fool if you think you can make me the emperor by killing my father.¡± He pointed at the surrounding. ¡°Someone will know we made a deal if I survived when everyone else died.¡±

    ¡°Not if your father is assassinated by the Nerazim.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t taken back. ¡°Your father is assassinated by the Nerazim because a united terran Dominion under your father might be a threat to the protoss domination. You survived thanks to agent Nova, but your father and the other eight agents lost their life in the attack. As the sole survivor it is your duty to take up the responsibility of being the emperor of the Terran Dominion and take revenge upon the protoss.¡± She produced a well crafted lie.

    Valerian frowned. ¡°Even if I am willing to lie to my people, no one will believe this obvious lie.¡±

    ¡°I ordered my men to use plasma blades, which are similar to the weapon of dark templars. I was a bit clumsy on Arcturus, but that¡¯s not a problem.¡± A ghost ignited his plasma blade and cut through Mengsk¡¯s body twice. The opening covered the claw wound and gunshot wound. Valerian¡¯s face turned white as his father¡¯s body was mutilated.

    ¡°Plus, we don¡¯t need everyone to believe us.¡± Jean emphasised on the ¡®we¡¯ to show they were on the same side. Valerian didn¡¯t object.¡°We just need to make you the emperor as soon as possible before anyone can respond. After that anyone that stands against you will be branded as a traitor of the Dominion. He or she will be hunted down and executed.¡±

    Valerian was still debating, so Jean pushed on. ¡°Imagine what you can do with the ultimate power of being the emperor. Plus, as soon as you help me destroy my enemy I will stand by your side and aid you with everything I¡¯ve got.¡± She lured the young man into her manipulation by appealing to his desire to help the people. Unlike his father, who cared about no one but himself, Valerian Mengsk actually wanted the best for his people. Jean saw that and used it for her own gain. ¡°With our combined forces you can end corruption. You can end war. You can unite the terran race under the banner of the Terran Dominion. Both the protoss and the zerg will crumble. You will be known as the savior of mankind.¡±

    Of course that was just another lie Jean composed. The moment she ended Amon she would leave this world. As for the Terran Dominion, well, why should she care?

    Valerian took a few minutes before making up his mind. When he spoke again, he was full of determination.

    ¡°Prepare a news broadcast. I need to address the Dominion and inform them about the tragedy and the outrageous act the Nerazim protoss committed.¡± He said. Jean nodded and turned around, but Valerian grabbed onto her shoulder. ¡°I will stay true to my word. I expect you to do the same.¡±

    Jean turned back and smiled innocently.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 57: Disagreement

    ¡±Breaking news. Our honorable leader and savior, Arcturus Mengsk, was assassinated this morning 7:40 in his own palace. Survivors, including the prince of the Dominion and the heir to the throne, Valerian Mengsk, and special agent Nova Terran, recognized the assassins as Nerazim dark templars. Footage from the suits of the special agents that gave their lives to protect their emperor, as well as the examination of the bodies, also proved that. Kate, how will this tragic event shape the future of the Dominion?¡±

    ¡°After his father¡¯s death, prince Valerian had claimed the throne as the emperor of the Terran Dominion. In a decisive manner, he announced to the world that his father¡¯s death will not be forgotten. The assassins and those who sent them will pay the price. That, combined with the theory of protoss involvement, might suggest a war between the Dominion and the Daeleem protoss, the new combination of the Nerazim protoss and the Aiur protoss.¡±

    ¡°How is our military? In this desperate moment the people of the Dominion needs to know they are well protected. How does the armed forces respond to this sudden change of event?¡±

    ¡°General Warfield had publicly announced his support of the new emperor. General Davis, on the other hand, seemed to be suggesting there was something odd about the assassination. She suggested a full examination of the event. Response from emperor Valerian is still unknown.¡±

    ...

    <hr>

    ¡°Valerian.¡± An old woman with white hair and a straight uniform was on the computer screen. She spoke with little respect to the new emperor. In fact, she barely acknowledged Valerian¡¯s place as the emperor. ¡°You and I both know something is wrong with your father¡¯s death. There is no way for a Nerazim to slip behind the protection of armies of elite Dominion troops and attack our leader.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s emperor Mengsk to you, general Davis.¡± Valerian fought back by emphasising their ranks.

    ¡°I will not recognize you as my emperor until I can make sure you played no part in Arcturus¡¯ death.¡± Davis didn¡¯t yield either. She had half a fleet behind her back.

    The situation was complicated. Most of the fellow Dominion planets have declared their allegiance to the new emperor, but they weren¡¯t really the key to power. In order for Valerian to really control the Dominion he would need the support of the fleet.

    The entire Dominion fleet included over eight hundred battlecruisers and thousands of other support ships. This was the hammer of the central Dominion government. There were battlecruisers in other planets, but only in small amounts. They were too few to matter. Two hundred of the eight hundred battlecruisers were part of the Pride of Augustgrad elite fleet, which was previously under the direct command of Arcturus Mengsk. After the old emperor died, the entire fleet, leaderless, pledged their allegiance to the new emperor. Valerian happily gained two hundred powerful battlecruisers just because of his last name.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The rest of the Dominion fleet was controlled by two generals. When Arcturus was alive he was too suspecting to hand over all six hundred ships to a single person, so he divided the fleet into two to decrease the chance of a full on betrayal. General Warfield controlled half the fleet while general Davis held the other half. Each general had around three hundred capital ships.

    General Warfield pledged his loyalty to Valerian almost as soon as the news of Arcturus¡¯ demise got out. The old soldier didn¡¯t mind who was the leader of the Dominion as long as he or she could protect the people of the Dominion from outside alien threats. Arcturus or Valerian, as long as he could protect mankind Warfield would support him. And so, despite knowing that something might be fishy about the assassination, Warfield handed over his 300 ships to Valerian and returned to the Korhal palace by himself. Valerian didn¡¯t disappoint him as he appointed Warfield as the admiral of the entire Dominion fleet.

    General Davis, on the other hand, was quite different. She cared more about herself than about the overall good of the Dominion. When Valerian demanded her to hand over command of her part of the fleet and report back to the palace, she refused to do so. Instead she ordered the three hundred ships under her command to remain in battle condition and prepare for war. Davis knew if she had given up her ships then she would be easily disposed off. If she had the ships she would be a powerful general. If she returned, she would be no more than an old lady. A single marine could destroy her. She held on to her ships and used them as a bargaining chip. She thought Valerian wouldn¡¯t dare attacking Davis¡¯ ships because that would ignite a civil war and, whatever the ending, weaken the Terran Dominion.

    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Valerian asked with tight lips.

    ¡°Apart from you there were two more survivors. Agent Nova Terra and prisoner Jean Turner. I want them delivered to my ship. I will interrogate them and find out the the emperor¡¯s real cause of death. If, and only if, you took no part in the assassination I will hand over my ships.¡± Davis said cruelly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from you. Pass off command to your lieutenant and return to the Korhal palace now. That is an order.¡± The new emperor said with determination and authority. There was no way for him to hand over his best agent and his new partner in crime. Nova chose to help Valerian after he disabled the inhibitor chip inside her brain. The inhibitor chip made Nova a slave of Arcturus, and the agent was grateful of regaining her own will. In return Nova helped Jean and Valerian in their plan.

    Davis smirked. ¡°The only reason you would refuse is because you have something to hide. What is it? Perhaps...perhaps you killed your father and took his place. Perhaps you are the real traitor to the Dominion.¡± Behind the screen and outside Davis¡¯ line of sight Jean tilted her head. Davis wasn¡¯t exactly wrong on that aspect. Valerian seemed to be taken back, so Jean said something to him with her psi energy.

    ¡°This is your final warning. Lay down your arms or you and everyone that supports you will be deemed a traitor. There will be war.¡± Receiving the contents, Valerian dodged the question and instead brought the battlefield to Davis.

    ¡°Then so be it.¡± Davis turned off the comm.

    Valerian looked at Jean. ¡°Now what?¡± He didn¡¯t want to attack fellow terran, but apparently he didn¡¯t have a choice.

    ¡°Now we show the world what happens to traitors of the Dominion.¡± Jean replied lightly, but her tone was cruel. ¡°Carolina Davis has to die.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 58: Announcement

    Among the fleet above Korhal, on her flagship, general Carolina Davis closed off her comm and signed. Trusted by her leader and appointed to command three hundred ships, she was living a life with power and authority. That was until Mengsk suddenly and mysteriously died.

    Davis knew with Mengsk dead she would never get the same respect and trust from Valerian. The boy was weak and innocent. He wanted the best for the people, just like the fool Warfield. He would never understand the true meaning of being a leader. Unlike his father, he would never be strong enough to do what has to be done to win a war. He would never side with her and trust her the way Arcturus did.

    That was why, whether or not Valerian was behind the death of Arcturus, Davis would always claim Valerian was behind the murder. Of course, if Valerian really killed his father to get the throne then Davis would be quite impressed because that would mean he was a brilliant actor and a decisive and merciless prince. He would get her respect, but not her loyalty.

    Back during the conversation with Valerian, if Valerian had given the two witnesses to Davis she would torture and brainwash them until they say what she wanted them to say. Even now that Valerian refused she could still say he was hiding something and wage a civil war.

    The war would end in one of two ways. She would either fail and die, which was highly unlikely, or she would win and become a powerful figure in the Dominion. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t be able to kill Valerian, but she would set the ground for future negotiations that would maintain her position as the head of the Dominion fleet. Who knows? Maybe she would be even more powerful than the time of Arcturus Mengsk.

    Davis had no doubt that she could defeat a young prince with no experience in war. General Warfield wouldn¡¯t raise his arms against fellow Dominion soldiers. She knew the old soldier for years. The man was too caring to his men. The Pride of Augustgrad fleet was powerful, but it didn¡¯t have a good commander. Plus, there was also the possibility that the prince wasn¡¯t willing to go to war and would back off and negotiate a truce.

    As Davis went over her perfect plan, a hesitant voice suddenly came from behind.

    ¡°General?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Davis asked coldly. She expected her men to follow orders without questions.

    ¡°Are we going to war with the emperor, general? Emperor Valerian is, indeed, the emperor of the Terran Dominion. If we disobey him, we will be traitors.¡± The officer said. He wasn¡¯t afraid of dying. He was afraid of dying in shame as a traitor of mankind.

    ¡°I suspected emperor Valerian might be behind the death of his father, our former emperor, so I requested him to aid me in my diagnosis. Suspiciously he refused to hand over the witnesses of the event. What is he hiding if he is innocent? What I am doing now, I am doing this for our real emperor, emperor Arcturus Mengsk.¡± Davis said loudly, not just to that one single officer but to the entire bridge. ¡°If Valerian did murder emperor Mengsk then he is the real traitor, and we¡¯re the righteous ones.¡± She declared confidently. There was a real she said she was suspicious. If, or rather when, the war ended in a truce she could always come out and say she was wrong and Valerian wasn¡¯t behind the murder. The public would be easily fooled.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Suddenly the computer screen behind her was turned on. Davis keenly noticed all the computer screens in the bridge were turned on as well.

    ¡°General, someone hacked into the communication device of our entire fleet.¡± That was the technology officer.

    ¡°Block them!¡±

    ¡°It will take time.¡±

    ¡°Then double time soldier.¡± Davis said with concern. Whoever hacked into her system wasn¡¯t just doing it for fun.

    With one more flash the image of Valerian Mengsk appeared on all the computer screens in the fleet. Almost every Dominion crew member, pilot, soldier, and officer was looking at a computer screen. None of these people was stupid, and they knew they were going against the Dominion. All of them were curiously about what Valerian had to say.

    ¡°Men and women of the Terran Dominion. Hear me.¡±

    ¡°You are under the false impression that I murdered my father and took his place. Hereby I tell you the truth. My father was murdered by a Nerazim dark templar. Here¡¯s the proof.¡± All the screens changed and displayed a footage of an invisible blade piercing through the back of Arcturus Mengsk. A visual from the tactical goggle of a ghost showed the attacker to be a protoss dark templar.

    ¡°This is taken from the goggles of agent Nova. Agent Nova protected me from the assassin after he killed my father. This is what really happened in that room.¡± The Dominion members nodded in agreement. The video was, of course, forged by Jean. For some reason even in this world with advanced technology and AI the people still believed in the reliability of what they could see. Another reason the soldiers were tricked was because of Valerian¡¯s fame. The prince was known to be someone that supported freedom of the press and encouraged the people to know the truth.

    Davis held her fists together. She glared at the technology expert, and was frowning when she saw he was watching the footage as well. Silently making up her mind to punish the expert, Davis knew it was too late. If she cut the footage now her soldiers would know she was hiding something. It would just be much more suspicious.

    The old general could do nothing but watch as Valerian gained more ground, but the emperor wasn¡¯t stopping there.

    ¡°And yet someone is spreading a lie about me. Your commander, general Carolina Davis, is trying to start a civil war among the Dominion. Why? For her own political gain! She wants to be more than just a general. She wants to use a war to show her influences. In fact, she is willing to give away the lives of loyal men and women for that purpose.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let her to this! Crew members on the Victor(Davis¡¯ flagship), in the name of the Dominion, arrest general Carolina Davis and bring her to me. Other ships in the fleet, jump to this coordinate and lay down your arms. There will be no punishments for those fooled by Davis, but those that are still fighting for Davis after this announcement will be branded as traitors.¡± A coordinate appeared on the screen.

    Davis turned and glanced through the crew members on the bridge. All of them looked down and dodged her gaze. Davis smirked and turned back to the control deck and pressed a button that opened up a transmission to all the captains of the fleet.

    ¡°All ships maintain your position. Make no move. Send out MPs and patrol the bridge. Execute anyone that supports Valerian. If that boy thinks he can turn my fleet against me with a few words then he is wrong.¡±

    The captains of the fleet were loyal supporters of Davis due to their long experience with the general. As someone with decades of experience in war and command Davis had large amounts of supporters among the ranks. There was a reason she could start the Defenders of Man movement without any outside support. The MPs, military police, were cold blooded soldiers trained to enforce the authority of the captains. They wouldn¡¯t hesitate in killing fellow Dominion soldiers. With the captains and MPs supporting Davis the opinions of the common soldiers didn¡¯t matter.

    The Davis fleet stayed still despite Valerian¡¯s warning. The prince¡¯s last attempt of peace failed.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 59: Beginning of the battle

    ¡°Emperor, none of the ships have jumped to the coordinates.¡± On Valerian¡¯s flagship, corporal Faraday reported with slight disappointment. The Davis fleet didn¡¯t respond to Valerian¡¯s broadcast. This meant war was inevitable.

    Valerian signed. ¡±Then so be it.¡± He had done a lot to make the Dominion as strong as possible after his takeover. Engaging the Davis fleet in combat was the worst possible option, but he didn¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Prepare the fleet to engage.¡±

    Faraday opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he ended up remaining silent as he left the room.

    Valerian signed again and walked to the window. Outside, hundreds of battlecruisers and thousands of fighters and support ships were assembling in battle formation. These metal beasts were the backbone of the Dominion. They were what kept mankind safe in a world of powerful aliens and menacing monsters. And yet today they were going against their own brothers and sisters. Countless human will die for a stupid cause. Whatever the result of the battle was the Dominion would be severely weakened.

    Valerian smashed his fist onto a table of the bridge.

    A static sound signaled a communication was opened.

    ¡°None of the ships left Davis.¡± Valerian said slowly.

    ¡°We have discussed this. Davis wasn¡¯t promoted to general by your father for nothing. She is a good commander. Your place as the emperor isn¡¯t enough to rally all the lower leveled soldiers against their commanders. Anyways. That was just plan A. Now it¡¯s time for plan B.¡± Jean was as chill as ever

    Valerian lowered his head. ¡°Do it. Just try to do no harm to the foot soldiers. They¡¯re just following orders Take out the commanders and that¡¯s it.¡±

    ¡°I will need the crew members to fly these ships, so I will try to save them, but the same can¡¯t be said for the ground forces.¡± Jean replied coldly and turned off the comm.

    <hr>

    Sailing from Korhal, the 500 Dominion battlecruisers flew slowly toward the 300 rebel cruisers. The Dominion fleet and its support ships covered the space. Fighters, including wraiths, vikings, and tac fighters, were released every second. Liberators, ravens, and science vessels filled most of the gaps.

    The rebel fleet seemed much weaker, but not by much.

    There was no further conversation. What could be said had already been spoken. As soon as the two fleets got into weapon range they opened fire.

    Laser batteries from both sides unleashed upon those from the other side. These batteries were plenty but relatively weak. They could only bounce off the plating of battlecruisers. Didn¡¯t matter. They were meant to destroy smaller fighters.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Vikings and wraiths charged forward. Their enemies were opposing fighters. If fighters from one side could destroy the counterparts of the enemies then they could use their missiles, which were designed to take down massive ships, to do exactly that.

    Jean watched from the bridge of a battlecruiser as the brutal fighting was ignited outside. None of the terran had any mercy against their own kind. They were mostly experienced enough to know that on a battlefield there was only friend or foe. Mercy to the enemies meant suffering to the friends. And so soldiers from both sides fought with utter determination.

    A Dominion vikings fired a pair of lanzer torpedoes toward an enemy wraith. The rebel wraith pulled up and dodged the torpedo with its superior speed and reflexing time. The viking, much more clumsy, flew by. Using its speed the wraith slipped behind the viking. With a flash its gemini missiles fired off. The viking tried to dodge, but the fighter wasn¡¯t designed to be agile. Instead, it was meant to take the damage and try to survive. Unfortunately such was not the case. The ship plating that could withstand several glave worms was torn open by the blast of the missile. The viking pilot perished along with his ship. The only thing left was a quickly silenced scream in the communication channel.

    The wraith had no time to celebrate as a string of laser batteries dotted by. He tried to dodge. The first one, dodged. Second one, no problem. Third one, shit¡­

    The wraith cursed as a laser battery grazed past its right wing. The agile aircraft flipped and exploded in space wreckage, just like the viking it destroyed seconds ago.

    The space battle could only be described as brutal. The only way for men and women on both sides to survive was by killing those from the other team. Laser batteries, torpedos, missiles, and smaller lasers darted throughout the field. Occasionally an explosion would signal the end of one or more fighters.

    On her flagship in the center of the Dominion fleet, Jean watched the battle unfold thoughtfully. Warfield had refused to fight his own men. Valerian didn¡¯t really have any experience in war, so she was given command of the fleet. Still, her influence on the fleet was limited to reasonable commands. If she ordered the entire fleet to jump to Shakurus no one would listen to her.

    Jean had never really fought in a space battle against an enemy fleet on equal grounds. She would either use trickery, backstabbing, cloaking, or her hacking skills to win. Unfortunately in this case the enemy wasn¡¯t some idiot with no technology support and allowed her to board his ship, nor was it some proud protoss that had few detection. General Davis was a trained general with decades of experience in battle. No trick could really work against her. Luckily she managed to gain an edge by using Valerian Mengsk.

    500 vs 300 was already tough enough. If Davis had any more ships¡­

    Behind Jean Nova walked up. ¡°We¡¯re pushing through with our numbers.¡± She concluded. ¡°But if Davis wants to run away we can¡¯t stop her.¡±

    ¡°For now, yes.¡± Jean replied quietly. ¡°Adjudent. How is the mapping going?¡±

    ¡°I have graphed the exact coordinates of half the enemy fleet. It will take time to complete the map.¡± The metal voice of the adjutant replied.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean stated and continued to watch the battle unfold. Nova looked at her as if she had a question. With the inhibitor chip removed she was no longer a pawn that could only follow orders but was rather an emotional human being. Still, decades of training told her not to question her commander. So she kept her mouth shut.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 60: Assassination

    As the battle heated up in the center of the field, a small group of stealth fighters was approaching the Dominion fleet from the back.

    ¡°Captain Gregor of the Phantom Squadron.¡± A comm ranged in the cockpit of the leading wraith. The captain immediately saluted. It was general Davis herself. ¡°Your mission is clear. Get as close to the enemy flagship as possible and destroy the bridge.¡±

    The captain nodded as the comm was turned off and gave out an order to his eleven followers. Simultaneously all twelve elite wraiths in the squadron cloaked and moved rapidly toward the heart of the Dominion fleet.

    He would be sneaking into the heart of the enemy and perform a daring assassination, but he wasn¡¯t worried. This was just another kill. He had fought with all sorts of enemies before. Zerg. Terran. Protoss. He survived all of them with a combination of skill and luck. His victories were enough to make him a general, but he refused the promotions. In comparison to sitting in the bridge of a battlecruiser, he preferred the thrill of life and death and glory and defeat. General Davis saw his potential and made him the captain of an elite wraith squadron dedicated to assassinate enemy commanders in the chaos of battle.

    Jean had no idea she was about to be backstabbed by cloaked units led by a daring pilot. She was special, mentally ill, but she wasn¡¯t an oracle. She was still trying to move the ships she had command over into better positions.

    At first Jean noticed something was odd with the rebel fleet. Instead of forming a line like Jean ordered the Dominion fleet to do, the rebel fleet was organized so that all the battlecruisers had a line of sight toward the Dominion fleet. When the two fleets engaged all 300 rebel battlecruisers could fire while only a few of the Dominion ships in front could fire. Jean knew she made a mistake, and she was working hard to fix it.

    Upon repositioning another battlecruiser to a better position, Jean was suddenly shook by a loud explosion from the back. She turned around and saw the rear plating of her flagship was consumed by explosions and flames.

    ¡°Where did the attack come from?¡± Jean¡¯s mutated body was more than capable of protecting her from falling over. Nova, as a trained special agent, steadied herself as well from the surprise attack. There was no other crew member in the bridge as Jean trusted metal adjutants over human beings.

    ¡°There is no visible enemy unit. Cloaked units. Most likely wraiths.¡± The adjutant was as calm as ever. A normal human crew member would be panicking now, but not the computer.

    ¡°Laser batteries fire on possible enemy locations. Deploy reserve squad alpha. Dispatch three science vessels. Order them to deploy defensive matrix.¡± Jean ordered calmly before returning to commanding the main fleet as if nothing happened. Her response was on point and on time. Nova knew she couldn¡¯t do it better herself. The adjutant passed down the order, but it would take a while for reinforcements to arrive.

    The ghost agent grabbed onto the side as further explosions hit. She groaned slightly and glanced at Jean. The girl was as steady as ever. She barely flinched. For a moment Nova felt a wave of confidence washing over her chest. It was as if everything was under Jean¡¯s control, for why else would she be so calm and patient? Nothing could catch her off guard or take her by surprise, and nothing could take her down. Nova subconsciously stood closer to Jean. She was starting to admire the constantly cold teenager.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    If Jean had known what Nova thought she would have felt lucky. She was unmoved by the attack because she physically couldn¡¯t feel fear or anxiety. Logically speaking she knew if death was to come screaming or faltering couldn¡¯t save her. In that case why not stand calmly and control the major battlefield? What happens if she actually survived?

    Jean¡¯s flagship was technically in the middle of the entire Dominion fleet, but it just so happened that Jean was trying to utilize the number advantage of her fleet. Her ships were spreading out to create more surface area to fire on. The change in length led to a decrease in width, and the ships around the flagship was decreasing every minute as more and more ships were re-positioned for maximum damage. This led to a defense vacuum around the ship that held Jean.

    When the wraiths striked there were dozens science vessels and ravens around. Such high-tech vessels were too expensive to be mass produced, and there wasn¡¯t that many of them in the Dominion fleet. Dozens of detectors might seem many, but they didn¡¯t have the number to cover every piece of space around with detection. There were openings, and the hit squad managed to slip by from one of the openings. Two more battlecruisers were protecting the flagship and a dozen more were close, but they lacked the detection. In fact they didn¡¯t even know there were enemies around before the wraiths launched their first round of missile.

    Jean was actually quite lucky. There happened to be a raven in front of the flagship, which forced the wraiths to hit the ship from behind. The twenty four modified missiles, two per wraith, ripped open the rare plating and killed some crew members, but that wasn¡¯t enough to take down the giant cruiser.

    In the back of the flagship, dozens of Dominion personal were killed by the explosion. The few that survived the initial blast were sucked into space via the opening in the plating. They would freeze to death in minutes. Metal doors snapped shut and prevented the oxygen from the rest of the ship from leaking.

    ¡°Again!¡± The captain ordered as the wraiths pulled around for another hit. Another round of missiles should damage the battlecruiser enough.

    They were about to turn toward the flagship when the three battlecruisers suddenly fired with all rear batteries. As experienced as he was, Gregor instantly understood what they were trying to do. The battlecruisers didn¡¯t have the detection, but they could still fire at potential areas that the wraiths might be in. Judging by the amount of laser batteries on the three battlecruisers sooner or later one or more lasers would be lucky and hit a wraith. Even if they didn¡¯t it would buy some time for reinforcements to arrive.

    Damn it! The enemy commander reacted quicker than any other commander Gregor had seen.

    ¡°Sir?¡± A wraith pilot hesitantly asked. Pushing the attack now could be dangerous. Enemy reinforcements would be here in minutes. Assassins usually pull away when their initial hit fails. Only amateurs would stay and fight and die.

    ¡°Make another hit¡­¡± Gregor, before completing the order, suddenly pulled up. A laser barely missed the under belly of his ship and hit a rebel wraith that didn¡¯t respond quick enough. The wraith was engulfed by flames instantly. The wraith was modified in terms of speed and agility, not armor.

    In the bridge, Nova grinned as she saw through a camera a large ball of fighter wreckage appearing out of nowhere. If she was the old Nova she wouldn¡¯t show her excitement as easily, but the new Nova was much more emotional. The inhibitor chip suppressed her emotions, and all these emotions came back as soon as Jean took out her chip.

    Hearing the terrified scream, which was instantly silenced, Gregor¡¯s heart was ice cold. This wasn¡¯t the first time a soldier had died near him, but he still didn¡¯t enjoy it. He glanced at the computer that monitored his fighter. The laser left a scar on the belly. If he had responded a second later he would be dead.

    Taking a deep breath, Gregor knew he was stuck in a terrible position. And yet he knew he couldn¡¯t retreat. General Davis wasn¡¯t known for being forgiving. The rifles of the MPs weren¡¯t for show. If he returned without the kill...

    Captain Gregor made up his mind, and his decision cut off the last hope of Phantom Squadron.

    ¡°On me boys! Keep your eyes peeled! Let''s move!¡± He ordered loudly and pulled around for another attack.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 61: Reinforcements?

    Jean didn¡¯t know a wraith captain was planning on performing a suicidal attack. Her attention was attached to the main battle before her. As a commander she considered not a few fighters but rather the wellbeing of entire fleet. The wraith squad was a mere fraction. She had already deployed countermeasures, and she trusted her forces to deal with the threat.

    Another Dominion battlecruiser was hit by eight viking missiles in the front. The thick armor, which was already weakened by the firing of the rebel battlecruisers, was ripped open by the immense kinetic energy. Fire consumed the bridge in less than a second. All the crew members, including the captain, were killed instantly. The first half of the ship fell immediately. Some crew members fell out of the opening and were frozen to death. Others burned. The second half of the ship, powered by the kinetic energy of the explosion, flew away uncontrollably. There wasn¡¯t air in space, so there wasn¡¯t any air resistance. The wreckage fell away and was going to hit another Dominion battlecruiser. The result would be a disaster.

    ¡°Science vessel S382J, deploy defensive matrix on battlecruiser B203.¡± Jean didn¡¯t really mind the loss of a single ship. There were nearly a thousand Dominion troopers aboard, but she didn¡¯t really care. Mourning couldn¡¯t do anything. The science vessel produced a green energy shield around battlecruiser B203. The wreckage hit the protected ship and bounced off.

    ¡°Battlecruiser B203, move up forward and replace battlecruiser B202.¡± The saved ship moved up to the place where the destroyed cruiser used to be in.

    The battle wasn¡¯t affected by the demise or survival of a single battlecruiser. Hundreds of battlecruisers were clashing in this space. Battlecruisers were being reduced to rubble every minute. As for fighters, well, there was constantly smaller explosions in the area.

    ¡°We¡¯re winning, but the losses are too heavy.¡± Nova concluded. On the computer screen that portrayed the active battlecruisers more and more logos were turning from a pleasing green to a depressing red.

    Keep in mind that the rebel fleet was also made up of Dominion forces. All the losses were weakening Jean¡¯s ability to launch an attack on Shakurus.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± Jean glanced at her watch. ¡°Reinforcements are about to arrive.¡±

    Nova frowned. ¡°There are reinforcements?¡± As far as she knew they were in this alone. Jean shrugged.

    <hr>

    Behind the rebel fleet twenty battlecruisers exited warp space. Their sharp edges and scrambled colors meant they belonged to one group of people.

    ¡°Mercenaries.¡± Davis groaned. As a typical Dominion general Davis didn¡¯t respect the strength of mercenaries. Mercenaries were tough and experienced, sure, but they were also hesitant to obey orders from commanders. They lacked the obedience and loyalty of good soldiers. Plus, twenty battlecruisers couldn¡¯t do anything on their own without any support ships or fighters.

    Even an amateur like Jean kept reserves at home in case of unexpected situations. Someone as experienced as Davis wouldn¡¯t make such a foolish mistake.

    Even during the most heated part of the battle Davis had kept ten squads of fighters at home. Five squads of wraiths and five squads of vikings. Decisively, she ordered the fighters to engage the mercenaries.

    It was a massacre. The mercenary battlecruisers moved forward while firing its laser batteries blindly and futilely toward the fighters. It appeared like they were trying to get close enough to the rebel battlecruisers to launch drop pods and commandeer the ships. Unfortunately things didn¡¯t go nicely. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The laser batteries of battlecruisers were relatively ineffective against large number of speed fighters. Most of the time strings of laser were chasing after the fighters with occasional successes. On the other hand the vikings and wraiths didn¡¯t even need to aim that carefully to hit the enormous battlecruisers.

    Missiles and torpedoes clashed with the tough armor of the mercenary battlecruisers. One, two, or even a dozen hits wouldn¡¯t do enough to bring down the capital ships, but the damage was piled on as time passed, and fire started to be ignited.

    One of the wraiths pilots was feeling extra confident as she ducked and rolled and reached the underbelly of an outlying battlecruiser and parked there. There were only two gun batteries that had the correct angle and could hit her, and the female pilot clicked a red button on her control panel. A pair of gemini missiles left the wraith and charged toward the two gun batteries. The batteries weren¡¯t as heavily protected, and an explosion destroyed them with somewhat ease.

    Grinning, the pilot kept on firing from the blindspot. She took down half the battlecruiser unchallenged before another mercenary battlecruiser fired a series of lasers that destroyed her fighter and her body.

    Things got even worse when the mercenary fleet kept on moving forward. Eventually the battlecruisers got close enough to be fired upon by the rear batteries of the rebel battlecruisers in the fleet. And yet the mercenary battlecruisers kept on moving under the pouring lasers.

    Davis smirked at the brave attempt of the mercenaries. The mercenary ships were getting closer, and no doubt they would launch boarding parties as they get close enough, but Davis wasn¡¯t worried. The rebel fleet was generally speaking outgunned by the Dominion and slowly surrounded, which meant it was gradually forming a circle. In the center of the fleet was The Victor. Protected by ten Gorgon class battlecruisers and was a Gorgon itself, the Victor was more than safe. In fact Davis even doubted whether or not the mercenary drop pods could penetrate the armor of the Gorgons and get the troops inside onto the ships.

    ¡°Continue firing.¡± She ordered coldly. ¡°Soldiers, show these mercenary scums the might of the Dominion.¡± She inspired.

    ¡°General, if I may, the mercenaries might be trying something else.¡± A younger lieutenant didn¡¯t share her optimism. ¡°Perhaps they are carrying nukes. Perhaps this is a suicidal charge.¡± He reasoned.

    Davis frowned. It was possible. In fact, it was more than likely. Now wasn¡¯t the time to be confident. She nodded encouragingly to the lieutenant before giving out orders.¡°All Gorgons fire everything on the mercenaries. Launch all fighters. Destroy the enemies before they get close!¡±

    The former Dominion now rebel system was extremely effective. Orders were passed down from the general to the crew members in a minute. One and a half minute after the order was released the mercenary battlecruisers were getting pounded on by endless waves of projectiles.

    Missile launchers. Laser batteries. Yamato cannons. Wraiths missiles. Vikings torpedoes. Even the lexington rockets of the liberators went into action.

    The battlecruisers were known for their size and armor, but they couldn¡¯t save the ships today. More and more cruisers fell apart. In the end the last battlecruiser was hit by a stream of missiles and exploded into small parts of burning debris a while away from the Victor.

    Davis smirked as parts of wreckages floated around the Gorgon battlecruisers. A piece of blade decoration floated toward and lightly hit the armored plating of the Victor.

    Whoever the enemy commander was, he/she must be a fool. Only fools would sacrifice twenty battlecruisers for nothing.

    But was Jean a fool?

    This was a question on Nova¡¯s mind as she saw twenty mercenary battlecruisers charging into the enemy fleet and died pointlessly. She just didn¡¯t get Jean. One second she was a calm and intelligent commander, and the next second she made a decision even a marine wouldn¡¯t do. The girl was full of mysteries.

    ¡°Is that the reinforcement you were talking about?¡± The ghost agent asked hesitantly.

    ¡°Sort of.¡±

    ¡°Sort of?¡±

    Usually Jean didn¡¯t bother explaining her plans to her underlings. It was a waste of time. She would just make her plan and carry it out all by herself. But with Nova it was different. Jean had plans with Nova, and in that plan she needed Nova¡¯s trust and understanding.

    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the trick...¡±Jean explained.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 62: Tricked

    ¡°What is the major problem for us?¡± Instead of answering the question directly Jean asked a question.

    Nova thought about this. The Dominion outnumbered the rebel forces. It was just a matter of time before they push through. ¡°Heavy casualties.¡± She concluded. ¡°Davis can just jump away anytime she wanted. No doubt she had already plotted the coordinates for her next destination. We can¡¯t stop her.¡±

    Jean nodded and glanced at a camera. The elite wraith strike team was being reduced to half its previous number and counting. ¡°If Davis escapes then this battle will give us nothing but casualties. We need to take over the rebel ships to make the sacrifices worthy.¡±

    ¡°But Davis can jump away.¡±

    ¡°How much do you know about warp space?¡± Jean asked another question.

    ¡±What do you know about warp space?¡±

    ¡°Ships with warp drive can enter a warp space that allows faster than light travel. It is how all the races travel through this vast sector.¡±

    ¡°And the danger?¡±

    ¡°Well, if the coordinates aren¡¯t accurate enough the ship could be jumping to nowhere. If the ship crashes into something in warp space it will be destroyed. If there is something in the direction of the ship about to jump the ship can¡¯t jump. If it tries to jump the ship will be destroyed.¡± Nova reasoned before suddenly realizing something. ¡°Did you just¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes I did.¡± Jean said to Nova¡¯s astonishment.

    On the other side Davis keenly noticed the Dominion ships were closing in. Rebel ships were being pushed back and were closing into an orb. There wasn¡¯t any response from Phantom Squadron. They were losing, but just as Nova was saying the rebels could leave anytime they wanted.

    Davis gave one last look at the Dominion ships. Over fifty rebel battlecruisers have gone down in the battle. The loss of fighters was ten times that number. And yet Davis got what she wanted. She still had a fleet that could get back into battle after a mere stop, and the Dominion suffered heavy losses as well. Davis had made her point. Now all she had to do was jump to somewhere safe and negotiate with Valerian. After this tough battle Valerian would reconsider his militant ways. Negotiation was the only thing he could do if he couldn¡¯t locate or destroy the rebel fleet.

    All the fighters that survived the exchange returned to the capital ships. The rebel ships were getting closer and closer to each other. The general knew if she wanted to jump she needed to do it now. Wait for a few minutes and the battlecruisers would be blocking each other¡¯s path. Entering warp space needed an open area before the ships.

    ¡°Jump to the assigned coordinates.¡± Davis sat back in her cozy chair. Her flagship would jump first. Then the Gorgons. Finally the Minotaur battlecruisers. The later the jump, the less value and the more easily sacrificed the ships were. But a few seconds later the familiar feeling of entering warp space didn¡¯t happen. She was still in the heated battle field with Dominion ships closing in.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Report! Why aren¡¯t we jumping?¡± Davis demanded. Another Minotaur class battlecruiser had fallen at the hands of two Yamato cannons. If the rebel fleet remained here they would be chewed away one by one.

    ¡°Something¡¯s in our way!¡± A lieutenant replied loudly. ¡°I think¡­I think it¡¯s the debris. They¡¯re in our way. We can¡¯t jump!¡± He sounded doubtful and surprised as he tapped the control panel. ¡°None of the other Gorgons could jump. They¡¯ve all being blocked!¡±

    In front of the Gorgon battlecruisers were piles of floating debris. They were the only remains of the twenty mercenary battlecruisers that perished here a while ago. Neither Davis nor her captains saw the potential dangers of these scattered debris. After all, debris were common in the battlefield. Even a Yamato cannon couldn¡¯t evaporate an entire battlecruiser. Any nukes that might be present on the ships would be destroyed or set off by the bombardment. These debris were harmless, so the rebels kept them around as trophies. But now the trophies had became the sharpest blades that was stuck into the heart of the rebels.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± Davis said with utter disbelief. For a moment everything made sense. The Dominion commander wasn¡¯t an idiot. Valerian Mengks didn¡¯t trust the wrong man/woman. In fact, she was a cold calculating commander. Her method was somewhat unorthodox, but it was effective. It was so simple not that Davis knew the plan, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that no one in the rebel fleet saw it.

    Engage the rebel fleet headon as a distraction. Use the overwhelming Dominion forces to win the space battle. Sacrifice the mercenary fleets to place the debris in front of the Gorgon battlecruisers. Make her think she could leave whenever she wanted. When the rebel fleet was surrounded and wanted to jump away it was too late. She fell right into it.

    Davis had wondered why the enemy commander would give up twenty battlecruisers instead of sending them to flank the rebel fleet from behind. Now she knew why.

    ¡°General?¡± The lieutenant asked. Davis looked up and saw all the crew members on the bridge were looking at her. They seemed worried and even frightened, and they were looking at their general for command. ¡°General?¡±

    Davis had faced several defeats before, which helped her to calm down in this dire situation. ¡°Fire all gun batteries at those debris!¡± She knew very well the debris wouldn¡¯t be cleared off in time. Laser batteries, missiles, and even nukes couldn¡¯t reduce the armored fragments to pieces small enough that allowed a safe entry into warp space in time. Perhaps a void ray could melt the metals quicker, but terran weapons didn¡¯t have the same overkill effect. Of course, Davis could order the entire fleet to focus fire on the debris before her flagship and clear a way for herself, but if she did that she would lose the majority of her fleet and all but one of her Gorgons. Without her fleet Davis was nothing. And yet she gave the order. As a commander Davis knew if she was overcome by fear then so would the crew members. No matter what she thought or felt she needed to be calm. Giving out that futile order made the crew members and other ships think they still had a chance.

    Davis might be a power hungry and cold calculating woman, but her tactical skill was not to be undermined.

    At this point the old general knew she was pretty much dead. There was no escape. But even so she didn¡¯t want that Valerian boy to inherit the entire Dominion fleet without heavy losses. She would fight to the end, and she wasn¡¯t afraid to bring the rest of the rebel fleet, over 200 battlecruisers and hundreds of thousands of former Dominion soldiers and god knew how many Dominion ships and men down with her.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 63: Announcement

    ¡°Open up transmission to the entire rebel fleet. Order our ships to hold their firing for now.¡± In her bridge Jean ordered. Nova watched in amazement as a transmission was immediately opened up on one of the computer screens. She had never seen Jean¡¯s AIs before.¡±

    Hacking into the rebel communication system wasn¡¯t that hard. The last time when Jean helped Valerian do it she added a backdoor to the system. Half a minute later Jean¡¯s face was on every screen in the rebel fleet.

    Jean was wearing a straight Dominion uniform. Her hair was tied into a clean ponytail. Her hands were behind her back. She looked like an elite Dominion officer. It was hard to believe she once slaughtered an entire Dominions battlecruiser without feeling anything.

    ¡°I am Admiral Victoria Heart of the Terran Dominion.¡± Jean was using an alias to avoid unwanted problems. A Dominion fugitive wanted by the former emperor himself being made the commander of the entire Dominion fleet wasn¡¯t really reassuring to the people or the soldiers.

    ¡°You have been surrounded. All of you. You have two hundred ships left. We have more than twice the number. Our reinforcements are on the way as we speak. You are hopeless. Resist, and you will die this day.¡±

    ¡°You will die as traitors. Followers of a conspiracy. You will have neither fame nor glory. Your families will be disgraced by your actions. They will live in shame for the rest of their lives. Resist, and the strength of the Dominion will fall. Zerg and protoss will invade our world and slaughter our people, and we will be defenseless because you chose to follow a leader that cares for nothing but herself. If the zerg and protoss invades, then everyone that died will be because of you!¡±

    ¡°For the sake of the Dominion. For the sake of mankind. I urge you to lay down your arms and stand with your real brothers and sisters and fight for the real purpose. Terran shouldn¡¯t be fighting terran. We should be dying against zerg and protoss invaders, not against our own men! I urge you! I beg you! Do what is best for mankind!¡±

    ¡°In the name of emperor Valerian Mengsk, I order all ships to jump to the assigned coordinates. Disable your shields and turn off your weapon systems. I promise with my honor as a Dominion Admiral, there will be no harm for those merely following orders.¡± Jean was getting very emotional at the end of the speech. She looked like a loyal, patriotic Dominion commander, and her loyalty and devotion seemed to be passing off to the rebel forces.

    Jean didn¡¯t give any mercy to the captains who were giving orders to rebel. She didn¡¯t need their submission to win this battle.

    After Jean turned off the transmission, Nova looked at Jean, impressed.

    ¡°You are a great actress.¡± She grinned, slightly relieved by the way the battle was going. ¡°If I were a Dominion soldier forced to join the rebel cause I would be dying to redeem myself. I wonder what Davis is thinking right now.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Her fate is sealed.¡± Jean returned to that cold, expressionless, and emotionless girl.

    Nova smiled. ¡°I¡¯d hate to be your enemy.¡± She might have meant something. She might have meant nothing at all.

    Jean looked into Nova¡¯s green eyes meaningfully. ¡°Then don¡¯t be my enemy.¡± Nova frowned, and Jean turned back to the battlefield.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, the rebel fleet was in chaos.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    The second announcement wasn¡¯t like the first. Valerian¡¯s announcement came when the rebel fleet was at its peak power. The soldiers were confident their leaders would lead them to victory. But now that the soldiers were near defeat the appeal sounded much more convincing. After all, surrendering meant not having to die. It meant seeing their families again. It meant so many things to the common foot soldiers that made up the fleet. Plus, in her announcement Jean made it clear that surrendering to the Dominion wasn¡¯t a shameful thing. In fact, it was a righteous and courageous thing to do for the good of mankind. This satisfied the pride of most.

    Now, for instance, a storm was rising on battlecruiser D230.

    ¡°Captain¡­¡± A few lieutenants exchanged a few glanced before standing up to the captain. ¡°What do you think?¡±

    ¡°General Davis made me who I am today. I will die for general Davis.¡± The captain said with full determination. He was made captain by the general herself. He owed her, and he was willing to return that by dying for her.

    The officers looked at each other. They didn¡¯t share the loyalty of their commander. Their connection to Davis was merely the relationship between commander and soldier.

    ¡°Captain, we are surrounded and outgunned. If we fight we will die.¡± Another lieutenant made another attempt to convince their commander. ¡°And for what? Davis doesn¡¯t care about us! We¡¯re just her pawns!¡±

    The captain realized what his underlings were saying, and this angered him. He reached for the gauss pistol on his belt and pulled it on the lieutenant that spoke. But at the same time all the lieutenants pulled their sidearms on him as well.

    ¡°Soldiers! Arrest these traitors!¡± The captain ordered loudly. But nobody moved. They merely looked at each other as if they were deaf.

    ¡°Follow orders!¡± He frowned when nobody obeyed him. ¡°MPs!¡±

    There were ten MPs on the bridge. They were fully armed and armored. Their weapons and armors were modified. They were elite soldiers trained to maintain the authority of the captains and put down mutinies. If they stepped in the mutineers would be slaughtered. Their small pistol would do nothing against the enhanced armors.

    But even the MPs did nothing.

    None of the MPs were stupid. They were surrounded and about to die. If they stepped in and put down the mutiny then that captain would bring them to their death at a wave of Dominion projectiles. They would die in shame. It would be a pointless end. Even the best soldiers thought for themselves.

    ¡°How dare you¡­¡± The captain groaned and turned to face the MPs threateningly. He raised his pistol.

    Bang.

    The captain looked down and saw a hole in his chest. A bullet powered by an electromagnetic field penetrated his chest. He wanted to say something, but all his energy had disappeared. He coughed and fell dead.

    Everyone on the bridge glanced at the lieutenant that fired the gun.

    ¡°Jump to those coordinates.¡± He lowered his pistol and said calmly. The crew members hesitated slowly before nodding.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to lower the shields.¡± Another officer warned. He didn¡¯t want to jump to the coordinates and be considered hostile and terminated. That would be really stupid.

    A few seconds later battlecruiser D230 jumped away.

    D230 was just the first the start of a series of changes. Battlecruiser after battlecruiser jumped away. The Gorgons were blocked from jumping, but not the Minotaurs. Eventually even the support ships started to leave.

    Some battlecruiser captains chose to stay and fight, but they were quickly overwhelmed by rebellious underlings. In the end the majority of the rebel fleet was gone.

    In her flagship Davis remained silent. She had been quiet since the announcement. Ship after ship left the fleet. All the while Davis remained quiet. In the end there were only ten Gorgons left. They were surrounded by more than four hundred battlecruisers, Gorgon and Minotaur, as well as thousands of fighters and support ships.

    ¡°General¡­¡± An officer asked in the Victor. He was barely able to push the words through his teeth. ¡°Maybe we should consider¡­¡± He never finished his sentence. The sound of a gun firing stopped him. He collapsed and died.

    Davis returned her pistol to her belt and scanned the rest of the crew members menacingly. ¡°Assemble the ground forces and prepare to counter boarding parties. If that Victoria Heart wants my ship she will have to take it over inch by inch with the blood of her own men.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 64: Boarding

    The ten rebel Gorgons were in an awkward state. They stayed because there were more men loyal to Davis than on the other ships, but that didn¡¯t mean anything. They were still surrounded and stuck. There was no escape and no salvation. Nonetheless, they had one tiny advantage. Jean couldn¡¯t afford destroying ten Gorgons. They were just too precious. She needed to recover them, and the only way she could do that was by sending out boarding parties, kill all the resisting crew members, and then commandeer the ships. Davis knew that, and she made up her mind to make that process as painful and costly as possible.

    The ravens in the Dominion fleet stepped out under the cover of big brother battlecruisers and started showing why they were considered the peak of terran technology.

    Countless disabling matrixes were thrown toward the Gorgons. Usually the Gorgons could dodge them or fend them off, but not this time. This time Jean mixed the defensive matrixes in viking torpedoes and wraith missiles to make sure the disabling matrixes could reach the enemy ships.

    Disabling matrixes were basically a giant ball of emp. They fried anything electronic that they hit. The Gorgons were too big for a single hit to disable the entire ship, but that didn¡¯t stop Jean from disabling the majority of the weapon systems. With most of the weapons down, the boarding parties could reach their fields without the fear of being shot down in the air.

    Usually in boarding combats, the side landing would always suffer heavy losses due to the batteries on the enemy ships. The landing side utilized drop pods, which were not exactly slow but were definitely not armored. A single shot could destroy the drop pod along with every single unit inside. This was not the case now.

    With a loud bang, the drop pods sharped tips penetrated the Gorgon¡¯s side armors. They pulled apart and ripped the armor on the side open and created an opening. The ground units within poured out.

    The Gorgons replied quickly by deploying its own ground forces. Captains ordered MPs to stand behind the common soldiers and execute anyone that turned or fled. Most of the soldiers didn¡¯t want to fight, but they didn¡¯t have a choice.

    Jean focused her attention on the Victor. She had had a conversation with Valerian on what to do with her. Despite saying he wanted Davis dead for multiple times, Valerian felt killing her would make him not different from his father. He ordered Jean to arrest Davis and bring her back to a proper trial. Jean acknowledged his opinion in words, but what she really thought was pretty different.

    She and Nova were directly commanding the boarding of the Victor on their flagship.

    Fifty drop pods were released toward the Victor in a scattered formation. Twenty five had twenty marines inside. Twenty five drop pods had ten marauders. There were a total of 750 cheap bio forces. Larger units like tanks and thors were ineffective in the small hallways of the battlecruisers. Ghosts were too expensive to be sent on this mission. If a drop pod was hit, it didn¡¯t matter whether the drop pod was filled by cheap replaceable marines or costly ghosts. Everyone would die. Plus, this was just the first wave.

    The ravens disabled most of the batteries, but some survived. The random gun batteries did their best to fire upon the drop pods. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°Taking fire...ahh!¡± ¡°Incoming!...¡± ¡°Mayday mayday. We¡¯re hit! We¡¯re hit!!¡±

    Scattered transmissions came from the drop pods in distress. Occasionally one of the drop pods would be hit by a laser battery. The metal container was melted instantly. Even with their CMC armors marines and marauders couldn¡¯t survive the hit and would be evaporated. What was more terrifying was how defenseless the troops were. There was nothing they could do but sit back and pray no harm would come to them. No amount of skills or weapons could save them if they were the unfortunate ones.

    Jean was unmoved. The first round was always the most devastating, but even if only half of the units survive there would still be 375 marines and marauders. A Gorgon had 6000-8000 men, but most of them were crew members, officers, and pilots. Unless the Gorgon was prepared for a transportation mission, there was only 1500 ground units aboard.

    Nearly four hundred soldiers were enough to create a brief fortification and hold off enemy attacks until the second round of drop pods arrive.

    The rebels acted as quickly as they could. The Adjutant marked out where the drop pods would be likely be landing in, and rebel troops were quickly deployed. Some of the drop pods that survived the laser batteries opened their doors and found themselves surrounded by gun barrels. That wasn¡¯t good for the Dominion forces.

    Despite suffering heavy losses, some of the drop pods were lucky enough to survive the laser batteries and not get surrounded and terminated. They secured the surrounding hallways and sent out a signal to direct more drop pod reinforcements to them.

    The rebels tried to take back the hallways, but the thing was the battle inside the Gorgon was dictated by twists and turns. Numbers were undermined as only a few soldiers could fire at once. A few Dominion marines could have the same firepower of fifty rebel soldiers that were stuck in a narrow hallway. The Dominion survivors pinned down the rebel forces.

    On one of the largest fortifications the rebels performed seven charges toward the defenses in less than ten minutes. Officers and MPs waved their firearms and forced the common soldiers to move forward. But as soon as the marines and marauders left the covers they would be welcomed by a wave of grenades and rifle rounds. They would drop a dozen bodies and be forced back into hiding. The officers would execute a few cowards, and the rest would be forced to make another charge. This happened for seven times, but the rebel didn¡¯t gain an inch of ground.

    Things really went bad for the rebels when the second round of drop pods arrived. Jean directed the majority of the drop pods to the area the first wave of troops held. When fresh Dominion reinforcements arrived in the field, the rebels turned and fled.

    Officers tried to stop the retreat. Some loyalists shot several deserters, but that really worsened things. To the rebel soldiers who were beaten up both physically and mentally it was certain death if they move forward. They want to live, and the only way to live was to flee or surrender. By shooting deserters the officers were cutting off their only way of surviving this. This angered the soldiers, and the few loyalists were quickly shot dead by angry soldiers. Other officers that were smarter ran along with the fleeing soldiers.

    ¡°Admiral, we have controlled the land site. We are now moving forward toward the bridge. The rebels are fleeing.¡± An excited Dominion officer reported through the comm.

    ¡°Press on the attack soldier. Victory is upon us.¡± Jean praised the officer and grabbed onto a military cap. ¡°Let¡¯s go meet our dear general Davis.¡± She walked out the bridge and toward a transport. An Admiral like her wouldn¡¯t risk being in a drop pod. Jean knew if her drop pod was hit by a laser battery she would be either maimed or dead. That would just be stupid. A modified Dominion transport, however, was much safer.

    Nova grinned and followed Jean out. ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 65: Boarding II

    Thankfully the special ops transport, which had a cloaking field on it, arrived onto the Victor safely. It entered the hanger of the ship and landed. Jean and Nova walked out.

    A Dominion officer in a marine suit was waiting there as the door opened. She wore a marine CMC armor that was almost identical with the normal Dominion marines. The only difference was a small sigil on her shoulder plate.

    ¡°Admiral Heart. We have taken over the majority of the ship. Most of the crew members are captured. Rebel forces are broken. Those that that didn¡¯t surrender were executed.¡± She reported proudly. ¡°The remaining rebels are in the bridge. They have sealed the door. My boys are working to break through. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean smiled and nodded kindly. She walked headon to where the bridge would be. The officer and Nova followed her. As they were walking, Jean asked the officer. ¡°You are¡­¡±

    ¡°Ashley. Captain Ashley. I am one of the four captains leading the first wave.¡± Ashley replied, slightly saddened. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from the other three captains. My men were lucky enough to gain a ground after landing. Chances are the other three weren¡¯t as lucky.¡±

    Jean nodded and walked on. Twenty elite Dominion marines followed. Now that she was a Dominion Admiral she had received a guard squad. In a real fight she could kill all twenty marines in ten seconds, but Jean needed to hide her zerg part. That meant she needed to play the profile of a physically vulnerable girl who used her tactical mindset to get to her place. Security could solve many situations.

    As Jean was walking, she came across many dead marines and marauders. Their armors were shattered and blood was forming small puddles beneath them. The battle was still going, and men were used to attack rather than do cleaning duties. Dead bodies were just left lying on the ground. Bullets and grenade holes were scattered all around the walls of the hallway. Occasionally gunshots would echo through the hallway. Jean walked on.

    Jean suddenly halted. A dead Dominion marine was on the ground. His helmet was opened, revealing a young face. He was no more than twenty. A bullet pierced his chest and ended his young life. His eyes were open in shock.

    Jean knelt down and closed his eyes. She signed and stood back up and continued walking. Behind her, the marines were obviously surprised. None of them expected a general like her to spend time and actually pay a dead marine respect. Normal Dominion generals, such as Davis, were cold and even brutal to their men. They saw the soldiers as numbers and merely used them as tools. Jean seemed different, and the troops were touched.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The small group eventually came to a metal door completely sealed from the inside. A small groups of soldiers in red Dominion armor, marines and marauders, turned around with their weapons ready as they heard footsteps closing in. They put down their weapons when they saw their captain.

    ¡°Boys, this is Admiral Heart.¡± The soldiers turned to Jean with respect. She nodded back.

    ¡°How long will it take to breach that door?¡± She asked.

    ¡°We have the charges. We can use them whenever you want, Admiral.¡± A marauder replied.

    ¡®Then do it.¡± Jean ordered. The Dominion soldiers stood back and checked their weapons. Ashley walked up and attached a charger to the door. The guard squad walked up and formed a metal wall between Jean and whatever danger in the room with their shields, armors, and bodies. Nova gripped tightly to her canister rifle. She knew the girl beside her didn¡¯t need her protection, but that didn¡¯t mean she would sit back and do nothing while others fight The captain walked back and looked at Jean. When Jean nodded, Ashley pressed a button on her armor.

    The explosion ripped a large hole through the metal door and opened a way for attack. Marines and marauders charged forward with determination. They were met with a group of prepared opposition.

    The first marine raised his shield and charged into the room. Almost instantly the tactical shield was thrashed by a wave of marine gauss rifles and marauder grenade launchers. The metal weapon was reduced to a useless piece of junk. The marine lifted his rifle and blindly fired for just one second before his armor and his body was destroyed by the defenders.

    The sacrifice of the first marine brought his comrades some time. The second marine, ignoring the death of his predecessor, moved up and fired at the defenders. He died two seconds later from a grenade to the head, and then the third came.

    After the fifth dead marine a marauder finally took action. The improved CMC armor offered much better protection. Marine rifles had trouble penetrating the thick layer of metal. Under the metal storm the marauder moved around to dodge firings and fired at the same time. His stim pack allowed him to do both at the same time with ease. A grenade was fired from his weapon and hit a control panel. The explosion knocked three marines onto the ground. Three grenades from the rebel marauders ended his life, but he had already brought enough time.

    As the battle went on more and more Dominion forces entered the bridge. The rebels fought for their general with ultimate determination. Those that were still with Davis were willing to give their lives for their general. In the end the Dominion was forced to slay the rebels to their last men to get to Davis.

    Several minutes later, Nova sniped her eleventh rebel. When she looked up, all the rebels were dead.

    Walking past piles of dead soldiers and destroyed armors, Jean finally saw the woman that she had fought with for the last few hours. The infamous general Davis.

    She was still in her army uniform. Her grey hair couldn¡¯t hide her inner strength and determination. A pistol was on her belt. Jean knew from her psi energy that it had been fired. The fact that she was defeated and her guards were slaughtered in front of her didn¡¯t seem to have shaken her. General Davis had already moved past the phase of being frightened by death quite a while ago.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 66: Confrontation

    As Jean was observing Davis, the general was observing Jean as well. In reality Davis felt strange. She had never heard of an Admiral Victoria Heart before. She knew that was impossible. She knew everyone important in the Dominion military. There was only one explanation. Admiral VIctoria Heart didn¡¯t exist before Valerian came to power.

    The common soldiers in the Dominion didn¡¯t question why they were suddenly been put under command of someone never heard of before. They weren¡¯t in a place of asking questions. Davis, however, knew there was something off with Jean. There was a reason Valerian trusted her with the entire Dominion fleet.

    ¡°Admiral,¡± Davis spoke first. There was a confidence within her that made others doubt themselves. She didn¡¯t seem like someone lost and captured. It was as if she was the victor in this exchange. ¡°I find it odd that I have never heard of you. You¡¯re a talented commander, and I wonder why you have never been heard of or seen before Arcturus died and Valerian became emperor. It was as if you wasn¡¯t in the Dominion before that.¡±

    Jean waved her hand, and all the Dominion soldiers left the bridge. Nova was about to leave as well, but Jean grabbed onto her by her arm and stopped her. All the while Jean was staring at Davis.

    ¡°Does it matter, general?¡± She dodged the question.

    ¡°In fact, it does matter. First Arcturus died by some mysterious cause. Then Valerian took over the throne almost instantly. Now you, Admiral Heart, you are put into command of the Dominion fleet. I, a loyal supporter of the former emperor, am being hunted down.¡± Davis said slowly but steadily. ¡°It¡¯s a political takeover.¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t respond. She didn¡¯t feel the need to have a pointless conversation with someone about to die. Some would feel like bragging to their captured opponents. Not her.

    ¡°Did Arcturus really die at the hands of the protoss, Admiral? Or was he murdered by someone else? Who is in this? Valerian. You.¡± Davis had already lost all restrictions. She was saying whatever she wanted to. She glanced at Nova, who was unmoved. ¡°Agent Nova over here, judging from how calm she is.¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t respond.

    ¡°Just one last question. Did Valerian come to you with the plan of murdering his father or did someone else go to him?¡± Davis asked after a few seconds.

    ¡°Why?¡± Nova was confused. "You¡¯re defeated and captured. Does it really matter?

    ¡°Well, if Valerian came up with the idea then he is a great actor and someone dangerous. He will do anything and everything he can to increase and maintain his power power. He would, with no doubt, order you to kill me. If he was forced or just tempted by a promise, however, he will let me live and face a fair trial. If that happens,¡± Davis leaned up. ¡°I will expose every inch of your plan to the public and let the world see who their new emperor truly is.¡± This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Nova looked at Jean for a decision. She had no idea how much she trusted the girl. She admired Jean¡¯s confidence. It was as if there was no problem she couldn¡¯t solve. They were indeed under the order to capture Davis alive no matter how mad the emperor seemed.

    Jean didn¡¯t say a word. Instead she went straight to action and did what she had to do.

    Jean¡¯s eyes turned blue from the use of psi energy. Davis¡¯ expression turned to surprise as she realized she couldn¡¯t move her body.

    Jean turned to Nova.

    ¡°A while later she will shoot me. When that happens, you will have to make a decision, Nova Terra.¡± Jean said with a manner that told Nova she meant business. ¡°If you kill her, you will be disobeying Valerian¡¯s order, but I will consider you a friend and a sister in arms. If you refuse to kill her, then you will be siding with Valerian, and you will potentially be my enemy.¡± Jean tilted her head. That would be cute if you ignored what she was saying. ¡°You know how I treat my enemies. It¡¯s your own decision to make.¡±

    For a moment the bridge was silent. Jean was holding Davis in place. Nova had a large frown on her face that showed the world her dilemma.

    Nova had been forced to serve Arcturus Mengsk due to the inhibitor chip. After the chip was removed, Nova joined Jean and Valerian¡¯s plan partly because they saved her from being enslaved and partly because she had nowhere else to go. She had no friends. She had no families. She had no home. So she stayed and did what she does best.

    But now she was forced to make a choice. Valerian or Jean.

    Valerian had the entire Dominion behind him, but Nova knew better than looking at the surface of events. Valerian was nice to his people, but he was too nice. He might be a good leader, but he also lacked the decisiveness needed to win. As someone experienced with death and destruction Nova wasn¡¯t really thrilled about serving under someone as soft as Valerian.

    Jean was completely different. She didn¡¯t have the forces Valerian had, but her skills were impressive. She was a tactician, smart enough to defeat one of the best generals in the Dominion and wipe out her fleet. She was a fighter, strong enough to destroy anyone enemy she met. She was brave, brave enough to risk her own life to complete her goal. Most importantly she was ruthless to her enemies but friendly to her own. She could slaughter enemies without a single sense of mercy, but she could also pity and pay respect to the lowest rank of her own.

    It wasn¡¯t a difficult decision to make.

    Nova looked at Jean and nodded. Jean smiled sweetly in encouragement, and Nova aimed her rifle at Davis.

    Jean moved her fingers slightly. Davis¡¯ eyes widened as her right hand, trembling, was forced to reach onto her belt and pulled out her pistol. Jean moved her index finger, and Davis raised her pistol at Jean. Jean held her hands together, and Davis pulled the trigger.

    A gauss round exited the gauss pistol and smashed into Jean¡¯s stomach and came out the other end. Jean stumbled as the impact of the weapon hit her body. Blood started to drip from the wound. She just manually modified her genes so that she could be damaged by the small firearm. She needed to make it look like she was taken by surprise. She also needed to suppress her healing mechanism to make her seem more terran.

    Almost at the same time Nova¡¯s rifle fired, and Davis¡¯ heart was opened up. Without Jean¡¯s inhuman healing, the general fell on the ground, no longer breathing.

    Dominion soldiers from outside charged in and recovered their ¡°unconscious¡± general.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 67: Jean & Nova

    It had been two days since the civil war ended and Davis¡¯s death. The remainder of the rebel fleet and the victorious Dominion fleet returned to Korhal.

    Jean was laying on a hospital bed with white sheets. Her face was as pale as the sheet below her, but that was mostly due to her actions of suppressing her body¡¯s mending ability. Otherwise that tiny wound on her stomach would heal in minutes. However, she needed to be a normal human being.

    The door opened, and Jean looked up to see Nova entering the room. She silently psionically scanned the surrounding. No one was spying on them. The area was secure.

    ¡°What did Valerian say?¡± Jean asked quietly. The tired look on her face disappeared and was replaced by a standard Jean expression. SInce Jean was wounded Nova was sent to Valerian to report.

    ¡°He¡¯s not exactly happy with Davis dead, but there¡¯s nothing he can do. After all Davis started it.¡± Nova leaned to a wall and tilted her head.

    ¡°Good, and the fleet?¡± The Dominion fleet had suffered heavy losses. It was being once again merged with the rebel fleet, but even the rebel fleet was battered. Jean wondered how many ships were left in total. The strength of the Dominion fleet was directly related to her ability to strikeShakurus and thus her ability to defeat Amon.

    ¡°Over two hundred capital ships are lost. Most of the fleet only have half the ammunition and three fourth the fighters left. 85% of the six hundred battlecruisers that survived are wounded. 34 Gorgons are left. All of the ships are currently being repaired in shipyards.¡± Nova observed Jean¡¯s expression as she announced the bad news. ¡°It will take a while to get the fleet back to battle condition. Even then it will not be as strong as it once was.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t wait too long. It will just be a matter of time before the Golden Armada defeats the Swarm.¡± Jean said with concern as she touched her chin.

    Nova frowned. Jean noticed the frown and knew it was time to tell the agent more.

    ¡°Now that you have decided to join me, I need to tell you some of my secrets...¡± Jean smiled and toldNova everything. She told Nova about her mission to terminate Amon and all of her planning to do so. She told her about Nyon and her plan to use the Dominion fleet. She even hinted on the presence of the Supreme One that sent her here.

    Nova stood in awe after Jean¡¯s explanation. ¡°So let me be clear. Someone sent you here to kill someone? Once you¡¯re done you¡¯ll leave this sector?¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°First, not just someone, a Xel¡¯naga.¡±

    ¡°Xel¡¯naga?¡± Nova asked, completely confused.

    ¡°The Xel¡¯naga created the zerg and the protoss.¡± Jean explained as clearly as possible.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Nova wasn¡¯t someone that gets shocked easily, but this time she was really surprised. What type of being was powerful enough to create two of the most powerful alien races in the sector? ¡°And you¡¯re planning to kill him?¡±

    ¡°It could be a her, but yes, in this case it is a him.¡± Jean joked. The joke wasn¡¯t for fun. It was to ease Nova from the more than shocking news she just told the ghost. Nova grinned widely. Jean continued. ¡°And, to your second point, I am not just leaving this sector but rather leaving this world.¡±

    ¡°And I want you to join me in my journey.¡±

    Nova coughed to hide her surprise. ¡°Why me?¡±

    ¡°You are the best ghost agent in the entire Dominion. Your skill in both combat and command is much better than mine. With you by my side we can be victorious.¡± Jean smiled confidently. Nova stood thoughtfully. ¡°Plus, why would you want to stay here? You have no family. You have no lover. You have no friends.¡± Her words were straightforward, but Nova knew Jean was telling the truth.

    Nova¡¯s family died years ago. She spent her childhood as a ghost trainee. For her entire life Nova had been following orders. This was because of the inhibitor chip, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that Nova was used to serving someone. If Jean wasn¡¯t here she would serve Mengsk, but now that Jean had opened up a brand new door¡­

    ¡°Can you bring living beings on your trip?¡± Nova was practically saying yes to the offer.

    ¡°No.¡± Jean answered to Nova¡¯s complete surprise. "But I have a plan.¡± Nova looked at Jean, waiting for an answer.

    Jean silently took her patient clothes off and revealed large pieces of bare skin, surprising Nova, who turned around quickly.

    ¡°Come on, I need you to see this with your own eyes.¡± Jean rose her eyebrows as the female ghost was surprisingly nervous at her bare body. Nova turned around slowly to face Jean. Her face slightly red as if she was blushing. It was unlikely for someone trained in the art of killing to blush so easily, but Nova was indeed nervous.

    ¡°Whatever you want to show me do it now.¡± She demanded.

    Jean tapped her invisible watch, and Nova frowned as Jean¡¯s body was covered by a layer of specialized suit. One moment there wasn¡¯t anything on her skin. The next moment a layer was covering every inch of her body.

    ¡°This watch, which only I can see and touch, can store non-living things.¡± Jean stepped down from the bed, all geared up. ¡°My plan is this. When I leave, I will store your thoughts separately as an AI when I leave and put your lifeless body in stasis. When I arrive at my next world I will restore your thoughts to your body.¡±

    ¡°Terran technologies can do that?¡± Nova doubted.

    ¡°No, but protoss technologies can.¡± Jean straightened her suit. ¡°Purifier technology, especially.¡±

    ¡°Where can we get Purifier technology?¡±

    ¡°Cybros. Endion.¡± Jean held her right hand out to Nova. ¡°Shall we?¡±

    Nova stood for a few seconds before holding onto Jean¡¯s hand.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 68: Endion

    Training room. The Beetle. Warp space.

    Nova punched Jean in the face with her gloved fist and forced her onto the ground with a bloody nose.

    One of the reasons Jean needed Nova was because of Nova¡¯s skills in combat, skills that Jean herself lacked. True, Jean was no longer the defenseless girl when she first arrived into this universe. Her specialized suit allowed her to use different types of terran weapons to defend herself. Her enhanced stim pack could make her reflexes much quicker and her body much stronger. Her zerg mutation could give her incredible physical strength, carapace, and mending abilities. Her psi energy could defeat most people with ease. Nonetheless, Jean¡¯s melee skills was far from satisfying.

    This was why Jean and Nova were sparring in the training room on the warping battlecruiser.

    As the two stated fighting and Jean was getting defeated with ease, she realized that she was right. Without her quick reflexes, her psi energy, her strength, and her mending skills she couldn¡¯t last five seconds before an unarmed Nova Terra.

    ¡°I don¡¯t get why you suddenly wanted to learn how to melee.¡± Nova twisted her wrist as she watched Jean recovering from the punch. ¡°If you, the owner of an entire fleet of battlecruisers and someone with zerg mutations, need to fight someone with your bare hands and nothing else, then we must be in some real trouble. In that case knowing how to punch can¡¯t save you.¡± Nova was good in melee, but she preferred the more efficient way of shooting or even nuking her enemies.

    Jean wiped the blood off her face and stood back up. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to learn another skill.¡± She charged toward Nova again with her fists raised and ready.

    Nova stood still for a second before suddenly dodging to the side and holding her right leg out. Jean saw the move and tried to catch herself, but the inertia was too great for her terran body. She tripped and fell on the ground head first.

    ¡°It is hurting you.¡± Nova observed. ¡°When you fight don¡¯t use the strength of your entire body. Keep an eye on your enemy and leave some room for adjustments.¡± She held a hand out and helped Jean up. For a moment Nova was admiring Jean¡¯s persistence.

    ¡°Again.¡± After a few seconds of break, Jean suddenly launched her right arm toward Nova. Nova caught it and Jean tried to pull back. Grinning, Nova twisted Jean¡¯s arm behind her back. Before she could respond, Jean felt Nova grabbing onto her neck and locking it in place. In a real battle Nova would¡¯ve snapped Jean¡¯s neck already, but now the two were merely holding the awkward position. Nova was behind Jean and wrapping her arm around the younger woman. Jean wasn¡¯t resisting. In fact, the two were almost gentle as Nova¡¯s forceful grip weakened into a lover¡¯s touch.

    The two breathed heavily for a few seconds. They looked like they wanted to do something before suddenly being interrupted by the Beetle AI.

    ¡°Pardon the disruption, ladies, but we are going to reach Endion in five minutes.¡± Nova suddenly found the mechanical voice of the AI so annoying.

    Jean backed off for a distance. ¡°I¡¯ll take a bath. Meet you at the bridge.¡± Nova nodded, disappointed, and walked away.

    <hr>

    Jean¡¯s expression turned to infinite coldness as she felt water sliding down her body.

    Love was a powerful source of loyalty.

    Jean had tried several ways to control people she needed. Previously she used deals to connect with others, but that didn¡¯t work so well with Liam and Mengsk. She then used fear and threats to address Valerian. This seemed to work, but there was no way she could gain Nova¡¯s loyalty by threatening the Dominion civilians.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Then she realized how emotional Nova was after the inhibitor chip was removed.

    The inhibitor chips suppressed the emotions of their users to make them the best weapons. When she had the inhibitor chip Nova was a cold blooded killer who cared about nothing besides her mission. She didn¡¯t care how many civilians she killed in her mission. After the chip was removed, however, all those emotions returned,

    Nova had had the inhibitor chip when she was a child. She had lived through most of her life not having to deal with all sorts of feeling. When all of a sudden these feelings returned, she had no idea how to respond.

    This lack of experience made Nova extremely vulnerable to Jean¡¯s somewhat flirting behaviors. On the hospital bed. Back in the sparring. Jean was doing everything she could to make Nova feel she was in love.

    People in love will do anything for their lovers and oversee any potential dangers. Jean abused that to her own advantage. After all, why wouldn¡¯t she? A few romantic moments and potentially some time on a bed with another woman was a small price to pay in exchange for a loyal killer.

    Turning off the water, Jean¡¯s expression once again turned to a heart warming smile.

    <hr>

    Endion.

    After the Purifier rebellion, the Protoss Empire imprisoned the remaining purifiers on the space station Cybros and put the Cybros in orbit of the forest planet of Endion. They developed a statis grid both to disable the robotic warriors and to protect them from potential threats. Once the statis lock was turned on no one could get in or out of the Cybros. A templar garrison was positioned on the planet Endion to guard the statis locks, which could turn off the statis grid.

    In the original history Endion would be infested by Amon¡¯s brood during the End War. The zerg would overrun the protoss garrison on the surface but couldn¡¯t get past the statis locks. But Amon was still trapped and would be trapped for quite a while, and the planet was still clear of infestation and defended by a group of Daleem protoss, for now. That was all Jean knew about the place.

    Above the planet, the Beetle exited warp space. In the mostly empty bridge, Jean and Nova looked at giant yellow space station in awe.

    ¡°I have to admit. The protoss are much more high-tech than us.¡± Nova was clearly impressed at the Cybros. The giant space station had a yellow ray shield that could block every incoming attack. ¡°Even the best of the Dominion can¡¯t put something this big in complete stasis, but the Protoss Empire did it thousands of years ago.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Jean replied explicitly and tapped her watch. A Warden viking appeared out of nowhere and fired two torpedoes at the Cybros to test the water. The projectiles passed through the space station as if it wasn¡¯t there.

    ¡°Things in statis can¡¯t be reached.¡± Nova explained with a lovely smile.

    Jean shrugged and put the viking back. ¡°Then I guess we need to do this the old fashion.¡± She pressed a few scans onto the surface of the planet that revealed the stasis locks. ¡°We need to hack into those locks to disable the stasis fields.¡± She touched her watch, and all around her twenty Warden battlecruisers appeared. They were obviously mercenary styled on the outside, but inside they were controlled by AI.

    There was no communication. No negotiation. No demand of surrender. Jean didn¡¯t find the need to do that. All twenty battlecruisers readied their ATS batteries and opened fire.

    On the surface of the planet, a high templar sensed something and looked up into the sky. His eyes widened, and he was about to produce a warning when the sky turned red. A storm of red lasers descended from the sky and landed on the high templar and every protoss around him.

    The blue plasma shields crumbled under the bombardment. ATS batteries were designed to do massive damage to ground units from high orbit. The plasma shields of ground units like zealots, dragoons, high templars, and photon cannons melted in seconds from the effect.

    A few photon cannons and dragoons fired into the sky with practically no effect. Photon cannons and particle disruptors were great at killing things, but they simply weren¡¯t strong enough to reach capital ships this high in orbit. They just weren¡¯t designed for this purpose. Usually there should be protoss carriers or void rays to counter the capital ships, but Endion had been quiet ever since the Purifiers were sealed here. Nothing had ever happened, and it wasn¡¯t like the Daeleem had ships to spare.

    The high templar was the last to perish among his half hundred brethrens. His psi power protected him long enough for him to send a signal to the guards at the other stasis locks.

    Not that it mattered.

    The Warden battlecruisers moved on to the next guard post. The guards learned about the arrival of a mysterious terran fleet, but all they could do was send out a distress signal to Shakurus. It would take god knew how long for Artanis to react and deploy his fleet, if he wanted to deploy his fleet at all. All the while the laser batteries were pouring upon the guards¡­

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 69: Stasis locks

    Twenty minutes later, all the protoss guards were cleared and all building destroyed, and Jean was on the surface of the planet connecting to one of the stasis lock. All the other statis locks were guarded by Warden forces as well.

    The protoss technology wasn¡¯t even remotely similar with the terran ones. Terran technologies were based on electric circuits and codes. Protoss technologies were based on crystals and psionic energies. The two were vastly different, making it tough for one race to hack into that of another.

    But Jean wouldn¡¯t let that stop her.

    ¡°Protect me.¡± Jean knelt down beside the statis lock. There was a crystal beside the lock. Nova nodded and stood guard with her canister rifle raised. Around her, unknown to the agent, dozens of Warden ghosts were present as well to make sure Jean could continue her job safely.

    Jean reached out to the crystal beside the lock with her psi energy. Just like she thought, the crystal was something like a terran AI. It was programmed to aid the protoss that came here to unlock the stasis locks. As her hands touched the crystal, she was met with a paragraph of protoss words. The paragraph was conveyed to her psionically. The lock automatically assumed she was a protoss. After all, when the purifiers were sealed off and the stasis locks were designed the protoss empire had met neither the terran nor the zerg. As far as they knew only the protoss had psionic abilities of this degree.

    Jean didn¡¯t know any protoss language, but she managed to use her connection with the tal¡¯darim to create an electronic dictionary of the most used protoss words. It was stored in her own computer system and available whenever she needed it. The tal¡¯darim and the rest of the protoss were two fractions, but their language was the same.

    Jean conveyed her idea in Khalani, the protoss language, to the crystal with a psionic message.

    ¡°I am an envoy of the Protoss Empire. I have orders to open the stasis locks.¡± Jean abused the backwardness of the crystal. The crystal AI was stupid, very stupid. Perhaps afraid of an advanced AI joining its purifier brethren, the Protoss Empire made this crystal extremely stupid. It was practically a message board.

    ¡°Stasis locks can only be opened by a Megalith.¡± The protoss AI.

    Jean was not expecting this, but then again this was reasonable. The Cybros was a prison, not a landmark where anyone could just come over and check out. Just like opening a prison gate needed the credentials from higher authority, opening the Cybros needed the Megalith to prove the legitimacy of the action.

    It just so happened that Jean didn¡¯t have that legitimacy. She couldn¡¯t just go to Shakurus and say ¡°hey, can I borrow your top secret high tech vessel to unlock an army your ancestors locked up thousands of years ago?¡±

    ¡°Where is the Megalith?¡± Jean made another attempt. She just hoped it wasn¡¯t somewhere deep in the protoss territory.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°According to the most recent update, the Megalith is stored in this location.¡± A name appeared in Jean¡¯s mind. It was a familiar one.

    Glacius. A research facility.

    Jean didn¡¯t know Hierarch Artanis had been attempting to rebuild the purifiers to help in the war against enemies from all fronts. In the research facility of Glacius, the Khalai caste had been working on the remake of the fearsome robotic army. AIs were copied, and sentinels and sentries were already being produced.

    Artanis knew about Endion and the Cybros, and he knew very well of the importance of the Megalith. Anyone with the Megalith could get into the Cybros and do whatever he wanted to the sleeping and therefore defenseless purifiers. However, there was a reason he kept such an important vessel in a research facility instead of in the middle of the Golden Armada. This was the same reason of why, even after Aiur was overran and the protoss race was in danger of extinction, Artanis didn¡¯t wake the Purifiers and use them against the swarm.

    Once upon a time the purifiers rebelled against the other the Protoss Empire, their creators. Granted it was because the purifiers were treated unfairly and seen as tools and even slaves, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that the purifiers were once enemies of the Conclave. There was no telling what they would do if they were to be awoken. The protoss society felt it too risky to wake the purifiers. If the purifiers wanted to avenge their past, then the Daeleem would have another powerful enemy. The situation wasn¡¯t desperate enough for the twilight council to agree to take such a great risk.

    Artanis was the hierarch of the Daeleem, but he didn¡¯t have unlimited power. The idea of waking the purifiers was rejected by everyone. Even his own student Selendis frowned upon the idea. For their entire lives the templar had been taught that the purifier betrayed the biological protoss and wrecked war and havoc on the Protoss Empire. Hundreds of years of brainwashing was pretty effective.

    Faced with immense political pressure, Artanis was forced to give up his idea of working with the purifiers, at least for now. Still, even though his proposal was rejected, Artanis feared that he might one day need the Purifiers. He sent the Megalith to the facility of Glacius and stored the vessel there as a backup plan. If anything went really wrong with the Golden Armada and the Daeleem, then he could get to Glacius and take the Megalith to Endion to summon the purifiers and hope for the best. That was what happened during the End War after the Golden Armada was controlled by Amon.

    Artanis wasn¡¯t considering the chance of the Megalith being taken away by some enemy from Glacius, and he had a good reason. Glacius was protected by an entire fleet of Daeleem ships, including 12 carriers and over 200 fighters and support ships. The facility also had a number of orbital cannons capable of doing massive damage to capital ships in high orbit. The place wasn¡¯t a soft target. Anyone that wanted to take down the fortress required a large fleet.

    Jean was well aware of that in the memories she received. In the memory Glacius was extremely vulnerable after the End War. First Ascendant Alarak led his fleet to the facility and used his mothership¡¯s purification beam to melt the entire facility. However, Alarak conquered the facility so easily because the portion of Golden Armada guarding the place was suddenly controlled and just left the place undefended. The orbital cannons did some damage, but that wasn¡¯t enough to stop the Death Fleet.

    Unfortunately Jean wasn¡¯t so lucky. The defenses of Glacius was at its peak. If she just warped there and opened fire her fleet would suffer heavy losses. Reinforcements from the Golden Armada could arrive anytime. She needed to play this cleverly.

    Jean stood back up and made a silent order for a group of Warden forces to guard the locks. Nova looked at Jean. ¡°Is it done?¡±

    ¡°Not quite. We need to go get the key for these locks.¡± Jean said casually. ¡°Let¡¯s get back onto the Beetle. Adjutant, get me Nyon.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 70: War chamber

    Ascendant Nyon had been really successful recently.

    Nyon left Slayn with one carrier and returned with nine. This was more than a miracle. Keep in mind that the tal¡¯darim didn¡¯t really have its own shipyards, and all the ships in the Death Fleet were made up of prizes in war. This was an inefficient way, and in some cases defeating the enemies didn¡¯t mean capturing their ships. As a result most of the ascendants had few ships. For instance, Fifth Ascendant Alarak had a tiny carrier count of two. The tal¡¯darim wasn¡¯t the First Ascendant in the End War that was powerful enough to challenge Ma¡¯lash. He was just another ascendant looking for any chance to ascend. Nyon could technically speaking challenge Alarak and have a good chance of winning.

    The tal¡¯darim of lower levels admired Nyon as Nyon¡¯s rise didn¡¯t pose a threat to them. The same couldn¡¯t be said for ascendants with a higher rank than Nyon, especially those with a smaller fleet than Nyon. Positions in the chain of ascension had to be backed up by forces. When the forces weren¡¯t enough to back the ascendant¡¯s social status, the ascendant would usually meet a terrible end at the hand of a challenger.

    The proud ascendant walked past four zealots guarding the door to the Highlord¡¯s war chamber and entered the room. Ascendants of all levels were on the side. Their gaze turned to him as the door opened. Nyon calmly walked by the ascendants. His feet, protected by metal armor, created a rhythm of clicking in the room.

    As Nyon walked, he could noticed a mixture of fear and hostility from the other ascendants. Nyon enjoyed this feeling. Fear meant he had more power. Hostility meant he posed a threat to the ascendants. Both were good news to the ascendant.

    Nyon stopped at the front of the hall. Ma¡¯lash was sitting in a large seat at the end. The first ascendants were sitting on the side based on their places on the chain. First Ascendant Nuroka was closest to Ma¡¯lash. He was a proud and rebellious ascendant, but Nyon could feel Nuroka was odd by his psi emission. It was as if something was on his mind and was bothering him. He barely reacted when Nyon entered.

    Second ascendant Guraj was a loyal supporter of Ma¡¯lash. He reacted to Nyon¡¯s extry with a smirk. He had swore his utter loyalty to Ma¡¯lash, and Ma¡¯lash had promised to support him back. With the Highlord behind him, Guraj didn¡¯t feel threatened by anyone from below.

    ¡°Fifth Ascendant Nyon.¡± Ma¡¯lash said before Nyon could observe the other ascendants. Ma¡¯lash¡¯s voice was still full of pride, but this time he had some respect. Someone that could turn one carrier into nine in a short amount of time was to be respected in a world where power was the only thing that mattered. ¡°Looks like you have returned with quite the reward.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°The Daelaam are weak. Their ships are tied up fighting the swarm. They are vulnerable. I used this chance to strike. My bravery paid off.¡± Nyon explained with a deeper meaning. His mind drifting to the message Jean passed to him.

    The ascendants sat thoughtfully. It appeared that Nyon wasn¡¯t lying and the Daelaam were really weak. They were so weak that they couldn¡¯t deal with a single carrier. If Nyon could multiply his ship count by nine, then it was hard to imagine what they could do with an entire fleet of ships.

    Highlord Ma¡¯lash was thinking as well. As ruthless as he was, Ma¡¯lash knew a clash between the Death Fleet and the Golden Armada would leave both sides heavily wounded. This was why despite having small conflicts with the Daelaam, such as attacking outposts, patrols, and shipyards, the tal¡¯darim never engaged in a full on war with the Daelaam.

    Nyon estimated the strength of the Death Fleet to be around ten motherships, around a hundred carriers, and nearly two hundred destroyers. This was much weaker than the Golden Armada, not that the Death Fleet was to be undermined. After all, every protoss ship could do massive damage and would be very tough to take down. The Death Fleet in its current state could fight the entire Dominion Fleet and gain an upper hand.

    By the way the tal¡¯darim had many motherships because the Protoss Empire, during its Golden Age of Expansion, once disabled their own motherships and sent them to the furthest edges of the sector as monuments. The tal¡¯darim hunted some of those motherships down, executed the crew members in stasis, and took over the modified the Daelaam motherships into tal¡¯darim versions. Tal¡¯darim motherships were much more destructive than Daelaam ones. They served one purpose and one purpose only, and that was to destroy the enemies of the Highlord.

    Back to Ma¡¯lash. Upon realizing how ¡°weak¡± the Daelaam was, the Highlord knew it was a chance to strike. If he waited until the conflict between the swarm and the Daelaam ended, whatever the result, attacking the Daelaam wouldn¡¯t have the same effect. If he striked now, the tal¡¯darim would be victorious and be heavily rewarded. As the Highlord Ma¡¯lash would be benefited the most.

    ¡°What do you think, First Ascendant?¡± Ma¡¯lash asked. Usually he didn¡¯t need to ask for the opinions of an underling. As the Highlord he could launch war to whoever he wished. However, if Nuroka didn¡¯t support him and backstabbed him during the battle then things could go bad really quickly. Asking couldn¡¯t eliminate the chance of betrayal, but it was better than nothing.

    ¡°Yes. Indeed. We should use this chance to strike.¡± Nuroka answered after a few moments. He seemed off. Ma¡¯lash looked at him suspiciously. Finally he announced his order.

    ¡°Assemble the Death Fleet.¡± He stood up and moved his body, creating a series of metal clashing sound from his armor. ¡°It¡¯s time to show the Daelaam cowards the might of the tal¡¯darim!¡± Nyon smirked inside. Ma¡¯lash just had to make the attack seem so brave. It reality it was just another honorless backstab.

    Ma¡¯lash walked out head on. The First Ascendant followed. And then the second. Nyon tightened his grip in frustration as he waited. Now wasn¡¯t the time. Ma¡¯lash was too powerful and he was still relatively weak. He needed to be patient, and soon he will become the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim. He had no doubt.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 71: Deal with Alarak

    As the Fleet Lords, ascendants that had their own fleets, were combining their forces, Nyon went to Alarak¡¯s ship. As he warped aboard Alarak¡¯s carrier, he was met by two zealots standing guard.

    ¡°Ascendant Nyon.¡± The two zealots loyal to Alarak knelt down to show to respect and obedience. ¡°How may I serve?¡±

    ¡°Tell Alarak I am here to see him.¡± Nyon didn¡¯t bother wasting time to be nice and respectful. The tal¡¯darim society was cruel and everything was based on strength. Nyon had the power and the accomplishments to boss a zealot around. He could even kill the zealot with a random reason. If he suddenly decided to draw his blade and kill the zealot for disrespecting him no one would say anything. No one would risk make a powerful ascendant an enemy to get justice for an insignificant zealot. Such was the law of the tal¡¯darim. The weak had no rights.

    ¡°As you wish, ascendant.¡± The zealot left, leaving his comrade standing beside Nyon in fear. A few minutes later the zealot returned and welcomed Nyon inside.

    Walking into Alarak¡¯s chamber, Nyon noticed Ji¡¯nara was with Alarak. He wasn¡¯t surprised. The two had been close allies.

    ¡°Ahh. Fifth Ascendant Nyon.¡± Alarak managed to emphasis on Nyon¡¯s social status. Nyon was lower on the chain of ascension than Alarak, which meant that, despite his superior fleet, Nyon had to show respect toward Alarak unless he was prepared to challenge the entire tal¡¯darim society. Disrespecting a superior was punishable by death.

    ¡°Fourth Ascendant Alarak.¡± Nyon smiled sweetly, which worried Alarak. He knew this smile. This was the smile a hunter carried to mask his evil intentions when he was approaching a prey. This was the smile he had when he was persuading ascendants above him to join a Rak¡¯Shir combat they were destined to lose. As much as he enjoyed stepping on the bodies of others to ascend, it didn¡¯t feel nearly as nice to be the one that was stepped on. As Alarak was worrying, Nyon continued. ¡°I am here to respond to the offer you made me before I left for combat.¡±

    Alarak rose his eyebrows. Before Nyon left Alarak had sent Ji¡¯nara to Nyon and invited him to join their alliance(See chapter 27). Nyon gave a vague reply and lied that he wasn¡¯t planning to rise in the chain.

    ¡°And?¡± Alarak asked.

    ¡°I have decided to join you.¡± Nyon kept the fake smile on. ¡°Together we will rise in the chain.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Alarak repeated as he glanced at Ji¡¯nara, who wanted to say something. ¡°Indeed, together we will rise.¡±

    <hr>

    After the heart warming meeting with Alarak and Ji¡¯nara, Nyon warped back to his own ship. Staying on another ascendant¡¯s ship was always risky. Watching the crimson colored Death Fleet converging, Nyon turned on the Assistant. The slant hologram projection of Jean Turner appeared in the tal¡¯darim bridge. She was as cool as always.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I just challenge Alarak?¡± Nyon asked curiously. As determined as he seemed, Nyon was only joining Alarak¡¯s alliance because he was told so by the Assistant. Trust toward the Assistant made him obey without doubt. ¡°I have nine carriers. He has two. Even Ji¡¯nara only has one. In a Rak¡¯Shir I can wipe them out.¡±

    The Assistant cleverly answered the question from another approach. ¡°If you are the Highlord and someone extremely good at fighting and has a lot of potential appeared under your radar, what will you do?¡±

    Nyon didn¡¯t understand why the Assistant asked him that, but he answered carefully nonetheless.

    ¡°I can¡¯t kill him. Even the Highlord can¡¯t eliminate competitors on purpose. Our society emphasizes on competition, not eliminating anyone that might be a threat.¡± Nyon reasoned. If the Highlord could just execute every ascendant that might challenge him then either he would be overthrown quickly or the society would weaken quickly because all the capable warriors were dead. No. The tal¡¯darim encouraged bravery and strength. Some hidden tricks might be ok as long as they weren¡¯t discovered, but the main focus was still on strength, as shown in the structure of the Rak¡¯Shir. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try to control him and use him for my gain.¡± Nyon finally concluded.

    ¡°But if he suddenly decides to challenge someone else on the chain? Someone lower than you but higher than most ascendants. And more importantly, what happens if he wins with absolute ease. Then what will you do?¡±

    ¡°Ahhh.¡± Nyon realized Assistant¡¯s point. If he challenged Alarak then that would mean he had the ambition and the potential to rise. Today he could challenge Alarak. Tomorrow he would challenge Ma¡¯lash. If he won, which he would, then that would prove his potential strength to threaten Ma¡¯lash. If Nyon was in Ma¡¯lash¡¯s place he would do anything to eliminate the threat, whether it was by sending him on a suicidal mission, framing him, assassinating him with blood hunters, or just straight up killing him.

    In this case he was the potent ascendant and Ma¡¯lash was the Highlord. Alarak was the one lower than Ma¡¯lash but higher than most.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t explain why you wanted me to tell those vultures how weak the Daelaam are.¡± Nyon wasn¡¯t done. ¡°I could¡¯ve kept on attacking the Daelaam and pick them apart piece by piece and strengthen myself in the process. Eventually I will become powerful enough to defeat Ma¡¯lash. Now the entire Death Fleet will be striking the Daelaam. Ma¡¯lash will gain more power, and it will be harder for me to take over.¡± He wasn¡¯t angry. From his past experience he knew very well the Assistant was much wiser than he was. She always had everything planned out.

    ¡°Despite their appearance, the Daelaam are far from weak. You were successful in your missions because the Golden Armada was tied up in the battle against the swarm. It is just a matter of time before they push through. We might as well use this opportunity to do as much damage to the Daelaam infrastructure as possible. Plus, Jean needs the aid of the tal¡¯darim on a certain target.¡± The Assistant explained.

    ¡°And alliance with Alarak and Ji¡¯nara?¡±

    ¡°Another step in defeating Ma¡¯lash.¡±

    ¡°Alarak can not be trusted.¡± Nyon had heard whispers of how Alarak encouraged ascendants above him in the chain to challenge someone they thought they could defeat but actually couldn¡¯t. When the ascendants realized Alarak was lying it was too late. As ascendants perished, Alarak would rise in the chain. That was how he got to the place of Fourth Ascendant.

    Assistant gave a reassuring smile. ¡°Alarak can¡¯t betray us if we betray him first, can we?¡± Nyon grinned wickedly. That was the Assistant he liked. Cold. Clever. Most importantly willing to do anything to reach her goal.

    <hr>

    On his own ship, Alarak was met with a concerned Ji¡¯nara. The female ascendant was hesitant. She wanted to speak, but she was afraid what she said might not be what Alarak wanted to hear. As soft as he seemed, Alarak was extremely cruel deep down. He could be smiling to you one second and pledge his loyalty to you and then stab you in the back the next moment. Just that didn¡¯t make Alarak special from the other backstabbing tal¡¯darim, but Alarak would pull back the blade and then frame someone else for his own actions. Ji¡¯nara didn¡¯t want to be on the wrong side of Alarak.

    ¡°Speak. Don¡¯t test my patience.¡± The Fourth Ascendant demanded impatiently upon noticing Ji¡¯nara¡¯s hesitance.

    ¡°Do you really trust Nyon?¡± Ji¡¯nara questioned. ¡°An alliance is based on equal grounds. An ascendant will never become an ally of a supplicant.¡± What she was saying was that there was no reason for Nyon to want to be an allied of Alarak. The size of the fleets were different by a lot.

    ¡°Nyon is an expert in battle, but even so he needs support to rise in the chain. We all do. By himself Nyon can¡¯t take down any of the ascendants above him.¡± He said proudly.

    ¡°But he can defeat you.¡± Ji¡¯nara rained on Alarak¡¯s parade. She intended on being more careful, but the tal¡¯darim were taught the art of blades, not the art of words. The ascendant wasn¡¯t really good with starting a conversation.

    Alarak groaned. ¡°Careful, Sixth Ascendant. Disrespecting a higher ascendant is punishable by death.¡± Ji¡¯nara looked at him, slightly startled but not afraid. She knew Alarak was ruthless, but so was she. She was still useful to Alarak. Alarak finally let it slide. ¡°Perhaps, but that will change very soon.¡± He looked at the rising fleet. ¡°I will get a chance to rise. The same can¡¯t necessarily be said for Nyon.

    It took a few seconds for Ji¡¯nara to understand what Alarak meant. Nyon was growing way too quickly. Ma¡¯lash might not make a move on Nyon, but he would nonetheless try to limit Nyon¡¯s growth. It was likely he would keep Nyon back from pillaging the Daelaam.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 72: Conflict among the Daelaam

    The planet of Shakuras was guarded by a much smaller fleet than before. Agile fighters patrolled the space and would send warnings to the armada if they saw enemies. Carriers and motherships were kept near Shakuras¡¯ orbit, ready for war. With the majority of the Golden Armada absent, the Daelaam kept their guards up.

    ¡°The Death Fleet? Those tal¡¯darim filth.¡± In the twilight council, Vorazun stood up in anger as news of the Death Fleet descending upon the Daelaam world was announced by a survivor. The tal¡¯darim were like a swarm of locusts, executing all lifeform they came across and stripping all the planets they came across with resources. They managed to intercept a small Daelaam that was sent to investigate the loss of communication with several outposts. The Death Fleet wiped out all four carriers with overwhelming firepower. It was lucky that some of the zealots onboard managed to warp back to Aiur and deliver the news of the enemies to the Hierarch.

    ¡°You have done well, warrior.¡± Artanis acknowledged the survivors before turning to Vorazun. ¡°We need to fight off the swarm first before we can turn back and deal with the tal¡¯darim. Evacuate all settlements near the Death Fleet and pull the ships to Aiur. Open a transmission to Admiral Urun.¡± He made the wise choice. Splitting the Golden Armada into two parts and take on two formidable enemies at the same time was one way to lose the armada. But the matriarch wasn¡¯t as calm.

    ¡°You are suggesting we fall back and hide while those tal¡¯darim scum roam through our territory?¡± Vorazun stood in disbelief. Her sense of honor didn¡¯t allow her to do such a cowardly act.

    Artanis signed. This was why he considered himself a warrior, not a leader. Being a leader meant having to approach problems from all fronts. As a warrior all he had to do was defeat the enemy. As a leader he needed to defeat the enemy and make sure his followers were satisfied.

    Vorazun had had a long time conflict with Artanis. She would often object his ideas and stand up against him when she felt the need to do so. Her despise for Artanis peaked when a squad of phoenixes destroyed a Nerazim transport by accident and Artanis didn¡¯t attend the funeral of the victims. She showed some respect to Artanis when her friend Mohander was killed by her rebellious student in a conflict and Artanis payed respect to Mohander, but that didn¡¯t stop her from objecting when she thought he was wrong.

    ¡°I am suggesting we wait for the Golden Armada to return before engaging the tal¡¯darim.¡± Artanis tried to appeal to Vorazun¡¯s logic.

    ¡°There are a hundred carriers on Shakuras...¡± Vorazun wasn¡¯t convinced by Artanis¡¯ caution.

    ¡°And they will remain on Shakuras. This planet is the key to retaking Aiur. It is also the homeworld of all dark templars and the last stronghold of the Daelaam. It must be well protected.¡± Artanis argued. He wasn¡¯t about to give in on such an important issue. ¡°Order all settlements to be evacuated. There is nothing the tal¡¯darim can do against a few empty planets. I will tell Urun to engage the swarm immediately. When they defeat the zerg, the Golden Armada will return and chase away the Death Fleet.¡± He said, not giving room for questions.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    The difference between the two leaders was to a degree caused by their experience. Artanis had been present since the Brood War. He had seen countless brothers and sisters dying at the hands of enemies including but not limited to the zerg. This prompted him to do anything he could do protect his people. In the original future he went against all oppositions and traditions and severed the nerve cords of his people while others like Selendis were hesitant. He also went against his traditional values and made an alliance with the tal¡¯darim and the purifiers, both seen as enemies by the public. Artanis would do anything to protect his people.

    Vorazun was different. She was on Shakuras for most of her time, and she had barely experienced any horror of war. The lost of dozens of Nerazims was enough to shook her while any experienced commander, maybe not Raynor, could calmly deal the losses with a clear mind. Vorazun was all about honor and courage and the glory of war. This made Artanis¡¯ decision of avoiding the tal¡¯darim a shameful act in the matriarch''s opinion.

    ¡°If that is your command, hierarch, then I will obey.¡± Vorazun wasn¡¯t even close to being satisfied. She stood up to leave. ¡°I never thought your were a coward, Artanis. I may not be able to change your decision, but I will make sure every brethren knows about your choice to let the tal¡¯darim ravage through our world unpunished.¡±

    Artanis signed as Vorazun turned to leave the chamber. ¡°I can¡¯t risk the future of our people. You, the matriarch of the Nerazim, should understand this.¡± He called out after the female dark templar. Vorazun paused for a second before proceeding to walk out the door.

    In a mothership in the Daelaam fleet, admiral Urin and executor Selendis received the order from Artanis himself.

    ¡°Tal¡¯darim? This really is a desperate time for our people.¡± Urun whispered deeply.

    ¡°Admiral?¡± Selendis looked at Urun for orders.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to wait any longer. The longer we wait, the more the Death Fleet can do to our world.¡± Urun made a psionic connection with all the protoss in the Golden Armada. A few seconds later the entire Golden Armada started to prepare the ships.

    As his warriors got ready, Urun walked to face the enormous fleet. A sense of doubt clouded his mind.

    The Golden Armada was powerful, but so was the zerg. Against the endless swarm, many protoss will give their lives. Even if the swarm is undone, they would have to face the tal¡¯darim. Assuming both encounters ended in Daelaam victories, will the Golden Armada, after two tough enemies, still have the strength to retake Aur?

    Urun didn¡¯t know. What he did know was that it was his duty and his destiny as a templar to fight and die for the Daelaam.

    Sensing all the ships were ready, Urun looked at the swarm with renewed determination.

    ¡°And so it begin..."

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 73: Shipyard

    In the space above a small planet not too close to Slayn, a red warp prism and four agile scouts appeared out of nowhere. The ships flew toward the small planet below. A few minutes after the ship¡¯s appearance, a red corsair exited warp space. Within the corsair was a cloaked warrior. The tal¡¯darim ships were gone, but even if they were present they wouldn¡¯t see their follower because the corsair was modified to be able to cloak.

    On the planet below was a facility with no real identifications or hints on which side the facility belonged to. The four tal¡¯darim scouts parked above the facility. The warp prism came by next and dropped off a zealot. He was met with an ascendant.

    ¡°Ascendant.¡± The zealot knelt down. ¡°4000 units of minerals have been delivered. My brothers made sure no one followed us here.¡± What is happening here must be concealed at all cost.

    The ascendant nodded and casually dismissed the zealot, who backed off. The warp prism flew into the facility and started to unload minerals.

    The ascendant¡¯s eyes glowed for a second before turning around and walking into the facility. An invisible figure followed him.

    Inside the facility, hundreds of probes were scrambling up and down and working hard to assemble a large object. Piles of minerals were being turned into parts of the vessel by the probes with incredible efficiency. All kinds of weapons and infrastructures were been added on. The cloaked figure was confused. Where is this place?

    Zealots and slayers patrolled the area. The cloaked figure carefully avoided the few photon cannons and havocs that would reveal his presence.

    The ascendant walked around a few probes and reached the front of the object in construction. The cloaked figure that followed him saw the basic form of the object as well.

    It was a large ship. A carrier. More importantly, it was a carrier developed and created by the tal¡¯darim fraction.

    The cloaked figure was shocked.

    The tal¡¯darim society believed production was meaningless. Anyone could produce. They preferred destruction over creation. All the tal¡¯darim weapons, armors, and ships came from defeated enemies. The most they would do was modify the captured tools to their own variations. A production facility like this was unheard of. Whoever was behind this would be disgraced for their action.

    But before he could think any further the ascendant before him turned around and striked with a psionic orb. The sudden attack hit the shocked figure and pushed him out of cloaking.

    Seeing an identified figure suddenly appearing, the patrolling zealots and slayers converged. A zealot even acted quickly and brought a havoc with him to provide detection. The fact that the de-cloaked figure was also a tal¡¯darim in red armor with red void energy didn¡¯t silence their hostility. Tal¡¯darim were not hesitant to raise their blades on their own.

    The figure stood up to a sea of weapons, but he wasn¡¯t really scared. ¡°I am a blood hunter under Highlord Ma¡¯lash.¡± He announced as he stood up. A sense of arrogance in his voice. ¡°Your action is against the words of Amon. Lay down your weapons and my master may be merciful.¡± He condemned.

    Amon, the god of the tal¡¯darim, had passed down a series of decrees. The Rak¡¯Shir was one of them. The terrazine was another. The idea of creation being the job of the weak was just another decree passed down from the dark god himself. In the tal¡¯darim world, going against the word of Amon was asking for death.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The blood hunter glanced through the zealots and slayers for any faltering, but none of the warriors faltered or doubted their ascendant. Those chosen to be positioned here were the most loyal soldiers. They were willing to die for their leader. It took much more than a few words to shake them.

    The ascendant smirked as the blood hunter¡¯s expression darkened from the lack of result. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re discreet?¡± He provoked. ¡°I sensed your presence as soon as you landed your corsair. Speaking of, your corsair should be destroyed by now.¡± He drew his blades.

    The blood hunter suddenly realized he might not be as safe as he thought. ¡°I serve Highlord Ma¡¯lash. Killing me will be an act of war against the Highlord.¡± He made a last attempt.

    The ascendant smirked at the threat and started moving forward. ¡°There are six more facilities just like this one on six different planets. Six carriers are produced with an efficiency faster than you can blink. How long do you think it will take for my master to defeat Ma''lash? Once that happens, who will dare bringing us down for going against Amon?¡± He was chatty. The tal¡¯darim tend to enjoy watching their enemies fear before they kill their enemies.

    The blood hunter knew he might be pretty doomed, but his pride didn¡¯t allow him to go down without a fight. Igniting his warp blade, he disappeared in a puff of smoke and appeared beside the ascendant.

    The blood hunter struck down with the element of surprise, but the ascendant responded quickly by blocking the hit with his own bane blade. The zealots and slayers stood by while the ascendant dueled with the blood hunter. A battle between two warriors would be unfair and dishonoring if others intervened.

    The blood hunter preferred to fight enemies with his advantage in cloaking, but as a tal¡¯darim he wasn¡¯t afraid of combat. Turning the blade and pushing away the ascendant¡¯s weapon, the blood hunter composed a psionic push toward the ascendant and pushed him back. As the ascendant steadied himself, the blood hunter disappeared into another wave of smoke.

    The ascendant stood still and used his psi energy to sense where the blood hunter was. He suddenly jumped to the right and raised his blade to the left. Half a second later the blood hunter appeared right before the bane blade. Facing the glaring red blade, the blood hunter actually smirked. The ascendant felt something was wrong, but the blood hunter disappeared again and appeared to the right of the ascendant with his blade held out.

    The ascendant tried to catch himself, but the time was too little and he was too close. The ascendant couldn¡¯t help himself from smashing into the warp blade.

    The warp blade cut through the plasma shield of the ascendant briefly after making contact. Tal¡¯darim ascendants don¡¯t carry heavy plasma shields because it would be too safe, and warp blades were designed to do heavy damage every strike. But the shield bought the ascendant some time. He used the opportunity and moved his body slightly to the side. As a result the critical strike ended up severing the ascendant¡¯s left arm instead of killing him. The ascendant groaned from the pain, but he was alive.

    The blood hunter stumbled forward. The potentially killing blow missed, and he wasn¡¯t expecting that. The ascendant used the opportunity and stabbed the blood hunter in the chest with his remaining right bane blade and cut the opposing protoss open. The blood hunter collapsed and started to disappear, leaving just his blade and his armor as a sign of his struggle.

    ¡°Pity.¡± The wounded ascendant didn¡¯t forget giving a vicious comment before using his own psi energy to heal his wound. As he was healing, he turned to a zealot and passed down orders. ¡°Inform ascendant Nyon of what happened.¡± A zealot obeyed and left.

    ¡°Send the fool that brought the minerals here into a terrazine vault and keep him there. That fool nearly costed our master everything.¡± If the blood hunter saw what was happening here and reported back to Ma¡¯lash, then the Highlord would not hesitate to eliminate Nyon and all his supporters. The only reason Ma¡¯lash kept Nyon alive was because Nyon didn¡¯t have the ships to threaten Ma¡¯lash. If Nyon had a constant production of ships then he would overpower Ma¡¯lash in no time. If he did, as the loyal and trusted supporter of the new Highlord the ascendant guarding the facility would be much higher in the chain. He wouldn¡¯t let a careless zealot ruin that.

    The ascendant still wasn¡¯t feeling nice enough after sending a zealot into potential insanity. The pain was still unbearable, but the psi energy was going into effect. ¡°Get the probes to work quicker. Nyon will be impressed when I become the first to complete the carrier.¡± He turned and left the construction scene.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 74: Accident?

    The shipyards were created under the order of Nyon, though the idea came from The Assistant.

    From a logical point of view The Assistant could never understand why the tal¡¯darim refused to build their own ships. If they had done that then the Death Fleet would dominate the sector with the bravest warriors, the most ruthless ways, and the most amount of ships.

    What The Assistant didn¡¯t know was that the one behind the tal¡¯darim, AMon, didn¡¯t want that. The tal¡¯darim obeyed the strongest, which, currently, was Amon. But if the tal¡¯darim had a Death Fleet of thousands of carriers and motherships that could take out Amon himself with one single volley then Amon wouldn¡¯t be considered as the strongest. Instead of obeying him, the Highlord could just kill him. Amon wanted the tal¡¯darim to be strong, but he didn¡¯t want them to be too strong.

    Across the entire history there had been other tal¡¯darim that, despite the propaganda, had tried to do a similar thing. Unfortunately they weren¡¯t so fortunate. Technology wasn¡¯t respected in the tal¡¯darim world. Instead of building more advanced weaponry, the tal¡¯darim enhanced themselves by inhaling terrazine. They had no tech tree, and all of their weapons and ships came from enemies they have conquered. They had no experienced phase smiths that could design more efficient weapons or ships. Anyone that tried to start an industrial revolution would find themselves with no infrastructure, few resources, and few supporters. They would also be seen as cowards and eliminated by the world. All of them have met terrible ends.

    Nyon was a bit different. He had managed to take down a few Daeleem shipyards and, instead of taking what was already there and burning the rest, took away all the probes designed to build ships. He later reprogrammed them and establish secret shipyards of his own. He also had the warriors to keep everything a secret and the resources to build things. He might be the first to success.

    Nyon wasn¡¯t aware of what was happening in one of his shipyards. He was at a meeting.

    The top ascendants were at the Highlord¡¯s flagship. The flagship was the largest mothership in the tal¡¯darim fleet. It had more firepower and plasma shield than two motherships added together. It was in this ship that Ma¡¯lash observed the battle unfold below. If situation commenced, the flagship would join the battle and turn the tide.

    Now the flagship acted as a war council for the commanding class of the tal¡¯darim.

    Nyon walked into the Highlord¡¯s chamber and found most of the top ascendants present. Naruko was still in his uninterested state. Even the victory wasn¡¯t enough to cheer him up. Guraj was more normal. He was the example of a normal tal¡¯darim. A vicious smirk was on his face.

    Ma¡¯lash was sitting at the top. He was obviously pleased by the success.

    ¡°Nyon, you¡¯re right. The Daelaam are much weaker than I imagined. In fact, they barely put up a fight. This is an easy victory.¡±

    Outside the mothership, four captured Daelaam carriers were being transformed. The templar put up a good fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded. Weapon systems were being destroyed in seconds. They fought till the last men against the boarding forces, but in the end they lost.

    As a result, the golden design that represented the Daelaam fraction was changed to the red color of the tal¡¯darim. Ascendants that led the charge that wiped out the templar within and commandeered the ships were being rewarded by the loots. They took control of the carriers and would be joining the Death Fleet on the next raid.

    Nyon forced himself to show obedience. Ma¡¯lash gave all four carriers to ascendants that were ultimately loyal to him, which meant all four carriers were added to his direct control. These four ships, and those before this encounter, could be Nyon¡¯s. Nyon knew he did what he had to do, but that didn¡¯t mean he would welcome the loss generously.

    Seeing Nyon didn¡¯t say anything, Ma¡¯lash smirked. The best general couldn¡¯t win a war with no men behind him.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    In the council, Fourth Alarak was obviously entertained by Ma¡¯lash¡¯s treatment of Nyon. He and Nyon were both allies and competitors. He enjoyed watching Nyon beaten down.

    ¡°Where should we strike next?¡± Nyon changed the topic.

    ¡°We¡­¡± Ma¡¯lash started, but he was cut off by a zealot.

    ¡°Highlord, unidentified ship exiting warp space!¡±

    The urgency of the news saved the zealot from the wrath of the Highlord. The consequences of cutting off the words of the Highlord wasn¡¯t something a zealot could afford.

    Ma¡¯lash¡¯s head started to spin. Despite the comments he made on how the weak the Daelaam was, Ma¡¯lash wasn¡¯t stupid. If the Daelaam were really vulnerable then the tal¡¯darim would¡¯ve destroyed them thousands of years ago. The only reason the Death Fleet could roam through the Daeleem skies like there was no opposition was because there was literally no opposition. If the Daelaam hierarch made up his mind to forget about the zerg and turn to the Death Fleet for some unknown reason then things would go terribly wrong. The Daelaam would be screwed, but the Death Fleet would also take heavy losses. As the Highlord it was Ma¡¯lash¡¯s duty to strengthen the tal¡¯darim fraction. Whether for the sake of himself or for the sake of his people Ma¡¯lash couldn¡¯t lose the Death Fleet.

    All those thoughts turned in Ma¡¯lash head almost instantly. He was already considering whether he should resist for a while and retreat or just run away immediately when the Golden Armada exits warp space when he suddenly realized one thing.

    Ship. Singular.

    ¡°Wait, ship? Just one ship?¡± Ma¡¯lash asked, struggling to ignore the sense of shame.

    ¡°Yes, Highlord. There is just one single signal.¡±

    Ma¡¯lash gripped his fists together in ultimate anger. He couldn¡¯t believe this. One ship almost scared off the entire Death Fleet! If this went out then Ma¡¯lash would be the laughing stock of the entire sector. One hundred capital ships and thousands of smaller vessels being forced to run away with their tails between their legs by one single ship?

    Ma¡¯lash groaned and silently sentenced the zealot to a painful death. But the zealot was just a side. The unidentified ship was what caused his stupidity, and Ma¡¯lash wanted that ship to pay.

    The mysterious ship exited warp space. It was a terran battlecruiser. As soon as it left warp space, the battlecruiser started to turn around and run at full speed. Normally the warp drive of a ship needed to take a break before being able to jump again.

    Ma¡¯lash could almost picture the fear on the crew members of the ship. He had already sorted things out, or he thought he did. A terran battlecruiser was sent here for some random mission. It exited warp space and, since it couldn¡¯t sense what was happening outside, stumbled upon the Death Fleet in accident. Realizing the danger, it tried to run away. The warp drive was used, so it had to fly.

    ¡°Eradicate that ship!¡± Ma¡¯lash ordered loudly.

    ¡°Highlord, the ship is outside our range. We need to get closer or send out fighters to deal critical damage to that ship.¡± The battlecruiser exited warp space in a position awkward to the tal¡¯darim. It was outside of the firing range of the destroyers. Interceptors and fighters could be launched, but it would take them a while to get there.

    The wisest decision was to leave the battlecruiser be and get back to business, but Ma¡¯lash wasn¡¯t so wise. He, the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim and the leader of the Death Fleet, somethat that at the peak of his power could wipe out an army with his psi power, was just scared by a single terran battlecruiser. He felt shamed. WIth shame came anger. With anger came a drop in wisdom.

    ¡°Chase that ship down!¡± The Highlord ordered.

    ¡°With the entire fleet, my lord?¡± An ascendant questioned. Sending one hundred ships had the same effect as sending two, but the spending of energy and time was vastly different.

    Ma¡¯lash thought about it briefly. He was the Highlord, but even so sending out an entire fleet at a single ship out of spite was obviously stupid. The rest of the fleet lords wanted to loot the Daelaam planets. Denying them that chance of getting stronger by chasing down a single worthless ship would raise discontent. Perhaps the ascendants wouldn¡¯t turn on Ma¡¯lash just because of that, but it was a risk Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t need to take.

    ¡°I will lead my own ships against that ship. The rest of you, spread out and pillage the territory as you wish.¡° The Highlord had 4 motherships and 32 carriers under his command. He was more than capable.

    The other ascendants agreed. They didn¡¯t care what their Highlord did with his ships as long as their own interests weren¡¯t undermined. In fact they were even pleased that their leader was wasting precious time on a pointless mission.

    And so the Death Fleet split into smaller fractions. The largest fraction among them moved after the fleeing battlecruiser.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 75: The unintentional encounter

    ¡°Just got news from Nyon. The tal¡¯darims are inside the trap.¡± Jean grinned at a computer panel.

    ¡°Just like you planned.¡± Nova added, folding her arms.

    ¡°Just like we planned.¡± Jean turned around and corrected.

    ¡°All I did was ask a few tactical questions. You¡¯re the one that came up with the actual plan.¡± Nova said with a wide smile.

    Jean smiled and walked closer to Nova. The agent was slightly taller than Jean. Jean could almost feel Nova¡¯s breath. ¡°If you didn¡¯t mention how hard it is for the Death Fleet to stumble upon the Glacius facility then I would¡¯ve missed that. The Death Fleet would¡¯ve failed to weaken our target and open a spot for us to strike. You deserve a reward.¡±

    Nova acted quickly and put her hands around Jean¡¯s head and pulled her forward. She was about to kiss her when Jean suddenly pulled away. Nova licked her lips in disappointment.

    Going back to the control panel, Jean pressed a button that opened a communication. Lovers don¡¯t value what they get easily. She wanted Nova to follow her loyaly, which meant she needed Nova to love her. To value her.

    ¡°B932, maintain your speed and move toward the assigned coordinates. Don¡¯t get too far away from the Death Fleet but don¡¯t get into firing range. Once you reach the given location jump away to my coordinates.¡±

    ¡°Order received.¡± The B932 AI responded coldly. It was the battlecruiser that was been chased after by the Death Fleet. The one leading Ma¡¯lash and his ships to the Glacius facility.

    <hr>

    ¡°These terran filth. Move faster you fool! They will be jumping away very soon.¡± It had been nearly an hour since the one battlecruiser frightened Ma¡¯lash, and now the Highlord was raging through his bridge. It was bad enough he had to bring his ships this far after a terran battlecruiser. It was even worse if they were able to escape.

    Ma¡¯lash thought of leaving the battlecruiser, but everytime his ships slowed down the battlecruiser would stop as if he was taunting at the Death Fleet. Ma¡¯lash would be powered with another surge of anger and chase after the terran ship.

    The Highlord wasn¡¯t stupid. He thought of the possibility that this might be a trap, but then again there were few things that could take a jump on the Death Fleet. Even though all he had was several dozen ships, but they were all ready to jump away at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Suddenly the terran battlecruiser blinked, and Ma¡¯lash knew he had failed to punish the one that frightened him. The next moment the battlecruiser disappeared.

    Ma¡¯lash smashed into the bridge before him with his armored fist, but the next second he saw something that turned his depressed mind pleasant again.

    A Daelaam research facility that hadn¡¯t fully evacuated yet. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Ma¡¯lash knew from experience that a facility like this was usually well hidden and well protected. In fact, his fleet would even miss this place if it wasn¡¯t for the accidental battlecruiser. But now that he was here, he had no intention of letting this large piece of cake go. A place like this would usually hold some extremely prized weapons or technology.

    ¡°All ships move toward that facility. Be ready to engage the enemy.¡± Ma¡¯lash ordered.

    ¡°Should we inform the other ascendents?¡± A lower ascendant under the direct command of Ma¡¯lash asked.

    ¡°No. This facility belongs to me.¡± Ma¡¯lash wasn¡¯t someone that liked sharing, especially when all the ships here belonged to him. There might be some defenses, but he was confident his own ships could take them down. Why would he share such a gift?

    The ascendant backed off obediently.

    As the Death Fleet got closer and closer to the Glacius facility, the defensive Daelaam fleet started to take action. The twelve carriers that were waiting in high orbit was mobilized. They formed a tight formation and approached the Death Fleet under the cover of the fighters.

    It was 12 Daelaam carriers versus 4 motherships and 32 carriers from the tal¡¯darim side. The Daeleem fleet didn¡¯t have a chance of victory.

    And nor did they need victory.

    The mission of the Daelaam fleet was to hold off the tal¡¯darim long enough for the Glacius facility to be evacuated. An entire facility wasn¡¯t easily transported back to Shakuras, and the high templar in charge had been working as fast as she could, but there was just too much to do. Despite starting the evacuation as soon as Artanis gave the order only a small fraction of the facility was transported.

    And now the Death Fleet was here with their greedy eyes on this facility.

    ¡°Templer, we are outnumbered three to one!¡± High templar Tara spoke through the Khala connection. ¡°And yet the tal¡¯darim will not find us an easy prey. Glory to the Daelaam!¡±

    A wave of courageous emotions flowed through the nerve chains of the templars in the defensive fleet.

    Without a word, interceptors, scouts, and phoenixes on both sides engaged each other. The red clashed with the gold.

    In terms of numbers the tal¡¯darim were at an advantage. The carriers stayed behind and fired a swarm of interceptors and the fighters used their speed to protect themselves, but the three motherships were using a completely different style. Under the protection of the thickest layer of plasma shield in the protoss arsenal, the mothership moved forward toward the enemies without any hesitation. Incoming attacks, whether they were anti-matter missiles, ion cannons, or laser beams, were deflected without even shaking the shield.

    Ma¡¯lash¡¯s mothership was the first to charge into the battlefield. For the Highlord, the faster they destroy the enemy fleet, the less time the Daelaam had to evacuate their facility, and the more he could find.

    Ma¡¯lash might be a cruel villian, but that didn¡¯t undermine his skills in war.

    The tal¡¯darim capital ship¡¯s khaydarin crystal blinked, and an area in the middle of the Daeleem fleet twisted. The concept of space and time became blurry, and all of a sudden all the Daelaam ships in the area were sucked into a vortex.

    The units in the vortex would reappear after a while, but for now the Daeleem fleet was crippled. The vortex hit the center of the fleet, and four carriers and half the fighters were gone for the time being. The already great advantage of the tal¡¯darim just multiplied.

    Tara groaned in frustration. As the commander of a fleet she had a mothership of her own, but one was less than three.

    A distance away the tal¡¯darim fleet pushed closer, and the Daelaam fleet was just down to two third its formal ship count. Things have just went really bad for the Daelaam.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 76: Taldarim Malash fleet v.s. Daelaam defensive fleet

    Faced with a difficult situation, Tara showed her skills.

    ¡°Defensive formation!¡± Tara scanned the battlefield, which wasn¡¯t going well. ¡°Templar! Activate your emergency warping systems. Get to safety as soon as your life is threatened. Too many of our brethren have already fell! Don¡¯t join them.¡±

    The carriers moved slightly and made it certain that they would get an angle to jump away.

    Tara gave out a psionic order to her mothership. The crystal inside the mothership glowed just like the tal¡¯darim mothership, but the result was quite different.

    Everything in the area holding the tal¡¯darim fleet slowed down. Fighters were at the speed of snails. The carriers were practically stopped. The entire tal¡¯darim fleet was rendered useless for a while.

    Tara didn¡¯t think of attacking when the tal¡¯darim were held in place. The time warps couldn¡¯t distinguish between friend or foe, and everything in the range would be slowed down. Both the Daelaam ships and the tal¡¯darim ships would be trapped by the ability. She just hoped to slow down the tal¡¯darim for a while. Even if she couldn¡¯t buy enough time for her protecting subject to escape she could still stall until the effect of the vortex disappears and decrease her disadvantage.

    Plus, not all tal¡¯darim were held in place by the time warp. A portion of the fighters that were tangling with the Daelaam fighters were spared, from the time warp at least. However, their fate was even worse. Without support or reinforcements, these light fighters were slaughtered to the last.

    ¡°Templar cowards. What can you do without your tricks?¡± Ma¡¯lash made a vicious comment as he saw his fighters being taken down.  Thanks to his astonishing psionic power, Ma¡¯lash himself was able to break free of the mothership¡¯s ability, but there was nothing he could do by himself. What could he do by himself? Jump up and start slashing on the Daelaam ships? He needed to wait, but he knew the longer he waited the less prize he would get after taking over the place.

    Meanwhile, as the two protoss fleets were fighting each other in space, a small group of covert ops terran were landing on the planet below in a special ops dropship...

    A few minutes passed. The effect of the vortex disappeared and the Daelaam fleet was full again, but the fleet was unable to utilize the effect of the time warp, at least not immediately.

    ¡°All units get into superior position.¡± The Daelaam ships stopped, but the fighters reached a point right outside the effect of the time warp, and then they waited.

    When the tal¡¯darim got out of time warp, they were more than surprised to see a sea of enemy ships before them. The tal¡¯darim units were frozen in place, which meant for the tal¡¯darim pilots one second they were a safe distance away from the enemies, and the next second they were right next to a group of enemy fighters whose pilots had their fingers on the trigger. They weren¡¯t prepared for that.

    The tal¡¯darim comm was immediately overwhelmed by a wave of surprised voices as the Daelaam unleashed their firepower on the tal¡¯darim with the element of surprise. Since the Daelaam were able to freely position their units without the fear of being retaliated, they had a severe upper hand. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Two scouts got to the defenseless right side of a destroyer, which never would¡¯ve happened if the tal¡¯darim could fight back. As anti-armored vessels destroyers were supposed to be covered by interceptors and light fighters. Their output was significant, but their defenses weren¡¯t the best. When did the tal¡¯darim ever care about their warriors? As a result, the valuable destroyer fell to a around of anti matter missiles.

    The destroyer was just a start. Interceptors were destroyed by interceptors. Phoenixes and scouts were taken down by surprise before they could use their speed. Carriers were being targeted down. Even a mothership suffered several heavy blows from a small squad of daring phoenixes.

    Seeing two tal¡¯darim scouts crashing into each other as they tried to dodge the Daelaam fire, Ma¡¯lash¡¯s patience was gone. He had had enough mind bothering things. First the terran battlecruiser, and now this? He had three times the enemy ships, and yet he was being beaten up.

    ¡°Unleash all fighters! I want every single in combat! Destroyers, move forward and target enemy capital ships at all cost! Send out warp prisms and board the enemy ships! You!¡± Ma¡¯lash roared as he pointed to the pilot of the mothership. ¡°Move forward!¡±

    The tal¡¯darim capital ship moved forward, firing its purifying beams at the Daelaam ships in the process. Seeing their Highlord in combat himself, the tal¡¯darim were inspired.

    The tal¡¯darim were the best warriors in the galaxy. Their courage and zealotry in battle was not to be undermined. The weak and those without courage couldn¡¯t live long in the brutal world. At first they were just taken by surprise, but now that their Highlord had given them an order, a direction, they were able to fight back

    A squad of three tal¡¯darim phoenixes darted through the storm of projectiles with their expert skills. Their target was the Daelaam flagship.

    They knew the danger, but they also knew taking down the enemy flagship would be the most glorious thing in a battle. And so they striked.

    The phoenixes acted swiftly, firing while moving. They managed to dodge most of the attacks, and those that hit merely caused a ripple on the plasma shield. They got close to the Daelaam mothership and opened fire.

    And that was the end of their daring journey. The ion cannons of phoenixes had almost no effect on the mothership¡¯s almost impenetrable plasma shield. The three fighters found themselves at the center of the enemy fleet, and they were obliterated.

    The death of three phoenixes were an insignificant part of the battle. In fact, the center of the battle was where the three tal¡¯darim motherships advanced. Motherships were usually used as capital ships, but their strength wasn¡¯t to be undermined. It was shown as the giant capital ships moved forward as if they were taking a walk on a sidewalk rather than pushing forward in a heated battlefield. Most of the attacks from Daelaam interceptors, phoenixes, and scouts were rendered useless. The only things that could do damage were the Daelaam motherships and void rays, but they were focused by tal¡¯darim fighters.

    Tara saw the battle wasn¡¯t going well. She had taken the tal¡¯darim by surprise, but there was just so much enemy ships. The Daelaam were outnumbered 3:1. The slight advantage she had was quickly wiped out by the numbers of the tal¡¯darim.

    Two of the Daelaam capital ships had already been forced to warp away from the battle. They had taken too much damage, and if they stayed they would die. The templar pilots insisted on remaining and fighting till the end, but Tara was determined. The Golden Armada couldn¡¯t afford to lose another 12 ships.

    A tal¡¯darim war prism approached the mothership under the cover of fighters. The fighters attracted the attention of the defenses while the war prism transformed into phasing mode on top of the Daelaam mothership. Fifteen scarlett figures started to solidify in the flagship. They were about to join the battle and tear the ship apart from inside when the warp prism suddenly exploded from pair of anti matter missiles. The war prism was gone, and the warping of the units were cancelled as well due to the lack of force field.

    And yet the war prism signaled the imminent victory of the tal¡¯darim.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 77: The fall of the defensive fleet

    An hour later, the Tara¡¯s mothership was the only Daelaam ship on the planet. All the other carriers warped away, except for one that got targeted by three destroyers and failed to escape in time.

    ¡°Zealot, is the facility evacuated?¡± Tara asked desperately. The tal¡¯darim were boarding her mothership via a power field the tal¡¯darim mothership created. The Daelaam ground forces fought back, but they couldn¡¯t hold on if enemy reinforcements keep on arriving. If she wanted to keep her ship she would need to warp away and stop the tal¡¯darim from warping in.

    There was no response. ¡°Zealot?¡± Tara suddenly realized she could no longer sense the protoss below in the facility. She had been too occupied by the battle to realize that sooner. For the Daelaam, separation from the Khala could mean two things. Either their nerve cords were being severed or they were dead. In either case this was not good.

    On the facility below, the ghost forces revealed their form after the last zealot fell due to a psi powered bullet to the skull. The shooter decloaked and tapped something in her ear.

    ¡°This is Nova. The Megalith is secure. Awaiting further instructions.¡°

    The blonde commander made it certain to Nova she was satisfied. ¡°Good. Secure all the prizes you can find and hold your position.¡±

    ¡°How is the battle going on up there?¡± Nova asked curiously. Usually a field agent like her shouldn¡¯t know about the general situation, but as someone close to Jean she had a chance to be curious.

    ¡°Everything is going according to the plan. The tal¡¯darim Death Fleet is fighting the Daelaam defensive fleet. Both sides have suffered heavy losses, but the Daelaam are nearly defeated. The tal¡¯darim are still in battle condition, but they are weakened. Now we have enough ships to push them back.¡±

    ¡°And the Highlord didn¡¯t sense anything?¡±

    ¡°Like I suspected, a single terran ship successfully running away from the entire Death Fleet is...quite provoking. Ma¡¯lash is controlled by anger, and anger makes him blind.¡± Jean said with a sense of curiosity. She had dealt with anger before she lost her emotions, but spending her entire time in the starcraft universe was enough to make her forget about what anger felt like.

    ¡°Indeed, emotions can mess up with people¡¯s minds.¡± Nova agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why the Dominion put inhibitor chips in us. But then again emotions can also make us strong. Love, for example...¡±

    ¡°Now is not the time Nova.¡± Jean stopped her.

    Tara understood something was off on the ground, but there was nothing she could do.

    In the air the Daelaam warship was already being focus fired. The plasma shield, after withstanding countless hits, was finally penetrated. But Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t order his ships to destroy the mothership. A mothership was precious even for the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim. Instead, he ordered boarding parties to engage.

    War prisms approached in the dozens. Each were loaded with a squad of tal¡¯darim warriors. The remaining weapons of the mothership opened fire. Most of the purifier beams were down, but one of them lived. The beam swift toward the war prisms as effective as it could, but it was too few in numbers. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Three war prisms, along with the tal¡¯darim inside, perished, but the others reached its target in time. They entered phasing mode, released their warriors within, and then started to warp in massive amount of tal¡¯darim ground forces.

    Hundreds of light beams shined on the mothership. Zealots and slayers solidified. They were met with the security forces on the mothership.

    Psi blades clashed with psi blades. Both sides fought bravely and expertly, but the Daelaam were severely outnumbered. The blue were being outnumbered and overwhelmed. Some of them escaped by emergency warp system, but some of them fought till the last second.

    As the battle went on, Tara was in her bridge. She looked at the tal¡¯darim unit count with a smile.

    ¡°High templar, we can not hold!¡° A zealot said before being sent back to Shakuras by four particle disruptor hits.

    Tara glanced at the unit count again. It had reached over a thousand. This was enough.

    ¡°Templar, warp back to Shakuras. You have done though.¡± The Daelaam obeyed, and the remaining forces disappeared in waves of light beams. Tara smirked and gave out a command.

    The crystal in the mothership started to glow intensely. It got brighter and brighter, and after a few seconds it contracted and exploded. Tara had activated the self destruction sequence of the ship.

    The explosion happened quickly and consumed half the ship almost instantly. Tal¡¯darim warriors were being evaporated before they knew what happened. Their plasma shields blinked before disappearing. Everything, zealots, slayers, and even war prisms, were destroyed without having any chance.

    The explosion was reaching the bridge. Tara gave one last glance at her beloved ship before warping away.

    Tara had considered bringing the mothership back, but in her attempt to delay the tal¡¯darim fleet she had allowed the tal¡¯darim to fully surround her ship, preventing her from entering warp space. Left with no escape, she decided to make it self explode and do as much to the enemies damage as possible.

    In his flagship, Ma¡¯lash stood in shock as the mothership was consumed by flames. He had lost around a thousand ground units and around twenty war prisms. He had also lost the mothership that he could¡¯ve captured. The units lost were mostly low level zealots and slayers, but that was still a huge loss. Ma¡¯lash had sent out his most loyal followers. They were those that were willing to give their lives for the Highlord without any hesitation. Units with such loyalty were rare in the tal¡¯darim world, and Ma¡¯lash had just lost a large portion of them for no result.

    ¡°Report.¡± He ordered darkly.

    A zealot moved forward. He didn¡¯t like this dangerous job, but he had no choice.

    ¡°We lost five carriers. The rest are wounded to a certain degree. 62% of the interceptors are destroyed. 23% of the scouts and 14% of the phoenixes are destroyed. We lost 12 destroyers. We lost 612 zealots, 421 slayers, and 21 war prisms in the assault. The shield of one of the motherships is depleted. The other two motherships are down to around half the shield.¡±

    Ma¡¯lash growled and wasn¡¯t afraid of showing his anger. Rogue psionic energy ravaged through the bridge. One of the zealots was a bit unlucky and was in the way of the psionic energy. The psi energy ripped open his armor and obliterated his body. The other tal¡¯darim were silent as one of their comrades died for no reason.

    The losses were heavy, and more importantly the prize was less than the cost. All the Daelaam ships were either destroyed or evacuated. He got nothing....well, almost nothing.

    ¡°Send forces to the facility below. Take what you can and execute all the firstborn¡­¡± He was cut off when he heard beeping noise from a control panel.

    ¡°Highlord, we are detecting massive amount of jump signals.¡± The zealot sounded dire.

    ¡°How many?¡± Ma¡¯lash asked, learning for his mistake.

    ¡°85.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 78: The last attempt of the Highlord

    Ma¡¯lash¡¯s heart sank. In most cases only capital ships were equipped with warp drives. 85 signals meant 85 capital ships. Ma¡¯lash had faith in the skills of his warriors, but they were tired and weakened after the Daelaam fleet. Ships were destroyed or wounded. Shields were depleted. Interceptors needed rebuilding. The Daelaam fleet wasn¡¯t nearly at its peak.

    Now was the time when the tal¡¯darim were at its lowest strength. If the full power of the fleet was 10, then the current Ma¡¯lash fleet would be 5. How the hell did whoever this fleet belonged to cut the timing so precisely?

    Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t have long to think as the mysterious fleet showed its face.

    It was a ragged tagged terran fleet. Ma¡¯lash found the design familiar, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to realize the terran fleet had the same style that the battlecruiser that led him here had. Then he thought of a terrifying possibility.

    This was a trap¡­the terran forces lured him into the Daelaam defensive fleet with a single battlecruiser. He or she had stood back and watched the two fleets fight in a battle to death. Now that the Daelaam were gone and the tal¡¯darim were weakened, he or she decided to come in and end the weakened victor.

    ¡°Highlord, detecting massive energy spike from enemy fleet!¡±

    An ascendant rushed to Ma¡¯lash, ignoring his superior social status. ¡°Highlord, we need to warp away.¡± Energy spikes meant the enemy ships were charging their main weapons. The tal¡¯darim were in no place to fight.

    A wise commander would warp away and cut the losses, but all Ma¡¯lash could think of was what a fool he was. He should¡¯ve seen it. A single terran battlecruiser in Daelaam space. The ¡°accidental¡± encounter of the Daelaam facility. And yet he didn¡¯t. He was fooled, and the worst part was he didn¡¯t even know who his enemy was.

    ¡°Highlord!¡± The ascendant yelled as Ma¡¯lash made no response. ¡°We need to go!¡±

    Ma¡¯lash recovered. A scent of determination in his eyes. If he fell back now, he would be not only weakened but also ashamed. Defeating by the terran wasn¡¯t exactly honorable, and the public wouldn¡¯t care about the numbers or the situation. His supporters would abandon him and his ascendants would consider him weak and unfit to lead the tal¡¯darim. Nuroka would be happy to use Ma¡¯lash¡¯s lack of authority and challenge him while loyal supports like Guraj would leave him. But if he could take down the terran fleet, then maybe he could prove his strength to the others and hopefully maintain his position long enough for him to rebuild his fleet.

    Ma¡¯lash had no choice.

    ¡°Direct all power to shields and move forward. Prepare for boarding combat.¡±

    The ascendant thought he heard his master wrong. ¡°Highlord, we are in no position to¡­¡± He was cut off by a red psi blade that penetrated his chest.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Pulling the blade out, Ma¡¯lash scanned the other tal¡¯darim. ¡°Anyone else?¡± The others looked down obediently, or at least that was what they did. What they really thought was only known by themselves.

    The remaining Ma¡¯lash fleet struggled to improve their defenses. The energy in the crystals powering the ships were directed to the plasma shields. Finally, in the gaze of thousands of tal¡¯darim, the terran fleet opened fire.

    85 Yamato cannons were unleashed toward the Ma¡¯lash fleet. The AIs calculated and found out the most efficient way to use the cannons and not waste a single shot due to overkill.

    The yellow balls of energy smashed into the blue shields of the red ships. The plasma shields could¡¯ve held, but they were depleted from the battle against the Daelaam...

    The plasma shields fell, and the remaining thermal and kinetic energy swept through the haul of the tal¡¯darim ships. Jean have no orders to let the ships live, so the Warden AIs went for killing blows.

    As flames consumed the ships the tal¡¯darim warriors within, even the most radical and fearless ones, wondered why they refused to arm themselves with an emergency warp system. Such a device could¡¯ve saved those who saw the attack coming and had an almost neglectable period of time to respond. Unfortunately due to their foolishness and arrogance the tal¡¯darim could only stare as the glowly balls of death clashed with their ships.

    It was a massacre. Countless tal¡¯darim elites were slaughtered as defenseless as a colony of ants at the hand of a human being. Some of them accepted their fate, and others cursed at Ma¡¯lash for his foolishness. Some prayed to Amon, and some made a desperate attempt to escape. In the end they all received the same resullt.

    Death.

    When the smoke cleared, Ma¡¯lash was shaking.

    His mothership was lucky. Two Yamato cannons hit its shield, but the shield wasn¡¯t fully depleted, and it managed to reduce to effect of the cannon to a degree the physical plating of the mothership could hold. A small portion of the ship were the cannon directly clashed into was melted down, but the majority of the ship was fine.

    The same couldn¡¯t be said for the other ships.

    Most of the carriers and all of the destroyers were destroyed. Destroyers fell under one single round while most carriers took two to die. The mothership without any shields perished along with the 2300 tal¡¯darim onboard. The other mothership was severely injured.

    ¡°Fire all batteries.¡± Jean said without any sense of mercy.

    ¡°Highlord!¡± A zealot screamed desperately. They were lucky to survive the first round, but luck wouldn¡¯t save them if the laser batteries of the battlecruisers started firing. What was worse was that all those tal¡¯darim that were killed could¡¯ve been saved if Ma¡¯lash was wiser and made the right decision. They could¡¯ve jumped away whenever they wanted, but they chose not to. The tal¡¯darim were willing to face death in a blaze of glory if they had to, but being slaughtered like beasts because of a foolish order was, well, foolish.

    The Highlord sensed the anger in the zealot¡¯s tone. He stared at the zealot threateningly, but this time the zealot didn¡¯t back off. Ma¡¯lash nodded, but just as the zealot let down his guard Ma¡¯lash crushed his skull.

    ¡°Those who wish to flee and live on as cowards, leave. Those who wish to be real tal¡¯darim warriors and loyal followers of god, join me and board the enemy flagship. Victory or defeat. Tal¡¯darim will never surrender!¡± Ma¡¯lash pointed at the largest terran battlecruiser at the back of the terran fleet. It was heavy armed, heavy armored, and guarded by four smaller battlecruisers, but all Ma¡¯lash could see was a chance to recover from his loss and regain his honor.

    The Highlord was like a gambler who was gradually losing everything due to his greed.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 79: Fall of the Highlord

    Turned out the tal¡¯darim were really fond of true warriors, because when Ma¡¯lash went on a suicide mission, most of the survivors followed him.

    Two motherships and nine carriers entered warp space and appeared half a second later just next to the terran flagship and the four escorting battlecruisers. Instead of sending out warp prisms, the motherships simply projected an energy field on the battlecruisers. Via the energy field over 3000 tal¡¯darim warriors, the last of Ma¡¯lash¡¯s supporters, were warped onto the five battlecruisers. The Highlord himself was at the flagship.

    Mindblasting a brave marine attempting to gun him down, Ma¡¯lash frowned as the only thing that cracked was the armor. There wasn¡¯t any flesh from the wreckage, but he quickly tossed that out of his mind.

    ¡°Forward!¡± He led his warriors and charged into the halls. There were few oppositions, and those few oppositions were ripped apart before they could do real damage. The skill of tal¡¯darim zealots was demonstrated in a place where Warden forces couldn¡¯t utilize their firepower.

    On the other end of the ship, Jean glanced at the advancement of the tal¡¯darim. Just like she couldn¡¯t put something inside the body of others, she couldn¡¯t pull back her ships when enemies were on them.

    The Warden forces were stuck in an awkward situation. The protoss forces were overwhelming the few security forces with their superior numbers. Those that still remained with Ma¡¯lash were the best of the best. They had the best weapons, armors, experienced, and they were willing to follow their Highlord until the end.

    Still, Jean wasn¡¯t worried. Ma¡¯lash wanted to fight her. Why would she do that?

    Tapping her watch, Jean summoned all the Warden forces on the ship into her storage watch. She also took away every single piece of gadget on the ship from an older version of her suit to a piece of bread. From the experiments in the lab to the bed she slept on.

    ¡°Beetle.¡± Jean turned to the AI of the battlecruiser. ¡°Initiate self destruction sequence as soon as I am out of range.¡±

    The AI replied to the suicide mission with obedience. ¡°Orders received.¡±

    Jean turned and left the now empty bridge.

    ...

    ¡°Where are all the terran forces?¡± Ma¡¯lash asked in confusion. All of a sudden the terran forces that had been fearlessly resisting the tal¡¯darim forces vanished. The tal¡¯darim forces boarding the other four battlecruisers reported a similar status. It was as if the terran forces suddenly gave up.

    ¡°Advance toward the bridge. If I am to die, I will bring the terran leader down with me.¡± The Highlord and a sea of tal¡¯darim moved toward the bridge. What they didn¡¯t know was that they wouldn¡¯t find their target there.

    ...

    Four tal¡¯darim zealots were patrolling through the hallway. One of them casually stepped on a piece of severed Warden marine when the marine suddenly disappeared. The zealot stumbled. When he stood up, he saw a strange creature approaching.

    With superior psi power Jean had sensed the zealots way before they saw her. Jean didn¡¯t prefer joining the battle herself because it was pointlessly risky, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of a fight. Her body was transforming as she ran toward the zealots. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    When Jean reached the zealots she was already covered with zerg carapace and weapons. A swift cut sent the stumbling zealot on the ground. A second severed the zealot into two.

    The other three tal¡¯darim were shocked but recovered quickly. One of them charged up, but Jean merely raised her hand, and the zealot was crushed into a puff of red smoke. The two others were not intimidated as they charged forward bravely. Jean penetrated one of them before being slashed by the psi blades of the other zealot.

    The smile of the zealot was frozen before it fully shined. His psi blade literally bounced off Jean¡¯s carapace. The only damage it did was turning the carapace slightly black. The zealot fell in desperation as Jean swiftly executed him.

    Walking past the four broken armors, Jean continued on and reached the hanger. There, dozens of zealots and slayers were standing guard. They stood frozen for a while before attacking.

    Jean raised her spine blades coldly.

    <hr>

    Ma¡¯lash and his warriors reached the bridge, only to find it completely empty. Not a single terran was there. No commander. No soldier. Not even a crew member.

    ¡°What? Where did they go? How is it possible? We have taken over the entire ship!¡± The Highlord slashed around in utter anger. He was willing to give his life to bring down his enemy, but even that couldn¡¯t be done.

    Suddenly the comm ranged. Ma¡¯lash picked it up in anger.

    ¡°Highlord! We are under attack by an unknown terran zerg hybrid! She¡¯s too strong!¡± An urgent ascendant reported.

    ¡°What? Zerg?¡± Zerg were the furthest race from this. Ma¡¯lash didn¡¯t see how the zerg could take part in a protoss-protoss-terran conflict. Plus, this was a terran ship. Why would a zerg be on it? Ma¡¯lash felt like it could be important.

    ¡°Ascendant! Stall the creature. I am on my¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh!¡± The Highlord was cut off by a bone chilling scream from the reporting ascendant. And then everything went silent.

    Ma¡¯lash stood in silence for a while. The other tal¡¯darim looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

    Suddenly a voice clicked in the bridge.

    ¡°Scanners show commander is away from impact of explosion. Initializing self destruction sequence now.¡± The content of the mechanical voice made Ma¡¯lash¡¯s eyes twitch. For a moment the urge to live overwhelmed him and he wanted to warp away, but unlike most self destruction sequences, Jean actually designed her ship to self destruct as soon as the order was given.

    Ma¡¯lash¡¯s eyes widened with fear as explosions ripped through the ship. Warriors were melted. Ascendants stood a bit longer with their psi energy, but there was few they could do against the wall of flames.

    The Highlord activated his warping system and tried to form a psi shield long enough to escape. The first few seconds went smoothly, but when the ground below him collapsed and sent him dropping into the core of the explosion Ma¡¯lash realized how optimistic he was.

    As Ma¡¯lash perished, his last thought was a queston. Who was the enemy commander?

    As soon as the Beetle went up in flames, so did the other four escorting battlecruisers taken over by the tal¡¯darim. And with it, the last of the Ma¡¯lash fleet was gone.

    <hr>

    ¡°Launch boarding parties on the remaining tal¡¯darim ships. Kill all the tal¡¯darim and take over the ships.¡± Jean ordered in the wraith she took out from her watch. She turned back and looked again at the exploding Beetle.

    The Beetle had been with her for quiet a while. It had followed her since she took over it from the Dominion fleet on the mission of taking over the adjutant. For a period it and the Hyperion were the two Warden battlecruisers Jean had. The Hyperion was sacrificed when Jean pretended to be captured by Kerrigan in exchange for her physical mutation. Now the Beetle was given up to take down Ma¡¯lash.

    Jean didn¡¯t feel a thing. It was a worthy trade. One Gorgon and four Minatours for an entire tal¡¯darim fleet. She would make that trade any time.

    Ma¡¯lash was a great fighter and a dangerous opponent. His psi power was the strongest in the tal¡¯darim society, and the Death Fleet was one of the strongest fleets in the sector.

    But even the Highlord seemed so vulnerable under the explosion. So what if you commanded an entire fleet? So what if you were a powerful psi warrior? So what if you were supported by Amon? A few tricks and you were a pile of ashes just like any other tal¡¯darim.

    And now with the Highlord dead, Nyon would have the chance to rise in the chain of ascension. The day he becomes the Highlord was the day Jean would hold the Death Fleet at her grip.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 80: Afterwards

    On the surface of Glacius, Nova¡¯s rifle fell onto the ground as she saw the terran flagship explode.

    Please don¡¯t¡­

    Nova touched the earpiece in her ears with shaky hands. ¡°Jean. Jean!¡± She yelled and prayed for a response. Any response.

    After what seemed like a decade, Jean finally answered.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Jean. Jean are you ok?¡± Nova pushed her earpiece like it was Jean¡¯s life. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine. The tal¡¯darim boarded the Beetle. I savaged the ship and blew it up.¡± Jean spoke casually as her fighter docked into another Minotaur class battlecruiser. ¡°The tal¡¯darim are done. I am sending a squad down to the facility to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°Great.¡± Nova picked up her rifle again, slightly embarased of her dramatic reaction.¡± I look forward in returning to you.¡±

    Closing the comm and exiting the wraith, Jean walked through the empty hall. The clicking sound of her shoes echoed through the ship. There wasn¡¯t a single trace of human. Everyone onboard the ship was executed and melted. She was the only human being present, for now.

    The metal doors snapped open, and Jean entered the bridge of her new flagship. The ship, B110, was a previously mercenary battlecruiser. Jean took it, along with the entire mercenary fleet, via a back door the Assistant installed and. The ship was controlled by a Warden AI.

    ¡°Report.¡± She demanded.

    ¡°Order received.¡± The Warden AI acknowledged before going through the information on the Warden net. ¡°We have captured 2 motherships and 3 carriers. The rest of the tal''darim fleet is completely destroyed. We have lost one Gorgon class battlecruiser and four Minotaur class battlecruisers due to tal¡¯darim boarding parties. Overall evaluation of this battle is positive.¡±

    ¡°Battlecruiser B230 has already retrieved special agent Nova and the device Megalith. It is returning to the fleet now.¡±

    ¡°Debrief over. Waiting for further command.¡± The AI silenced, leaving the bridge in utter quiet. Jean thought about it for a while.

    ¡°Open a communication to Assistant 01. Land all the captured tal¡¯darim ships on the planet below. As soon as the Megalith is aboard the ship warp the entire fleet to plant Endion.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Tell Nova to come see me as soon as possible.¡±

    The AI passed down the order. Support ships dragged the intact tal¡¯darim ships down to the Glacius planet. Pieces of the destroyed battlecruisers were being savaged. Jean told a few orders to Assistant 01, the AI assisting Nyon.

    When Nova reached her ship, she walked directly to the bridge. ¡°Jean.¡± She stated.

    ¡°You have done well, Nova.¡± Jean walked closer to Nova. ¡°I saw you in action. The EMP was on point.¡± During the assault Nova EMPed a crowd of clumped up protoss zealots and weakened them to a point the Warden ghosts sniped them with ease. It wasn¡¯t something significant, but by mentioning that Jean showed Nova how much she cared about her.

    Nova grinned sweetly. She was glad she could help the girl.¡°Now what?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re going to Endion. With the Megalith the Purifiers will be mine. But before that,¡± Jean wrapped her arms around the ghost. ¡°it is a long period of free time from here to Endion.¡±

    Nova looked into Jean¡¯s blue eyes for a few seconds before kissing down.

    <hr>

    ¡°Ascendant Nyon. Why did you summon us? I was in the middle of a glorious battle! If you don¡¯t have a real reason you will be punished for your desecration.¡±

    In Nyon¡¯s carrier, several ascendants solidified. They were the top ascendants in the tal¡¯darim society, going from First Ascendant Nuroka to Sixth Ascendant Ji¡¯nara. They were summoned by Fifth Ascendant Nyon. Such a decision by Nyon was absurb and usually considered as a transgression.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    The one that spoke was Second Ascendant Guraj, the loyal follower of the now dead Ma¡¯lash.

    Nyon wasn¡¯t offended. ¡°Ma¡¯lash is dead.¡± He stated casually.

    His words surprised every single ascendant, but the response was very different. Nuroka had a smile on his face that he struggled to hide. Alarak had a meaningful smirk. Guraj just pulled her blades on Nyon.

    ¡°You dare spread lies about our Highlord?¡± She raged. Her bane blades steady, just like her faith in Ma¡¯lash¡¯s strength. ¡°You shall pay!¡±

    Nyon wasn¡¯t moved. ¡°A few cowards from Ma¡¯lash¡¯s fleet had returned. They told me an interesting story. They told me our Highlord had made contact with a powerful Daelaam fleet. After destroying the Daelaam fleet and suffering heavy losses in the process, Ma¡¯lash¡¯s fleet was surrounded by a mysterious terran fleet. Ma¡¯lash lead an attack on the terran flagship, which exploded.¡±

    ¡°Cowards lie!¡± Guraj didn¡¯t accept the idea that Ma¡¯lash was dead. She couldn¡¯t. The image of Ma¡¯lash¡¯s strength was carved into her soul and she wouldn¡¯t dare questioning it.

    ¡°I have been trying to make contact with Ma¡¯lash for the entire time. When there was no response, I sent a scout.¡± Nyon pressed a button that projected a hologram video.

    In the video, dozens of terran battlecruisers were patrolling in space. Wreckages of tal¡¯darim ships were all over the place. The scout even saw a destroyed mothership floating lifelessly. The throne of the Highlord was now torn apart like a pathetic pray. Suddenly, out of the corner of the recorder, a string of glaring objects approached. The video went dark. The ascendants knew the scout was destroyed.

    ¡°As far as you are willing to go to resist the truth, the fact remains that Ma¡¯lash is lost. Our Highlord is dead, and that terran fleet is the cause. We need to respond.¡± His eyes flickered with a light called ambition. ¡°We need a new Highlord.¡±

    The ascendants immediately moved past the loss of their Highlord and started wondering if they could take the place that every tal¡¯darim desired. Even the weakest of them all, Ji¡¯nara fancied a chance to ascend. Going after the terran and avenging their Highlord was a thought the ascendants were more than happy to forget about. Even Guraj decided taking on the terran fleet was a waste of time and ships. She pulled back her weapons.

    ¡°As the First Ascendant I am the best choice to replace Ma¡¯lash.¡± Nuroka was the first to speak up. He knew how Amon betrayed the tal¡¯darim, and as the Highlord he could wage war against the xel¡¯naga.

    Guraj wasn¡¯t afraid to compete. Her fists were held tightly as she spoke. ¡°You are weak, Nuroka. I am a better choice.¡± Aside from Ma¡¯lash, Nuroka and Guraj had the two strongest fleets, or at least that was what they thought.

    Nyon grinned at the rising tension. Alarak saw that grin.

    ¡°What about you, ascendant Nyon? Do you desire the place of Highlord?¡± Alarak managed to turn the attention to Nyon. As a conspirator Alarak knew a conspiracy when he saw one, and he knew Nyon didn¡¯t tell them about the news of Ma¡¯lash¡¯s demise because he was nice. The attention was immediately turned to Nyon.

    Met with the threatening gaze of both Guraj and Nuroka, Nyon played weak. Having learned from the best actress, he had more than enough to fool the other ascendants.¡°I have nine carriers and no mothership.¡± He said unwillingly. ¡°I don¡¯t have the ships to challenge any of you.¡±

    The two top ascendants nodded inside. If Nyon said he wasn¡¯t interested in ascending then they would be suspicious. Every ascendant wanted to rise. But now that he told them he didn¡¯t have the fleet the two believe him. It was true, and they turned back to their potential number one threatener. Each other.

    ¡°I am higher in the chain.¡± Nuroka demanded. ¡°Swear your allegiance to me or you will die.¡±

    ¡°You are weaker than me,¡± Guraj didn¡¯t yield. The chain was important, but having more forces was even better. ¡°and I will prove it to the world. Return to Slayn, and I will challenge you in a fight to the death. The winner shall become the Highlord and the loser shall die in agony.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡± Nuroka smirked and warped away in a light beam. Guraj and the other ascendants did the same. Negotiation had lost its usage, and now everything came down to one battle.

    As the ascendants left, Nyon went to the window and watched as the tal¡¯darim ships started to warp back to Slayn for the duel. He summoned an ascendant ultimately loyal to him. ¡°When the others are gone, bring three carriers and five extra ascendants to that area.¡± He tapped at the coordinates of Glacius.

    ¡°The terran fleet will be there.¡± The ascendant trailed off.

    ¡°No they won¡¯t. They have already left, but they have dropped something for us to pick up. You will find two motherships and three carriers there. Take them and come back to join me.¡±

    ¡°Master...¡± The ascendant started thoughtfully, but Nyon cut him off.

    ¡°If news get out about this, I will hunt down every single one of those involved, starting from you.¡± The Fifth ascendant threatened, and the lower ascendant knew it was time to keep his mouth(psi energy generated voice) quiet.

    As he left the room, Nyon looked at the gradually decreasing Death Fleet with satisfaction. He would be the Highlord in no time. The only regret he had was that he couldn¡¯t slay Ma¡¯lash himself.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 81: Romance

    The Warden fleet exited warp space above Endion. Most of the ships disappeared, but one of them lowered and landed on the planet and another stayed in orbit.

    In the bridge of the battlecruiser in orbit, two girls were on the ground, naked.

    Nova was the first to break away from the more than close contact. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need to be down there?¡± As a ghost observing the surrounding was an instinct. Even in a more than relaxed situation like this she realized the fleet was at Endion.

    Jean giggled. It was a voice Nova found entertaining. It sounded like it was coming out of a canary. The agent looked at the well carved expression of the girl sweetly. She had never felt so good before in her life. Seeing the girl beside her made her...happy. In her past all she knew about were missions. Infiltration. Assassination. That was all she knew about. She had been in a relationship with others before, but she wasn¡¯t this happy. Before she had to worry about doing things against her own will. Not anymore. Nova swore to protect the girl beside her with her life.

    For now this girl was running her fingers through Nova¡¯s blonde hair. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. I made sure we don¡¯t need to be down on the ground during the process. AI estimated at least an hour until the Megalith disables the stasis lock.¡± She whispered. ¡°Until then¡­¡±

    Nova smiled and kissed Jean again. The two remained close for a few minutes before breaking away. Both breathed heavily.

    ¡°I feel like I should know more about you.¡± Nova stared into the ceiling. ¡°I mean I know about how you got here and what your mission is, but that¡¯s it.¡±

    Jean tapped an area below her chest, attracting Nova¡¯s attention. A part of the attention was to the part above, but most was to what was below that. It was a scar. From her experience the ghost knew the scar came from a psi blade. She had used this on countless enemies, but this familiar wound made her heart sting. She saw the wound was deep, and she imagined what type of danger and pain the girl faced when she was stabbed.

    ¡°This came from a spectre. He pretended to be a friend and stabbed me by surprise.¡±

    Nova¡¯s eyes darkened, and it was as if the air conditioning of the bridge got turned on. ¡°Who is he and where can I find him?¡±

    Jean was satisfied by the response. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±

    Nova smirked proudly. ¡°He got off lucky. If I got my hands on him first¡­¡± She trailed off as there was no need to go on.

    ¡°Here¡­¡± Jean stood up and straightened her hair with a flip. ¡°I need to show you something. Something else.¡± She held her right hand out, and Nova grabbed onto Jean¡¯s hand. The two dressed in a similar style of specialized suits and left the bridge.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    They walked past the empty hallway and into a white room where there was a one man tall chamber. Jean pressed something, and the stasis chamber was opened.

    Nove frowned. A body was within the stasis chamber. Long blonde hair. Pale skin. Closed eyes. The body seemed familiar. Then she realized it was a duplicate of herself. The agent looked at her loved one for answers.

    ¡°As I told you before, I can only bring non living objects with me. Of course, there are ways around that. For example, according to my previous experiments, mechanical bodies with human thoughts can be passed as non living objects. This.¡± She pointed at the body. ¡°This body is made up of mechanics, but it is modified to be as similar as a human body as possible. It is able to hold a human conscious.¡±

    ¡°This is for me.¡± Nova concluded.

    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s your choice. If you want to stay here in this world I will respect your decision, but...¡± Jean trailed off. ¡°But I hope you can join me. This is going to be a lonely life without you.¡±

    Nova signed. She wanted to join Jean, especially after she just slept with the girl, but abandoning her body and becoming a practical machine was sort of extreme. She was about to answer when Jean added.

    ¡°For your convenience I designed the body to be just like a normal human being. You can eat, drink, sleep, love, and even have sex. Of course you can turn these feelings off if you want to, but everything can be completely normal to you.¡±

    ¡°And my combat abilities?¡± Nova walked closer and touched the body. Its skin felt smooth and real. Running her finger across her face, Nova felt like she was touching herself rather than a manufactured droid.

    ¡°From my knowledge your psi energy can not be passed onto your new body, but you don¡¯t need the power. Your new body will be equipped with large amounts of weaponry that doesn¡¯t require psi energy to activate.¡± Jean tapped her watch, and a metal plate appeared on a table on the room. A dozen types of weapons were on the the plate. Nova examined them curiously.

    Plasma blade. Psi blades but didn¡¯t need any psi energy. Capable of cutting through almost anything. Deadly in the hands of a trained killer like Nova.

    Specialized grenades. Does immense splash damage in a short area. Easy to carry and use.

    Plasma rifle. Fires a plasma bolt at the target and does massive single target damage. The thermal energy could melt through most armor.

    Chrono rift. Slows down the movement of anything within a certain area.

    Those were just a small part of the arsenal Jean provided Nova with. With the Dominion as backup, Jean had access to the peak of the terran technology. Others included a ghost visor, a suit that provided cloaking without the need of psi energy, a turbojet jumpsuit, flashbang grenades, stim infusion, holo decoy, ionic force field, and so much more. Nova believed she could take down an army with these gadgets.

    She turned back, satisfied. Her agreement to Jean¡¯s proposal was obvious. ¡°How will you transfer my conscious?¡±

    ¡°With the purifier technology on that ship.¡± Jean motioned for the Cybros. ¡°Speaking of the ship¡­¡±

    ¡°Commander, the stasis lock is deactivated. You now have full access to the Cybros.¡±

    ¡°Shall we?¡± Jean held out her left arm into a circle as if she was in a wedding. Nova joined the girl as she held onto her thin arm. If this was a wedding, Jean would be the groom and Nova would be the bride. The two walked out of the room and toward an unknown future.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 82: Controlling the Purifiers

    The Minotaur docked near the Cybros. Jean set foot on the now defenseless purifier ship.

    ¡°What type of idiot will lock away an entire army of powerful mechanical warriors?¡± Following Jean, Nova stood in wonder at the grand vessel. The Cybros was an impressive creation. There were five separate areas where purifier units were kept in stasis. Best warriors in the protoss empire locked away for an eternity.

    The purifier army was formidable. Its units were literally designed to collaborate with each other and be as efficient as possible in the art of combat. Unlike the tal¡¯darim, the purifiers didn¡¯t need to have a tilted army structure to satisfy their social structure.

    The purifier army was consisted of following units. Sentinels. Adepts. Instigators. Conservators. Energizers. Immortals. Colossi. Disruptors. Scouts. Mirages. Carriers.

    ¡°Those idiots doubted the loyalty of this army.¡± Jean explained. "The purifiers, unlike the Khala, weren¡¯t connected by the nerve cords. They didn¡¯t have access to the Khala. This made them seen as unstable and dangerous.¡±

    Nova¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Will you have the same problem? Loyalty is always an important part to consider.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Jean walked to the central crystal controlling the ship. She tapped something, and one of the sentinels was released from stasis. It was a standard sentinel.

    There were two types of purifiers. The first type was created by inserting the conscious of famous templars into mechanical purifier bodies. These type of purifiers had their own thoughts and could make their own decisions. Clolarian and all the other purifier heroes were examples. The only difference was what made up their bodies. These type one purifiers usually acted as commanders due to their experience and superior skills. Jean knew these purifiers wouldn¡¯t help her. The proud templar would never obey her without a question.

    The second type of purifiers were standard purifiers. They were AIs programmed to obey the command of individuals. In the previous case the standard purifiers were programmed to obey Executor Clolarian, the commander of the purifiers. These purifiers were expendable soldiers, even cheaper than the type one purifiers. Their lack of conscious meant they could be mass produced as long as there were sufficient resources. Their strength was based on their mechanical bodies and the skills of battle coded into their computer brains. After all, they were the perfect soldiers.

    Jean came here for type two purifiers. If she could change the target of loyalty from Clolarian to herself she would hold a powerful army that she could keep with her to whatever world she would travel to due to their mechanical nature. Purifiers weren¡¯t considered as living beings.

    The sentinel was activated as soon as it left stasis. It¡¯s eyes were turned on and scanned the surrounding. When it realized the presence of an unknown and possibly hostile personal, the sentinel drew its blades.

    The purifier blades were closer to the terran psi blades than protoss plasma blades. Purifiers don¡¯t have psi energy, which meant their fighting abilities had to be based on high technology weapons. Purifier blades, for example, modified the effect of psi blades.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Jean acted swiftly. Her hands were covered by a layer of carapace. Facing the two double blades, sentinels had two blades on each arm, she reached out and held the purifier blades in her hands. The blades hissed and burned in Jean¡¯s hands, but Jean¡¯s carapace and rapid regeneration was enough to hold the blades there. The sentinel was pretty powerful, but it wasn¡¯t enough to threaten Jean.

    Her muscle tensing, Jean tore the purifier blades away. The two broken armaments flew to the side and laid down uselessly. The purifier was still present. It didn¡¯t know pain or fear, but it had lost its weapons. Jean grabbed the maimed sentinel by the neck and reached within its head via her psi energy.

    In the head of the purifiers were data webs. These data webs connected the purifiers and allowed them to switch between different shells. In this case, what Jean cared about was the data webs¡¯ ability to change the coding of the sentinels.

    The sentinel struggled, but Jean held it in place. The two meter tall sentinel was much taller than the one meter six Jean. A lower leveled purifier foot soldier was in no place to resist a specialized zerg unit like Jean.

    Under Nova¡¯s worried gaze, Jean went through the index of the data web. A few minutes later, Jean suddenly dropped the sentinel. She tapped her watch, and the Megalith appeared right beside her.

    ¡°Jean?¡± Nova asked, but Jean didn¡¯t have time to answer the question of her loved one. She entered the Megalith for just a brief second before returning to the sentinel. She passed a message into the data web of the sentinel. The struggling sentinel stopped resisting.

    The sentinel¡¯s eyes closed as its internal AI processed through the new data inserted into its cpu. Jean finally had a chance to turn back to Nova.

    ¡°Not everyone could modify the purifier¡¯s data web. I needed an access code.¡± She explained. ¡°Luckily¡­¡±

    ¡°it was stored in the Megalith.¡± Nova concluded.

    Jean nodded. ¡°After gaining access to the data web I wiped out all the original targets of loyalties. I set my order as the first priority and yours as the second. If things go well we will get what we want very soon.¡±

    The two remained silent as they observed the processing sentinel. If the sentinel came back and drew its blades again then that would mean something was wrong and Jean¡¯s plan had failed. If the sentinel came back and submitted to Jean then their reward would be insanely high. Nova¡¯s hands began to sweat. What the sentinel would do next would matter a lot. The ghost peaked at Jean and found she was as calm as ever. Feeling a wave of calmness washing over her, Nova held Jean¡¯s hand and observed the disabled sentinel.

    The sentinel¡¯s eyes were turned on again, but this time the robot warrior did something very different from what it did a while ago.

    ¡°Command me.¡± The AI said with a deep, mechanical voice.

    Jean smiled sweetly.

    <hr>

    The rest of the undertaking went on smoothly. The data web connected all the purifiers, which meant Jean was able to upload the settings of the single sentinel onto every single other standard purifier unit.

    A few hours later all the type two purifiers were reprogrammed and taken over by Jean. As for the type one purifiers, well¡­

    Executor Clolarian opened his eyes as he exited stasis. He found himself surrounded by his purifier brothers.

    The famous executor didn¡¯t know what happened. The last thing he knew was being put into stasis by the Protoss Empire after a failed rebellion. He didn¡¯t know how long it had been since that. He didn¡¯t know what happened. All he knew was he could trust his brothers.

    He couldn¡¯t be more wrong.

    Clolarian remained in confusion until his last seconds. When the yellow purifier blades cut through his metal body, all he saw was the cold gaze of the sentinels that made the blow.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 83: Plan for the future

    The two were walking through the hall of the Cybros.

    ¡°The Cybros holds 8600 sentinels, 2000 instigators, 1500 adepts, 500 conservators, 300 energizers, 150 immortals, 50 colossi. The fleet includes 2000 mirages, 1500 scouts, and 150 carriers.¡± Jean explained as the two walked. ¡°More units can be produced as long as there are enough resources.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± Nova inferred as she looked at the ship around her. She had never seen something so high-teched as the Cybros. It was depressing to think that the protoss thousands of years ago could build a ship the terran nowadays considered advanced. ¡°And me?¡±

    ¡°Be patient.¡± Jean replied. The two walked around another corner and entered a room. The room held two seats on two sides and a strange looking device in the middle. The device held a khaydarin crystal.

    ¡°This is the machine purifiers use to transfer the conscious of their warriors. It can extract your conscious from your current body and store it into this crystal, thus allowing the possibility to move it into your new mechanical body.¡± Jean pointed at the device. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked one last time.

    Nova stayed silent for a while. ¡°Yes.¡±

    Jean smiled encouragingly. Nova laid down on a seat, and the device touched her head. The machine blinked, and Nova fell unconscious.

    Jean took out Nova¡¯s new body and put it onto the other seat. She positioned the head of the new body to the machine and waited.

    ¡­

    Nova opened her eyes. She sat up on the seat and looked around. The first thing she saw was a smiling Jean.

    ¡°Did I...¡± Nova asked, almost afraid of hearing the wrong answer.

    ¡°You made it.¡± Jean reassured. Nova looked down on her body. Everything seemed normal, but she felt like her mind was filled with other things. She attempted one of the items, and a plasma blade extended out of his right arm.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± Nova acted as if she was a ghost trainee who just got her first rifle.

    ¡°This will take a while to get used to.¡± Jean¡¯s smile was as wide as ever. ¡°Of course, the gadgets are cool, but the most important thing is¡­may I?¡± She requested, and Nova nodded.

    Jean tapped her watch, and Nova disappeared. She tapped it again, and the now mechanical agent reappeared.

    ¡°It worked. How did it feel like?¡± Jean asked curiously.

    ¡°What?¡± Nova was paralyzed for a second. She barely realized what had happened. ¡°It was...it was strange. I didn¡¯t feel a thing. My last memory was when you asked me ¡®May I?¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Hmm.¡± Jean¡¯s eyes turned as she processed with the newly gained information. ¡°Anyways, now that that¡¯s done, we can move out on our mission now.¡± She used ¡®our¡¯ to connect the two now that Nova had officially joined her.

    ¡°Attack on Shakuras, right?¡± Nova confirmed as the she stood up. Jean nodded and the two walked out of the room.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Yes, but here¡¯s a piece of intel that arrived when you were asleep. The Daelaam engaged the swarm.¡±

    Nova¡¯s eyes flashed as her inner cpu started to turn. ¡°The tal¡¯darim threat meant the Golden Armada had to take down the swarm quickly.¡± Nova¡¯s processing power allowed her to analyze the situation based on already gathered information. The theory she got was very close to what really happened.

    ¡°Care to know the result?¡± Nova tilted her head and looked at her loved one. She didn¡¯t say anything, but the answer was obvious.

    ¡°Get this. The Daelaam crushed the swarm.¡± Jean said thoughtfully. ¡°Turned out I was right in being careful in regard to the Golden Armada. Kerrigan made a stupid move in engaging the Golden Armada head on and believing she could win. As a result she lost half her fleet and had to run away with her tail between her legs, not that the queen of blades has tails.¡± The two girls giggled. The thought of Kerrigan fleeing was a pleasant idea that brought smiles to their faces.

    ¡°But that¡¯s bad for us, right? The enemy of an enemy is a friend.¡± Nova eventually stopped giggling and crossed her slender legs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The swarm is plenty, if nothing else. Kerrigan can remake her swarm in a very short period of time with enough resources. However, I am not exactly sure what the position of the swarm is for us. The last time I met with the queen of blades she sent a horde of mutalisks to kill me.¡± Jean remembered what happened the last time she encountered the swarm. After giving Kerrigan a perfect plan against the Golden Armada Kerrigan decided Jean was of no more use to her. She first allowed Zeratul to make a run on Jean, and when that failed she sent a group of mutalisks to shoot Jean down. Both failed, but the fact remained that there was bad blood between the two.

    ¡°Do you necessarily need the swarm?¡± Nova knew the swarm was one of the most powerful fractions in the sector, but she also knew Jean had the purifier fleet and the tal¡¯darim fleet under her command. That should be enough.

    ¡°If I am just against the Golden Armada, not necessarily. I can wait until the purifiers build a fleet large enough to win the war. The purifier fleet can be built by automated probes extremely efficiently. The Daelaam, on the other hand, can barely replenish their losses. If everything remains peaceful for a few years I''ll have enough to crush the Golden Armada. It is Amon that I am worrying about.¡± Jean had a frown.

    ¡°Is Amon that powerful?¡± Nova was a firm believer of the power of weaponry. Even the ultimate vessel of the protoss, the mothership, will fall under several hundred nuclear missiles. How many nukes can Amon stand? A thousand? Five thousand?

    Jean wasn¡¯t relieved. ¡°Depends. Amon himself has no body here, and all he can do is control the Daelaam and the Golden Armada. What I am afraid of is him taking control of the Daelaam and just come after me. Chances are he will not allow me to produce the fleet I need." Jean seemed especially concerned now. ¡°If you¡¯re Amon and your minions are being taken out one by one, what will you do?¡±

    Nova was quiet for a while. Her inner cpu enhancing her ability to do logically calculations. Everything Jean told her about the dark god was pulled up and entered into the calculation.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a run for it before all my minions are gone. Staying in the void doesn¡¯t work because without supporters in the sector Amon can¡¯t get out and complete his purpose of destroying the world.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Amon is losing this war and he knows it. If he wants any chance of success he will take action as soon as possible. If he does exactly that and takes over the Golden Armada he will be..let¡¯s just say I don''t have the fleet to stop a fully determined Golden Armada.¡± Jean tried to put it lightly, but the weight of her words were heavy.

    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he do that?¡± Nova asked. What was the god waiting for? With every day that passed Jean''s power grew and Amon''s influence dropped.

    Jean had no answer for that. In the previous timeline Amon might have postponed the controlling of the Golden Armada because he wanted to buy more time for his minions to grow. The longer he waited, the more hybrids were made, the more Moebius mercenaries were hired, and the more feral zerg he could control. This was not the case now. So why was he waiting?

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t afraid to admit her lack of knowledge. ¡°But whatever Amon is planning it will not work if I can maim the Golden Armada first.¡±

    ¡°Contact Nyon and Valerian. It¡¯s time to make a move on the Golden Armada.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 84: Nuroka v.s. Guraj

    Slayn.

    The entire Death Fleet was converging near the Pit of Ascension, an area where Rak¡¯Shir duels took place. The battle between the First Ascendant and the Second Ascendant for the place of the Highlord was considered more than important. Fleets from both sides would be involved in the duel, and thousands would die. Of course, for the tal¡¯darim outside the duel all it meant would be rising in the chain for free.

    Usually Rak¡¯Shir duels took a long time to prepare, but this time it was different. The tal¡¯darim needed a Highlord to command them, and they needed it now.

    On the pit, the two participants, Nuroka and Guraj, stood face to face. Their fleets stood behind them. Each of them had one mothership and around fifteen carriers. It was much weaker from that of the Highlord, but now that Ma¡¯lash was gone they were the two strongest fleets in the tal¡¯darim.

    Nuroka was as cocky as ever. ¡°Today is the day I ascend. Amon betrayed us, and after I rise, I will bring down the dark god. He will pay for his treachery.¡± He whispered. Now that he was this close to the ultimate place of the tal¡¯darim power Nuroka no longer needed to hide his intentions.

    Guraj was a loyal supporter of Amon, or so that was what she appeared to be, and Nuroka¡¯s words sparkled a wave of rage. For a moment the female ascendant wanted to tell the world what Nuroka just told her, but she knew very well no one would believe her. They would just think she wanted to attract more supporters for the duel. In the end all she did was smirk and check her weapons, preparing for the duel. In the tal¡¯darim world blades matter much more than words.

    Many other tal''darim were watching the duel. Some treated it as an entertainment while others observed for other purposes. The top ascendants were in the front where the view was the best. They had quiet some privilege.

    ¡°Who do you think will win?¡± The three ascendants within the same alliance came together. Alarak had had some conflicts with Nyon, not that it mattered. All three, Alarak, Ji¡¯nara, and Nyon, were perfectly fine with smiling at you for one second and then stab in the back the next second. As long as there was any gain in the alliance the three would pretend to be friends and see who was the better backstabber. Ji¡¯nara was the one that asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. Nuroka is slightly stronger with the support of Zenish, but not by much. Guraj is much better of a fighter.¡± Alarak replied casually. He didn¡¯t really care who would win. Whoever the Highlord was his position would always be maintained.

    Ji¡¯nara glanced at Alarak meaningfully. ¡°Didn¡¯t Nuroka come to you and demanded your allegiance? Will you aid him?¡± Alarak wasn¡¯t moved.

    ¡°I have my own considerations. Ascendant Ji¡¯nara, I need you to make sure no one below you joins the duel.¡± The Fourth ascendant demanded. Ji¡¯nara was confused, but she nonetheless accepted the command. She knew Alarak too well to disobey him.

    Alarak turned to Nyon, who had been not caring the entire time. His interest in the Rak¡¯shir duel was oddly low. It was unusual, and Alarak felt like he was missing something. ¡°Nyon, I ask the same to you. Don¡¯t involve your fleet into the duel.¡±

    Alarak expected Nyon to object, but he simply shrugged and obeyed without a word.

    <hr>

    Inside the pit, the Rak¡¯shir had officially begun. Almost at the same time the two ascendants charged at each other with their blades raised.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Guraj¡¯s skills with the art of blades was much more superior, but Nuroka had a stronger psi power. Guraj slashed down on Nuroka, but the ascendant froze her motion with a psi surge. While Guraj was in the air Nuroka used that chance to strike. Guraj was restrained and couldn¡¯t dodge as the red bane blade approached.

    Just as a victorious smile appeared on Nuroka¡¯s face he suddenly saw a smirk on Guraj. Before he knew it the restrain he had on her was broken apart. His weapons were a second away from Guraj, but she not only pushed aside Nuroka¡¯s weapons with ease but also used the moment of openness to stab him in the chest.

    The strike was halted by the layer of plasma shield on Nuroka, and Guraj swiftly jumped away, ready for another charge.

    As the ascendants tried to kill each other, their supporters made their moves as well. Tal¡¯darim warriors showed no hesitation in slaughtering their own as one after one the tal¡¯darim fell. Zealots fought with each other like they were sworn enemies. The sickening sound of bane blades penetrating armor and flesh, along with dying screams and war cries, filled the pit.

    The brutality of the Rak¡¯shir was another reason the tal¡¯darim was weaker than the Daelaam after Aiur even though they dated back to the beginning of the protoss empire. Usually a fraction with such a long history should have became a lot of people, but the tal¡¯darim were equally focused on killing their own and on killing the enemies. Every duel would lead to the loss of countless tal¡¯darim elite warriors. More tal¡¯darim died at each others¡¯ hand rather than at the hands of enemies. It was a waste. Sure, the duels made sure the tal¡¯darim that survived were tough, but the losses were simply too great.

    The battle continued for a while. Alarak suddenly stepped up and walked toward the pit. Ji¡¯nara looked at him, slightly surprised. After all Alarak did just tell her not to join a while ago.

    Alarak walked into the middle of the pit. Tal¡¯darim on both sides did no harm to him as they didn¡¯t know which side he was on.

    ¡°Alarak! Join me and I will make you Second Ascendant!¡± Nuroka promised. He was having trouble taking down Guraj. Her blades were just too quick. Any help would be important. As for the place of Second Ascendant, well, he had already promised Zenish the place of First Ascendant.

    ¡°Aid me, and I will grant you the place of First Ascendant.¡± Guraj was worried as she saw Nuroka making the offer. Nuroka proved to be stronger than she thought. The quick victory she anticipated wasn¡¯t going to come true, and if Alarak decided to join Nuroka things would go terribly wrong for her.

    Alarak stood still for a few seconds before igniting his blade and pushing it through a Guraj zealot.

    As if a signal was given, the ships and warriors of Alarak charged into battle. The fresh warriors plowed through the weakened and wounded Guraj warriors. Fresh psi blades clashed with half broken shields.

    Guraj¡¯s forces were pushed back. Her units fell one by one at the hand of the combined force of the three ascendants. Zealots were overwhelmed. Ascendants were taken out by other ascendants. Vanguards had perished a long time ago. Slayers blinked into the battlefield, but they could only last as long as their phase shield.

    ¡°No!!¡¯ Guraj screamed as Nuroka pushed her a distance away and, with his psi energy, stopped her from getting close and using her blade on him. He was forcing her into a psionic duel, and he was winning. Guraj¡¯s units were dwindling by the seconds, and the more her units die the less psi support she received. On the contrary the psi support of Nuroka¡¯s and Zenish¡¯s warriors made Nuroka even stronger than usual. Guraj was losing and she knew it.

    The female ascendant wasn¡¯t planning to give up. She was getting close to the pit, and she knew she had to do something. With a scream she concentrated all the energy in her body and produced a psi push.

    Nuroka smirked at the attempt to comeback. He lifted his hands and was about to crush Guraj when something unexpected happened.

    Alarak pushed his blades into Zenish¡¯s back. The Second Ascendant didn¡¯t expect the backstab. He had plasma shield all around his body, but Alarak had planned for this since a while ago and his stab was fueled by powerful psi energy. The blade penetrated the shield and punched a hole in Zenish¡¯s body.

    ¡°I pledge for Guraj.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 85: Turning Point

    Alarak¡¯s action arouse a wave of comments among the spectators.

    Nuroka was obviously pissed off, which the exact opposite to Guraj¡¯s reaction.

    As soon as Alarak declared his allegiance, his units responded quickly. They weren¡¯t notified of the plan, but that didn¡¯t stop them from following the footsteps of their leader and turning on the forces of Nuroka and Zenish.

    Previously in the battle against Guraj Alarak¡¯s forces had been mixed up with that of Nuroka and Zenish. When they all of a sudden turned, they managed to cut their former allies apart.

    Nuroka¡¯s forces suffered heavy losses. They were already weakened from the clash with Guraj¡¯s forces. Their formation was broken, and they didn¡¯t expect Alarak¡¯s forces to all of a sudden turn on them. Some of the zealots in the back didn¡¯t even activate their shields. They were the first to fall.

    ¡°Alarak!¡± Nuroka screamed. Zenish¡¯s death and the rapid decrease in the units supporting him lowered the psi aid he received. On the contrary, Alarak and his units pledged their allegiance to Guraj, granting her extra psi power. This helped the psionically weaker Guraj to get out of danger and even push Nuroka back. ¡°You will suffer for this!¡±

    A small group of Nuroka zealots came together under the command of a lower ascendant. They made an attempt to rally more friendly units, but they never got far. Alarak charged into them and unleashed his psionic energy. When the crimson psi energy faded away, the group was gone.

    Noticing Nurota¡¯s threat, Alarak smiled wickedly. Guraj¡¯s units were pushing in the front while his units were hitting from the back. Nuroka¡¯s forces were cut off into small pieces and swallowed up one by one. His chance of living through this would be...pretty low.

    In the air Nuroka¡¯s mothership was now in distress. The flagship of the ascendant was surrounded and besieged by Alarak¡¯s destroyers. When he pretended to be a friend Alarak had sneakily positioned his destroyers next to Nuroka¡¯s motherships and carriers. Nuroka didn¡¯t think something of it. When the backstab was done, the destroyers turned on the armored capital ships at once.

    In a fair fight the mothership and the carriers could wipe out the destroyers before they even got close enough to open fire. The abilities on the mothership could make sure the distance from the carriers opening fire to the destroyers opening fire take a decade. The interceptors could overwhelm the anti-armor vessels.

    But this wasn¡¯t a fair fight. In fact, nothing about this fight was fair. Nuroka¡¯s forces were in utter confusion while Alarak¡¯s reacted quickly. The destroyers were designed to take down capital ships. They were so close the destroyer pilots could hit their target with their eyes closed. The interceptors of the carriers were all in the front. The energy and the shield of the mothership was depleted.

    When the mothership hit the ground in a brilliant explosion of red flares, Nuroka knew he was lost.

    ¡­

    Among the audiences, Ji¡¯nara stood in awe as the Fourth Ascendant carried out his plan with complete success.

    Ji¡¯nara knew the situation was great for Alarak. In fact, she had seen things most other tal¡¯darim had failed to see.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    Guraj¡¯s forces were heavily damaged when the combined forces of Alarak, Nuroka, and Zenish attacked. Zenish was dead and his forces perished. Nuroka was still alive, but not for long.

    When all was over, Guraj and Alarak would be the top two ascendants left. Guraj would become the Highlord, but her forces would be much weaker. Alarak would be the First Ascendant and below Guraj, but his forces would be the strongest among all the ascendants. He could take the place of th Highlord whenever he wanted to.

    Ji¡¯nara had to admire Alarak¡¯s ability to use conspiracies to his advantage. The way he earned Nuroka¡¯s trust and then betrayed him was just pure clever. Alarak chose the specific time when Nuroka was occupied fighting Guraj when he stepped in. Nuroka was in distress, and a chance of salvation was enough to make him ignore the possible conspiracies behind this.

    When Guraj was on the brink of destruction Alarak turned and executed Zenish. He chose the exact time when Guraj had suffered heavy losses but before she was killed. The betrayal would likely leave Nuroka defeated and dead and his forces gone. Guraj might be the Highlord, but Alarak was the real winner.

    But as far as Ji¡¯nara admired Alarak, she needed to think for herself. If she did nothing, she would become the Third Ascendant, and the second when Alarak eventually took down Guraj, but why would she stop at being the third when she could be the second immediately?

    She glanced at Nyon.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to stay out of this? WIth this victory Alarak will be the strongest of us all. There will be no challenging him anymore.¡± She provoked.

    Nyon tapped his chin with his metal armor protected finger. ¡°Don¡¯t play your tricks on me. Alarak poses no threat. Not anymore.¡±

    Ji¡¯nara¡¯s eyes widened. Nyon was oddly confident, which meant he either had too much terrazine or he had something planned. She decided to push a little further and see if she could get any attention.

    ¡°Careful, ascendant. Alarak is higher on the chain. He will not be happy if he heard what you said.¡± She said on purpose.

    Nyon smirked. ¡°I told you. Don¡¯t play your games. I am beyond that point.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Ji¡¯nara played dumb.

    Nyon leaned closer to Ji¡¯nara and stared into her eyes. ¡°You want to provoke a fight between me and Alarak. Whoever the victor is, you¡¯ll rise higher.¡± Ji¡¯nara didn¡¯t say anything. Nyon sat back.

    ¡°Ascendant.¡± He ordered, and an ascendant under Nyon stepped up. ¡°Where is my fleet?¡±

    The ascendant glanced at Ji¡¯nara as if asking whether or not she should say this before Ji¡¯nara. Nyon insisted, and the ascendant finally spoke.

    ¡°My lord, your fleet is ready for combat. All forty ships can jump in at your command.¡±

    Ji¡¯nara frowned. Forty? Even Ma¡¯lash¡¯s fleet had around that ship count. The three players of this game of Rak¡¯shir each had around two dozen ships. Where did Nyon get his forty ships? He must be bluffing.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m bluffing.¡± Nyon spoke, and Ji¡¯nara frowned. How did he know what she was thinking.

    Nyon had no intention of solving Ji¡¯nara¡¯s confusion. The Assistant had developed a helpful trick. She created profiles on different individuals and simulated the response these individuals would give when facing certain situations. Simulations showed Ji¡¯nara would doubt his words if he gave no proof.

    It was fine. Nyon didn¡¯t need Ji¡¯nara¡¯s forces anyways. Her one carrier and two destroyers were nothing. He just needed an audience to observe his rise to power.

    ¡°Stay here and observe, and your doubt will be answered. You will learn what is the right thing to do.¡± The duel was reaching an end, and Nyon knew his stage was set. He stood up and turned to the zealots around. ¡°Keep her here.¡±

    Ji¡¯nara stood up, insulted. ¡°You dare imprison me? What is my crime?¡± A higher ascendant could only punish a lower ascendant if the latter showed disrespect. But as soon as she stood up twenty zealots around her ignited their blades threateningly. The wave of red told Ji¡¯nara she should sit down, which she did.

    ¡°You should thank me, Ji¡¯nara.¡± Nyon paused on his way to the pit. ¡°You are much more fortunate than those fools down there.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 86: The final winner

    In the pit of ascension, Nuroka was already at his last moments.

    His forces were gone. His fleet had perished. Guraj had had him right next to his side of the edge. A few more strikes and he would be pushed over the edge and into a fiery death.

    ¡°Guraj!¡± He made a last attempt to gain some ground. ¡°Can¡¯t you see? Alarak used both of us. Now we are both weakened! If he wants to challenge you now, can you win?¡±

    Guraj glanced at Alarak, who kept his head down in obedience. He was actually hiding a smirk. Nuroka realized what his plan was. So what? He had overwhelming forces. Even if, which was more than unlikely, Nuroka and Guraj suddenly teamed together and fought him, he could crush both of them with ease.

    Realizing a similar thing, Guraj turned back and continued to push Nuroka toward the edge. She knew about Alarak¡¯s threat, but there was little she could do.

    Suddenly the entire pit was darkened as if something blocked out the light of the stars. All the tal¡¯darim in the pit looked up in shock. EVen the two sides of the duel looked into the skies in confusion.

    ¡°What the?¡± Guraj whispered. Her blade shaking.

    The sky was covered with an entire fleet of scarlett ships. Two motherships towered in the air and radiated power on those below. Behind the motherships, three rows of carriers lined up loosely. Each row held 12 carriers. Smaller fighters and destroyers covered the gaps.

    It was an entire fleet of tal¡¯darim.

    ¡°Impressive, is it not?¡± A deep voice came from beside, and the three ascendants turned and found Nyon to be the speaker. The obedient look on his had faded away and was replaced with a smirk. A victorious smirk.

    ¡°Is it...is it your fleet?¡± Nuroka asked in disbelief.

    ¡°You¡¯re smarter than you look.¡± Nyon insulted without caring about the consequences.

    The three ascendants were obviously insulted, but there was little they could do. Their fleet had suffered heavy losses. Even the strongest of them, Alarak, had a mere 6 carrier count. He had a dozen destroyers, but they would evaporate in a few seconds under thousands of destroyers. Nyon had an overwhelming advantage.

    Guraj acted quickly. She didn¡¯t know why Nyon was wasting time talking, but she saw an opportunity. SHe suddenly focused her psi energy on her competitor.

    Nuroka was still surprised by Nyon¡¯s action when Guraj¡¯s surprise attack hit. Guraj was still linked to her forces and Alarak¡¯s forces, which gave her an overwhelming psi power. That, and the element of surprise, successfully pushed Nuroka over the edge.

    ¡°You have made a mistake! Amon will destroy you!!¡± Nuroka could only make empty threats as he was tossed over the edge. Nyon just stood by and watched Guraj¡¯s action with a smile.

    As Nuroka screamed briefly before being melted, Guraj turned to Nyon.

    ¡°I am the Highlord now, and I order you to back off!¡± She demanded. She was the winner of the duel and the new Highlord of the tal¡¯darim. Nyon might be powerful, but he wouldn¡¯t want to go against the entire tal¡¯darim tradition, would he? Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°You are a fool. Both of you.¡± Nyon included Alarak, who was trying very hard to think of a way out. ¡°Wasting precious forces on a title? How long can you keep the title of the Highlord if you don¡¯t have enough forces to enforce your command? And how easily can you become the Highlord if you are the strongest among all the tal¡¯darim?¡±

    Guraj knew what Nyon meant, and she knew this might end in another battle unfavorable for her, but she made another attempt. She really couldn¡¯t win another battle with her rag tagged forces. She didn¡¯t defeat Nuroka so she could be killed by someone else.

    ¡°You must obey me! I am the Highlord! It is the words of god!¡± The female ascendant was near desperate.

    ¡°God? Amon?¡± Nyon said casually. ¡°Amon had lied to us!¡± He used psi energy and floated into the air so all the tal¡¯darim spectators could hear him.

    ¡°Amon promised us ascension! A chance to rise and become hybrids! A chance to be strong! I believed his lie just like all of you here, until someone woke me up!¡±

    ¡°Amon doesn¡¯t want us to rise! He wants to destroy all lifeform in the universe, including the tal¡¯darim! The day we achieve victory for our god is the day our race dies!¡±

    ¡°You have no proof!¡± Guraj cut Nyon off. Amon¡¯s command of the chain of ascension was the only thing keeping Nyon from executing her on the spot. Whether she believed in Amon or not Guraj had to maintain his authority.

    ¡°Proof? You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t have proof,¡± Nyon¡¯s red weapons coated his figure in a crimson shade. ¡°But I havemy blades and my warriors.¡±

    ¡°Tal¡¯darim! Disable your shields and submit to me or face my wrath! My warriors! Execute all the stands against me, starting with her.¡± Nyon pointed at Guraj.

    Thousands of light beams landed in the pit. Each of them represented a tal¡¯darim loyal to Nyon. The fleet in the air opened fire on any ship that didn¡¯t immediately surrender its shields.

    ¡°Followers of the dark god, stand with me and destroy that traitor! For Amon!¡± Guraj had no retreat. It was victory or death. Nyon would never allow her to live, and his forces were too great. God knew how he got this much ships. Wait, even Amon wouldn¡¯t know that.

    Throwing the strange thought out of her mind, Guraj launched her tired and injured body toward Nyon. She was going for the throne. It was her only chance. The longer she waited the more tal¡¯darim of Nyon there would be on the field.

    Guraj was relatively confident in her art with the blades. As long as she could get close enough her blades would behead Nyon before he could use his ability. When her blades cut through his chest, his forces would surrender to her strength.

    Facing a determined Guraj, Nyon turned off his blades. Guraj¡¯s eyes widened, but her confusion was quickly shut down when four figures walked up and placed themselves between Nyon and Guraj.

    Four vanguards. Wait, no, two vanguards and two immortals.

    Guraj, as experienced as she was, noticed the two assault striders in the front weren¡¯t modified tal¡¯darim weapons but were rather Daelaam styled immortals. But before she could do anything she smashed into one of the immortals.

    Guraj¡¯s lightening charge smashed into the immortal¡¯s barrier. The layer of energy shield easily deflected the effect of the charge. Guraj reacted quickly and slashed down on the immortal 12 times in four seconds. The plasma shield of the immortal was shattered, but before the finishing strike Guraj¡¯s psi suddenly screamed danger. She subconsciously jumped back, and the area where she was in was covered by a wave of scatter cannons. When the smoke cleared, the ground was gone, and the immortal was reduced to a few pieces of scrap metal. If Guraj had remained she would be no better.

    Looking up and beyond the one immortal and two vanguards, Guraj saw Nyon was looking at her, relaxed.

    All around her the battle had quieted down. Guraj¡¯s forces were completely overwhelmed and eradicated. The female ascendant, no, Highlord, realized her attempt to rally supporters had failed. Under Nyon¡¯s fleet the tal¡¯darim mass had yielded. The few that resisted were instantly destroyed.

    ¡°You coward.¡± Guraj did her best to provoke Nyon. The tal¡¯darim forces had surrounded her, and she knew if she made another move she would be taken down. As strong as she was a round of scatter cannons would blast her to pieces. Her only chance would be to challenge Nyon to a fair fight. ¡°Fight me like a real tal¡¯darim!¡±

    Nyon tilted his head in consideration.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 87: Afterwards

    Nyon tapped his chin, as if really considering the offer. Guraj¡¯s eyes shined with hope. If she could somehow get Nyon into a one on one duel she could still potentially win and live through this. God she might even take over Nyon¡¯s fleet after she bravely defeated their leader in glorious combat and proved her strength.

    But then the words of Nyon dropped her from heaven to hell.

    ¡°Yeah about that, no thanks.¡± Guraj¡¯s expression changed dramatically and she wanted to say or do something, perhaps to condemn Nyon¡¯s cowardness, but Nyon didn¡¯t give her the chance.

    All the slayers, vanguards, immortals, wrathwalkers, and ascendants unleashed their firepower upon the new Highlord.

    Guraj made an attempt to fight for her life. Her plasma shield was turned to maximum power, and yet all her efforts were resultless when four mindblasts smashed into and broke through her shield.

    The total amount of power from Nyon¡¯s forces clashed onto the now defenseless Guraj. The armor was the first to go. The body came next. When all was done, there was no sign that showed Guraj was ever here. Even her weapon was melted into absolute nothing.

    ¡°Impressive. Let us three fight to death. Whoever wins will be weakened, and then you can step in and kill us all. We had a very similar idea.¡± Beside Nyon Alarak spoke. He had been quiet all time when Nyon took care of Guraj. He also made sure none of his forces aided Guraj. He knew it would be useless, and helping Guraj even further would lead to the certain demise of him and his warriors.

    But now that Gujra was taken care of Alarak knew he needed to act if he wanted a chance to live. Putting himself in Nyon¡¯s shoes Alarak knew he would kill any potential enemies that threatened his power. If he didn¡¯t prove his worth to Nyon the final victor would end him just like he ended Guraj.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Nyon silently ordered his forces to clean the stage. ¡°Only I am much stronger than you ever was.¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Alarak asked curiously. ¡°Where did you get your fleet? From the Daelaam?¡±

    Nyon looked at Alarak coldly, and the ascendant knew he had asked the wrong question. He noticed a sense of impatient on Nyon¡¯s face, and he knew he needed to say something to change Nyon¡¯s mind before it was too late.

    ¡°I can be useful to you. Let me live, and my ships will strike against any enemy by your will. Even Amon.¡± Alarak bargained.

    ¡°Do you really think I need you insignificant ships?¡± Nyon¡¯s ship factories were building ships as they spoke. Among the forty carriers more than half of them were produced rather than captured. Nyon had no need of a mere four carriers. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Alarak didn¡¯t give up. ¡°But you will need someone to aid you if you are to maintain the chain of ascension. Tradition forbids you to influence the duels of lower ascendants as the Highlord, so you¡¯ll need someone, some ascendant, below. He can serve you by monitoring other ascendants and eliminating potential threats.¡±

    ¡°Why would I keep the chain at all?¡±

    ¡°The chain is what makes us special, Highlord. The chain of ascension ensures only the strongest can survive and carry out your bidding. It is in your best interest to keep it and use it to your own advantage.¡±

    Nyon thought about it for a while. ¡°You have convinced me.¡± He saw another ascendant approaching. ¡°Ahh, Ji¡¯nara.¡±

    ¡°Highlord. How may I serve you?¡± The female ascendant yielded much quicker. She had no trouble bending her knee to the strongest tal¡¯darim, especially after he saw what Nyon did to Guraj.

    Nyon noticed Alarak looking at Ji¡¯nara, feeling threatened. ¡°Alarak will be the First Ascendant. You, Ji¡¯nara, will be the second. Your mission is to report to me on any potential threats. I am not going to make the same mistake Ma¡¯lash did.¡± Ma¡¯lash had a large opportunity to take him out, but he thought he was in control. Now he was dead.

    ¡°I will not disappoint you.¡± Ji¡¯nara assured, and Alarak said a similar thing. Knowing their lives were secured, they glanced at each other. The situation was clear. Nyon had absolute power, but he needed a lower ascendant to keep an eye on the chain. Both Ji¡¯nara and Alarak were suitable choices and any one of them would work, but Nyon put both of them in place to minimize the possibility of a betrayal. Two betrayals at the same time was much more rare than one. For Nyon it meant more sources of information and more trust in the loyalty of those sources.

    For Alarak and Ji¡¯nara it meant the only way to rise was by taking each other out. Thus the competition among the two ascendants.

    ¡°Assemble the Death Fleet. We are going to war.¡± Now gaining control of the entire tal¡¯darim world, Nyon could move on to carrying out his part of the deal. He had never forgotten it was Jean that turned him from a shameful defeated into the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim. Jean had carried out her promise, and now it was his time to carry out his end. He would lead the Death Fleet and join Jean in the battle against Amon.

    ¡°With whom, may I ask?¡± Alarak asked cautiously.

    ¡°No.¡± Nyon denied. ¡°Carry out my command without questions. It is your duty as the First Ascendant.¡± Alarak backed off apologizing, leaving Ji¡¯nara slightly entertained. She enjoyed watching the one she feared suffer.

    <hr>

    The Death Fleet had suffered heavy losses in all the internal and external battles that had occurred. 30 some ships went down in the battle against the Warden fleet. 20 ships went down on each side during the Rak¡¯shir. The original death fleet had lost 70% of its ships and half its power.

    Nyon had brought reinforcements, which added the total capital ship count to 60 carriers and 4 motherships. This was still lower than the one hundred ship count Ma¡¯lash had when he led the Death Fleet into the Daelaam airspace, but the Death Fleet was never enough to take down the Golden Armada on its own anyways.

    When the Death Fleet warped to the coordinates Jean sent Nyon, they found several other fleets there already.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 88: Assemble the fleets

    In just another insignificant area in the endless space, four of the strongest fleets were gathered together.

    The scarlet tal¡¯darim fleet. The red Dominion fleet. The yellow Purifier fleet. The black Warden fleet. If there was a list of the strongest fleets in the sector all four fleets could be in the top 10. Together the four fleets might be invincible.

    Meanwhile, the commanders of the fleets were having a meeting on the new Warden flagship of B110.

    ¡°What is our ship count?¡± Jean didn¡¯t waste time being polite. It was pointless and there was no need for her to be thankfully. She won them over by deals. That was it. She got right down to business.

    ¡°I have brought 70 ships. All made up of warriors willing to die for victory. You will find them useful in battle.¡± Highlord Nyon was the first to speak. Jean nodded. She was glad all the effort she put in to make Nyon the Highlord had paid of. Nyon stayed true to the deal and brought the tal¡¯darim to her side, not only strengthening her but also weakening Amon.

    The representative of the Dominion was general Warfield. Unlike the tal¡¯darim, the leader of the Terran Dominion didn¡¯t really go to the frontline. Instead, Valerian handed the Dominion fleet to his most trusted general.

    ¡°I¡¯ve brought 20 Gorgons and 300 Minotaurs. Got enough nuke to blow a hole in any planet.¡± Warfield said in his armor. ¡°I just hope you¡¯re telling the truth and we¡¯re not wasting our soldiers¡¯ lives for nothing.¡± Warfield seemed displeased, and Jean knew why. A battle against the Golden Armada and then Amon would result in massive amount of casualties. Warfield wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what had to be done, but that didn¡¯t make him ok with his men being sacrificed.

    ¡°I assure you, general, that what we are doing here is absolutely necessary.¡± She reassured and turned to her girlfriend.

    Jean had given Nova the command of the Purifier fleet. Nova¡¯s new mechanical body made it much more easier for her to connect to the purifiers than Jean.

    ¡°All 150 carriers are in place and ready for battle.¡± The ghost was as explicit as ever.

    Jean gave a small smile. The Warden fleet still had around 75 battlecruisers. All her planning, all her deals, all her backstabs, finally came down to the fleet she had this moment. Over 600 capitals ships and nearly ten thousand fighters was just impressive.

    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean she would throw them away in a mindless trade with Amon and the Golden Armada. The more she preserved in terms of purifiers and wardens the more she could bring to her next world. Plus, Nyon and Warfield came to him as allies. If things got really bad they would abandon her. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Warfield questioned.

    ¡°We have enough to hit the Golden Armada straight up, but the trade will be too inefficient and losses will be too great.¡± Jean said slowly, ¡°We need to weaken the Golden Armada.¡±

    Nyon¡¯s tal¡¯darim nature wanted him to say something like ¡®the tal¡¯darim are not afraid of death¡¯, but then he caught himself. He knew the girl didn¡¯t want to keep more men and ships alive because she was kind and valued lives. She wanted to keep them alive so they can die later.

    Warfield nodded in agreement. ¡°How do you suppose we do that?¡±

    ¡°Well, how much firepower can the Daelaam armada maintain,¡± Jean¡¯s words were bone chilling. ¡°If we destroy their homeland?¡±

    ¡°Shakuras?¡± Warfield frowned. ¡°How will that change anything? Our problem is the Golden Armada. Even if we wipe out their home as long as the Golden Armada is present they can still pose a threat.¡±

    ¡°Imagine this, general.¡± Jean explained. ¡°If you are leading a fleet in battle, and suddenly your enemy sneaked a smaller fleet behind your defenses and destroyed the entire Dominion. Can you still fight? More importantly, can your fleet still fight?¡±

    Warfield wasn¡¯t really fond of the example, but he nevertheless considered the possibility. Jean added as the old general was thinking.

    ¡°You will no longer receive any reinforcements. There will be no more supply coming in. Damaged ships can¡¯t be repaired because there will be no shipyards to go back to. You soldiers have lost their families and their faiths. You will be surrounded. Every missile you fire will be one less missile to your overall ammunition.¡± Jean pictured a menacing situation.

    ¡°If that happens my fleet will fall apart in days. Weeks at most.¡± Warfield wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°But the protoss fleet is different. Their soldiers are connected by nerve cords, and desertion is impossible. Plus, Shakuras is their homeworld after Aiur. If we hit Shakuras the Golden Armada will be hunting us down with everything they¡¯ve got.¡±

    ¡°Protoss or terran, a fleet needs energy to fight. Take away the Daelaam¡¯s energy supply, and the strength of the Daelaam will be cut in half. As for hunting as down with all they can, well, the Golden Armada is going to be our enemies anyways. An irrational foe is much weaker than a calm one.¡± Jean reasoned.

    ¡°Still, how do you suggest we get past the Golden Armada?¡± Nova asked. Destroying Shakuras would be nice, but the Golden Armada would do everything they could to protect their homeworld.

    Jean tapped something on a computer. ¡°I have a plan¡­¡±

    When Jean was done,all three other commanders were pretty satisfied.

    ¡°It could work.¡± Nova tapped her chin.

    ¡°It will work. The pride of the firstborn will lead them right into our trap.¡± Nyon said wickedly.

    ¡°You are one good trickster, girl.¡± Warfield, from his experience, knew the plan would likely work. The honorable Daelaam would never realize the trap they were walking into until the last second when the trap was sprung, which would be way too late.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s carry it out. The faster we can disable the Golden Armada, the safer we are.¡± Despite her giant fleet and her carefully crafted plan, Jean had a bad feeling about this. Amon might seem like an idiot in the original history, not able to stop a single Daelaam ark with the entire Golden Armada, but a god that slaughtered the rest of his fellow gods with ease was certainly not stupid. There was no reason for him to stand by and do nothing while his underlings get picked off one by one. Jean had sent Narud back to the void with nukes, which meant Amon knew about her presence.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 89: Response from the Daelaam

    ¡°This is the fourth attack by the tal¡¯darim.¡± In the twilight council Vorazun complained to Artanis. Several other high templars were here as well, including Urun and Selendis.

    It had been half a week since Admiral Urun defeated the swarm, but the victory failed to bring peace to the Daelaam. The tal¡¯darim Death Fleet, after briefly retreating upon the defeat of the swarm, returned. This time it was must more aggressive. Base after base fell before the Daelaam could even respond to the attack. The several fighters in the outposts could do nothing against the tal¡¯darim.

    ¡°We must do something.¡± The matriarch was not going to allow the tal¡¯darim to continue their rampage. She was already angered when she heard the tal¡¯darim retreating from Daelaam space after the Golden Armada took down the swarm with severe losses. The Daelaam sacrificed a lot more than they needed to because of the tal¡¯darim. She wasn¡¯t planning to let them leave untainted. Not again. ¡±Mobilize our armada.¡±

    Artanis had his own thoughts. ¡°How are our ships?¡± He asked Urun.

    ¡°32 ships down. 200 more damagedand being repaired. Around 400 ships are in battle condition.¡± Urun should be proud of the numbers. He defeated the swarm while being outnumbered and had only lost about ten percent of his ships. The casualties of the swarm would be several times that number. But Urun wasn¡¯t satisfied. Every protoss was precious. Every protoss ship needed large amount of resources to build or fix while the zerg leviathans and corruptors could be built in weeks and days respectively.

    Vorazun noticed Artanis¡¯ hesitance. ¡°The Death Fleet has less than half that number. My scouts reported a recent internal conflict in the tal¡¯darim power structure. Those fools have fought with their own people. The Death Fleet is a mere form of its former might. This is a battle we can win.¡±

    Artanis was thinking. Vorazun was right. He could and probably should face the Death Fleet. The next question would be how many ships he should send. He needed to keep some forces at home, but he had to send out an armada large enough to push back the Death Fleet without taking heavy losses. As good as the current situation seemed to be, there was just so many fractions in the sector that would be more than happy to strike if the Daelaam showed signs of weakness or took too many losses.

    Artanis was about to speak his thoughts when suddenly a deep voice came from beside.

    ¡°The tal¡¯darim are servants of Amon. You must take caution.¡±

    All the templar in the chamber jumped. None of them have noticed someone there. The twilight council was like the royal palace of the Dominion. It was one of the most fortified places, guarded by the most elite and loyal warriors. More, all those seated were mighty warriors themselves. And yet an unidentified individual just sneaked inside. They wouldn¡¯t even notice him if he hadn¡¯t spoke.

    The figure emerged from the shadows. Green saber. Green eyes. Green shoulder plates. Zeratul. One of the few dark templars powerful enough to avoid almost any kind of detection. Even observers had trouble catching his form.

    The templar reacted differently. Artanis seemed surprised, in a good way. Vorazun, on the other hand, drew her weapon instantly.

    ¡°Templar! Arrest this traitor!¡± The door opened, revealing two shadow guards were acted as sentries. These elite guards of Vorazun obeyed their leader¡¯s order without a second thought. They ignited their warp blades and blinked forward.

    Zeratul knew why Vorazun was so angry at his sight. He killed Vorazun¡¯s mother, the former matriarch Razagul, after Kerrigan infected her. He did what had to be done, but that didn¡¯t make his action acceptable, especially to the daughter of the one he killed. Vorazun had never forgave him. Plus, there was always the fact that he accidentally showed the swarm where Aiur was, so¡­If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Facing the shadow guards, Zeratul remained calm. He had been through way too much for to be intimidated by two dark templar who he saw as children. If he wanted he could kill them both without taking a second hit. Of course, the elder had no intention in harming his own.

    ¡°I am not you enemy.¡± He tried to calm the situation down, but Vorazun refused to listen, so he turned to Artanis.

    ¡°Hear me, brothers.¡± He looked directly at Artanis. The hierarch might be the only one willing to hear him out. ¡°There is a darkness approaching. A fallen xel¡¯naga seeks to destroy all life forms in the sector.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡± Selendis cut him off. She was never too fond of the dark templar, nor was she happy to listen to the one that brought destruction upon Aiur.

    ¡°Let him speak.¡± Artanis stepped in with authority. Selendis seemed unsatisfied but quieted nonetheless, but the shadow guards didn¡¯t move. The leader of the Daelaam looked to the matriarch of the dark templar. Vorazun held her straight face for a few seconds before logic finally overcoming her. She sighed and waved her hand. The shadow guards obeyed and left the room.

    ¡°Amon is¡­.¡± Now allowed to speak, Zeratul¡¯s maximum level public speaking ability went into action. When he was done, his fellow protoss were astonished.

    ¡°But why does this terran Jean believe the firstborn will follow Amon? The xel¡¯naga created us, but that doesn¡¯t mean we are their slaves.¡± Artanis noticed Jean¡¯s part in Zeratul¡¯s story. All Zeratul knew was that Jean believed the Golden Armada would serve Amon and thus did everything she could to take it down before it could be controlled. Zeratul didn¡¯t know why she believed that, and neither did all those seated.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand either, but Jean seemed to firmly believe in that idea. She even allied herself with the swarm to weaken us.¡±

    ¡°Wait, the swarm attacked us because of a terran?¡± Selendis stood up, very surprised. The battle between the swarm and the Daelaam was bloody, and she failed to believe it was all due to the delusions of a terran female. Yes, Selendis believed Jean was having delusions in believing the Golden Armada would be corrupted by Amon.

    ¡°Yes. Jean manipulated Kerrigan into attacking us by using her ambition. But the swarm is down, and the problem now is the tal¡¯darim fleet.¡± Zeratul pulled the topic back to the current situation.

    ¡°Any chance they are sent by Jean too?¡± Selendis.

    ¡°No. The tal¡¯darim serve Amon and Amon alone. Jean is ruthless, but she knows better than allying herself with the dark one.¡± Zeratul sounded confident, but in reality he wasn¡¯t. After all he just tried to assassinate Jean. He just hoped the girl wasn¡¯t traumatized by that life threatening experience and decided to go bad.

    Selendis turned to Vorazun. She had never liked the dark templar much, but even she had to admit the Nerazim had an advantage in information gathering. Their cloaking ability made them discreet. ¡°Didn¡¯t the tal¡¯darim undergo a recent power change? What exactly happened?¡±

    Vorazun shrugged. ¡°Slayn is a fortress. My scouts can only sense the tal¡¯darim fleet in war against each other. As for the details¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Jean or Amon, we need to take actions.¡±

    Artanis agreed. ¡°Vorazun, protect this planet with your Nerazim fleet. I will leave 100 carriers here. The rest of the Golden Armada will follow me to face the Death Fleet.¡±

    Urun was slightly surprised. ¡°You are leading the expedition yourself?¡± Artanis usually stayed behind and monitored the entire civilization while generals like Urun commanded specific battles. Such was the case in the war against the swarm. A leader should stay away from danger.

    ¡°Yes. I need to learn more about Amon. Urun, Selendis, prepare the armada.¡± The two templar nodded. ¡°Zeratul, I want you to join me in my expedition. We have no idea why the tal¡¯darim is coming for us, but whatever the reason is I am going to need your help.¡± The older templar agreed without a second thought. He was more than happy to have a chance to redeem himself.

    ¡°Vorazun.¡± Artanis turned to the last templar.

    ¡°I know.¡± The female dark templar reassured. ¡°I will keep Shakuras safe. After all, it is my home too. As long as I am breathing Shakuras will not be harmed¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Artanis stood up and walked out of the council, preparing for war. He had just heard about Amon, but the news of a new enemy didn¡¯t encourage him to put more forces at home. If anything, it caused Artanis to put more forces in the expedition fleet.

    After all, the enemy was in the front, right?

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 90: Scenes of destruction

    The Golden Armada had arrived onto the planet where the Death Fleet was last spotted, but the readied fleet didn¡¯t find their enemy there. Instead, all they saw was a scene of massacre.

    The mining base below was completely destroyed. Spare pieces and parts of destroyed probes scattered around the base, reminding those observing of the prosperity that was once here. A few armor pieces told the world what happened to the Daelaam forces guarding here. Only half of the nexus was left. The other half was just gone. A result of the tal¡¯darim purifying beam. In space, pieces of metal drifted into the dark. They were once patrolling scouts tasked with defending the base below. They were also the first to fall when death descended.

    Standing in the largest mothership in the Daelaam fleet, Artanis stared into the stars.

    Footsteps approached from behind.

    ¡°Hierarch, the Death Fleet had left this planet not long before we arrived. Crystals show tal¡¯darim ships exiting warp space and bombarding the mining facility below. There was no survivor.¡± Selendis¡¯ words were filled with anger that the she struggled to suppress.

    It had been the sixth location the tal¡¯darim laid waste to. For days the mighty Golden Armada chased after the fleeing Death Fleet. The tal¡¯darim were the exact definition of cowards. Instead of engaging the Golden Armada like real warriors they attacked smaller outposts and fled when the Daelaam reinforcements arrived. The only thing the reinforcements could find was a ruined world, only a skeleton to the former prosperity of the planet.

    Artanis held his fist tight, trying to appear as a calm commander who had everything under control, but he could barely control his emotions. Every protoss warrior needed centuries to become a suitable warrior. Every single Daelaam was precious.

    ¡°How many templar were positioned here?¡± The hierarch asked quietly.

    Selendis hesitated. ¡°210 Khala.¡±

    Artanis turned around drastically. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they warp away?¡± Mining bases and probes can be easily replaced. Zealots can¡¯t.

    ¡°The tal¡¯darim were too fast. They wiped out the entire facility in minutes. The forces on the planet didn¡¯t respond quick enough.¡±

    ¡°Filthy tal¡¯darim.¡± Selendis knew Artanis was at the peak of his anger. She was as well. In fact, the templar of entire armada was enraged. If there was a tal¡¯darim fleet in front of them the warriors of the Golden Armada would rip the enemies into pieces in minutes.

    The door snapped open, and a tall figure walked into the bridge. ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right.¡± Admiral Urun exclaimed. His centuries of experience screamed warning.

    ¡°Admiral?¡± Artanis frowned.

    ¡°The Death Fleet has no reason to attack us.¡± Urun reasoned. ¡°They didn¡¯t come here to pillage technology. They didn¡¯t came here to get resources. They warped in, wiped out our base, and then left. Why? It is...it is as if the Death Fleet wants to kill our people. That¡¯s all.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°The tal¡¯darim don¡¯t need reasons to spread death and destruction.¡± Selendis snapped.

    ¡°The tal¡¯darim are brutal, but they are not stupid. Ma¡¯lash had led the tal¡¯darim for centuries. He will not do anything without a proper case.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯lash might not be the Highlord anymore.¡± Artanis interrupted the conversation between two of his most trusted advisers. ¡°Vorazun told us her scouts saw a tal¡¯darim power conflict. Perhaps Ma¡¯lash is taken down and the new Highlord wants to make an example of his strength.¡±

    ¡°By attacking us?¡± Selendis announced furiously. ¡°The Highlord had made a grave mistake.¡±

    ¡°True. The tal¡¯darim can¡¯t flee forever. All it takes is one mistake and we will destroy them.¡± Artanis announced.

    Urun still seemed concerned, and Artanis walked closer to him. ¡°Calm yourself, old friend. The Golden Armada is not afraid of any enemy.¡± He comforted. ¡°There is no fraction in the sector that can possibly threaten us. The swarm is battered. We are chasing after the tal¡¯darim. The Terran Dominion is still recovering from its civil war. Amon is still locked up in the void. The firstborn is safe.¡±

    Urun nodded, slightly convinced.

    ¡°Where is Zeratul?¡± Artanis suddenly asked.

    ¡°Meditating.¡± Seledis replied with disdain.

    Suddenly a zealot entered the room in a rush.

    ¡°Hierarch, tal¡¯darim Death Fleet is spotted above an outpost.¡±

    <hr>

    Above a Daelaam outpost, the entire Death Fleet was present. In fact, it was as if they were waiting for their enemies to act. The two motherships stood tall. Carriers stood guard around the motherships like knights standing guard around their kings.

    This fleet had enough power to wipe out ten outposts like the one below, but instead of proceeding with the incineration they were waiting.

    The Daelaam on the outpost below were confused. If the tal¡¯darim had attacked they would be terminated before they could even warp away. That was what happened to many previous bases the Death Fleet striked. And yet the tal¡¯darim didn¡¯t lay a finger on the outpost. Only fools would think the tal¡¯darim were merciful and decided to stay back and give their enemies a chance to run to safety. Wanting to learn more, the zealots in the outpost readied their warping system and waited.

    The zealots below didn¡¯t know there were questions among the Death Fleet itself as well.

    ¡°With all due respect, Highlord, is it the wisest decision to stay here?¡± Alarak wasn¡¯t afraid to ask. ¡°The Golden Armada can be here any second. We don¡¯t have enough to challenge the Golden Armada. It is unwise to engage them now.¡±

    Alarak and Ji¡¯nara, two of Nyon¡¯s most trusted underlings, stood beside their Highlord in the capital ship of the Death Fleet.

    ¡°I have my own plans.¡±

    ¡°Does that plan include your allies, Highlord?¡± Alarak said meaningfully. ¡°It is not common for the Highlord to work with terran and other protoss fractions. The tal¡¯darim don¡¯t need allies.¡±

    Nyon turned and glanced at Alarak threateningly, and Alarak lowered his head and backed off, showing the Highlord he had no intention in challenging his decision.

    ¡°It is, indeed, uncommon.¡± Nyon was satisfied at the obedience Alarak showed, even though he was slightly tired of being questioned by Alarak. ¡±But then again, Ma¡¯lash had no allies. Where is he now?¡± Alarak remained silent. He didn¡¯t agree in Nyon¡¯s ideology, but he knew better than to protest.

    ¡°And the Golden Armada?¡± Ji¡¯nara interrupted.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have plans for them.¡± Nyon reassured. ¡°It¡¯s not like we need to kill them. We just need to stall them.¡±

    Among the pure red Death Fleet, four ships stood out by their yellow color. They looked like a curve, and their bodies radiated powerful psi energy. Arbiters.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 91: Arbiters

    The Golden Armada was not just jumping into a trap. No. It was warping into a trap.

    ¡°It is a trap.¡± As the Golden Armada was in warp space approaching the besieged outpost, Zeratul blinked into the bridge in a puff of smoke. Someone as powerful as him could blink with an insignificant amount of energy, which allowed him to blink on a normal basis as if it was an instinct. After all, teleportation is faster than walking. ¡°The tal¡¯darim are waiting for us.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± Artanis said, to Zeratul¡¯s surprise.

    ¡°And you¡¯re walking into the trap?¡±

    ¡°Trap or not, the Golden Armada can purify any opposition.¡± The hierarch said with confidence. ¡°We can tear whatever the net the tal¡¯darim have ready for us open.¡± Artanis had the right to be confident. No enemy was ever capable of taking down the Golden Armada. Whatever was on the other end, 20 nukes or 5 motherships or both, couldn¡¯t break through the Golden Armada.

    Zeratul¡¯s cautious took lead. ¡°We have no idea what the tal¡¯darim have planned for us. I suggest we take caution and send scouts.¡±

    Artanis signed. ¡°Too many Daelaam have already perished at the hands of the tal¡¯darim. I will not let the Death Fleet escape and bring more death because of my caution. Whatever the tal¡¯darim has planned for us, we need to take them down. Taking some losses now in exchange for the destruction of the tal¡¯darim will be a worthy price to pay.¡±

    Zeratul backed off. He knew Artanis respected him, but the fact remained that he was the adviser and Artanis was the leader. Zeratul could make suggestions, but Artanis was the one choosing whether or not to use those suggestions.

    ¡°Hierarch, the entire armada is ready for battle.¡± Beside Artanis Selendis reported.

    Artanis nodded but then frowned. ¡°Where is Urun?¡±

    ¡°Admiral Urun is leading the attack with the phoenix squadron.¡± Selendis spoke with respect. The phoenixes were usually the first to fall. Urun had relatively better experience and a better ship, but that didn¡¯t promise his survival.

    Artanis signed. It was Urun¡¯s own decision. The noble general was always someone who preferred charging into battle himself. During the battle against the swarm his mothership literally crashed into the swarm, firing at the zerg ships and warping units onto zerg capital ships. Countless spores and tentacles hit the ship. Its plasma shield was the only thing that kept the ship together.

    ¡°In that case I will personally command the fleet. Prepare boarding parties. Get the warp fields on line. Ready the weapons. Be ready to launch fighters.¡± Artanis announced. ¡°Very soon we shall avenge our fallen brothers.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    <hr>

    ¡°Highlord, warp signals detected. It¡¯s the Golden Armada.¡±

    ¡°Mobilize our fleet and maintain a safe distance with the Golden Armada. Special ops ships get ready for action. We shall proceed as planned.¡±

    Instead of gaining an advantageous position and hit the Golden Armada when they come out of warp space, the Death Fleet backed off for a small distance. When the Golden Armada exited warp space, they were uncontested.

    ¡°Launch all fighters.¡± By all Artanis meant all except for the reserves. A wave of interceptors, scouts and phoenixes exited the hanger in a swarm. A yellow specialized phoenix was leading the charge.

    ¡°Highlord, if we are to strike we need to act now. We can¡¯t afford to wait!¡± Ji¡¯nara exclaimed. Someone more experienced with politics, like Alarak, would stay quiet. It was one thing to ask questions before the battle and another to ask questions during the battle. Alarak didn¡¯t care enough about Nyon to risk annoying him for his sake. If Nyon used Alarak¡¯s suggestion and the Death Fleet won Nyon would get all the credit. If the battle was lost Nyon would unleash his anger on Alarak because it would be Alarak¡¯s suggestion that got them defeated. So why bother? Ji¡¯nara had a bit more faith in Nyon. Just a bit.

    ¡°Be patient.¡± Nyon demanded, and Ji¡¯nara had no choice but to be quiet.

    The fighter swarm was already approaching the Death Fleet. Capital ships such as motherships, carriers, and tempests followed the fighters. Greatly outnumbered, Alarak was already thinking when he should run and whether or not he could become the Highlord if/when Nyon got killed by the Golden Armada.

    That was when Nyon acted.

    ¡°Now!¡± He ordered loudly.

    Four arbiters appeared behind the Daelaam fleet. They were modified with cloaking abilities for this mission. They had split off during the Death Fleet¡¯s retreat and got behind the Daelaam.

    The arbiters blinked, and powerful surges of psi energy circled the ship. With a bright yellow flare from the arbiters yellow crystal started to form around the capital ships of the Daelaam fleet.

    ¡°Stasis field!¡± Artanis noticed and recognized the flare. He had seen these specialized ships used in the Brood War. Even though they passed away from the years of war their power was not to be undermined. Just like motherships, a few arbiters could change the course of a battle. ¡°All fleet initiate defensive warping now!¡±

    Artanis reacted quickly, and the nerve cords passed down his order to the entire fleet in less than a second. But even so the execution of the order was slower than the effect of the stasis fields from the arbiters. The Golden Armada fell into the trap.

    As the energy swept through the majority of the capital shields were frozen in time and space. The advanced protoss technology was equally effective against their own people than against foes of other races. The purifier arbiters disabled most of the enemy armada.

    Still, four arbiters weren¡¯t enough to cover every inch of protoss. Smaller groups of forces were scattered all around their frozen comrades. Stray carriers. A couple dozen fighters. Among these forces was Admiral Urun.

    One of the stasis fields caught the majority of the fighters, but the brave warrior was leading the charge, which meant he escaped the fate of being frozen like most of his forces. Unfortunately, this also forced him and the forces still with him, outgunned and outnumbered, to face the Death Fleet all by themselves.

    So the soldier did what he could.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 92: Suicidal charge

    ¡°For Aiur!¡± Urun screamed. The situation was bad. In fact, the chance of surviving was barely present. Still, the admiral did what he could. He rallied those that survived the stasis fields and made a suicidal charge toward the Death Fleet. His thoughts were simple. The Death Fleet would come and kill them all anyways. If they were going to die anyways, then they would die fighting and do as much damage to the enemies as possible.

    Nyon¡¯s thoughts were full of confusion when the small group of fighters and four carriers moved toward his seventy or so capital ships and several hundred fighters. It was 20:1. Nyon knew the Daelaam were courageous and even mad, but this¡­ If Nyon was in the Daelaam position he would just turn and run.

    ¡±Highlord?¡± Alarak attempted as he gestured for the approaching enemy.

    ¡°Kill them all and leave before the Golden Armada exits stasis.¡± Nyon was planning on freezing the Golden Armada and then proceed with the plan, but he would never say no to crushing a small group of enemies with absolute power. Never mind the numbers and loot, it was the satisfaction that mattered.

    Alarak obeyed gladly. He had had quite some fire built up in him recently. From about to become Highlord to being a stepping stone and now an underling of someone else made him mad. He couldn¡¯t unleash his anger on Nyon, so he decided to do it on the Daelaam.

    The Death Fleet opened fire on the Daelaam forces. All sorts of weapons, energy and projectile, were launched at the Highlord¡¯s foe. The lights were pretty. The explosions that followed was even better, given that you are not at the wrong end of the lights.

    The interceptors fell like flies. Scouts and phoenixes had shields to deflect a few attacks, but the cheap and sacrificable nature of the interceptors meant that they were poorly protected. They had no shields, and all it took was a few laser beams or one anti-matter missile to go down.

    ¡°Shields to maximum! Follow me and go for the tal¡¯darim flagship! If we are to fall this day, then we shall do so as one!¡± Urun cheered, trying to make sure his ships do the most damage to the enemies as possible. The more damage he did, the easier the Golden Armada would be when they exit stasis. This was the least he could do for his people. This was the least he could do for Artanis.

    At this moment Urun was no longer the admiral in control of the entire armada. Instead, he was just another Daelaam pilot, willing to give his life for the good of the protoss race. Missiles dotted past him, but all he could see was Nyon¡¯s flagship.

    The pilots were brave. Just like their commander, these noble soldiers were more than willing to give their lives for the greater good, but courage couldn¡¯t overcome the lack of numbers and firepowers.

    Scouts and phoenixes did all they could do dodge. Their ships were agile and relatively tough. The pilots themselves were experienced and calm. Not that it mattered.

    It wasn¡¯t that far from the Daelaam horde to the tal¡¯darim flagship, which was at the front of the Death Fleet, but this distance that would normally take the phoenixes half a minute became an almost impenetrable barrier. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Fighter after fighter exploded into balls of flame. Some of the pilots warped away but most were killed in action. And yet the Daelaam pushed on.

    Nyon¡¯s expression changed. The Daelaam had lost one third of their ships in less than twenty seconds, but they were still charging.They were going to die and they knew it. Nyon changed his smirk to a respecting glare. Martyrs were always admired, even by their enemies.

    Still, that didn¡¯t mean Nyon would let this small group of Daelaam forces reach his mothership. The Daelaam didn¡¯t have enough firepower to do real damage, but if a small group of Daelaam fighters could reach his flagship, the throne of his power, it would undermine his authority. It would make him look really bad.

    ¡°Launch all fighters.¡±

    ¡°All of them?¡± Alarak asked. The tal¡¯darim fighters weren¡¯t launched before due to the spending of energy needed.

    ¡°Launch however many you need to stop these fighters.¡± Alarak obeyed, and a few seconds later a wave of tal¡¯darim phoenixes and scouts left the hanger and moved toward their blue counterparts.

    ¡°Get past them!¡± Urun knew it he was caught here his fighters would be overwhelmed.

    As soon as the two groups got into range they fired at each other. Ion cannons and anti matter missiles were exchanged. Red or blue, fighter after fighter fell.

    Admiral Urun made a right turn and dodged a string of ion cannons before unleashing a string of ion cannons of her own at one of the tal¡¯darim fighters. The scout exploded into flames, but Urun merely got past the fire and toward the Death Fleet.

    Not all the Daelaam shared their admiral¡¯s power. Countless fighters were taken out, but they took down some tal¡¯darim fighters as well. More importantly, they cleared a route for their brothers.

    There were still several dozen fighters that made it past the tal¡¯darim line. At this point all the Daelaam carriers were gone. Apart from the frozen armada all that was left were Urun and his several dozen fighters.

    The tal¡¯darim fighters turned around, but it would take them a few seconds to do that. When they were done the Daelaam would already be at the flagship.

    Nyon signed and glanced threateningly and Alarak, who faltered. Alarak knew Nyon could punish him. His Highlord gave him a mission and he failed, but Nyon didn¡¯t do anything. Instead, he just stood and watched as the dozen fighters were seconds away from his mothership.

    Ion cannons fired at the crimson mothership in futility. The weapons, designed to fight other fighters, was not exactly suitable to take down something as large as a mothership. The anti matter missiles of scouts did some damage, but even they couldn¡¯t take down the mothership.

    And then the purifying beam of the mothership shined, charging.

    Urun sat back in his seat and signed deeply. He might be able to dodge this shot, but he would never make it out alive. All around him his brothers and sisters have fallen. No matter, they died as heroes, and soon he would join them in the Khala. He did what he could, but it was simply not enough.

    And then the purifying beam evaporated Urun.

    ¡°Idiot.¡± Alarak commented with a smirk.

    Nyon made no comment to Urun¡¯s action. He did what he thought was the right thing to do. ¡°Warp to Shakuras now. It is bad enough for us to be the bait. I don¡¯t want to miss the real fight.¡±

    The Death Fleet jumped away, completely ignoring the frozen Golden Armada. If Urun hadfallen back the Death Fleet would never had wasted time hunting them down, but the admiral in command was under the impression that the Death Fleet would leave no survivors. Well, he was wrong.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 93: Assault on Shakuras

    Go back to a few minutes ago, just after the Daelaam armada was stasised and before the suicidal attack.

    In her bridge, Nova received a signal and turned to Jean.

    ¡°Phase one was successful.¡±

    Jean nodded. Phase one was to use the tal¡¯darim to lure the Golden Armada into a trap. The armada was too powerful to defeat, but she could stall them. If phase two went well, everything would be settled when the Golden Armada exited stasis.

    Turning to the computer screen, which was connected to general Warfield, Jean gave the order to strike.

    ¡°Proceed as planned.¡±

    Outside Jean¡¯s window the Dominion fleet entered the warp space. The purifier fleet followed. The Warden fleet was the last to go.

    In the space near Shakuras, a patrolling corsair, part of the Shakuras fleet, was flying through space. Its pilot suddenly noticed massive amounts of warp signals.

    He reached for his comm. Unlike the Khala the Nerazim couldn¡¯t communicate via nerve cords. ¡°Inform the matriarch! I have spotted¡­¡±

    He never finished that sentence as the Dominion fleet solidified before him. Two of the battlecruisers locked onto the corsair and opened fire. The corsair tried to dodge, but failed.

    Despite the death of the scout, the message was passed out. Now wasn¡¯t the medieval ages where infiltration was done by assassinating guards. The moment the corsair fell the Nerazim nexus was notified.

    The Nerazim acted quickly. When the combined fleet arrived to near Shakuras the Nerazim fleet was already in the air, armed and shielded.

    The Nerazim fleet was, as its name stated, a fleet made up of Nerazim. It consisted of corsairs, oracles, and void rays. Comparing to the Golden Armada it was smaller in both firepower and amount of ships. Sizing around 80 void rays, it was tiny in the face of the combined fleet of around 500 ships.

    ¡°Where did they come from? Have you made contact with the Golden Armada?¡± Vorazun knew that, which was why she ordered her men to contact the Golden Armada as soon as she mobilized the Nerazim fleet, but there wasn¡¯t any response. Units in stasis couldn¡¯t answer calls.

    ¡°No, matriarch.¡±

    Vorazun was desperate. The planet below was the last planet of the protoss. It held countless Khala survivors and Nerazim. The amount of infrastructures was astonishing. Anything and everything that survived the swarm was located here. If Shakuras fell, then the protoss, the Khala and the Nerazim, would be homeless and rootless. Of course, that was if there were any survivors. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Keep contacting the Golden Armada. They¡¯re our only hope. Meanwhile, prepare our warriors for warping. Order the fleet to charge up their prismatic beam and be ready for combat. We must hold the line.¡±

    ¡°Will they even engage us on the ground?¡± An executor asked. The combined fleet could bombard the ground forces to oblivion from orbit.

    ¡°Who said anything about engaging them on the ground?¡± Vorazun smiled coldly. ¡°We are outgunned and outnumbered. If we want to hold long enough we will bring the fight to them.¡±

    <hr>

    The combined fleet formed a line. The Dominion fleet was in the center. The Warden fleet and the purifier fleet on the two sides. The Nerazim fleet was relatively smaller, which meant the Warden Fleet and the purifier fleet could venture around them and surround the void rays and corsairs from all sides. This was also part of the plan, designed to use the number advantage of the combined fleet to its maximum and be as efficient as possible.

    ¡°Yamato cannons target the Nerzaim fleet.¡± General Warfield commanded. The twenty or so battlecruisers in the front took aim and fired. Giant orange bolts of energy exited the ships. They carried enough kinetic energy to completely obliterate the void rays. But just as they were about to hit the void rays, these Nerazim dark templar vessels blinked and disappeared. The next moment they appeared was much closer before the Dominion fleet. The Yamato bolts were already behind them.

    The void rays¡¯ prismatic beams were ready. Filled with the Nerazim¡¯s hatred of the intruders, these weapon fired, and a bright beam smashed into a Dominion Minotaur class battlecruiser in front.

    The prismatic beams were designed to destroy large armored vessel, which was practically the very definition of the battlecruisers. The meters of armor melted away like ice on fire. All it took was several seconds for the combined power of a dozen void rays to rip the battlecruiser apart.

    A Minotaur class battlecruiser held several thousand people. Everything happened so quickly. None of them escaped in time.

    Warfield smashed his fist into a wall in spite.

    Jean¡¯s eyes twitched. The Nerazim¡¯s connection with the void made them experts in the concept of space. Stalkers and dark templars could blink with ease, and with some expertise and modification the dark templars piloting the void rays could make them jump a very short distance in a moment¡¯s notice as well. They used this skill to get closer to the battlecruisers and focus fire on one of the ships. The plan was brilliant.

    And yet the fall of one ship was insignificant in the entirety of the battle. There were over five hundred capital ships here in the combined fleet, and a Minotaur class was the weakest ship present. If it was a carrier or a Gorgon battlecruiser it would take the void ray much longer. It was only a matter of time before the Nerazim fall apart.

    Outside the high speed fighters of the Nerazim, the corsairs, did their best to hold off the vikings, wraiths and mirages of the combined fleet. Void rays tried to melt through enemy ships before they could destroy the void rays. Every second fighters were exploding into a million pieces. Men and women were dying with an astonishing speed, but no one backed off. The combined fleet was made up of fearless robots and loyal soldiers. The Nerazim are fighting for their homeworld and their people. Not one ship from the two fleets ran away.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 94: Boarding attack

    On the surface of Shakuras, hundreds of Nerazim centurions and dark templars were waiting.

    Beside them countless Nerazim and Khala civilians were running toward the warp gates to escape. Vorazun couldn¡¯t promise holding off the combined fleet successfully until help came, so she attempted to get as many people off this planet as possible.

    In space, Vorazun¡¯s expression darkened as ship after ship fell around her. The sound of dying Nerazim pierced her ears. Her tight fist showed her emotions. She had never met such a bad situation. Hell she didn¡¯t even know who the enemies were and why they suddenly decided to come for Shakuras.

    The enemies had took some damage, but they could withstand such losses. The Nerazim couldn¡¯t. Suddenly voices came from beside.

    ¡°Matriarch, the coordinates are locked on.¡± A straight faced Nerazim technician reported.

    ¡°Project dark pylon now.¡± Vorazun¡¯s hand reached out, and a long stick appeared. It was her weapon, a Shadow Scythe. ¡°Executor, you are in charge. Shadow guards, join me in combat!¡± She turned on her shield and gave out a silent order to warp her away.

    ¡°Matriarch...¡± The executor wanted to object. It was unwise for the commander of the fleet to charge into battle herself, but the young matriarch was too consumed by rage to think logically. Her people were dying, and she needed to avenge them. What was a better act of vengeance than cutting the enemies in half with her weapon?

    Light beams appeared in at least a dozen Dominion battlecruisers. When the lights cleared, dark pylons were standing tall in the ships. Dozens of light beams followed immediately as they appeared around the dark pylons.

    Opening their eyes and facing approaching Dominion security forces, these Nerazim warriors disappeared. The next time they appeared was right before the Dominion troopers. Their green warp blades lighted the red armors of the Dominion forces and signaled the fate of these unfortunate marines.

    <hr>

    ¡°General! We have been boarded by the protoss! Security forces are overran!¡± A screen popped up in Warfield¡¯s flagship.

    ¡°Calm down soldier! How many enemies are there?¡± Warfield asked.

    The captain glanced at the screen. ¡°Fifty.¡±

    Warfield frowned. ¡°You have 2000 men on your ship. Mobilize the security forces and eliminate the enemies.¡± He said with dissatisfaction and turned off the screen. Since when did the Dominion forces become so weak? It was 40:1. The terran should wipe out the protoss in no time.

    But just as Warfield turned his attention back to the front, the words of the adjutant brought bad news.

    ¡°Commander, at least 20 battlecruisers have reported being boarded by Nerazim forces. That number is still growing. 2 ships have already lost contact.¡±

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Warfield frowned. ¡°How?¡±

    <hr>

    If Warfield was in the front he would realize how severe the situation was, but Warfield had never really fought with the Nerazim, and he had no idea how powerful these stealth warriors were in close quarter.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    In one of the battlecruisers, Vorazun¡¯s figure solidified. The two ends of her weapon shined green light of destruction. Behind her were 20 shadow guards and 30 centurions.

    The Dominion captain commanding this ship was neither blind nor ignorant. A group of marines was already sent to where the dark pylon appeared. As soon as they saw the intruders they opened fire and called for reinforcements.

    Vorazun jumped into the air. The marines looked up and raised their weapon, but before they could pull their trigger the matriarch disappeared. The marines frowned, and the next second Vorazun appeared in the middle of the marines.

    Marines were ranged units. They mainly relied on their gauss rifles to gun down the enemies. Vorazun was a melee hero with a specialized weapon. The fate was sealed.

    Vorazun turned her scythe around her, and all eight marines within the range of her weapon were cut in half. Their upper bodies fell on the ground. The sound of them screamed ranged across the security channel.

    Hearing the terrifying scream from the marines, fatally wounded but still conscious, Vorazun smiled wickedly. Her sympathy was already burned away by her losses. Countless Nerazim had died this day, and she needed countless terran to pay the price.

    The rest of the marine squad backed off, trying to get to a safe distance and open fire, but Vorazun wasn¡¯t alone. The rest of the marines soon found that out as they were literally dismantled by the shadow guards that followed Vorazun.

    Vorazun walked past another screaming marine. His upper body laid on the ground, shaking in pain. His severed legs twitched. Facing the matriarch, the man reached for his pistol. Vorazun didn¡¯t move. A single small caliber pistol couldn¡¯t threaten her. Under Vorazun¡¯s cold eyes, the main put the pistol toward his head and pulled the trigger.

    Vorazun turned around and walked down the hall of the battlecruiser toward the bridge.

    The Dominion security forces were stuck in a very awkward position. They had heavy firepower, including siege tanks and thors, on the ship, but only a fool would use these weapons inside the ship. The explosive shells of siege tanks would do more damage to the ship itself than the Nerazim every could. This limited the units of the security forces to marines, marauders, and goliaths. A standard battlecruiser didn¡¯t have ghosts aboard.

    As the unfortunate security forces soon found out, infantry units were no match against the Nerazim strike forces.

    Severing the arms of a marauder, Vorazun ended the life of the poor soul in another hit. The thick armor of the marauder melted like butter against the green blade.

    Dominion security forces were still steaming out, but the fact was that the nature of the battlecruisers made it certain that only a handful of marines or marauders could fire at once. Their firepower could barely break the shields.

    A brave/mad marine charged at Vorazun, but his bravery was rendered useless as Vorazun blinked past him. He was immediately dismantled by the shadow guards that followed Vorazun before he could even turn around.

    A few minutes later, the Nerazim forces had already reached the gate of the bridge. The metal door was shut close, but the trail of spare body parts behind Vorazun showed that the matriarch wouldn¡¯t be stopped by a layer of metal.

    Vorazun backed off, and a shadow guard walked forward and stabbed his blade into the door. The metal door was thick, but it did very few against the warp blade.

    Pulling back his blade, the shadow guard backed off. A large piece of square metal fell out, revealing an opening.

    Again, the commander of the Nerazim fleet was the first to enter.

    Blinking into the bridge, Vorazun was met with the firing of several rifles and pistols. The Dominion officers held their ground against all odds, but their resistance was futile. Ten seconds later, every terran in the bridge had perished.

    Vorazun and her warriors unleashed their anger on the control panel of the battlecruiser. When there was no more hope of regaining control of the ship, the Nerazim stepped back and were consumed by warp beams.

    A few seconds later, the group of hit team was warped onto another Dominion battlecruiser, and the same thing continued.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 95: Last attempt

    Jean looked at the battle analysis, and she had to admit she was impressed by the Nerazim¡¯s defenses.

    Since the Nerazim fleet didn¡¯t have enough ships to take down the combined fleet, the dark templar used an alternate and much wiser method. They projected their dark pylons onto the Dominion ships and then used the force fields the pylons generated to warp in ground units into the Dominion ships. Unable to use heavy weapons due to the environment, the security forces were overran by the stealth assassins with ease.

    7 ships have already been destroyed from within by boarding parties, and 20 more were being boarded and were struggling to save themselves. Overall the Dominion fleet struggled in terms of cleaning up the intruders. It was next to impossible to aim at cloaked dark templars without detection, and a few bullets couldn''t even break the shield. Jean knew very well the Nerazim would eventually be taken down, but if the losses were too great she would lose the support of the Dominion fleet. The Dominion fleet was the foundation of the Terran Dominion. Warfield wouldn¡¯t risk losing it for Jean¡¯s cause. Jean still needed the Dominion fleet for phase three of the plan.

    Meanwhile, despite Vorazun¡¯s best effort, the combined fleet had already melted away the Nerazim fleet. The void ray count was dwindling by the minute. Corsairs were shot down. Oracles were a thing of the past. Victory was assured.

    Jean suddenly noticed a transmission from the Death Fleet. ¡°General Warfield.¡± She glanced at the transmission and then turned to another communication. ¡°Disengage and move toward Shakuras. The Death Fleet will take your place.¡± The tal¡¯darim would counter the Nerazim hit squad much more easily. ¡°When you reach Shakuras...¡± She paused. ¡°Nuke and bombard it to the ground. Scan and target the main infrastructures. When you are done, open fire on every protoss in range and kill as many protoss as possible.¡±

    Warfield hesitated at the cold words. It was one thing to wipe out an armed fleet, but it was another to rain down death upon civilians, even if they were alien. During the briefing of the plan Jean announced the combined fleet would take down Shakuras, as in occupy it, but her real plan was much more cruel. He was fine with conquering, but the protoss weren¡¯t mindless zerg, and he had a slight problem with slaughtering them. ¡°There are civilians on that planet.¡± He objected.

    Jean tilted her head. ¡°So? They are enemies.¡± The more protoss she killed her the less support the Daelaam would have later.

    Warfield signed as another battlecruiser was lost, shown by the desperate scream of the captain in the comm, and decided to follow the order. It was better to sacrifice alien than to sacrifice his own men. ¡°All ships disengage and move toward Shakuras.¡±

    The Dominion ships obeyed and fell back. The movement caused an opening, which was quickly blocked as 70 red ships filled the gap. The Death Fleet descends.

    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Jean commented as Nyon appeared on another computer screen.

    ¡°Some Daelaam ships weren¡¯t stasised. I had to put them down.¡± Nyon replied briefly. ¡°What did I miss?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Not much. We have the Nerazim surrounded. Please destroy them.¡± Jean said lightheartedly.

    ¡°Gladly.¡± With the words from Nyon red tal¡¯darim ships joined the battle, covering the retreat of the Dominion fleet. Despite having less ships than the Dominion fleet, the Death Fleet caught up via their skills in the art of war.

    ¡°The Death Fleet?¡± Vorazun pulled her weapon out of the body of a dead Dominion captain. ¡°It¡¯s a trap from the start.¡± Now she realized what was going on. The Death Fleet was part of a greater plan. The tal¡¯darim lured the Golden Armada out by pillaging Daelaam outposts, and when the majority of the forces were gone the majority of this unknown fleet attacked the now vulnerable Shakuras.

    ¡°Matriarch, the Golden Armada was chasing the Death Fleet. If the Death Fleet is here, then that means the Golden Armada¡­¡± The executor in command paused at the horrifying thought.

    ¡°The Golden Armada is invincible. It must be occupied for some reason.¡± Vorazun cut off the theory that the Golden Armada might be destroyed. It was impossible.

    ¡°Occupied or destroyed, we can not hold on much longer.¡± The executor reminded. ¡°We have lost one third of our void rays and half of out corsairs. Hold on!¡± His voice trembled. ¡°The terran fleet is approaching Shakuras!¡±

    Vorazun¡¯s eyes widened. She would do everything she could to protect her planet, but there was very few that she could do. The strength of a certain individual was just so weak against an entire fleet. Vorazun could slaughter an army of infantry, but she could do very little against capital ships in the air. Sure, she was cutting her way through ship after ship, but a handful of battlecruisers was nothing against a fleet of over 600 ships.

    ¡°Matriarch?¡± The executor asked as Vorazun froze in helplessness. Outside, a corsair was tailed by two tal¡¯darim phoenixes. The corsair pilot was good, but the phoenixes were equally talented. Under the executor¡¯s pained eyes, the corsair took a dozen ion cannon shots and exploded into flames.

    ¡°How many civilians are evacuated?¡± Vorazun asked, exhausted both phsyically and mentally.

    ¡°22 percent.¡± Needless to say, that was not enough. ¡°What do we do?¡±

    Vorazun paused for a few seconds, considering. The shadow guards around her were silent as they looked to their leader for guidance in this desperate hour. The bridge was silent.

    For a few seconds Vorazun looked out the terran window. Outside, her brothers and sisters were dying, and there was nothing she could do. It was her duty as the matriarch to protect her people, and she had failed in doing exactly that.

    ¡°We go for the throne.¡± She finally said with determination. ¡°Executor, scan the terran communication and analyze the location of the enemy command structure.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± The executor stayed silent for a while as he used the superior protoss technology to analyze the battlefield. A few seconds later he found the answer. ¡°Enemy command located. Deploying dark pylon now.¡±

    ¡°Assemble all warriors and prepare for warping.¡± Vorazun looked down on her scythe. ¡°This is our last chance. It is victory or death. For...for Shakuras.¡±

    The executor nodded as he proceeded to warp in the dark pylon. All around him the Nerazim fleet was falling into pieces. All his thoughts, all his concerns, finally ended with one single slow but determined phrase. ¡°For Shakuras.¡±

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, aboard the Warden flagship, Jean¡¯s expression changed slightly as a green protoss structure appeared out of nowhere on her ship.

    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± She whispered as she flickered her nails. It seemed like she was undermined.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 96: Sacrifice

    ¡°What''s wrong Jean?¡± Nova noticed something was wrong from her purifier flagship. She had a video communication with Jean, and she saw her lover¡¯s change in expression.

    ¡°Hang on.¡± Jean tapped something on her screen and then grinned. ¡°The Nerazim hit squads have left the Dominion ships, and judging from the dark pylon in my backyard they are coming for me.¡±

    ¡°I am sending reinforcements now.¡± Nova said quickly. There were several pylons in Jean¡¯s flagship that allowed purifier units to warp in.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be nice.¡± Jean agreed as on a security camera countless Nerazim units solidified. ¡°All Warden units get into defensive positions. Treat our guests in kind.¡±

    The doors to the crew members¡¯ chambers opened, and newly activated Warden units walked out. These chambers, usually used as rooms for those aboard the battlecruisers, were transformed to hold Warden units when they weren¡¯t active and needed. These Warden units reached the corners and got into combat position.

    All across the ship hidden turrets and other defensive structures appeared. They added to the Warden forces in their defense. Purifier units were also warping into the ship, adding to the defenses of the ship.

    Vorazun wasted no time upon arriving onto this ship. Every second she wasted would be more of her people dead. Immediately she ignited her weapon and charged down the hallway with her forces.

    They were met with a well fortified position, made up of Warden forces and defensive structures.

    The Warden marines and marauders were ready when the dark templars arrived. They were linked to the security cameras all over the ship, which warned them of the approaching foe a mile away.

    A storm of metal was rained down upon the Nerazim as soon as they turned around the corner. Marine rifles. Marauder grenades. Auto turret rounds. Fire turrets unleashed a wave of flame upon the melee warriors.

    The Nerazim were pinned down almost instantly. Their cloaking ability was of little use when the terran weren¡¯t trying to aim. All the Warden forces had to do was aim at the general direction and pull the trigger, and chances were the dark templar, cloaked or not, would be hit. Once hit, the light plasma shields the dark templars carried were not even close to sufficient. A few random shots might be fine, but give it a few seconds and the dark templar would perish.

    Vorazun grunted as she was pushed back by the impact of the Warden forces. The terran forces she was facing somehow managed to be positioned so that every inch of the hallway was covered by a gun barrel. Now the Nerazim forces were stuck in the same situation the Dominion forces were in. Only a few units could move forward, and they would be met with at least a dozen gun barrels. Not good.

    Vorazun had no choice but to blink back around the corner and stay out of the sight of the guns. She had a specialized plasma shield, but it wasn¡¯t enough. The hallway was also too far away to blink into position. That was just the first line of defense. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Matriarch?¡± A shadow guard raised her weapon. Vorazun looked at her. The shadow guard had a look of determination in her eyes. Vorazun realized something and looked around her most loyal followers. All of them had the same look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let this be for nothing.¡± The shadow guard said calmly before turning around and blinking into the open.

    The Warden units opened fire without any hesitation. Their ammos covered the entire hallway and, without doubt, smashed into the shadow guard. The shadow guard¡¯s shield blinked, trying to protect its owner, but nonetheless failed three seconds later. The shadow guard¡¯s body shook several times before collapsing and dying. Her body faded into the air, leaving just her weapon and her armor on the ground.

    The shadow guard got one meter closer to the defensive position.

    And then the second shadow guard moved forward¡­

    Through the security camera, Jean frowned. The protoss had high-tech. The protoss had powerful psi energy. The protoss had an average life span of centuries.

    But it was their loyalty that made the protoss powerful. It was the willingness to die for their cause that made the protoss, Daelaam, Nerazim, or Tal¡¯darim, one of the strongest fractions in the sector.

    Jean had to say she was impressed and even surprised by the strength the Nerazim had shown.

    When the gunshots went silent, Vorazun walked out and found seven pieces of armors and seven warp blades lying on the ground. A distance away twelve Warden marines and two turrets laid destroyed.

    Seeing their leader¡¯s sadness, another shadow guard walked up. ¡°Matriarch. Don¡¯t let their sacrifice be in vain. We need to kill the enemy commander. That is the only way to save our people.¡±

    Vorazun nodded. If she was a terran she would be in tears, but she was a strong capable protoss leader, and she knew better than to show weakness. The only thing she could do to honor the dead was to end this pointless war as soon as possible.

    Rising with renewed belief, Vorazun rose and continued down the hall.

    <hr>

    ¡°Commander, I await your orders.¡± Reinforcing purifiers sentinels went to Jean as soon as they were warped in.

    ¡°Hold on for now.¡± Jean whispered. Instead of ordering the purifiers into battle, she ordered them to stand down. In fact, she actually stored the purifiers into her watch.

    Jean¡¯s every action had a purpose. She changed her plan to just wipe out the Nerazim simply because she saw what the dark templars did for Vorazun. They were willing to die to protect the female dark templar, which informed Jean of her identity.

    Vorazun, matriarch of the dark templar.

    As the leader of the Nerazim Vorazun¡¯s skill in combat was quite impressive. Sure, she could be pinned down by a dozen Warden marines and be defeated by Alarak with ease, but Vorazun was a stealth assassin. If she somehow escaped this and decided to lurk around and wait for a chance to avenge her people Jean could be in some real trouble. To someone as skilled with void energy as Vorazun normal detection wasn¡¯t enough. Jean had no idea when Vorazun would sneak past her detections, into her bedroom, and cut her in half. For the sake of herself Jean wanted Vorazun dead here and now.

    If Jean attacked now with overwhelming purifier forces Vorazun would be able to warp away. But if she could get Vorazun fully engaged in combat and then strike with the purifier forces...warping required several seconds to get the target away, and Jean would never give Vorazun the chance.

    So Jean stood back and watched as the Nerazim forces forced their way toward her, unaware of the trap.

    Outside, the Nerazim fleet was at its last moments.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 97: Blood of heroes

    Vorazun cut another Warden marine in half. There wasn¡¯t any blood, but Vorazun didn¡¯t care. Her mind was so covered with anger and remorse that such a small detail didn¡¯t even cross her mind.

    Behind her the Nerazim forces were already down to half its former numbers. The hallways of this ship was really a meat grinder. The Warden forces knew no fear, and they took the best defensive positions and fought until their last second, making sure they could fire off another extra shots before they die.

    Turning around the last corner, the remaining forces reached the bridge of the ship.

    Jean wanted to meet and engage Vorazun in a closed location so she could assassin the matriarch, but she needed to make it look like she was desperate to lure Vorazun inside. Two dozen Warden units were positioned before the door, ready to be sacrificed for exactly this reason.

    Vorazun disappeared in a trail of smoke¡­

    Jean took a few steps back in fear as the metal door was cut open by Vorazun. Behind her twenty dead Warden units were scattered around on the ground.

    ¡°Who are you and why did you attack us?¡± Vorazun asked furiously. Even now she hadn¡¯t understand where this giant fleet came from and who was in command. Keep in mind Vorazun had heard about Jean from Zeratul but had never seen the girl.

    ¡°My names is Jean. Jean Turner.¡± Jean noticed the dark templars were entering the bridge, and she took another few steps back. Once all the dark templars were in the bridge she would act.

    ¡°You¡¯re the fool that believed we will join the dark god? You¡¯re delusional,¡± Vorazun glanced around, ¡°And now countless innocent have died because of your foolishness. Now, call off your fleet and I will make you death be swift.¡±

    ¡°I can do that.¡± Jean provoked. ¡°But that will be quite pointless, considering your people are already gone.¡± She gestured outside the window.

    Vorazun looked out the window, almost afraid of what she would see. What she saw almost made her blade slip out of her hand.

    The Nerazim fleet was gone. It was already near defeat when Vorazun boarded the Warden flag ship. Completely surrounded, hopelessly outnumbered, and even more hopelessly outgunned, it was a wonder the Nerazim fleet took this long to be wiped out.

    Outside, pieces of void rays were being collected and dismantled for minerals. Random survivors were hunted down by high speed wraith, mirages, and phoenixes.

    And then, with spiritless eyes, Vorazun looked at her homeworld, and saw giant explosions on the surface of the planet. The flames were so bright they were even visible from space.

    ¡°Jean!¡± She roared with disbelief and turned back to the girl, the monster. ¡°What have you done?¡±

    Jean knew all she needed to do was add one more insult and the matriarch would lose her last sense of logic. ¡°I am destroying your planet so I can bring an end to your race.¡± The brutal words came out of her red lips as easily as a random ¡®how are you¡¯ between friends.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    That was it. Vorazun had had enough. Weapon in her hand, she jumped into the air and launched herself at Jean. Never mind blinking. Never mind cloaking. Never mind stealth. She wanted the girl before her to see death coming. She wanted the butcher to suffer and fear before she die.

    And then she saw Jean¡¯s body transforming. Terran to zerg. Human to monster. Weak to strong. Jean noticed all the Nerazim were in the bridge, which meant she no longer needed to hide.

    Jean lowered her head and dodged the swing of the scythe. She had never understood why someone would use such as inefficient weapon. The blade was so short, and the vulnerable handle was needlessly long. The weapon was more intimidating then deadly. In some cases, like now, one could easily dodge the blade and then grab onto the stick.

    Vorazun didn¡¯t expect Jean¡¯s transformation. Most of the enemies she faced couldn¡¯t respond in time to her strike. The neural reflex of marines, for example, meant that they would be cut in half before they could see it coming. The matriarch looked at the transformed girl, and she realized the girl wasn¡¯t as defenseless as she expected.

    Usually when Vorazun meets a worthy foe she would duel with the enemy fair and square. Not this time.

    ¡°Warriors, aid me...¡± Vorazun¡¯s cry for help was cut off by the sound of bodies collapsing. She turned around mechanically. Please don¡¯t.

    All the Nerazim that were with her were either dead or dying. The shadow guard that comforted her laid lifeless on the floor with a wound through his neck, almost severing his head. At least 40 yellow protoss robots came out of nowhere and took the dark templars down with overwhelming numbers. They had the element of surprise, and the Nerazim were tired and wounded. Their concentrations were focused on Vorazun and Jean. It was hardly a fair fight, and the shadow guards went down uncharacteristically quickly.

    Still trying to recover from the turn of event, Vorazun¡¯s psi energy screamed a warning to her. Turning back, she saw a fist closing in. Jean had no sense of honor and didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to strike.

    The punch was blocked by Vorazun¡¯s shield, but the immense kinetic energy the fist carried penetrated the already weakened shield. Vorazun used the chance to blink back from the hit and slightly away from Jean, but she was still in the bridge, surrounded.

    ¡°I¡­You will die!¡± The matriarch really had nothing else to live for. Her people were gone. Her planet was gone. Even her most loyal followers just perished before her eyes. She had lost everything. The only thing she had left was a chance to avenge her fallen people. She screamed and charged with no plan of surviving.

    Jean wielded her bone blades at the incoming danger.

    The two crossed each other in one split second.

    A drop of red blood fell on the metal ground.

    Vorazun¡¯s eyes went dim. A penetrating wound on her chest took away all strength within her. With her last moments she glanced at the handle of her scythe. It was stained red.

    Protoss blood is blue or purple.

    Grinning and thinking she had killed Jean, Vorazun collapsed and melted into thin air. Her weapon laidon the ground, ownerless and spiritless.

    Jean coughed and glanced down on her wound. A wide opening went from her left stomach to her right shoulder blade, almost cutting her in half. Luckily she was able to step back at the last half of a second. If she didn¡¯t she would be in two pieces right now. The instant damage a dark templar could do was insane. The instant damage of a dark templar hero is even more insane.

    But Vorazun failed to kill her in one hit, which meant Jean¡¯s zerg essence could take action. Cells regenerated. Wounds mended. A minute later it was as if she was never injured.

    She wasted no time. ¡°All units warp to assign coordinates. The Golden Armada will be freed soon, and I have no intention of being around when they are here.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 98: Corruption

    When the Golden Armada reached Shakuras, well, they weren¡¯t too pleased.

    The bridge was silent. The majority of the Daelaam high command was present as they witnessed the horrifying scene of destruction. Artanis. Selendis. Zeratul. Dozens of high templars remained silent.

    As soon as the Golden Armada exited stasis they realized something was wrong. Dozens of requests for help meant the Daelaam didn¡¯t even have the time to mourn the loss of their brothers before they warped back to Shakuras in a hurry.

    They were too late.

    The Nerazim fleet was completely gone. Apart from the scraps floating in space and the communications the Nerazim sent there was no sign that the Nerazim fleet ever existed. All eighty or so ships obliterated.

    ¡°Hierarch.¡± Through comm, the high templar Artanis sent to Shakuras reported back. He was sent to see if there was any survivors. ¡°The intruders destroyed everything on the ground. I can¡¯t find any survivors. Some of our people might have escaped through the warp gate, but...¡± He trailed off.

    The Dominion efficiency was fully utilized during the massacre. Warp gates that could evacuate the protoss were being targeted down immediately. Sources of power fields, things like pylons and warp prisms, were next. When the protoss were trapped with no chance of escape, the Dominion ships fired on the ground, optimizing their firepower on where their Theia ravens detected massive life forms.

    There were some ground to orbit defenses on the ground. They let off a few volleys and bought the civilians some time to watch as the defenses were consumed by flames.

    ¡°How can this happen? Who could¡¯ve committed such atrocity?¡± Selendis said with disbelief. Who would want the Dealaam down, and who was able to rally a fleet powerful enough to destroy an entire fleet in less than half an hour and destroy everything on a planet? The Nerazim fleet, at its dying breath, had sent over some footage. The enemy was a fleet composed of tal¡¯darim, terran Dominion, and the purifiers.

    Artanis looked down on the planet and didn¡¯t respond. The high templars just thought he was consumed by grief, but Zeratul saw something different.

    He saw a flicker of red on Artanis¡¯ nerve cord.

    ¡°I see your grief. I see your hatred. You strive to do what is right, and yet you can¡¯t even protect your people. Join me, and I will end this infinite cycle of strife and bring an end to this eternal suffering. I will free you, all of you, from the suffering of this life.¡±

    A dark voice echoed through Artanis¡¯ mind.

    In the original history Amon chose to corrupt the Golden Armada when they were on Aiur for one specific reason. The majority of the Nerazim was left on Shakuras during the attack, which meant most of the Golden Armada could be corrupted. Once Amon hit there would be few Nerazim to save the corrupted Khalai.

    Even so the corruption process took quite a while. Some Khalai resisted while others fell. In the end all the Khalai with their nerve cords intact were controlled, but it was a fact that the faith and the inner strength of the Khalai made it much more difficult for them to be taken over.

    This was also why Amon couldn¡¯t really take over the Khalai on Shakuras. He could activate the process, but corruption would take a while, and the Nerazim fleet might be able to do something to pause or even reverse the corruption. If it really came to that the Nerazim could easily cut off the nerve cords of the Khalai while the Khalai themselves resisted and slowed down the process. Chances were Amon would lose all his control of the Golden Armada. It was just a possibility, but Amon wasn¡¯t willing to risk it.

    But now that Jean wiped out the  Nerazim, she had actually helped Amon. Not on purpose, but the result was the same. Jean¡¯s destruction of the Nerazim made the Khalai vulnerable to Amon. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Artanis was taken by surprise. He subconsciously resisted, but an endless wave of negative sensations washed over his body from the back of his head. He groaned and collapsed.

    ¡°Artanis!¡± Zeratul¡¯s eyes widened in fear and concern as he sort of realized what had happened. The red energy on the nerve cord was void energy, which was utilized by Amon. His worst fear was happening. Jean¡¯s words came true, and Amon is controlling the Golden Armada. Turning around to the rest of the high templars, he ordered decisively. ¡°Stay back!¡± If Artanis could be controlled then so could every other member of the Golden Armada.

    But he was too late. Crimson void energies appeared on the nerve cords of every Khalai in the bridge. All of them, from Selendis to a ship piloting zealot, groaned as their minds were swept over by Amon¡¯s will.

    ¡°No¡­¡± The dark templar whispered. His gaze turned to Artanis. His mind turned quickly. Amon had already made his move and his domination would be imminent, but If he could free Artanis then the Daelaam leader might somehow free his people from Amon''s grip. As for how to free Artanis, well, the void energy on the nerve cords gave a quite obvious hint. Warp blade in hand, he moved toward Artanis as quickly as possible. The hierarch must not fall.

    Zeratul moved quickly, even blinking to make the process half a second quicker. Artanis was just before him. Give him one more second and¡­

    At the last moment, just before the green warp blade reached his nerve cord, Artanis stood up and initiated his weapon, blocking Zeratul¡¯s warp blade. The psi blade was no longer of the usual blue color but was instead red with void energy. Zeratul immediately knew the hierarch before him was no longer the leader he knew.

    ¡°Aiur. Shakuras. Our people had perished by the millions¡­¡± Artanis said slowly. His words echoed through the bridge, revealing complete domination of the dark one. ¡°This world is corrupted, but Amon will end it. And I...shall be his blade.¡±

    This was another part where Jean helped Amon. Those mentally strong could resist the corruption longer than the weak. In the original history Artanis was able to resist longer because of his inner belief. On Aiur, Artanis was determined to take back his homeland. This made him able to hold on a bit longer. Thus the struggle when Zeratul found Artanis.

    But, here and now, Artanis had just lost his friend and trusted assistant, Urun. He had lost Shakuras and, as far as he knew, every Nerazim on the planet. He had lost Vorazun. He had lost almost everything. This was even worse than the fall of Aiur. When Aiur fell there were some survivors. A small amount compared to the original protoss population, but still plenty. Now the only ones still alive were the warriors a part of the Golden Armada. Countless civilians, engineers, and other non combatants had perished. The Daelaam number had become reduced to nearly one third of its former count. At possibly the lowest point in his life, Artanis was made vulnerable to the cynical ideology of Amon.

    Such was the same for the entire Golden Armada. The protoss lost their home and most of their people, again.

    At this point letting the world burn might not be a bad idea.

    Under Zeratul¡¯s shocked eyes, Artanis pushed the dark templar out with a surge of void energy. Zeratul groaned as he smashed into the wall.

    Zeratul stood up and glanced around the bridge. All the other Khalai were taken over as well. If he wanted to make something happen, he would need to do it now.

    ¡°My life for Aiur.¡± The dark templar disappeared into a wave of smoke. Artanis waited for a few seconds for Zeratul to appear from the blink, but he didn¡¯t see anyone.

    Looking down, Artanis grinned wickedly. ¡°Blink and cloak. Brilliant, but do you think I can be fooled by your trickery?¡± He looked around the bridge. ¡°Now, if I were you, I would be somewhere my enemy ignores. Somewhere close to the target. Somewhere¡­¡± Artanis looked up and held his fist tight. A storm of void energy converged on the ceiling of the bridge and locked an invisible figure in place. ¡°Above.¡±

    Zeratul resisted. He knew Artanis/Amon was powerful, but he had no idea a corrupted Artanis was this strong. His skills in cloaking was the top in the Nerazim, but Amon just pulled him out into the open with absolute ease. He tried to blink. He tried void armor. He even tried shadow strike. And yet none of them worked. Artanis held Zeratul there for a few seconds and watched as he struggled. The corruption and the connection with the void greatly enhanced Artanis¡¯ psi strength.

    After trying everything he had got, Zeratul gave up. ¡°You will never win, Amon.¡± He said provokingly, knowing he likely wouldn¡¯t get out of this place alive. ¡°Jean is smart and determined and prepared. One day she will be your end.¡±

    Artanis smirked as if he heard something funny. ¡°Jean Turner? She thinks she is in control,¡±

    Without any warning, Artanis abruptly pulled Zeratul toward him. Zeratul¡¯s eyes widened and he subconsciously resisted, but he was too weak. The red blade went through the dark templar¡¯s chest.

    Watching Zeratul¡¯s body disappear, Artanis turned off his blade and finished his sentence.

    ¡°She¡¯s not.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 99: Amons retaliation

    Seeing Artanis was done, Selendis walked up to him.

    Amon¡¯s corruption made the corrupted absolutely loyal to the dark god. Apart from that, the corrupted individuals still had their own thoughts and emotions. Corrupted or not, Artanis and Selendis still had their former personalities.

    ¡°Hierarch,¡± Selendis started with the empty voice symbolizing corruption. Amon had given Artanis the Golden Armada to command. He knew a corrupted Artanis would be loyal to him and would be the best commander of the fleet. These two reasons made him not hesitant in giving Artanis the command of the strongest fleet in the sector.

    ¡°Where shall we march? I suggest we go after Jean. She will be a threat to our master¡¯s plan.¡±

    ¡°I have been allowed a glimpse of our master¡¯s setting. Jean is not a threat.¡± Artanis explained. ¡°Our master has controlled the feral zerg that were scattered after the death of the Overmind. Jean destroyed one of the hybrid facilities, but it merely makes the production of hybrids less efficient. Even so hundreds of hybrids were being produced. The Golden Armada is the sworn blade of Amon. Jean¡¯s is merely a pest. We have someone else to go after.¡±

    Selendis frowned. Some crystals of the Nerazim fleet caught a glimpse of the combined fleet and was sent to the Daelaam high command to see. Jean had a fleet of hundreds of ships. She had the Dominion, the tal¡¯darim, and the ancient purifiers behind her. Who could possibly be more important? ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°Kerrigan. Our master needs a body. The essence of the queen of blades can add to our master¡¯s new body.¡± Artanis reasoned. ¡°We go for the swarm.¡±

    ¡°But Jean¡­¡±

    ¡°Our master will deal with Jean.¡± Artanis declared, and Selendis obeyed.

    The few Nerazim on the The Golden Armada were terminated on site. Now completely red, the armada warped away from the battered Shakuras.

    <hr>

    The combined fleet was pretty cheerful.

    They had just completed the second phase of the three phase plan to defeat the Golden Armada. Now all they had to do was wait patiently and occasionally engage the Golden Armada to keep their engines running, and sooner or later the Golden Armada, without any backup at all, would be weakened enough to be defeated by the combined fleet. Victory is assured, or is it?

    The commanders of the fleet were at the bridge. It was worth mentioning that all of them bough a number of security.

    Dominion fleet. General Warfield. Ghost agent Stone. Twenty Sons of Korhal waited outside.

    Tal¡¯darim Death Fleet. Highlord Nyon. Ascendant Alarak. Ascendant Ji¡¯nara. Several zealots and supplicants waited outside.

    Purifier fleet, Nova. She didn¡¯t bring any guards.

    Warden fleet, Jean. It was her ship. The ship was full with warden units. She had another three garrisons of purifiers and two garrisons of Warden units in her watch.

    Jean had no problem with the caution her allies had shown. Given her past of murdering her way through trouble, only a fool would come onto her ship without any protection. Of course if Jean really wanted to murder the commanders the guards couldn¡¯t stop her, but they would buy some time for escape or retaliation.

    What really made her smile was the amount of trust Nova showed her. The agent, at the very start, was forced to side with Jean(during the execution of general Carolina Davis), but everything they¡¯ve went through together Nova was already Jean¡¯s girl.

    ¡°By now the Golden Armada should be back to Shakuras. I wonder what¡¯s the look on their face when they see what we¡¯ve left for them.¡± Nyon said cruelly. The thought of the glorious templar falling apart satisfied him.

    Beside the Highlord, Warfield glanced at Nyon with despise. The old soldier was very different from the tal¡¯darim leader. Warfield was willing to destroy a planet, but he did it because he had to, not because he took pleasure in other¡¯s suffering.Stolen story; please report.

    Alarak saw that despising glance. ¡°You have questions?¡±

    Warfield wasn¡¯t afraid of being provoked. He wanted to say something, but Jean stopped this small dispute before it could get worse. Getting into the middle of the two, she held her arms out. ¡°Now, now, we all want the same thing. We all want the destruction of the Golden Armada and then the fall of Amon. There is no need to fight with each other.¡±

    Both sides backed off. Jean smiled sweetly. ¡°Now, Nyon, I will need you to send scouts to Shakuras. According to algorithms written based on Daelaam mentalities, the Golden Armada should stay around the planet¡­¡± She never finished the sentence.

    The bridge was suddenly consumed by a surge of red energy. Those inside the bridge glanced around, confused.

    Jean looked at Nyon. The tal¡¯darim were experts with void energy. She was surprised to find Nyon looking somewhat afraid.

    ¡°I recognize this energy.¡± Nyon said slowly.

    ¡°It¡¯s Amon.¡±

    ¡°Impossible. Amon needs a body to truly come into this world.¡± Jean said decisively.

    ¡°Guards!¡± Warfield yelled for help. The guards outside the bridge tried to enter, but they couldn¡¯t open the door. It seemed like Amon had sealed off the bridge for the time being. Body or not, Amon could do that.

    Holding her hand up, Jean stopped Warfield¡¯s pointless cry for aid. ¡°Even if it¡¯s Amon he is not strong enough to kill us. I think he just wants to talk.¡±

    Amon was certainly a fan of words. For some reason even on the edge of defeat he wouldn¡¯t forget throwing a few threats at his enemies. Even when Kerrigan was at his throat he wouldn¡¯t stop talking. It was reasonable to infer that he wanted to have a chat with his top enemy.

    A dark, echoing voice confirmed Jean¡¯s theory.

    Jean Turner.

    ¡°Amon.¡± Jean didn¡¯t falter.

    I am curious. Who are you.

    Jean flickered her fingernails to show how casual she was. As the leader of the combined fleet she needed to appear in control. If she panicked then Warfield and Nyon would lose their calmness as well.

    You had been targeting my underlings. You prompted the Terran Dominion to attack the Moebius Foundation and destroy my hybrid facility. You worked with this puppet of yours, Amon was referring to Nyon. to overthrow my loyal follower Ma¡¯lash. You targeted the Golden Armada because somehow you knew I will control them. How?

    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Jean asked. ¡°The hybrids are gone. The Moebius mercenaries are gone. The tal¡¯darim are on my side. Your last card, the Golden Armada, is going to perish very soon.¡± Normally Jean wasn¡¯t a fan of talking. She preferred action over words, but now she needed words to tie her allies closer. She needed to erase the sudden shock and doubt Amon¡¯s presence brought.

    Fool. Amon whispered. You¡¯re a fool to think you have outmaneuvered me. I am a Xel¡¯naga. I created the zerg. I forged the protoss. I have more power than you can ever imagine. Do you really think you can take me down?

    Terran¡£ He spoke to Warfield. A fleet of zerg under my command is cutting its way through the Dominion world toward your capital as we speak. If you pull your forces back to defend you might save your people. If you insist on taking part in a lost cause...the terran Dominion will be gone. Ahhh, a transmission from Korhal. I suggest you take it.

    Jean was aware Amon was starting to cut off her allies, but she didn¡¯t say or do anything. She knew Warfield was lost. Just as she imagined, Warfield closed his helmet and opened it a few seconds later with a look of worry.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± He walked to Jean and whispered. ¡°The entire Dominion is defenseless to the zerg. Scouts reported at least fifteen leviathans. Planets are being wiped out. Civilians slaughtered. I have already ordered my fleet to prepare for jump.¡±

    Nova¡¯s expression changed. ¡°This is not a part of the deal.¡± The Dominion fleet made up the majority of the combined fleet. If they left the stopping power of the combined fleet would be cut by half.

    Warfield paused for a second, but then continued to walk out of the bridge. Nova extended her arm and a psi blade appeared. Agent Stone raised his rifle. The situation was tense.

    Amon was silent as he observed the allies turning on each other.

    At the last second Jean pushed Nova¡¯s arms down. ¡°Let them go.¡± She said quietly. ¡°Just keep in mind, Warfield, if you leave, we will be picked off by Amon one by one.¡±

    Warfield didn¡¯t turn around. Amon might kill all lifeform in the sector, but that was what Jean said, and Jean could be lying. On the other hand, if he stayed the Dominion would surely perish. That was a certain fact. It was a hard decision, but not an impossible one.

    Jean secretly frowned. If taking out Warfield could get her the Dominion fleet then she would do it, but it wouldn''t. Intercepting Warfield would only add the Dominion to her already long enemy list.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 100: Jeans response

    As Warfield left the room, Amon turned his attention to Nyon.

    If Jean could do anything she would, but she couldn¡¯t.

    Nyon. Back off, and I will forgive your conspiracies against Ma¡¯lash. You can still be the Highlord. Your rule of the tal¡¯darim will be unquestionable.

    Nyon smirked. ¡°The tal¡¯darim don¡¯t take threats.¡± His loyalty to Jean was much higher than that of Warfield.

    Really? Then tell me, Highlord, what will happen if another fraction of feral zerg strikes Slayn?

    ¡°You should know better, Amon. Slayn is our homeworld, but for now there are only a small number of guards their. The planet is expendable. Every tal¡¯darim is a warrior, and most of my people are here in the Death Fleet. We can go anywhere and make it a new Slayn.¡±

    Not every tal¡¯darim is a warrior. Amon corrected. There are thousands of younglings on Slayn. Tal¡¯darim too young to even join the chain of ascension. If they die, it could take centuries for a new generation of tal¡¯darim to join your fleet. Of course, if they die the future will be the least of your considerations. The tal¡¯darim will not follow a leader who can¡¯t even protect his own people.

    This time Nyon was silent. He was torn between the fear of Jean and the desire to maintain his power. If he retreated he would be betraying Jean. If he stayed he would be risking his own place of Highlord.

    Nova was worried. Amon came prepared, and he was dismantling Jean¡¯s fleet piece by piece. The Dominion fleet had already left. If the Death fleet leaves again the Warden fleet and the purifier fleet will be no match of Amon. She looked at Jean, and was slightly comforted to find the calm look on the girl remained. Doesn¡¯t matter. If things really go wrong she could always fight a way out for Jean. If all failed she could at least die with her.

    Jean noticed Nyon¡¯s hesitation, and she said something unexpected.

    ¡°Go. Return to Slayn and defend your people.¡± She said. The Death Fleet could very well return to Slayn, pick up the younglings, and then return to join with her.

    Nyon understood her, nodded and left the bridge. As the three ascendants left, the only two on the bridge were Jean and Nova.

    Your allies are gone. What can you do now with your a hundred or so ships?

    ¡°Not gone. They will return to me again when the zerg you sent are destroyed. Believe me, it will not take long.¡±

    We¡¯ll see, but I doubt you can live until their return. Amon¡¯s voice faded. Nova wanted to say something, but Jean cut her off.

    ¡°Warp to safe house 2B now!¡± The Warden fleet and the purifier fleet immediately entered warp space at Jean¡¯s command. It was in the safety of the warp space that Jean could speak. ¡°Our location might be compromised.¡± She explained.

    Nova nodded. ¡°He can just talk to us like this?¡± She asked. If Amon could just pop up anywhere anytime then this war would be very difficult to win.

    ¡°Not quite.¡± Jean held her hand out, and a small device flowed to her palm. ¡°It¡¯s some sort of communication device. A one time thing.¡± Closing her palm, she crushed it.

    ¡°But how did it get on our ship?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Jean¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°Someone brought it in here. One of the tal¡¯darim.¡± It wasn¡¯t hard to narrow it down to the tal¡¯darim. Their centuries of worshipping Amon couldn¡¯t be altered by one Highlord. There were Amon followers in the Death Fleet. Jean was sure of that. She just didn¡¯t realize someone high enough to get into the tactical meeting might be a servant of Amon. It¡¯s tough to fight a war when your enemy knows your every move.

    ¡°But what¡¯s the point? Amon risked one of his deepest spies to deliver a message?¡± Nova questioned the tactics of the dark one. A deeply place spy can alter the course of war, but Amon basically told Jean the presence of the spy to give her a speech?

    ¡°Indeed. Amon was oddly soft. He even promised to let the Dominion and the tal¡¯darim live just to prevent me from doing anything. Such a lie is very uncharacteristic.¡± Jean sat down on the captain¡¯s seat and tapped her chin with her legs crossed thoughtfully. ¡°Wanna bounce off ideas?¡±

    Nova grabbed a chair and sat down beside Jean. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Jean started. ¡°Imagine you are Amon. You have an invincible fleet and you know the location of your enemy. Why, instead of doing that, you try to stall your enemy for a while?¡±

    Nova computed all the possibilities inside her mechanical mind. ¡°There are twenty five possibilities, but the most likely explanation is that the Golden Armada is occupied on something else., something so important that Amon needs us to stay out of.¡±

    ¡°But what is it?¡± Jean whispered. ¡°What¡¯s Amon¡¯s goal again?¡± Jean knew the answer, but she thought better when talking to someone else. She used to do this with a Warden AI, but it was much more interesting with Nova.

    ¡°Destroy all life form within the sector.¡± Nova replied with the backing of the entire purifier data base and info Jean gave her.

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°By using the hybrids, the protoss and the zerg.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Jean clapped her hands in excitement. ¡°There are some feral zerg around, but the strongest and plentiest zerg are under the command of the Queen of Blades. If Amon wants to use the swarm he needs to take down Kerrigan first. If Kerrigan is alive Amon can never control the swarm.¡±

    She wasn¡¯t exactly correct in that she didn¡¯t guess the purpose correctly, but she got the target correct.

    ¡°It¡¯s the most logical assumption based on established information.¡± Nova confirmed.

    ¡°Where is the Queen of Blades?¡± Jean asked.

    Nova¡¯s eyes blinked. ¡°Kerrigan is most likely on the zerg homeworld of Char after being defeated by the Golden Armada. When someone gets defeated, they get back to their lair.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s where I¡¯ll go. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.¡± Jean stood up.

    ¡°I thought Kerrigan is your enemy as well.¡± Nova reminded. ¡°We should be careful.¡±

    ¡°Not we. I.¡± Jean said, to Nova¡¯s surprise, and she used reason to put down Nova''s objections. ¡°We have been missing the true power of the purifiers.¡±

    ¡°Which is?¡± Nova questioned.

    ¡°The ability to produce theoretically unlimited number of units as long as there are sufficient resources.¡± Jean explained. ¡°We have been using the purifier fleet as it is in combat. This is not the most efficient choice. I will need you to lead the purifiers across the sector and expand the purifier fleet. Locate resource rich planets. Warp in a nexus, some probes, and some units, and then start mining. Use the probes to turn the harvested resources into purifiers on location. If we have two thousand carriers we can easily defeat Amon, and with enough time two thousand carriers is not a dream. Meanwhile I will work with Kerrigan to delay Amon¡¯s control of the sector.¡±

    ¡°A single executor can do that. I am coming with you.¡± Nova wasn¡¯t going to let Jean push her away with reasons and risk her life on her own.

    ¡°Type II purifiers are simple AIs. They can carry out orders, but their ability in independent thinking is questionable. I need you there.¡± Jean didn¡¯t give in.

    ¡°This is too risky.¡± Nova continued to object. ¡°The Queen of Blades might order her flyers on you the second you exit warp space. We can warp to some corner and start building up the purifier army...¡±

    She was cut off as Jean covered her mouth with her own. Jean pulled back from the kiss after a few seconds.

    Jean knew words and reasoning couldn¡¯t convince Nova, so she did something much more direct...and effective.

    ¡°I have to.¡± Still close to her lover, Jean whispered. ¡°Plus, if you¡¯re really worried about me just build the purifier fleet as quickly as possible. The sooner the fleet is built the safer I am. When you get to a thousand ships¡­¡±She noticed the dissatisfied look on Nova and changed the number, ¡°five hundred ships. When you reach five hundred ships you send me a signal.¡±

    Nova signed and nodded.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 101: Alliance with Kerrigan, again.

    Char.

    This was a planet filled with lava and clouds of ash. The toxic in the air could poison any terran that decided to stick their head out for too long. If someone was unlucky enough to fall into the burning lava, well, that would be quite tragic.

    And yet this planet was almost perfect for the swarm. The hazard environment was of no concern at all to the adaptive zerg. Upon taking power Kerrigan forged Char into a fortress. Spore cannons, not the smaller version that had trouble dealing with light fighters but instead large ones that could hit enemies in orbit, were posted across the planet. Creep covered ninety nine percent of the ground. Countless high speed zerglings ran across the creep, patrolling. Their enhanced muscles and the creep below made them faster than any terran vehicle. Any enemy that tried to land would be ripped to pieces. If the zerglings couldn¡¯t deal with the intruders, the countless higher tier zerg units underground could make any enemy regret their decision and curse the scouts. And if they couldn¡¯t hold the nydus worms could transport an army to anywhere they were needed.

    In high orbit fleets of corruptors and leviathans rested. Overlords carried minerals and vespene gas onto these capital ships to feed them the energy they needed.

    Again, this place was a fortress. There was a reason why Kerrigan came back here after losing half her fleet to the Golden Armada. Even if the Golden Armada chased her, which she doubted would be the case, she could hold for a while.

    But this fortress would be challenged.

    And no, I am not talking about the modified wraith that is charging toward the planet.

    The queen in charge of the zerg fleet in the air acted quickly. Whether or not a single fighter could do any damage was one thing. Whether or not the fighter could get pass a fleet of zerg and get onto the zerg capital planet was another. Her queen wouldn¡¯t be pleased if she allowed something as insignificant as a fighter to disturb her rest.

    A horde of mutalisks leaped off the leviathan and flew toward the wraith. The queen didn¡¯t find it necessary to send an entire army after a single fighter.

    Jean carefully maintained her course. The mutalisks were slightly faster than normal wraith, but her wraith was modified for increased speed. The mutalisks had to trail behind Jean. Their glave worms weren¡¯t in range of their foe.

    As Jean got closer and closer to Char, the queen was worried. More mutalisks were sent out, but they were too late.

    Still, being targeted by the zerg was pretty annoying. Jean closed her eyes and sent out a psionic emission. She knew Kerrigan would sense it.

    She did.

    The mutalisks behind Jean turned and returned to the leviathan. The spore cannons on the ground that took aim turned back.

    Jean felt a giant ball of psi energy in a part of the planet. This could only mean one thing. She moved toward that direction and parked her fighter on an open ground before the giant hatchery. Stepping out of the ship and feeling the soft creep under her feet, she met the one she came here for. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Ahhh. Jean.¡± Kerrigan didn¡¯t know what to think of Jean. Jean was a threat and she resisted Kerrigan, but only when Kerrigan wanted to kill her. Jean was a loose cannon, but her usefulness in combat almost exceeded her danger. The last time she gave out ideas the swarm almost defeated the Golden Armada.

    ¡°Your majesty.¡± Jean bowed. ¡°I suppose a hug is too much to ask for.¡± She joked, but Kerrigan wasn¡¯t in the mood.

    ¡°Give me one reason why my pets shouldn¡¯t feed on your essence right now?¡± Kerrigan scanned Jean from top to bottom. Zerglings and hydralisks converged beside the two infested female. Their formidable armor and sharp claws, both of the best essence in the swarm, showed their strength.

    ¡°I can give you something better than reasons. I can give you facts.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t intimitated. ¡°And here are a few facts: Amon has the Golden Armada. He wants to destroy the sector. The swarm is powerful. You are the only thing stopping Amon from controlling the swarm. Do I need to go on?¡±

    ¡°So Amon is coming for me.¡± Kerrigan wasn¡¯t frightened. ¡°Have you looked around you? I am in the heart of the swarm. The entire Golden Armada can sacrifice all their ships and not be able to break through the defenses. Broodmothers scattered all over the sector will come to my aid with a moment¡¯s notice. I am safe from the Golden Armada.¡±

    ¡°Just the Golden Armada, perhaps you are. But how about the hybrids?¡± Jean took out a video recorder device and played a video of the clash between her Warden forces and the one hybrid in the Dominion lab. The hybrid withstood massive amounts of punishment before going down, and that was just a hybrid reaver, the lowest and cheapest hybrid.

    Kerrigan¡¯s eyebrows tightened as the hybrid reaver ravaged through the Warden units. Its physical strength, armor, and hit point was impressive. A single hybrid reaver could take out a small zerg army.

    ¡°And that¡¯s just the weakest hybrid. As far as I know there are hybrid behemoths that can take several Yamato shots and then still fight after absorbing DNA from fallen foes to regenerate. There are hybrid dominators whose psi strength surpasses most of the protoss. Imagine a high templar and the multiply everything about him by ten. Hybrid weavers can take down any air units. Never seen it in combat before but don¡¯t underestimate it. In fact, I doubt even you can take down a single hybrid reaver all by yourself with ease. How long can your swarm hold on against an army of queen of blades and the Golden Armada at the same time? ¡± Jean added gasolin to the fire.

    ¡°You will be amazed by the strength of the swarm.¡± Kerrigan protested, but inside she was getting worried. If what Jean said was true¡­¡±Plus, even if you¡¯re telling the truth, how can you help?¡±

    ¡°With all due respect, your majesty, your tactics aren¡¯t exactly the best. You are more of a fighter than a commander.¡± Jean suggested. Kerrigan was an a-mover while Jean could actually micro. ¡°But I can supplement that, as long as you trust me.¡± She was referring to the time Kerrigan tried to kill her.

    Kerrigan thought about this for a while. Zerg units all around quieted down their growls as their leader made decisions that could potentially decide the fate of the sector. ¡°What do you need?¡±

    ¡°Complete psionic control of the swarm.¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± Kerrigan denied without a second thought.

    ¡°We both know if I do something stupid you can override my psi link instantly.¡± Jean reasoned. It was true. Even mutated Jean¡¯s psi level was lower than that of Kerrigan.

    The last time Jean was about to control a single mutalisk because Kerrigan wasn¡¯t paying attention. It took a tiny, almost insignificant, amount of psi energy to control a single unit, but control millions of units took practice and strength, both of which Jean didn¡¯t possess.

    ¡°Fine, but if I find out you¡¯re doing something you shouldn¡¯t be doing, I will end you.¡± Kerrigan threw out a threat before turning around and walking into her cave.

    Jean shrugged and followed.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 102: Arriving on Char

    Jean was sitting in the middle of the zerg cave. Her eyes closed as she focused on extending her psi energy.

    She wasn¡¯t alone. Dozens of queens were beside her. All across the planet overlords formed a net of psi energy. They aided Jean in her control of the swarm. Without their psi assistance no one, not even the overmind, could control the billions of zergs in the swarm. It just took too much psi.

    The queens had their own thoughts. They were absolutely loyal to Kerrigan just like the cerebrates were loyal to the Overmind. They could return the control of the lower zerg units to the queen of blades with a single command from her. This was the major reason why Kerrigan handed over the command of the swarm so easily. She could take it back anytime she wanted.

    Jean was in an all knowing state. She could feel every single zerg unit on or near Char. The heat on a zergling. The hunger of a leviathan. With the help of the overlords and the creep tumors she felt like every inch of Char was under her control. She felt powerful.

    She tried ordering a zergling around. The beast ran around and jumped just like Jean commanded. The psi connection was so efficient that there wasn¡¯t even a second of delay. The moment Jean wanted the zergling to do something, the zergling did it without any hesitation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Jean said, her eyes still closed as she tried to connect to more zerg. ¡°You have the best tools a commander could ever hope for, and your most common tactic is mindlessly charging toward your enemy?¡±

    Beside her, Kerrigan frowned, slightly unsatisfied by the question. ¡°Is there a problem? The number of the swarm can overwhelm any enemy.¡± She paused, realizing the situation. ¡°Almost any enemy.¡±

    Jean realized the situation. One thing about starcraft commanders was that they commanded their forces by giving them general orders. For example, the commanders could order his forces to attack somewhere, but he couldn¡¯t tell them exactly how to fight. This was why Jean¡¯s Warden forces were so successful. The Warden forces, with computer AIs linked to a single net, could make every shot count. Technically all three races could do this, terran with computer, zerg with psi link, and protoss with the Khala, but no one had thought about this idea before.

    Jean was different. Ever since the Raiders she had been forced to fight against stronger enemies with less forces. She needed to fight as efficiently as possible, and she managed to find a way.

    ¡°In that case...¡± Jean whispered. The amount of zerg units she was controlling was exceeding three thousand, and still she wasn¡¯t stressed at all. ¡°Speaking of, where are the rest of your swarm?¡±

    Not all of the swarm was on Char. Dozens of broodmothers, each with their own brood and territory, were scattered all around the sector. Some of them had one or two planets and others had half a dozen. All of them had a small fleet of their own. By themselves they weren¡¯t powerful, but added together they were a force to be reckoned with. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I have summoned them after you arrived. They should be arriving shortly.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t summon them here. Position them somewhere the Golden Armada will not be able to reach and where you can send orders to them quickly.¡± Jean went over her plan.

    ¡°We need them against the Golden Armada.¡± Kerrigan reminded.

    ¡°Amon wants the swarm, which means he will not just burn the planet from above, assuming he can. He will blockade the planet to prevent you from escaping and then send out ground units down here to eliminate you. That¡¯s the most efficient way to get as many swarm as possible.¡± Jean still thought Amon was here for Kerrigan¡¯s swarm, not her essence. ¡°This gives us an opportunity.¡±

    ¡°To do what?¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t answer. Instead, she continued preparing the defensive forces. Time was limited.

    Above Char, a fleet exited warp space in a flash. Red psi energy covered the formerly blue ships. Its new color showed its current owner.

    ¡°Our master wants Kerrigan¡¯s essence. It is our duty to deliver it to him.¡± Artanis said zealously. ¡°Hybrids, we will hold on the swarm while you lead a group of elite warriors and capture Kerrigan.¡±

    Beside him was a tall hybrid. Its eyes glowed in blue light, but the color of the templar could barely cover the scent of destruction from the monster. It was a hybrid mastermind, the commander of the hybrid legion under Amon and the second in command of this operation. Amon had no doubt the Golden Armada could take Char, but Kerrigan¡¯s psi power might give her the time to escape. Amon couldn¡¯t allow it.

    ¡°I obey.¡± The mastermind hybrid said concisely. ¡°The queen of blades will feel my wrath.¡±

    Outside, scattered overlords were being picked off. It didn¡¯t matter, though, because their purpose was already served. Jean was notified as soon as the Golden Armada exited warp space. Defenses were put in place. The swarm mobilized. The fleet ready for war.

    The Golden Armada, after the battle with the swarm, was down to around four hundred capital ships. Five motherships towered in the middle. Tempests were at the back. Carriers in the center. There were no void rays because all the dark templar were dead. Phoenixes covered the two sides and scouts were in front. A cloud of interceptors were launched. Warp prisms, armed with gravitic drives, were ready to phase. Inside the motherships tens of thousands of templar stood zealously, waiting for their chance to die for Amon.

    They were the last of the Daelaam, and they were ready to give their lives for their god.

    Instead of engaging the Golden Armada in the open, Jean ordered the zerg fleet to stay near Char where spore cannons could help the fight. They should be enough to keep the Golden Armada at bay.

    The Golden Armada approached Char. An abandoned orbital station, previously used as a hanger for the zerg fleet, was in their way. It was emptied for now, but there were still some zerg units on it. Support units that maintained the zerg fleet but were not important enough to get a lift in the ships.

    A dozen tempests targeted the station. They waited for a few seconds as a ball of energy started to get charged. When they were at their peak size, the orbs exited the ship and, after a few seconds of flying, smashed into the station.

    There was no doubt as the station exploded into a giant ball of flames. The few queens, overlords, drones, and zerglings on the station were melted. The spore crawlers did next to nothing against the tempests. The Golden Armada ships were just too far away for the spore crawlers to take action.

    With the obstacle out of the way, the Golden Armada continued forward, victorious as always.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 103: Difficult landing

    The leviathans were at the center of the zerg fleet. Corruptors in the front and mutalisks in the back. Scourges filled in the gaps. These small flyers could do a massive amount of damage when detonated.

    The Golden Armada opened fire as soon as the two fleets were in range. Anti matter missiles, ion cannons, laser beams, purifier beams, and kinetic overloads rained down on the zerg like a storm.

    The zerg fought back. Normally leviathans only had their tentacles to work with, but Jean added spore crawlers and spore cannons onto the capital ship for additional firepower. Besides the leviathans, the corruptors fired parasite spores. Mutalisks engaged the phoenixes and the scouts. All three flyers were quick, and they started a game of tag in space.

    Under the cover of the Golden Armada, thirty warp prisms flew toward the planet of Char.

    ¡°Mutalisks, hunt down the warp prisms.¡± The longer Jean could delay the Golden Armada the better. The protoss had no backup and no energy or resource income while the zerg had planets to work with. A dragged out war would be beneficial to the swarm.

    Small squads of mutalisks deviated from the main battle and then moved toward the warp prisms, but the warp prisms had escorts. Artanis was too experienced to make such a minor mistake. Phoenixes fired at the mutalisks while the warp prisms had their gravitic drives turned to full output. Only two of the thirty warp prisms were down when the rest approached the surface.

    Spore cannons fired from the ground. Giant balls of corrosive materials were launched toward the warp prisms. These anti capital ship static defenses were more than enough to break through the light warp prisms. Jean saw, through an overlord, one of the warp prisms being hit. The shield blinked for a few seconds before running out. The haul of the ship gradually disappeared, along with the ten zealots inside. Unfortunately these spore cannons had a slow firing rate.

    Despite heavy losses, the protoss fought with incredible moral. Corrupted or not, the Daelaam were willing to die for their cause. Phoenixes made the ultimate sacrifice as they put themselves before the warp prisms and the incoming danger. One of the phoenixes even smashed his fighter into a mutalisks. The pilot must¡¯ve did something to the fighter¡¯s crystal, because the explosion that followed consumed four more mutalisks and bought enough time for the warp prisms to reach its destination.

    The first warp prism entered phasing mode, and then the second, and then the third. Immediately after the force fields were set, they were covered by shiny warp beams. Among the smaller warp beams of zealots and templars were larger ones of hybrids. Artanis had sent out his best units in this suicidal landing.

    The warp prisms couldn¡¯t move in phasing mode, which meant they were an easy target for spores and glave worms. All the phoenixes had perished, but there was still a few mutalisks left. However, the glaves and spores were the least of the prisms¡¯ problems. The swarm converged upon these transports. If the warping units were lucky they only had to deal with zerglings, who arrived almost instantly. If they were unlucky they would¡¯ve been warped in on top of burrowed units...not the best call.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Jean saw a materializing zealot being tossed into the air by an unburrowing Ultralisk. The zealots friends suffered a similar fate as the kaisar blades striked down on the defenseless templar.

    The Daelaam suffered heavy losses. For every warp prism taken down the units that failed to warp in would be dead. Half of their body would be on Char while the other half would be on the ships. The precious ground forces were dying in the dozens every second.

    If Artanis was still the hierarch he was a few days ago he would¡¯ve retreated already, but for the Artanis now all he could think of was the glory of dying for Amon. He kept pushing as more and more templar were sent into the meat grinder.

    It was when the warp prisms were down to their last few that something was achieved.

    A hybrid reaver solidified. He was much more fortunate than his brothers, who were taken out before they could even fight. When you get cut to several parts it didn¡¯t matter if you were a hybrid or a zealot. You just die.

    But this reaver had managed to arrive. A group of thirty zerglings charged toward the reaver. Their speed had been great against the defenseless protoss units, but against the completed hybrid being able to run faster only meant being able to die faster.

    One swipe from the hybrid, and the zerglings were reduced into a pile of flesh.

    Twelve hydralisks came slightly later, but the Daelaam forces behind the hybrid had completed the warping as well. These forces, mostly zealots and adepts but some templars, launched themselves at the hydralisks. There was no doubt as the hydralisks were ripped apart by the psi blades.

    In orbit Artanis noticed the breakthrough. This encouraged him to send in another group of warp prisms. Half of them were sent to where the first warp prism managed to phase and the other half was sent to random locations, hoping the zerg would be caught off guard.

    Jean noticed the point as well. She had been dragged thin a bit, having to control the battle in space and snipe the warp prisms, but for now she was still managing. Most of the fronts were fine. The zerg fleet was able to stall the Golden Armada, for now. Most of the prisms were taken down instantly. But if the Daelaam could unload a dozen hybrids on the surface of the planet everything could change.

    Kerrigan, who had been observing the battle unfold, had to admit she was quite impressed. Amon was anxious to get to her, and Jean saw it and used it. The Daelaam moved without consideration of the losses, so Jean used this mindset and did as much damage as possible. If it was herself commanding she would just tell her underlings to ¡®leave no survivors¡¯. Her units would then wonder around aimlessly. A lot of units would be crammed in one place with no foe while the warping units would only be attacked by a couple zerglings at most. Jean¡¯s sniping and command was on point. In fact, she didn¡¯t make a single mistake despite the pressure.

    At this point hundreds of Daelaam had already died, and the number was still growing. It was a big loss for the Daelaam. That was when Kerrigan heard Jean¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Your majesty?¡± Jean¡¯s voice was as polite as ever. If Kerrigan didn¡¯t know what Jean did before she would think Jean was actually a loyal servant.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°One of the hybrids have finished warping. I need you to take it down.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of the swarm? You have more than enough under your command to take down one hybrid.¡± Kerrigan wondered. She didn¡¯t want to be ordered around by Jean. Plus, she noticed Jean was keeping the majority of the swarm in the nydus network. Only a small number of zerg units were on the surface.

    ¡°Two reasons. First, you can test the waters against the hybrid. Second, I want to make Artanis think we are weaker than we truly are.¡± Jean explained. ¡°Same reason I told the broodmothers to stay away from here.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Kerrigan nodded and left the cave.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 104: Death was a blessing

    When Kerrigan arrived at the site of the reaver, she was met with twenty zealots and five adepts, along with one hybrid reaver. More units were being warped in behind them.

    Zerglings, banelings, hydralisks, and two ultralisks were waiting for Kerrigan¡¯s arrival. By themselves they couldn¡¯t break through, but with the presence of their leader things were completely different.

    ¡°Consume them!¡± The queen of blades ordered as she jumped in the air and toward the enemies. The zerg units growled and charged.

    The hybrid knew the strength of the queen of blades, but that didn¡¯t intimidate him. After all, death was a blessing.

    ¡°All shall submit!¡± The Daelaam units joined the hybrid as the two forces clashed with each other.

    The reaver clashed with Kerrigan. The Daelaam clashed with the swarm.

    Kerrigan¡¯s psionic blast smashed into the reaver. Reavers didn¡¯t have plasma shields, but this weakness was fine as the heavy armor of the reaver made it difficult to take damage. The psionic blast pushed the reaver back a few steps, but it didn¡¯t do any real damage.

    Shaking his head, the beast jumped forward. He landed right before Kerrigan and then slashed down from above with his claws.

    Kerrigan agilely dodged to the left, making the claws miss. Before the hybrid could pull back his arms, she grabbed onto the two limbs. Enhanced muscle granted her inhuman strength. Psionic energy made her power even stronger. With a war cry, she tore the hybrid reaver apart.

    Blue blood was spilled on the purple creep. Kerrigan growled into the sky. She wouldn¡¯t admit it, but her confidence had been brought down by the recent events. Jean outsmarted her. The Golden Armada defeated her. Even when she fled back to Char she was being chased after. It felt good to know her power was still strong.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing but I must remind you more and more of Amon¡¯s forces are arriving.¡± Jean broke Kerrigan¡¯s moment. Kerrigan groaned, but she knew Jean was right. SIgning, she turned to the rest of the Daelaam forces guarding the prism.

    Both the swarm and the Daelaam were the best of the best. All of them had the best essence/weapons and experience. Unfortunately Char was still the swarm¡¯s homeworld, and constant reinforcements were pouring into the battle. Daelaam units were warping in, but they were too slow and were being picked off one by one.

    Kerrigan faced the warp prism and formed a kinetic blast. The transport fell apart into a thousand pieces. The Daelaam, knowing their mission had failed, performed a suicidal charge upon the swarm. They were quickly taken down.

    <hr>

    Aboard the Golden Armada.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°The first group of landing forces is being destroyed.¡± Artanis said calmly. ¡°I have lost over a thousand warriors.¡±

    The mastermind was confused. ¡°Death is a blessing.¡± He said matter of factly.

    ¡°And yet if I lose all my warriors I can no longer carry out our master¡¯s mission.¡± Artanis explained. ¡°The queen of blades must be acquired. The swarm has less numbers than we imagined, but they are oddly resistant. Kerrigan¡¯s reinforcements can arrive anytime and we are of a limited number. We need to break through quickly.¡±

    The mastermind thought about it. His astonishing psi energy made him sense something unusual. ¡°I sense...a center of psi connection...a leader. Not Kerrigan.¡± He whispered. ¡°She is giving orders to the swarm. She is direction the defenses.¡±

    ¡°Wait a second, she¡¯s not Kerrigan?¡± Artanis questioned. Why would the queen of blades allow someone else to command the swarm? ¡°Is it a queen?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but she is controlling the swarm.¡± The mastermind explained. ¡°If we can take her out, we can cripple the zerg defenses.¡± His eyes blinked in thought. ¡°I will take her out myself. The mission of our master must not be lost.¡±

    Artanis was surprised, but he nonetheless nodded. ¡°I will dispatch a group of warriors to aid you. Meanwhile I will launch an attack to cover your trace. For Amon.¡±

    ¡°For Amon.¡± The mastermind agreed as he left the bridge.

    <hr>

    The hybrid mastermind stood at a window as he waited for his chance to join the battle.

    Outside, half a hundred warp prisms, covered by two hundred phoenixes, departed for Char.

    The mastermind was deep in thought.

    He knew as a commander he shouldn¡¯t be charging head on into the fray, but the situation was not going well for his side.

    For some reason Kerrigan was at a weak state. Her swarm was much smaller than the mastermind imagined. A single hybrid reaver and a few dozen hybrids forced the queen of blades herself to start fighting. From the information the mastermind gathered the queen of blades usually sent her underlings against the enemy before she gets involved herself. The answer was clear. She was still recovering from the battle with the Golden Armada.

    But this might change very soon. Kerrigan¡¯s swarm was scattered across the sector. The Golden Armada had taken the swarm by surprise, but it was certain that reinforcements were on their way. The mastermind knew he needed to end this quickly.

    The Golden Armada couldn¡¯t break through the zerg fleet. Despite superior firepower, the Daelaam had trouble against the combination of the zerg ships and the orbital defenses on Char itself. The zerg fleet was at a disadvantage, but it wasn¡¯t going down any time soon. The mastermind needed another way if he wanted to achieve victory.

    The enemy commander on the surface of Char showed him an opportunity. The zerg was strangely resistant and was trading effectively with the Golden Armada, which was likely due to the new commander. If he could take this commanding structure down¡­

    If Kerrigan was still the commander of the swarm the mastermind wouldn¡¯t think of killing the commander, but this new target seemed vulnerable enough.

    Sure, this would be risky. As far as the mastermind knew he might not even make it to the planet surface. Even if he did he would be outnumbered and surrounded. The queen of blades would not hesitate in taking him down.

    But so what?

    Death was a blessing, a gift, an escape from this cycle of eternal suffering. Dying for Amon, dying for the purpose of ending this infinite cycle, was even better.

    A light beam consumed the hybrid mastermind.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 105: Full scale attack

    In space, the leviathans continued to unleash rains of spores on top of their enemies. Rapid firing spore crawlers targeted fighters. Spore cannons fired at the general direction of the Daelaam capital ships.

    Daelaam fighters used their speed to maneuver around zerg firing. The protoss pilots were experienced and fearless, but there was just too many firing from the swarm.

    The swarm had thirteen leviathans left. Usually leviathans either stayed back and acted as troop carriers or charged in front, using their armor, size, and tentacles to do damage. Leviathans only had tentacles, which were short ranged. Sure, they had bio plasmid discharges, which were more of a zerg Yamato cannon than a regular weapon. Jean found that to be pretty inefficient.

    One thing with leviathans was their size. Ranging for kilometers, they could support a large number of static defenses usually seen on planets surfaces. This was why Jean ordered four hundred spore crawlers and thirty spore cannons to be morphed on each leviathan. The leviathan had place for more, but firing spores needed energy. The current amount of cannons was the sweet spot.

    Back to the battle, thanks to the ability to move around, all of the spore crawlers and cannons could face the direction of the enemy. A total of 5200 spore crawlers were fired toward the Golden Armada every second. Occasionally some 390 larger, more effective, spores would be unleashed.

    This meant even if only one tenth of the spores hit a target, and it took three spore hits to break through a fighter, the Daelaam fighter count would be decreasing by nearly two hundred every second, not counting the damage down by mutalisks, corruptors, and spores from the ground.

    In general, the Golden Armada was getting smaller and smaller every second.

    Jean watched as twenty scourges clashed into a carrier that stepped too far forward. The plasma shield took all the damage, but a squad of twelve corruptors finished off the carrier in three rounds of parasite spores.

    ¡°Jean, ¡± This was a queen. Queens usually referred Jean simply by her name. It was the style of the zerg. Efficient. ¡°Large number of warp prisms approaching!¡±

    ¡°Shoot them down.¡± Jean was about to dispatch another group of zerg flyers when the Golden Armada made another round of frontal assault. Motherships, usually protected by the rest of the fleet, led the charge. Carriers moved forward against the opposing spores. Plasma shields shook violently from the attacks. Fighters fired and moved at the same time, doing as much damage as possible before being torn open.

    The protoss commander had thrown away any idea of self preservation. They needed to break through now.

    The zerg fleet needed everything they had to hold the attack. Spore cannons were forced to support the zerg fleet instead of gunning down the warp prisms. Mutalisks were directed to the front.

    Noticing the seemingly dire situation and sensing the warp prisms arriving onto the planet without much losses, Jean was, surprisingly, far from worried.

    If things go well, none of the Daelaam landing forces and hybrids would be going back. The more forces the Golden Armada sent to Char, the weaker the Golden Armada would be, and the easier it would be for her to take down Amon.

    What she didn¡¯t sense was a warp prism that entered phasing mode near the cave. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°My queen.¡± Jean called Kerrigan from the psi network. The zerg leader was enjoying a good old killing spree.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Kerrigan casually dropped an arm of a hybrid reaver. Shattered protoss armors covered the ground. Fragments of a warp prism laid a few meters away.

    ¡°The Daelaam are launching a full scale landing operation.¡± Jean reported. ¡°I am sending all the group 1 units into battle to make it look like we will be overpowered very soon. Kill as much enemy units as possible to attract more protoss onto the planet. Just tell me when you can no longer maintain and I will spring the trap.¡±

    Jean classified the swarm units on Char into three groups. The first was on the battlefield and the rest were in the safety of the nydus worms.

    ¡°I¡¯d assume this is part of your plan.¡± Kerrigan suggested as she sensed waves of protoss units being warped in. Some were taken out, but most managed to get to their destination safely. When they arrived, the table was completely turned.

    Psi blades melted through zerg carapace. Glave cannons teared open zergling flesh.

    A clamp of zerglings, hydralisks, and roaches engaged a warp prism. Unfortunately for the zerg there was a high templar in the field.

    The templar held his hands forward, and powerful psi energy started to assemble in the middle of the zerg crowd. A few seconds later this energy turned into a psionic storm and smashed down on the zerg units.

    When the cloud cleared, all the zerglings and most of the hydralisks were electrocuted. Roaches survived thanks to their thick armor, but their armor could only do so much when the templar and twelve zealots charged onto them with psi blades raised.

    Things like this happened all over the planet. The swarm, ironically, was overwhelmed by the protoss. Zerglings were sacrificed for no result. Hydralisks were shattered before they could fire enough spines. Roaches were overwhelmed by charging zealots. The few ultralisks accomplished something, but they were no match for hybrid weavers.

    Kerrigan fought in the front, ripping her way through warp prism after warp prism. A group of elite zerg units fought by her, but their advance was eventually halted when more and more protoss arrived onto Char. If one hybrid couldn¡¯t stop her, how about ten?

    Spore cannons were destroyed. Creep tumors burned. Severed flesh stained the purple creep. Protoss forces were converging. It was as if victory for the Daelaam was at hand.

    Behind the cave, a large figure solidified from a warp prism. Jean was cautious. The cave held the entire commanding structure of the swarm. If the cave was hit, Jean might survive, but she couldn¡¯t save the queens without showing her secret. If the queens were gone then the swarm would be partially disabled. Thanks to the presence of overlords and the psi link Kerrigan had the zerg units wouldn¡¯t go feral, but Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t be able to issue commands to the millions of zergs on the entire battle.

    The zerg structure was like a corporation. Kerrigan was the CEO, but she couldn¡¯t do everything all by herself. She needed lower ranked executives to help her control the basic employees in her company. If the executives were taken out, she would still have the employees, but she could no longer use them as efficiently.

    Due to the importance of these queens, Jean had kept a large defense around the cave. All the units were elites. Spines crawlers and spore crawlers were all over the place. Layers of overseers made sure any cloaked unit would be rendered useless.

    But now, against this enemy, these defenses had the opposite effect.

    The hybrid mastermind¡¯s psi energy washed over the zerg units and structures, severing their command from Jean and gaining their obedience. His zerg essence decreased the resistance from the zerg units.

    It wasn¡¯t like Jean was weaker than the hybrid mastermind. Jean was facing the same problem Kerrigan faced before. (Chapter 50: Assassination) She was commanding an entire planet of zerg. Her attention and psi energy was spread out, which meant she didn¡¯t have enough to fight or even notice the hybrid mastermind.

    Ordering the controlled zerg units to maintain their position and pretend their loyalty to the swarm, the hybrid mastermind walked into the cave, followed by twenty elite Daelaam zealots.

    Jean had no idea danger was walking toward her. All the zerg units on route were controlled. She was still sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, relying on her psi energy to manage the battlefield.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 106: Take out the head

    ¡°Jean!¡± The scream of a queen bought Jean back to reality. As soon as her eyes were opened, she was met with a very red psi blade.

    Someone else would¡¯ve been paralyzed by shock or fear, but not Jean. Step 1, dodge to the side. Step 2, transform her right arm. Step 3, punch a hole through the zealot¡¯s shield and into his head. Jean made a perfect demonstration of the three steps to kill a zealot.

    Looking around, Jean realized something was very wrong. A squad of zealots and one hybrid managed to somehow sneak into the command center of the swarm without being detected and then start slaughtering the zerg commanders. The guards she made sure were in place were nowhere to be seen.

    The queens were commanders, but as lieutenants in an army based upon strength they had quite the fighting power. Their claws could rip open the CMC armor of a marine in one strike, and their spines could penetrate the shield of a zealot in a few shots. Their large body and thick carapace protected them against most attacks.

    The zealots weren¡¯t the problem. The several dozen queens in the room were enough to keep them back or even, eventually, wipe them out. It was the hybrid that posed a threat.

    Already the hybrid had ended two queens. The first imploded from inside out, likely the result of a feedback. The second was literally ripped open inside out. With a few seconds and two dead queens, the hybrid mastermind demonstrated the strength of the combination of protoss and zerg.

    Realizing the situation, Jean¡¯s arm extended into two bone blades. She psionically commanded the queens to back off and continue commanding the swarm while she put herself between the invading forces and the queens.

    ¡°For Amon!¡± The half a dozen left simultaneously launched themselves at Jean in a blur. They were more of a distraction than an actual mean to an end.

    Jean¡¯s eyes turned blue. The zealots transformed from energy form back to physical form as their charges were cut off in midair. Reaching her psi energy out, Jean pressed down on the bodies of the zealots, crushing their shields, armors, and eventually their bones. The zealots were the best of the best, but the amount of damage they could do to someone at Jean¡¯s caliber was negligible.

    Didn¡¯t matter. They were a mere distraction. A sacrifice to give the hybrid mastermind a slight upper hand.

    Jean felt the psi energy inside her getting restless and out of control. She knew what it was: a feedback. Anyone weaker, like the queens, would¡¯ve bursted out into flames after losing control of the rogue energy, but she was slightly stronger. Her mutated body gave her a bit more control and some extra time to save herself.

    Facing the mastermind, Jean directed the psi energy within her toward her target. She could barely control the energy, but the amount of damage it could do outside her body was much less than the amount of damage inside her.

    A line of fire appeared in the middle of Jean and the mastermind as the psi energy ignited. Had Jean being a second too late it would¡¯ve been going up in flames inside Jean. Not the prettiest sight.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The mastermind was slightly surprised. From what he thought a feedback should be enough to kill the infested terran before her. Didn¡¯t matter, the infested terran was a psionic unit, which meant her melee would be bad. It would take her a while to get enough psi energy within her to use them in combat. Meanwhile, a psionic user without psionic energy would be an easy prey.

    He was not exactly correct.

    ---

    The hybrid mastermind smashed into the wall of the cave. The soft creep did little to minimize the impact as it was shattered.

    Jean resumed from the punching status and walked toward the hybrid. The hybrid stood back up. The punch was intimidating, but the hybrid mastermind¡¯s powerful psi energy generated an almost impenetrable plasma shield that protected him from taking too much damage. He was merely taken by surprise. Jean¡¯s actual strength was very different from her real power.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The mastermind asked. ¡°You are not just some nameless infested terran. Psionic and physical mutation? The queen of blades will not waste such essence on a mere lieutenant. Who are you?¡± Of course he was just buying time to form a psionic blast.

    Jean remained silent as she suddenly speeded up. Only fools would talk in battle with no reason at all, and the killing monster bred for the purpose of destruction was no fool. The closer she could get to the mastermind the better.

    Realizing Jean didn¡¯t take the bait, the mastermind pushed out his half completed psionic blast toward Jean. The concentrated ball of void energy held an explosive surge of energy and was capable of doing a large amount of damage in a short period of time.

    Jean wasn¡¯t taken by surprise. The void energy was too fast to dodge, but that didn¡¯t mean Jean was vulnerable. Ever since Jean met the first zealot she had transformed to zerg mode. A thin piece of durable specialized zerg carapace protected her whole body. The armor was as durable as it was menacing.

    The void energy hit her in the chest and knocked her back. The concentrated energy blasted a bloody wound through her carapace, revealing burnt flesh, dried blood, and small areas of battered bones. And yet this wound, critical to a normal human being, was like a common cold to a zerg. Cells multiplied. Bones recovered. When Jean was in front of the mastermind she was pretty much healed.

    Everytime Jean was in a situation like this she would be grateful of her decision to get mutated. Without this mutation she would¡¯ve been killed a dozen times at least.

    Sometimes Jean wondered what the Supreme One that sent her here was thinking. Her chance of completing her mission was extremely low.

    Back to the battlefield, Jean¡¯s bone blades connected with the mastermind. Again the attacks were deflected by the mastermind¡¯s shield, but this time the blue layer of life shook violently. Another knee bump/stab sent the shield shattered into a hundred pieces, making the hybrid mastermind vulnerable.

    The mastermind was stuck in a sad situation. He was undoubtedly powerful. His psionic energy could easily change the tide of a battle, but these powerful abilities needed some time to prepare. A psionic storm required a few seconds of concentration from the user. During this time period the spell caster needed his or her full attention fully dedicated to the preparations of the spell, making them completely vulnerable. The psionic blast, for example, required a few seconds to reach maximum damage. That was why he tried to talk with Jean to stall her attack.

    Appearantly Jean saw that weakness, and she kept on attacking him. Melee units were slightly less powerful than psi ones, but they also had less limits. To the mastermind, powerful spells took too long and he would die in the process, and less powerful ones couldn¡¯t do enough damage. The psionic orb he used in a hurry was a prime example. Jean merely shrugged off the damage and continued on.

    If the mastermind had another chance, he would use his element of surprise and form a spell before charging blindly into the room, but time travel wasn¡¯t present in this universe, and that was why Jean¡¯s bone blades were inside the mastermind¡¯s body.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 107: Self sacrifice

    The mastermind looked down on his wound in slight disbelief. How could it be? He was the commander of the hybrid army. He was one of the most powerful hybrids ever created. He was destined to serve his master and aid him on the path to destroy the world.

    How could he die here?

    But the sharp pain and the decreasing strength told him he wasn¡¯t hallucinating. He was dying, and this female infested terran before her was his killer.

    At his last moments, the hybrid didn¡¯t have a single sense of fear. He looked up into the cold, unwavering eyes of Jean and smiled cruelly. If he was to die, then he would die via sacrificing for his master. He would die, but he would bring down his master¡¯s enemy with him. If he could kill the zerg commander, he might be able to break the zerg defenses apart, and the Golden Armada just might have a chance to capture the queen of blades. His master¡¯s plan would still be possible.

    The mastermind¡¯s body started to shake uncontrollably. His psi energy went rogue all at the same time. The sound of flesh burning and bones cracking, along with the immense pain, clouded the hybrid, but his smile never disappeared.

    The zerg commander realized something was wrong, and she wanted to escape. The hybrid could see it, but it was too late. The hybrid was happy when he bursted into a surge of highly destructive psi energy. At least he didn¡¯t die in vain.

    ---

    Jean noticed that something was off with the mastermind, and she backed off the second the hybrid made that wicked smile. The destructive energy running through the hybrid¡¯s veins screamed danger to her.

    Jean fell back as fast as he could, but she knew distance couldn¡¯t save her, so she took some drastic measures.

    When the mastermind was getting beaten up he abandoned control of the zerg guards in the cave for additional strength, making the guards once again part of Kerrigan¡¯s swarm. This gave Jean the ability to command them, and she did.

    Roaches and hydralisks ran down the creep into the throne room(because there were so many queens in the room). Under Jean¡¯s command, they weren¡¯t hesitant at all to put themselves in between the exploding hybrid and the queens.

    The explosion swept through the zerg wall. The first layer of units was incinerated. The second suffered the same fate. So did the third. When the fourth layer perished they died a bit slower. When the fifth, the final line, went down, most of them had their bodies intact. This was a luxury the first four layers didn¡¯t get.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    But the zerg units were all gone, and there was still some explosion.

    Jean put herself between the explosion and the queens.

    Of course Jean wasn¡¯t going mad. She was thinking very clearly. She needed the swarm to take down the Daelaam. She needed the queens to command the swarm. She needed the queens, so she would protect them. Plus, her observation of the explosion told her it wouldn¡¯t kill her.

    The carapace was the first to melt. The skin was the next. Jean screamed uncontrollably as the flames engulfed her, but inside she was calculating. She could stand a few more seconds, but then she would be in life threatening danger. Her plan was to use the Warden units to save herself, but that would expose her watch. She didn¡¯t want to do that unless she absolutely needed to. In comparison, a little pain was a small price to pay. After all, she could always heal. Technically she could cut off her nerve system, but that would mean she wouldn¡¯t know when she was in life threatening danger.

    And so Jean stood her ground.

    Finally, just a few seconds before Jean gave up, the impact of the explosion faded away. She lived.

    Jean was really beaten up. Every part of her body was covered with either burnt flesh or broken or melted bones. Her carapace had completely disappeared.

    In reality Jean was very lucky. The hybrid mastermind was a powerful psi user. Just the impact done by his self explosion was enough to break through layers of zerg tanking units and almost kill a specialized zerg unit. If he had proper support, just someone to buy him a few seconds, he would¡¯ve killed everyone in the throne room with ease. Unfortunately he grew overconfident and practically threw away his zealots and his element of surprise. This led to his downfall.

    ¡°Jean?¡± A queen asked at the brunt figure.

    Jean groaned in pain as her body started to mend. She was a zerg, which meant as long as she had a single breath left she could return to her best state in no time. ¡°Spring the trap.¡± She ordered with a hiss after connecting to the zerg psi net and observing the battle. The Daelaam was fully engaged with the swarm both in the air and on the ground. ¡°Wipe out their ground forces and obliterate their fleet. Leave no survivors.¡±

    <hr>

    In the flagship of the Golden Armada, Artanis keenly sensed the hybrid mastermind¡¯s psionic presence disappearing. He knew immediately that something had gone terribly wrong. The queen of blades was just reported being seen on the battlefield, so someone else killed the hybrid mastermind, but who? Normal zerg units would be controlled by the mastermind almost immediately. Specialized zerg units were no match for the hybrid and the elite zealots. Who could¡¯ve stopped them?

    But Artanis didn¡¯t have long to meditate.

    Large amounts of warp signals appeared all around the Golden Armada. They were soon followed by the ships themselves.

    At least twenty leviathans exited warp space. Their tentacles waving in the vacuum of space. Newly mutated spore cannons and spore crawlers faced the Golden Armada menacingly. Corruptors and mutalisks immediately exited the capital ships.

    On the ground, protoss units who barely had an upper hand were paralyzed in shock as ear piercing roars appeared all around Char. Hundreds of nydus worms poked their heads out of the ground. They opened their mouth, and an endless stream of battle ready swarm units poured out of the tunnel.

    The trap was sprung.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 108: Go for the throne

    As soon as they exited warp space the zerg units opened fire.

    Spores were launched toward every inch of the Golden Armada. The projectiles were so plenty and dense that several Daelaam fighters literally had nowhere to dodge to. The plasma shields of the capital ships shook violently every second. With overwhelming numbers, newly arrived mutalisks and corruptors performed a charge on the trapped Daelaam ships.

    A wise commander would¡¯ve retreated already, but a victim of brainwashing was hardly wise. Artanis¡¯ loyalty to Amon had blinded his sight.

    The hierarch could no longer see that his invincible armada was trapped and was in danger of being completely destroyed. He couldn¡¯t see that his ground forces were sitting duck, and it was just a matter of time before they were overran. He couldn¡¯t see that if he lost his forces here, he wouldn¡¯t have a planet to fall back to. He couldn¡¯t see that his people were on the edge of being exterminated.

    Maybe he did, but he didn¡¯t care.

    All he could see was the queen of blades. Amon had given him an order, and he would die before failing his master.

    ¡°Golden Armada! Maintain defensive formation!¡± The Golden Armada had taken some losses, but most of the losses were in fighters. Most of the capital ships merely lost some shield to the spores and flyers.

    ¡°Warriors on Char! Hold your ground and do not yield! Amon must not be disappointed! Hybrids! Follow me and capture the queen of blades! Fight for Amon! Die for Amon! Selendis, command the fleet.¡± Artanis passed the command of the Golden Armada and warped away in a light beam.

    The situation was dire. A distance away Kerrigan¡¯s fleet had abandoned its former defensive position and was pressing forward. The hunted had became the hunter. The fleets of the broodmothers had formed a semi circle around the Golden Armada, half surrounding it. If the Golden Armada warped away now they could make it, but it was nothing but an if.

    Selendis nodded as Artanis left. Before she issued any order she looked out the window of the mothership. A blue transparent layer was flashing. It was the mothership¡¯s shield, and it was continuing to blink as endless waves of attacks hit. If the most protected ship in the fleet was like this, how bad was the situation for the other ships in the front?

    ¡°Executor?¡± An adept asked hesitantly. There was no time for Selendis to be thoughtful. ¡°We await your orders.¡±

    Selendis¡¯ mind washing ensured her loyalty to Amon, but she still had her own thoughts and opinions. She knew the battle was going toward a bad direction, but her brainwashing meant that instead of ordering a retreat to save her own people she would rather stay and fight to death for Amon. She was just doubting her ability to complete Amon¡¯s will.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    But then again, victory or defeat, she needed to fight.

    ¡°Prepare the remaining warriors in our armada for warping. All capital ships except this ship prepare for a short distance jump. Open up a comm to all the fighter pilots.¡± Selendis looked out into the open with determination.

    <hr>

    Artanis opened his eyes on the surface of Char within a Daelaam fortified position. All around the position zerg units were combating the protoss units. Psi blades clashed with zerg carapace. Claws and spines connected with plasma shields. The smell of burnt flesh covered the area.

    The Daelaam forces on the ground were in a terrible position. Nydus worms kept on popping out of the ground, sometimes even inside the protoss flanks. Sometimes the protoss could destroy the worm while other times they couldn¡¯t, but it didn¡¯t matter. Zerg units simply left the body of the worm anyways and engaged the protoss forces. Destroying the door didn¡¯t stop people from exiting a room.

    The protoss were fierce, but the zerg weren¡¯t weak either. Those in the nydus worms were fresh elites, and their enemies were warriors who had been fighting for hours. Their psionic energies were exhausted. Some of their shields were broken while others were weakened. Some protoss were wounded. It was their loyalty to Amon that made sure they were still fighting. Small groups of warriors were still a distance away from the main Daelaam forces, trapped after being warped in, and judging from the converging zerg forces they wouldn¡¯t live to meet the main forces.

    Luckily along with Artanis came around 40 hybrids, 30 reavers and 10 destroyers, and 800 Daelaam warriors. These 800 were the last of the Daelaam forces. The elite guards of Artanis himself, they were the best of the best. Each of them had slain at least hundreds of zerg. More importantly, they were fresh troops.

    ¡°Report.¡± Artanis ordered via the khala as more and more reinforcements solidified and joined the battle with their brothers.

    The neural network transported his order to the high templar in command almost instantly. The response was also immediate.

    ¡°We have 1200 warriors left, including 32 immortals. Several other groups of our brothers are trapped by the swarm. They are too surrounded to meet with us, but they are willing to sacrifice themselves and delay the zerg.¡±

    ¡°Where is the queen of blades?¡± Artanis was in grief of the losses. He had sent over five thousand warriors on this attack, and now most of them were either dead or dying. He needed to make their sacrifice be worthy, and what was a better way to honor the dead than completing the mission they died for?

    The high templar had no answer, so Artanis spread the message to the entire Khala. He got the answer within a second.

    ¡°Hierarch!¡± It was a zealot. Judging from the emotions Artanis sensed through the khala the zealot was desperate.¡°Lock onto my location! The queen of blades...Uh.¡± The zealot disappeared from the khala before he could complete the sentence. Either his nerve cord was severed or he was dead.

    It took Artanis a second to locate where the zealot was.

    ¡°Mobilize the warriors for an assault.¡± The hierarch told the high templar as he ignited his red blades and charged into the battlefield. Two roaches were immediately severed into two pieces each.

    A distance away the zerg forces were still swarming up, attempting to overrun the protoss defenses. A hundred zerg fell, and a thousand rushed into the fight.

    The swarm was endless.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 109: Counterattack

    In high orbit, Selendis watched as the zerg fleet closed in. The Golden Armada, or what was left of the Golden Armada, was ready for combat. They were tired and beaten up, but their spirit was still high, and they were very ready for combat. All the fighters had returned to their capital ships. The entire fleet was ready for jump.

    The zerg fleet continued to approach from all sides, firing in the process. Mutalisks were released into the fray. Corruptors engaged in three thick lines. Leviathans stayed in the back and acted as turrets.

    ¡°Now!¡± Selendis suddenly ordered loudly as the zerg fleet reached a certain point, and then all hell went loose.

    The carriers and the motherships disappeared in a blink, and two seconds later these giant capital ships appeared next to the zerg leviathans. Power fields were projected on top of the leviathans.

    Protoss capital ships had the ability to project a power field on top of a location, but this method was energy consuming and somewhat limited. For example, if Artanis tried to project a power field on Char, the amount of energy needed would be enormous. Plus, the power field would be located by the swarm, and warping units would be arriving inside an army of foe. This was why Artanis chose to use warp prisms rather than power fields.

    That was not to say power fields were useless. In this case, when the distance was short and the enemies couldn¡¯t really react in time because they were in capital ships, power fields were pretty good.

    Protoss units solidified within the zerg leviathans. All the units that stayed with the armada instead of going to Char with Artanis were thrown into combat here.

    Zealots did as much damage as possible. The elite nature of the zealots were fully demonstrated in this scenario where the number advantage of the swarm didn¡¯t come into play. Zerglings were crowded in the halls and were walking into slaughter in a tight line. Hydralisks and roaches couldn¡¯t shoot over the shoulders of their own kind and provide support for their comrades. Units like banelings couldn¡¯t even be used due to their inability to distinguish friend from foe.

    Dragoons and immortals faced the same problem as the roaches and hydralisks, but the mission of these protoss warriors was not to commandeer the zerg ships. No, that would be foolish. The protoss didn¡¯t have the numbers to take down a zerg fleet from within. Instead, these warriors were to be sacrificed to buy some time for their brothers on the planet below.

    This was why the dragoons and the immortals were targeting the body of the ship. Usually no one would do such thing because it would be disastrous to both sides of the engagement. If the ship fell apart, it didn¡¯t matter which side you were on, but in this case the protoss¡¯ mission was to delay the zerg attack. Punching holes in zerg capital ships might be the best way for these ground troops to do damage. A few dozens warriors for a ship kilometers long and all the units on the ship would certainly be a good deal.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Phase disruptor projectiles smashed into the soft flesh of the inner bodies of the leviathans and painted the ground with the blood of the beast. The leviathans screeched, but their voice were unheard in the vacuum of space.

    The zerg responded as soon as they could. Jean noticed the Golden Armada¡¯s counterattack and their temporary advantage, but she wasn¡¯t worried. The swarm could take some losses and come back after a few days. Still, it was better to decrease the damage down by the protoss. Jean gave a few orders.

    The swarm acted to Jean¡¯s command. Leviathans being boarded jumped back to a safe distance where the protoss power fields could no longer reach, therefore cutting off the protoss reinforcements. Without any support, the boarding parties would be slowly chipped away by the endless swarm.

    Leviathans that weren¡¯t boarded focused their firepower on the Golden Armada capital ships. Mutalisk hordes that missed the Golden Armada due to their jump came back. Corruptors launched their spores at the carriers and the motherships, constantly doing damage.

    ¡°Launch all fighters.¡± Selendis said solemnly. The few fighters that survived were not enough to hold the line, but they weren¡¯t sent to fight.

    They were sent to die.

    <hr>

    Groups of phoenixes and scouts moved toward the much larger zerg fleet. The few red dots seemed so insignificant in the face of a sea of purple. It was certain death for these pilots, but none of them felt fear. No loyal servant of Amon fear death.

    This would end very quickly. That was what every zerg commander thought. That was what Jean thought. She sensed something fishy. Marching a few fighters into the zerg fleet wasn¡¯t something a wise commander would do, but it was possible that the protoss commander didn¡¯t care. Brainwashing might have that effect on its victim.

    But Jean was proven wrong.

    Instead of firing, the Daelaam fighters charged straight into the zerg. Some of the scouts were shot down, but most of the agile phoenixes reached where they were going for.

    Almost simultaneously, all the fighters were lit up in a blaze of light. It was made by the explosion of the crystals that powered the fighters.

    The explosions had both a visual shockingness and a huge kinetic impact. The protoss came planned, and the fighters were spread apart to inflict maximum damage upon the zerg. The carapace of mutalisks could take several dozen marines shots, but the self destruction of the protoss fighters did so much damage. The mutalisks were crowded, and each explosion took out at least a dozen mutalisks. As the red dots turned to nothing in a flash, the front of the zerg flank was cleared for the moment.

    Jean¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as hundreds, if not thousands, of mutalisks perished. That was the thing with the swarm. She could replace the losses in a heartbeat. ¡°Send in half the reserves and continue to push forward.¡±

    The protoss did something, but it was far from enough.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 110: The merging is complete

    While the Golden Armada was fighting in space, Artanis was leading the attack on the queen of blades.

    A baneling crashed into Artanis¡¯ shield. The corrosive acid was instantly evaporated by the plasma shield. Artanis checked the remaining integrity of the shield. It was at 73%. He was just down here for a few minutes, and his specialized shield was already half destroyed. The standard shields of his fighters were mostly depleted. A few even broke.

    The hybrids he bought with him were in a slightly better situation, but they were taking damage as well. To a reaver, ten spines might be fine, but how about a hundred? A thousand?

    The zerg just kept on coming. His 2000 men were making their way toward the last seen location of Kerrigan, but they were met with what could only be described as a lot of resistance. Banelings rolled in on the creep. Zerglings sacrificed themselves to buy other members of the swarm a tiny opportunity to attack. Roaches smashed into the templar rank and were melted by the phase disruptors of immortals and dragoons. Hydralisks were the main source of dps.

    An elite zealot beside Artanis groaned as a spine penetrated his already weakened shield. The next second three more spines flew toward him. The zealot was experienced. Jumping into the air with the help of his psi energy, he dodged all three spines, but before the proud look on his face could disappear, he sensed something above him. Before he could react, a glave worm went cut its way through his body. The anti fighter projectile had no trouble taking out the armor of a zealot. The warrior faded into thin air.

    Artanis growled and formed a psionic blast and the mutalisks in the air. The psi wave teared open the zerg flyer.

    The protoss strike team was decreasing in size every second. For every inch they advanced several warriors would fall. Sure, for every Daelaam killed ten or more zerg fell, but the zerg could afford to trade. They had continuous reinforcements, but the Daelaam were on a very tight schedule.

    ¡°Hierarch.¡± The high templar in command of the defenses before Artanis arrived came to his leader. ¡°We need to break through quickly.¡± Another high templar walked up and joined his brother.

    Artanis realized what the high templar was saying. He signed. He didn¡¯t want to do this, but he had no choice. ¡°You will be remembered.¡±

    The two templars moved toward each other. Their physical forms blurred, and their body was transformed into pure psionic energy. When the light cleared, the two had became one.

    ¡°The merging is complete!¡± The archon¡¯s deep voice ringed through the battlefield, and every protoss knew two of the most noble warriors had gave up their lives for their cause.

    Artanis closed his eyes in slight pain. Archons were extremely powerful, but there was a reason the Daelaam didn¡¯t just overwhelm their enemies with a couple hundred archons. Archon merging could only be done by high templars of a certain level of psionic power. The archon currently in the field, for example, was formed by the two best high templars in the strike team. When the archons burn out, the two high templars would be lost forever.

    Therefore he must use the opportunity the templars bought him with their lives to make his move. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Follow me, brothers!¡± Artanis turned around and charged toward where the queens of blades should be. His units disengaged with their foes and followed him, but not the archon. The archon turned around and faced the zerg forces, who were swarming up and trying to stall the protoss forces as long as they could.

    Within the zerg cave, Jean frowned at the presence of the archon. She had never seen an archon before, but she could sense the power radiating from the red ball of energy. It was as strong as, if not stronger, than a hybrid destroyer.

    This changed things.

    Jean opened up a comm to Kerrigan. Previously she didn¡¯t find the need to warn Kerrigan because this team would never reach the queen, but the archon changed her mind. ¡°My queen, a group of protoss units is approaching your location. There are hybrids among them, and they are led by the protoss hierarch, Artanis. I suggest you retreat.¡± She was saying it to be safe. There was no point in putting Kerrigan in risk.

    Kerrigan frowned as she pulled her wings out of a crushed immortal. ¡°Retreat? I thought we are winning.¡±

    ¡°We are.¡± Jean replied. ¡°But you will be at risk if you remain in your current location. If you fall back to a safe position, the swarm units on Char can eventually overwhelm the intruders.¡±

    Kerrigan smirked confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I have enough units to crush the protoss. You just need to command the overall battle.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Jean kept her mouth shut. She didn¡¯t care about Kerrigan to warn her more than once.

    In the field, the archon stood tall against a swarm of zerg.

    The swarm immediately surrounded the archon. Zergling claws. Roach salivas. Hydralisk spines. Mutalisk glave worms. Baneling explosions. Everything smashed into the archon.

    The archon didn¡¯t yield. He was formed by the psionic energy of two high templars, and every second he was present he was burning away these psi energy. Without great spending came great power, and the archon was a beast in battle. He was perhaps even stronger than two high templars.

    All the damages hit the plasma shield of the archon and were just gone. The shield barely shook from the hundreds of damages.

    The archon growled in rage. His arms reached out, and a chain of psionic shockwave appeared. He threw the shockwave into the zerg crowd.

    As soon as making contact with the attack, the zerg organic tissues were ripped apart. The rapid degeneration and the thermal energy caused by the attack was insanely effective against biological units. Coincidentally, most of the zerg were biological.

    Zerglings were reduced to a pile of rotting flesh. Banelings exploded inside the zerg flank, causing secondary damage to their comrades. Roaches stood a bit longer, but they were heavily wounded as well. They wouldn¡¯t die from the wounds, but they were too hurt to continue fighting. Hydralisks burned.

    When the smoke cleared, the area before the archon was cleared.

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Jean commented before turning her attention away from the archon. The archon was powerful and, with proper support, might even change the tide of a battle, but this particular one was surrounded. Without reinforcements and aid, he would eventually perish at the endless zerg. The strength of one was limited at the face of an army. Plus, even if the zerg backed off, the archon would burn out anyways.

    Jean turned the attention to the queen of blades. The protoss strike team was cutting its way through the swarm. Small groups of obstacles were cleared by zealots, and large groups of zerg were met with psionic storms. Even if the zerg was too much to be killed all at once, a small group of protoss would leave the main party and hold the swarm back. It was their sacrifice that allowed the remaining strike team to get closer and closer to Kerrigan.

    Checking the psionic network, Jean realized Kerrigan had already summoned a large number of zerg units to her side. The queen of blades was confident, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. She had enough forces with her to take down the protoss.

    Everything was under control.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 111: My life for Amon

    After a couple hundred more dead zerg, the protoss strike team found their target, they were met with the best of the swarm. A certain terran zerg hybrid was before the zerg units.

    ¡°Kerrigan!¡± Artanis growled. Too many had gave their lives for the queen of blades. Protoss blood, metaphorically, had stained every inch of Char. ¡°Amon wants your essence, and it will be our greatest honor to deliver it to him.¡±

    Kerrigan grinned as she motioned for the army behind her. ¡°Amon must have blinded you, Artanis. Can¡¯t you see you have already lost this battle? Your persistence will only lead to the complete destruction of your people.¡±

    Swarm units approached all around the protoss, completely surrounding them. The zerg outnumbered the protoss more than ten to one.

    Artanis glanced at the zerg forces before readying his red blade. His warriors did the same, against all odds.

    ¡°My life for Amon.¡±

    The two sides acted without further waste of time. The best of the Daelaam fought the strongest of the swarm. Only one could come out alive, and both sides did their best to kill each other as quickly as possible.

    Charging zealots were the first to make contact. Their physical weakness was supplemented by their utter faith in their god. They were met with the quickest ground units of the swarm: Zerglings and banelings.

    Screams covered the field as zealots ran into pools of highly corrosive acid, but the experienced zealots came up with an alternative method. A few of them charged into the banelings while others stayed away from the area of effect of the acid. A single zealot could take at least a dozen banelings hits before dying, so could a dozen if they were in range. Even the wounded or depleted zealots could survive a few baneling hits. Through careful coordinations, most of the swarm banelings were rendered useless as they smashed into individual zealots.

    However, surviving the banelings didn¡¯t necessarily mean victory. Zerglings were mixed with the banelings, and when the zealots spreaded out to minimize baneling damage, they were picked apart by groups of zerglings. Once stranded, individual zealots couldn¡¯t survive the claws of dozens of zerglings from every direction. One by one the zealots fell. They took down several times the zerg, but, as stated before, zerg could afford to trade.

    While the zealots were struggling with zerglings and banelings, support units from the two sides exchanged fire. Dragoons and immortals clashed with roaches and hydralisks. Particle disruptors melted the zerg carapace and spines and acids punched through plasma shields. The wounded warriors of the Daelaam did their best to do what they could for their people, but the grooved spines didn¡¯t care about their targets¡¯ dedication as they penetrated more and more battered bodies and put them down forever.

    Zerg screeched. Protoss screamed. The sound of living beings dying echoed throughout the battlefield.

    An ultralisk charged toward the protoss lines. Two zealots fearlessly met with the several story high beast and tried to get something done. They were crushed into a cloud of psionic energy.

    A high templar saw the ultralisk. He focused his psi energy on his legs, and the boost sent him into the air. The ultralisk looked up as the protoss flew through the air and landed on his the chitinous plating of his head. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    The ultralisk shook his head, trying to shake the high templar off, but the high templar simply grabbed onto the ultralisk¡¯s armor. He ignited his blade and stabbed down onto the ultralisk¡¯s skull.

    One stab. Nothing happened. The ultralisk¡¯s head might be the most armored area of the entire beast. Fine, change of plan.

    The templar pulled his blade back and formed a psionic blast and smashed it on the plating. A part of the plating was taken off, but the majority was intact. Then came the second, and the third. After five red concentrated psionic blasts the plating of the ultralisk was practically gone. Psi blade extended, the templar stabbed his weapons into the beast¡¯s skull.

    At first the ultralisk was fine. Its primary organs were duplicated and spread all across its body to make sure the ultralisk couldn¡¯t get taken down via its critical parts. But when the high templar cut the entire ultralisk in half from the opening on the skull and through the soft tissues within the beast, the ultralisk was gone.

    The high templar jumped back off the ultralisk, but his pride was cut off by a round of grooved spines.

    Artanis jumped into the air and toward Kerrigan. His double psi blades slashed down, and were met with the wings of the queen of blades. Even with void energy psi blades don¡¯t have enough power to go through Kerrigan¡¯s carapace.

    ¡°Hear the screams of your people, Artanis.¡± Kerrigan, while fighting, did her best to shake Artanis¡¯ mind. She enjoyed watching her foes fall apart from within, especially if that foe almost killed her. If Jean didn¡¯t come and warn her about the Golden Armada and several hundred Daelaam capital ships arrived on Char and she wasn¡¯t ready...She couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen. In fact she could, which was why she was enjoying this process so much. Fear generated anger. This was the same reason in the original history that encouraged Kerrigan to taunt Raynor when he was on Char. Raynor threatened her, so when she thought she was in control Kerrigan made the process as long and as pleasant as possible.

    ¡°How many Daelaam will be left after this day? Once upon a time your people dominated the sector. You saw yourselves as gods.¡± She pushed Artanis away with a psionic blast. ¡°Oh how the might have fallen.¡±

    If Jean was here she wouldn¡¯t provoke Artanis. It was one thing to provoke an enemy to make him angry and rash, but it was another to make a trapped beast mad. Then again if Jean was here she wouldn¡¯t have fought with Artanis herself in the first place.

    Artanis¡¯ already red eyes grew even redder. All around him his people were dying. Immortals failed to live up to their names. Dragoons were blown to pieces. Zealots were overwhelmed.

    ¡°Astral wind!¡± A friendly psionic wave emitted from Artanis. It reached the battered protoss units and restored their shields and their strength.

    A zealot who was previously kneeling on the ground and getting chewed on by four zerglings suddenly felt his strength restored. He stood back up and shook the zerglings off with a burst of psionic energy. Four slashes ended the four beasts. The renewed zealot charged toward into the battle again, and was instantly killed by six grooved spines.

    An immortal was exchanging fire with a hydralisk. A spine penetrated the immortal¡¯s shield. The next few spines might be able to end the immortal, but suddenly the immortal¡¯s shield was recharged. The immortal managed to withstand the next few spines from the hydralisks and gun it down.

    All across the field protoss forces retaliated with restored strength.

    Kerrigan wasn¡¯t shaken by the sudden change of event. ¡°Not bad, but how many times can you do this? Once? Twice?¡±

    Artanis frowned. He was only strong enough to use the ability once, and he was planning on holding it until the best moment, but it appeared like, even healed and refreshed, the remaining protoss forces didn¡¯t have enough to win the fight. There was just too many zerg. He hid his doubt.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll have more than enough time to kill you.¡± Using the time his refreshed troops bought him, Artanis stroke.

    ¡°Oh you ignorant fool.¡± Kerrigan smiled wickedly and spread out her wings.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 112: Victory

    In space, sixty scourges kamikazed into a mothership. The plasma shield popped, and half of the ship was immediately consumed by the plasma metamorphosis of the suicide bombers. Luckily the mothership was basically empty, so all the losses were a couple crew members. Still, this was the first mothership to fall, and if there was the first there would be the second.

    Selendis observed the space battle, worried. The stalling in space was falling apart. The advantage her plan created was practically gone. Yet from what she sensed through the khala the battle on the ground wasn¡¯t going well either. Her people was decreasing every second. She could literally feel it.

    Drawing in a sharp breathe, Selendis touched her head. At the distance from the mothership she was in to the planet of Char she could sense what was going on in the mind of every protoss in combat. She could feel the pain, the hurt, and the hopelessness of her brothers and sisters below. What hurt more than the pain was the knowledge of knowing there was nothing she could do.

    Since a long time ago Selendis didn¡¯t know whether or not she could complete her mission, but she knew she needed to try. The will of Amon couldn¡¯t be challenged.

    Suddenly, a dark voice rose from around her. Selendis knew who it was. She immediately kneeled down to her master.

    ¡°Selendis, my most loyal follower.¡± Amon¡¯s voice echoed through the bridge. All the crew members in the bridge kneeled as well to show their ultimate obedience.

    ¡°My master, how may I serve you?¡±

    Amon wasted no time. ¡°Gather the remaining forces and warp back to Aiur.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Selendis asked in shock. Her red eyes faltered. ¡°Artanis and thousands of our warriors are still on Char! We can win this battle. We can deliver the queen of blades to you¡­¡±

    ¡°No you can¡¯t.¡± Amon cut her off. ¡°The swarm has the expedition forces surrounded. Artanis is a lost cause. I have already pulled back my hybrids. If the Golden Armada remain in its current position it will fall as well. Warp the Golden Armada back to Aiur now.¡± He demanded.

    Selendis struggled. ¡°But Artanis¡­we can still warp them back.¡±

    ¡°A thousand or so warriors are not worthy risking the entire armada. Leave them. As for Kerrigan¡¯s essence, I have made progress in other fronts.¡± The words were as cold as ever. The dark god wasn¡¯t hesitant in abandoning Artanis and what was left of the protoss forces on Char to the zerg. As Artanis¡¯ apprentice, Selendis wanted to resist that order, but Amon¡¯s will kicked in. All she could form were obedient words.

    ¡°As you wish, my master. Pilot, warp back to Aiur.¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Jean, the Golden Armada is retreating. Our ships weren¡¯t in position to stop them.¡± A broodmother reported. In space, the rest of the blue fleet still intact blinked and warped away, leaving the field of battle to the swarm.

    ¡°Pity. A few more minutes and we could¡¯ve stopped them from leaving forever.¡± A queen said in spite.

    ¡°Order the fleet to move on Char and bombard any remaining protoss forces. Focus your fire on the group of protoss in combat with our queen.¡± Jean opened her eyes and stood up. ¡°Meanwhile, I have something else to attend to.¡± She walked out of the cave.

    The queens exchanged glances, but they didn¡¯t object. Jean wasn¡¯t a part of the swarm, and she wasn¡¯t a part of the chain of command, which meant the queens didn¡¯t have control over her actions.

    <hr>

    At this point most of the protoss forces left were gone. Units warped onto zerg leviathans were separated and overran. Scattered forces on Char were crushed. The only protoss survivors left for now were those with Artanis, and even they were dying swiftly.

    On the burning ground of the planet, a high templar rained down a psionic storm on a group of zerg hydralisks. The hydralisks were fried instantly, but they were quickly replaced by another group of fresh reinforcements. The exhausted templar was penetrated by several spines and fell. As the templar fell, a gap was opened in the protoss flank. Zerglings used that chance to get behind the protoss formations and strike from behind.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    A squad of zealots tried to hold the line, but they were focus fired down by hydralisk spines. They lost their lives before they could even make contact with the zerglings.

    The protoss line was falling apart, and that was when the Golden Armada in the air warped away. Without any warning, it just left, and with it left the last hope for a protoss victory.

    Everyone in the field knew it. Zerg growled and sped up their attack even more. Protoss fought on, but their styles were getting more and more desperate. They fell one by one.

    ¡°Can you sense it, templar? You have been abandoned.¡± Kerrigan commented as she deflected Artanis¡¯ blades. ¡°Your master had abandoned you to me just like Mengsk abandoned me to the zerg. Speaking of, I believe Jean killed Mengsk, but what can you do to Amon?¡± She was going all over the place, and she had the right to do so.

    ¡°No..Selendis!¡± Artanis whispered as the betrayal. He tried to call the executor in the armada via the khala, but there was no response. The khala was effective, but it had a range limit. The lack of response meant only one thing: the Golden Armada was gone. The mind control effect forced him to obey Amon, but his logic told him he was betrayed.

    Didn¡¯t matter. Betrayed or not, he would die for his god.

    ¡°Kerrigan¡­It¡¯s you!¡± The hierarch looked at Kerrigan with endless hatred. It was her! If she wasn¡¯t so tricky and deceptive, his people would still be alive. If she wasn¡¯t so powerful, Amon would easily destroy the world. Why? Why would she reject an end to this infinite cycle? This cycle had brought pain and nothing but pain. After this day Kerrigan¡¯s swarm would be the prime obstacle to Amon¡¯s victory.

    Unless he could end her now.

    Kerrigan looked at Artanis with a somewhat sympathetic look. He had lost everything. His homeworld. His ally. His friends. And now even his own people had betrayed him. Artanis couldn¡¯t blame Amon, who was the true cause of his misery, so he had no choice but to direct his hatred on her. It was pathetic, but Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t let her sympathy getting in her way.

    Artanis looked at a fellow high templar, and the khala allowed the latter to understand Artanis¡¯ will. Neither side hesitated. Neither side faltered. Neither one of them had a single sense of doubt as they ignited their bodies, forming a temporal surge of extremely powerful psionic energy. The two surges of energies met, and a large red body formed in the middle.

    As Artanis¡¯ form faded away, his gaze was set on his sole enemy, the queen of blades. All he could think of was how much easier it would be for Amon. If the archon he formed could kill Kerrigan, then Amon might be able to take over the swarm. Despite all odds, Amon still have a chance to end everything. If all went well, the endless cycle of eternal agony would end very soon.

    ¡°For Amon!¡± Upon realizing they were abandoned and that their leader was merging into an archon, what was left of the survivors made a last suicidal charge. They didn¡¯t let the disadvantages they were in get in their way, and as a reward to their bravery they were immediately slaughtered by the overwhelming zerg forces.

    Hearing the screams of the protoss leftovers, Kerrigan¡¯s attention was drawn to the archon Artanis formed. The power of archons depended on the strength of the high templars they were formed with, and Artanis was surely one of the strongest templars ever alive. The one he merged with wasn¡¯t weak either. The product of two strong could only lead to someone stronger.

    ¡°Die!¡± Consumed by anger and hatred and knowing that his time was limited, Artanis wasted no time in words. A surge of psionic blast from the archon struck toward Kerrigan. The queen of blades formed a shield between herself and the attack. The psionic blast hit the shield and was paused for a few seconds before showing signs of pushing through. Kerrigan immediately pushed her arms out, adding her own psi energy to the fray to push Artanis back. The two stood in a stalemate for a while.

    If the two could fight fairly it would be a question about how would come on top. Artanis, or the archon he formed, was stronger than the queen of blades, but he was on a timer. If Kerrigan could hold for a while, she would win out and Artanis would¡¯ve melted himself, but if he couldn¡¯t¡­ However, battles were never fair. Kerrigan had an army. Artanis didn¡¯t.

    Kerrigan was never one to play fairly. If she did she wouldn¡¯t have betrayed Fenix and Raynor on Char. She had no mental burden in ordering her units to come to her aid in this duel.

    At a single command, all the zerg units unleashed everything they had on the big ball of red energy. Zerglings charged into plasma shields and were melted just so they could decrease the archon¡¯s psionic power by a negligible amount. Banelings gave their lives to weaken Artanis¡¯ shield. Ranged units opened fire with all their might. Yet their effect was minimal.

    An ultralisk charged toward the archon. It¡¯s giant kaisar blades slashed down on the red ball of psionic energy. The archon couldn¡¯t dodge the hit, for he was stuck in the psionic duel with Kerrigan. He could only take the full impact of a god knew how heavy ultralisk crashing into him.

    Kaisar blades clashed with the shield. As soon as it made contact, the blades melted away from extreme heat. After all plasma shields were thousands of degrees Celcius. As the blade melted, the archon¡¯s psionic energy storage decreased sharply. Maintaining plasma shield required a large amount of psi energy.

    And yet as soon as Artanis¡¯ attention was diverted away to restore his shield, the queen struck. A burst of psionic energy swept through the air and pushed past the balance point. Artanis turned his attention back to Kerrigan and restored his psionic input, but then the zerg units hit again¡­

    Ten minutes later, the archon, composed partly of the supreme leader of the Daelaam, perished.

    The zerg was victorious.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 113: With allies like these

    ¡°My queen, all the protoss forces on Char are eliminated. You are victorious.¡± The deep voice of a queen praised Kerrigan on his victory.

    ¡°Indeed...wait, where¡¯s Jean?¡± Kerrigan said casually before suddenly realizing it wasn¡¯t the soft girl speaking. She didn¡¯t want to admit it, but she enjoyed having Jean behind her back. It felt...safe.

    ¡°Jean Turner left the command station after the protoss fleet warped away.¡± A queen reminded. ¡°Should we go after her?¡±

    Before Kerrigan could answer she sensed a communication request from Jean¡¯s psionic presence. She opened the comm. Jean¡¯s voice appeared in her head.

    ¡°My queen.¡± Jean was as calm as ever. ¡°By now I am on a ship ready to warp away at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡± Kerrigan said with a hurt expression.

    Jean didn¡¯t respond. Kerrigan allowed her presence because the threat of the Golden Armada was much more pressing. Without the protoss threat Jean might become the new threat. There was no saying what Kerrigan would do, but Jean knew better than trusting the queen of blades on her honesty.

    So she changed the topic. ¡°Amon had lost the majority of the Golden Armada, but he has other pawns. Feral zerg. Hybrids. What was left of the Daelaam. More importantly he is hiding in the void. I will need your help in taking him down once and for all.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come back and join us? It is rude to run away on a lady.¡± Kerrigan joked.

    ¡°I will contact you again after I reach out to my other allies. Until then.¡± Jean turned off the comm. Kerrigan felt her psionic presence disappearing out of her range of sensing.

    Smirking, the queen of blades turned and walked away from the land that buried the best of the Daelaam protoss.

    <hr>

    On the other side, Jean turned to two pieces of information she received. One was a comm request from Valerian and the other was one from the tal¡¯darim.

    First one, General Warfield and the Terran Dominion successfully pushed back the feral zerg. By pushing back Jean meant the feral left Dominion airspace as soon as the Dominion fleet retreated. Jean wasn¡¯t surprised. Amon wanted to hold her allies back, and the ferals had reached their purposes as soon as the Dominion fleet returned. Further combat would be an unnecessary waste.

    However, what almost surprised Jean was Warfield¡¯s hesitation in joining forces with her again. In fact, it was not just Warfield. It was also Valerian.

    ¡°You have to understand, Jean. The zerg invasion was terrifying. Planets were wiped out. Innocent slaughtered. When the cloud cleared, the people demanded to know why the Dominion forces weren¡¯t there to repel the zerg invasion the second those aliens appeared.¡± On the computer screen Valerian seemed so torn apart. Being an emperor wasn¡¯t easy. Being an emperor that cared about his people was even worse. ¡°I can¡¯t just tell them the Dominion fleet is sent to fight an alien god, can I?¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±Jean asked, confused. From her point of view the truth was enough. The Dominion fleet was indeed sent to fight an alien god.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Because this is not our fight.¡± Valerian tried to explain to the girl who knew no emotion. ¡°The people will protest and force me to keep the fleet in the Dominion. Amon is too distant for them. The common people don¡¯t know about xel¡¯nagas and cycles. They only know their lives were threatened by the zerg, and they are scared.¡±

    ¡°Then it is your duty to put the objections down.¡± Jean¡¯s emotion side was literally gone. She could approach people¡¯s emotions from a logical point of view, but she couldn¡¯t feel them. She was literally treating the people and their thoughts and actions like it was a math calculation. She calculated what would happen if she did this and what would happen if she did that. Therefore she couldn¡¯t understand why Valerian refused to put down his people and establish absolute control over the Dominion. A dictatorship was more efficient.

    One thing Jean didn¡¯t realize was that she was getting further and further away from her normal self. When she first arrived she couldn¡¯t feel emotion, but she could remember what emotion felt like. But as more and more time passed she gradually forgot about what it felt like to laugh and to cry. She was being turned to a machine.

    ¡°I will do no such thing. The people have a right to speak.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? Your propaganda is no longer required. You are already the emperor of the Terran Dominion and you already have absolute command of the fleet.¡± Jean questioned.

    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Valerian paused.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you pretending to be caring to your people when you were a prince to gain support?¡± Jean said matter of factly. ¡°You didn¡¯t have power then, so you needed a good image in the eyes of the public to get support. I understand that, but you no longer need to hide behind a nice image now.¡±

    Valerian¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°I don¡¯t need to pretend to be a good person, and I never will!¡± He was slightly beaten down. Is this how the world saw him? A hypocrite? ¡°We¡¯re done here. I wish you luck against Amon, but the Dominion fleet will not be able to join you.¡±

    ¡°We had a deal.¡± Jean reminded. ¡°I carried out my part. You didn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°I am sorry, Jean.¡± Valerian turned off the comm.

    Jean wasn¡¯t shaken. She tapped the computer before her a few times, and a signal was sent to the Dominion. ¡°No.¡± After she was done with that she sat back in her seat. ¡±I am sorry. For you.¡± She made a deal with Valerian, but she also had a back up plan in case Valerian betrayed her. This seemed to be happening a lot to her recently. Twenty hidden Warden AIs were being stored among the CPU database of the Dominion fleet, and she had just sent over another two hundred units. With a single command she could turn the Dominion armada over to herself, and that was exactly what she just did.

    The Dominion had guys good at computer, but none of them could combine the power of psionic energy, the efficiency of a mutated brain, and the aid of thousands of AIs. Dominion firewall fell without giving out a single warning.

    Now that that was done, Jean turned to the second piece of information. It was from the tal¡¯darim.

    ¡°Jean. Highlord demands you presence.¡± First Ascendant Alarak seemed proud on the comm.

    ¡°What does Nyon have to say that can¡¯t be said on the comm? I¡¯m busy.¡± Jean was still planning on checking out Nova, meet with the Dominion, or rather Warden, fleet, and then converge with the tal¡¯darim and the swarm. The combined forces should be enough to march into the void and end Amon once and for all. She didn¡¯t know Amon was on Aiur.

    ¡°Something important.¡± Alarak explained. ¡°Transmissions can be intercepted.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°It is something about Amon. He is setting his eyes on another target. Highlord wanted me to inform you. He himself is continuing his investigation.¡±

    ¡°Reasonable.¡± Jean nodded and set the course of her ship to Slayn. ¡°I am on my way.¡±

    On Slayn, Alarak closed the comm and turned to Ji¡¯nara. ¡°Prepare the trap, First Ascendant.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Highlord.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 114: Setting the net

    A few days ago, Slayn.

    First Ascendant Alarak sat in his seat. A look of anxiety on his face.

    The Death Fleet had just returned to Slayn and had purged the small fractions of feral zerg forces that attacked the planet. As soon as the threat was gone, Nyon ordered another march to meet up with Jean again. This time they would bring every last tal¡¯darim in the race. This time there would be no weakness Amon could use. The fleet would march in two days.

    Alarak was worried.

    He wasn¡¯t worried about losing the war against Amon, no. He was worried about the tal¡¯darim winning the war. If the tal¡¯darim, under Nyon, won the war, then the power of the current Highlord would be unquestionable. Nyon¡¯s allies in the war would support his power. Jean alone would not allow her ally to be overthrown by those below him. Even within the tal¡¯darim ranks Nyon would establish absolute power. His shady methods of overthrowing Ma¡¯lash and his transgression against Amon would be covered by the glory of his victory. As Nyon stood at the peak of the tal¡¯darim power pyramid, he, First Ascendant Alarak, would be stuck with that title for quite a while.

    Alarak didn¡¯t want that. If he was satisfied with his position then he would still be a normal zealot. He wanted to ascend. He wanted to become the Highlord.

    But how? Nyon has the majority of the Death Fleet. Nyon has powerful allies. Nyon has the name: He is the Highlord. Striking him down in a fair duel would be impossible, and striking him outside a duel would make Alarak the public enemy.

    Frustrated, Alarak grabbed another dose of terrazine. The breath of god had became so important to the tal¡¯darim people that even after going against Amon they still used the substance to enhance their strength.

    As the purple gas covered his surrounding, Alarak suddenly had an innovation.

    The enemy of his enemy was his friend. His enemy was Nyon. Nyon¡¯s enemy was Amon¡­If he could contact Amon and strike a deal¡­

    ¡°Guard!¡± A zealot walked in. ¡°Summon Ji¡¯nara.¡±

    Second Ascendant Ji¡¯nara walked in a few minutes later. Alarak waited until the guard left the room before speaking.

    ¡°I know you are helping Amon.¡±

    Ji¡¯nara hided her surprise and her fear. She silently felt the psi blade generator around her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about. Our Highlord had saw through Amon¡¯s betrayal. Amon is the enemy of all of us.¡±

    ¡°I saw you putting the transmitter in the terran female¡¯s bridge.¡± Alarak¡¯s words destroyed any hope Ji¡¯nara had left, but just before Ji¡¯nara made a desperate attempt to silence Alarak the First Ascendant spoke. ¡°I want you to contact Amon for me.¡±

    ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Ji¡¯nara realized Alarak needed her, so she bargained.

    ¡°First, because we have the same idea. Nyon¡¯s presence is disturbing the Rak¡¯Shir. Second, because if you don¡¯t help me I will kill you and tell the world you were a traitor. Nyon will only reward me.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Ji¡¯nara thought about it for a while. ¡°Fine. Of course you can always just take twenty dozes of terrazine and be with Amon right now.¡± Alarak wasn¡¯t amused at the joke. One dose of terrazine was an enhancement. Twenty dozes was suicide.

    Ji¡¯nara took out a small device that radiated crimson void energy. She activated it, and the entire room was filled with the scent of Amon.

    ¡°Guards! Secure the room. Execute any trespassers!¡± The guards outside Alarak¡¯s chamber were absolutely loyal to Alarak. They were even willing to raise their blades against Nyon for the ascendant. At the order they locked the entire area down and drew their blades while scanning the surrounding for any possible foe.

    In the chamber, void energy formed a voice. The voice of Amon.

    ¡°Ji¡¯nara. This better be important? Do you know how much energy it takes to speak with you?¡± Amon spoke impolitely. Unless he was planning on some conspiracy, the dark god never bothered with politeness.

    ¡°That¡¯s not my concern.¡± Ji¡¯nara showed no respect to her god. The tal¡¯darim followed the strongest. They could kneel and beg and even pray to the strongest, but when that strongest was defeated, the tal¡¯darim would be the first to feast on the remains of the defeated. For thousands of years Amon was undefeated, but now that Jean had pulled Amon down from the throne, the tal¡¯darim had realized Amon was capable of being defeated. When the faith disappeared, the only thing that connected Ji¡¯nara and Amon was their common enemy. There was an alliance, but there was no respect. ¡°May I introduce you to Alarak, First Ascendant of the tal¡¯darim.¡± She paused for a second for the dramatic effect. ¡°He wants to join alliance with you as well.¡±

    ¡°Ahh. The First and the Second Ascendant, both so eager to betray their master. Nyon must be really despised.¡± Amon provoked.

    ¡°This is not your concern. I offer you a deal. We merge forces and take down Nyon together. After that I will turn the tal¡¯darim to your side as your ally. Your enemy loses an army and you gain one. Deal?¡±

    ¡°Not enough.¡± Amon bargined further. Just turning the Death Fleet over wasn¡¯t enough. The Golden Armada was approaching Char. If everything went well they would begin their attack with the element of surprise. Kerrigan shouldn¡¯t be able to deal with that, but just having the swarm might not be enough.

    Amon wasn¡¯t worried about Jean¡¯s fleet. Her allies were unstable, and the fleets directly under her command were few. Just looking at the numbers Amon knew he had an advantage, but war was much more than just numbers.

    Jean gave him a dangerous feeling. After his threats that turned Jean¡¯s combined fleet temperiory apart he had sent a squad of hybrid behemoths to Jean¡¯s coordinates, but she was nowhere to be seen when the hybrids arrived just seconds after the Death Fleet and the Dominion fleet left. It was as if Jean knew what he was doing. A spy was impossible, which meant Jean guessed what he was doing with little or no information. Someone capable of doing that was not to be undermined.

    This was why he wasn¡¯t satisfied by the Death Fleet. A few hundred ships less for his enemy and more for him was great, but the more he could gain from this the safer he felt against Jean.

    ¡°What else do you want?¡±

    ¡°I want you to bring me Jean. This terran might be a threat to me.¡± Amon realized he seemed a bit weak. ¡°She¡¯s not even a threat, just some trouble, but you need to prove to me your worth.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to prove anything to you.¡± Alarak replied with his standard salt. ¡°How do you suggest me to bring you Jean? Even if I can lure her into a trap, she will not be an easy prey. She¡¯s hiding it, but I can sense the amount of strength within her.¡±

    ¡°Might I remind you that we have a fleet?¡± Ji¡¯nara cut in. ¡°Defeating Jean is not the problem. One can never stand against an army. It is taking command of the Death Fleet and luring Jean here that¡¯s the problem.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± Alarak glanced at Ji¡¯nara. ¡°I can lure Jean here with a few lies, but we can¡¯t let her get any suspicion. The takeover must be quick and quiet. We need to hit Nyon before he can rally his fleet. If Nyon gets to his fleet, we will be crushed.¡±

    ¡°I have a plan...¡± Amon finally spoke. As he spoke, the other two ascendants nodded in agreement. This plan could work. This plan must work.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 115: Special approach

    Ji¡¯nara walked along the burnt floor of Slayn.

    The female ascendant had no mental burden in betraying Nyon. Nyon let her live during his takeover, and she had pledged her life to him, but so what? Her past submission was only for the sake of her future domination.

    Zealots and lower ascendants kneeled down as Ji¡¯nara walked by. The Second Ascendant had quite the power in the society.

    A few minutes later Ji¡¯nara entered a heavily guarded fortress. Photon cannons scattered over the place, making sure no cloaked unit could sneak inside. Small groups of patrols walked around in alert. The safe surrounding of Slayn didn¡¯t wipe out the caution of these elite warriors. Ascendants and reinforcements could be warped into battle whenever they were needed. The Death Fleet, currently in orbit, could be called down with a moment¡¯s notice.

    The first step of taking Nyon was to deny his reinforcements. That was why Ji¡¯nara was here.

    ¡°Halt. State your purpose, Second Ascendant.¡±

    Walking more into the fortress and was paused by a pair of zealots, Ji¡¯nara felt the suspicious eyes of the warriors scanning over her. Normal zealots were lower than the Second Ascendant, and the zealot should show some respect, but these zealots weren¡¯t exactly the case. They were directly under the Highlord, which granted them the right to question Ji¡¯nara. She couldn¡¯t punish him without the approval of Nyon, and refusing to answer the zealot¡¯s question could raise suspicion. Tasked to protect the Highlord from enemies by from outside and from within, these zealots were ultimately loyal to Nyon. They were the greatest threat to her plan.

    ¡°I am here to see the Highlord to discuss the matter about the war against Amon.¡± Thinking quickly, Ji¡¯nara didn¡¯t hesitate in responding.

    The zealot found it reasonable. ¡°My brother will escort you to the Highlord.¡±

    ¡°There is no need.¡± Ji¡¯nara tried, despite knowing how low her chances of getting lucky was.

    ¡°We have our orders, Second Ascendant.¡± The zealot replied harshly.

    Ji¡¯nara felt the ¡°Second¡± from the zealot burning. She silently held her fists tight, but she hid her anger from the zealots. There was no need to argue with a soon to be dead man.

    The first zealot continued his patrol while the second zealot lead the way further into the fortress. Ji¡¯nara followed the second zealot.

    The two walked by heavy defenses. Ji¡¯nara even saw some vanguards on the way. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Walking by another bridge, Ji¡¯nara noticed the place was empty. Her psionic sensation could detect most enemies, so unless the best blood hunter ever born was hiding in a dark corner she was alone. Of course, there was the second zealot¡­

    ¡°Zealot!¡± Ji¡¯nara said darkly. The zealot turned around, only to see a pair of bane blades cutting through his body. He wasn¡¯t ready for battle, so his plasma shield was off. The two red blades cut his body in half with very little resistance. The fatally wounded zealot tried to produce a scream to warn his comrades, but Ji¡¯nara showed that she didn¡¯t became the Second Ascendant with a pretty face. Before the zealot¡¯s psi energy could form voice in the air the Second Ascendant turned her blade and beheaded the zealot.

    Smirking at the fading zealot, Ji¡¯nara turned and took out something from her armor. It was a red metal cylinder. She dropped the cylinder on the ground and left.

    <hr>

    When Ji¡¯nara arrived into Nyon¡¯s chamber, her doing was unnoticed. The guards thought the killed zealot have returned back to his post. The guards thought the zealot was still with Ji¡¯nara. This lack of information gave Ji¡¯nara precious time.

    ¡°Highlord.¡± Ji¡¯nara silently calculated the time. ¡°I have an idea against Amon. If we can¡­¡± Just like she counted, that was when the cylinder she dropped came into effect.

    The cylinder contracted before exploding and sending a wave of blue energy through the entire fortress. Immediately, all across the field protoss shields went down. Communication devices were burnt. Tal¡¯darim warriors groaned as their strength was weakened.

    Ji¡¯nara felt the slight pain in her head and smiled. The device, according to Amon, was an EMP emitter. Apparently Amon received it from his terran underlings. For this mission, the emitter was modified to be stronger and smaller.

    The EMP wave generated wasn¡¯t strong enough to completely disable the guards, but then again they weren¡¯t meant to win the battle by themselves. They were designed to destroy communication devices and cut off the cry for help from the fortress. Reinforcements couldn¡¯t arrive if they didn¡¯t know something was wrong. Amon and Alarak didn¡¯t need to take out the reinforcements. They just need to stall the reinforcements long enough.

    Of course, Ji¡¯nara kept her smile hidden and put on a shocked face.

    ¡°What?¡± Nyon frowned. Who would want to attack him on Slayn? Who could attack him? The Death Fleet could descend upon this place with a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Guards! Call down the fleet.¡± He ordered.

    A zealot moved into the chamber and tried the communication device. There was no use. ¡°It¡¯s disabled, my lord.¡±

    A cloud of smoke appeared beside Nyon. Ji¡¯nara almost drew her blade, but the calm look of Nyon showed her it was not an enemy. As the cloud cleared, she noticed it was a blood hunter.

    ¡°Highlord, someone set off an EMP charge in our center. We have lost contact with the outside world.¡±

    Nyon acted quickly. ¡°Send a squad of warriors outside the fortress to establish contact.¡± The zealot left. ¡±Gather the guards and prepare for battle. Whoever did this will surely follow it up.¡± The blood hunter nodded and blinked away.

    <hr>

    A squad of five zealots walked out of the fortress. They were more than excited to find help not far away from the fortress.

    ¡°First Ascendant! Someone attacked the Highlord¡¯s fortress with an EMP. Highlord has ordered the fleet to move upon the fortress.¡± The zealot was a bit lame in the mind, which was why he didn¡¯t find the group of armed forces outside the fortress at this strange time confusing.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Alarak smiled and ignited his blade. ¡°Then what are we waiting for?¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 116: Backstab

    Alarak pulled his blade out of a zealot and smiled viciously at his look of disbelief. Neither the zealot nor his four comrades expected it when he drew his blades on them.

    ¡°Shall we move now?¡± An adept asked. ¡°Nyon still has an army and a defensive position, but we have the element of surprise.¡±

    Alarak smirked. ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± He flickered his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s time to protect our leader.¡±

    He walked toward the fortress. Hundreds of zealots, adepts, and ascendants followed.

    <hr>

    An ascendant and a group of 20 zealots were standing guard at the main entrance of Nyon¡¯s fortress. They were joined by another group of zealot reinforcements.

    ¡°Ascendant.¡± Among the 15 or so reinforcing zealots, one of them ran up to the ascendant guarding the gate. ¡°Highlord sent us to secure the gate.¡± He reported, glancing at the disabled photon cannon beside. The EMP also disabled most of the defensive structures, along with the warping mechanisms. Amon didn¡¯t fail his name as the creator.

    The ascendant nodded. He had received orders to lock the entire place down. ¡°Spread out. Stop anyone from entering. Execute all that disobeys.¡±

    ¡°Anyone, ascendant?¡± The zealot pointed at a group of tal¡¯darim advancing from outside. ¡°Including them?¡±

    The ascendant noticed the First Ascendant walking in front of the group and knew this was not going to be pretty. His orders demanded him to stop anyone from entering, but he couldn¡¯t really stop the First Ascendant. Alarak was, after all, the second most powerful tal¡¯darim on the planet.

    Still, he walked up. The reinforcing zealot leader followed.

    ¡°First Ascendant.¡± The ascendant greeted. ¡°We are under orders to lock this place down. There shall be no entrance.¡±

    ¡°I received orders to reinforce the Highlord.¡± Alarak seemed confused.

    ¡°There was no such order given to you.¡± The ascendant replied coldly. ¡°Highlord had ordered his personal fleet to return from orbit. He had never summoned you.¡±

    Alarak took a deep breath. Luckily his forces had surrounded every front of the fortress, and there was no way for messengers to get out. Otherwise things would be really bad for him. A few carriers could obliterate the rebels.

    ¡°Step aside.¡± The First Ascendant demanded. ¡°In the name of the First Ascendant I order you to step aside.¡±

    The ascendant was unmoved as a ball of void energy formed in his palms. ¡°I apologize, First Ascendant, but Highlord has delivered his orders. Leave, or we will take lethal actions.¡± The zealots behind hin ignited their blades.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Well then.¡± Alarak tilted his head. ¡°DO IT.¡±

    The ascendant frowned, and the next second a bane blade penetrated him from behind. It was the reinforcing zealot. Screams came from behind as guard zealots were taken by surprise by reinforcing zealots. The guards had a slight number advantage, but they were easily disposed of. They never thought their own brothers would turn on them.

    Alarak watched the slaughter with a smirk. When all the zealots loyal to Nyon were dead the head of the reinforcing zealots walked up to him. ¡°First Ascendant.¡± The zealot said with a deep voice. ¡°Nyon has betrayed our god, but there are still some of us loyal to our master. Our master has informed us of the situation. Hundreds of my brothers are scattered all over the fortress and ready to strike.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡± Alarak silently made a side note to kill these zealots loyal to Amon after he becomes the Highlord and to make sure his underlings were more loyal to him than to Amon. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed, shall we?¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Highlord, messengers sent to the front gate have not reported back.¡± Nyon and a few hundred zealots were gathering in a field inside Nyon¡¯s palace. A blood hunter reported. ¡°The Death Fleet is nowhere to be seen either.¡±

    Nyon groaned as he checked out a burnt device. It was the device that held The Assistant. It was burned when the EMP hit. After all, despite its high tech, the device was electronic. and EMP were the natural enemy of electronic devices. Frustrated, he tucked the device away.

    For some reason he felt unsafe without the Assistant behind him telling him what to do. He could feel a net being set up around him, and it was gradually closing. He needed to do something, but he didn¡¯t know what. If the Assistant was here she could think of something, but the AI was gone, possibly forever.

    ¡°Highlord,¡± One ascendant and two zealots moved into the palace in a hurry. They kneeled down in front of Nyon. ¡°First Ascendant Alarak is moving toward this position with his forces. they are slaughtering every guard in the process.¡°

    ¡°What? Alarak?¡± Nyon growled. ¡°How dare he do this? He will pay!¡± He ignited his blades and started walking out of the palace. ¡°Zealots, follow me and¡­¡±

    He was cut off as the two reporting zealots drew their blades and slashed down on him. It was surprising, but Nyon was not an easy prey. He stepped back, barely dodging the blades, and then mindblasted the two rogue zealots into a pile of psionic energy.

    That was when he felt a powerful psionic energy smashing into his body. It was the ascendant. He had a smile on his face as he gained an upper hand. The element of surprise was truly significant in this scenario. Nyon was caught by surprise, and he was struggling to direct his psi energy to protect himself.

    What happened seemed a lot, but it all happened in two seconds. The zealots behind loyal to Nyon didn¡¯t even realize what had happened. When they did it would be too late.

    Nyon felt the ascendant¡¯s psionic energy closing in. He started to feel something wrong with the ascendant. The ascendant was much stronger than he should be. The hint of purple void energy suggested some foul play coming from a certain xel¡¯naga.

    But just before Nyon could fall, the ascendant screamed and imploded. Nyon, saved, looked at the one that saved him.

    Ji¡¯nara.

    ¡°Highlord.¡± The female Second Ascendant walked up with a concerned look.

    ¡°I am fine. I understand your loyalty, Ji¡¯nara. When I destroy Alarak, you will be the First Ascendant.¡± Nyon praised. ¡°Now, let¡¯s show the traitor why I am the Highlord.¡±

    As the group walked out of the palace and on the route to meet Alarak, Ji¡¯nara smirked inside. Loyalty? Only fools and weaklings were loyal to others. The strong, like her, would only be loyal to herself.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 117: The most dangerous job in the sector

    The assassination attempt was a result of the struggle between the three sides against each other.

    The ascendant and the two zealots were loyal to Amon. The news they delivered to Nyon, news of Alarak¡¯s betrayal, was true. Amon didn¡¯t want Alarak to take Nyon by surprise and win without much losses, so he balanced the situation by giving Nyon a heads up. The ideal situation was at least one side of the two forces was terminated, and the other side was weakened. A unified tal¡¯darim could always be a threat.

    However, the ascendant was either blinded by greed or by the twelve dozes of terrazine he took. Before the mission, for some mysterious reason, he decided to make himself stronger so he could carry out Amon¡¯s will better, and he decided that taking terrazine in the dozens was the best way. Well, he did almost kill Nyon, but the amount of terrazine also chipped away his logic. It was no wonder he forgot about his orders and just attacked Nyon. What was worse was it almost worked. Nyon was completely taken by surprise and almost died. Then again even if the ascendant succeeded Amon would eat him alive.

    As for Ji¡¯nara, well, she was fully aware she was the weakest among the three. If she was to keep her place in the trio she would need to be on equal ground with Amon and Alarak. This was why she attempted to weaken the two, and what was better than standing aside and watch as the forces of Alarak and Nyon kill each other. She couldn¡¯t let Nyon die, at least not now. Even if Nyon was to die he needed to die after destroying a number of Alarak¡¯s followers. Thus came the kill on the rogue ascendant.

    This action also had another unintended effect. Nyon thought Ji¡¯nara was on his side. Why else would she save him? If she wanted him dead she could just stay where she was and pretend to be too shocked to act and the rogue ascendant would¡¯ve did her job for her.

    Every tal¡¯darim lived in a world of deception and betrayal. Those that survived were not to be undermined.

    <hr>

    ¡°Alarak!¡± Nyon yelled furiously as his forces met that of Alarak in a field. ¡°You will pay for this.¡±

    ¡°Really? Tell me, Nyon? Are you not confused? You have sent out orders for reinforcements a while ago, and still not one ship came.¡± Alarak did his standard antagonist speech. ¡°This place is surrounded by forces loyal to me and to me alone. Your fleet is being destroyed at the moment. Now, drop your weapon and submit to me, or you will die.¡± He pointed his weapons at Nyon.

    As stereotyped as Alarak seemed, he wasn¡¯t doing the speech to give Nyon an opportunity to make a comeback. He was attempting to shake the will of Nyon and his followers. It didn¡¯t really work.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t need reinforcements to defeat you.¡± Nyon said pridely to cover his inner doubt. He couldn¡¯t afford to show hesitation now. He simply couldn¡¯t. ¡°Loyal supplicants, join me and crush this traitor!¡±

    And the two sides clashed.

    Zealots showed no mercy. Glave cannons ripped through plasma shields and protoss armor. Ascendants sent deadly psi energy into enemy flanks. The few slayers did their best to do damage. None of the tal¡¯darim felt merciful to their own people. If anything they moved quicker and hit harder.

    Alarak charged into a Nyon adept and crushed her. Two strikes from his giant blades ended another zealot. A slayer shot at him, and was met with a force lightning.

    Nyon dismantled an enemy ascendant with a swift move of his blades. Two zealots charged toward him, and were welcomed by a psionic orb. When the orb was gone, so were the zealots.

    Ji¡¯nara fought a hand to hand battle with one of Alarak¡¯s ascendants.

    ¡°Highlord.¡± Nyon chopped another zealot apart when his blades were blocked by those of another ascendant. Alarak stared at Nyon provokingly. ¡°Your underlings are boring me. I hope you can be more of a challenge.¡± His blades were stained in blood, metaphorically of course. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Nyon advanced with no fear. The two fought...with few results. Their skills with the blades and their psionic energies were very similar.

    ¡°Ji¡¯nara, join me!¡± Nyon commanded. Ji¡¯nara paused for a second before abandoning the ascendant she was fighting and joining Nyon against Alarak. Ji¡¯nara wasn¡¯t a bad fighter either. In fact none of the top ascendants were bad at fighting. It was 2v1.

    Red blades hit red blades. Plasma shield appeared and deflected attacks that the blades missed. And yet four blades were more than two. Alarak was pushed back further and further.

    ¡°Die die die!¡± Nyon shouted in excitement. The sight of his foe losing ground was perhaps the most entertaining thing a tal¡¯darim could see.

    And then all hell broke loose.

    Alarak turned to Ji¡¯nara and the group of fighting tal¡¯darim. ¡°What are you waiting for? If I fall, so will you! All of you!¡± He seemed furious, and he was indeed furious. Neither of his allies played their part, and both wanted to weaken him. He had no choice but to bring it out in front of Nyon.

    Nyon smiled widely as if he heard a joke. He trusted the guards in his palace. They were loyal warriors. ¡°If you think you can demolish my trust in my warriors with a few words, you are¡­¡±

    Suddenly behind Nyon a few Nyon zealots turned their blades and started stabbing and slashing on their previous comrades. A vanguard turned his scatter cannons toward a group of crowded zealots, Nyon and Alarak alike, and opened fire. The projectile wiped out warriors from both sides. An ascendant ignited the psi energy within a brother beside her and watched the ascendant burn. A zealot drew his blades on an ascendant. In the shadows a blood hunter slit the throat of another blood hunter.

    The situation was a mess. Amon¡¯s forces were killing Nyon¡¯s forces, and they weren¡¯t hesitant to kill some of Alarak¡¯s warriors doing that. Nyon¡¯s forces were taken surprise, and they were forced to fight Alarak¡¯s forces and be aware of backstabs from behind. Alarak¡¯s forces pushed forward.

    The effect of terrazine on the tal¡¯darim forces was just so great. Anyone that took terrazine, which was all of the tal¡¯darim population, that had ambition, again, all of the tal¡¯darim population, could be corrupted by Amon. Not all tal¡¯darim knew or believed in Amon¡¯s plan to destroy the world. After all, Amon was their god once upon a time, and he was pretty strong.

    ¡°How dare you!¡± Nyon disengaged from the combat, turned around, and screamed in disbelief as he observed the change of tide.

    Alarak looked at Ji¡¯nara, urging her to make a move. It was now or never. Ji¡¯nara signed and turned around and beheaded Nyon in one swift blow.

    Nyon was powerful, but he was completely taken by surprise. Thanks to the rogue ascendant, Nyon believed Ji¡¯nara was on his side even after the rest of his forces were ripped apart by revolts. Plus, the sudden change of event didn¡¯t give him too long to think. His attention were paid on the forces in combat. Deep down he thought Ji¡¯nara could hold off Alarak for at least a few seconds. Well, he was wrong.

    There goes the third dead Highlord in less than a month. Ma¡¯lash. Guraj. Nyon. Highlord of the tal¡¯darim was surely a highly dangerous profession.

    Seeing their leader gone, warriors ultimately loyal to Nyon fought till the last man. When the cloud cleared, Alarak was in control.

    ¡°Hear I declare myself as the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim.¡± Standing above the armor that previously belonged to Nyon, Alarak declared loudly. There was no objection. Anyone that would have objected was dead.

    ¡°I am the First Ascendant. Challenge me now or forever keep quiet.¡± Ji¡¯nara followed. The scene was quiet.

    As the chain of command was set, an Amon zealot walked up to the new Highlord.

    ¡°Our master wants to remind you not to forget the deal you made. Jean Turner must be delivered to him.¡±

    ¡°Tell your master I will do that as soon as I control the Death Fleet.¡± Alarak agreed.

    The Death Fleet fell to Alarak quickly. The new Highlord crushed any opposition with an iron fist. Suure, his takeover wasn¡¯t exactly orthodox, but recently none of the Highlords got to their place with a standard method. Several ascendants loyal to Nyon were terminated, and most of the Death Fleet became pawns of Alarak. The world had no idea as one of the most powerful fleets in the sector joined the dark god.

    As the event settled and control was established, Alarak started building a trap for Jean Turner.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 118: Captured

    A wraith landed on Slayn. A blonde girl stepped out of the cockpit, and was met with the new Highlord himself. Of course, Jean didn¡¯t know Alarak was the new Highlord.

    ¡°First Ascendant Alarak.¡± Jean tilted her head. ¡°What is it so important that can¡¯t be said on the comm?¡± She tapped a device on her wrist. Not her watch, but a device connected to the Assistant AI. She wanted to learn more from the AI, but there was no response.

    Jean felt slightly strange, but she wasn¡¯t alerted. Slayn didn¡¯t exactly have internet.

    ¡°The Highlord will tell you about that. In his palace.¡± Alarak motioned for the palace.

    Jean nodded and followed Alarak as the two walked into the palace. Meanwhile Jean continued to attempt to contact the Assistant.

    <hr>

    Walking further into the palace, Jean sensed large amounts of tal¡¯darim units around. Again she wasn¡¯t alarmed. She would be alarmed if the palace was empty. It was only normal to have security present around the leaders.

    When the two finally reached the throne room, Jean was surprised to find the seat empty. She threw a questioning look toward Alarak. Is Nyon late?

    And then she saw Alarak walking onto the chair and sitting down.

    ¡°As the Highlord of the tal¡¯darim, I am officially declaring that the tal¡¯darim is joining alliance with Amon.¡± Alarak said quickly. ¡°This is what I wanted to tell you.¡±

    He paused and searched for the surprised look on Jean. It was nowhere to be seen. What he did see was Jean¡¯s body transforming.

    ¡°I¡¯m disappointed. At least ask me what happened. I will gladly describe my victory to you.¡± The Highlord shrugged and whispered. The way Jean reacted took away all his pleasure. The next second Jean was tackled by four cloaked blood hunters.

    Jean quickly stabbed two of the blood hunters and killed them. Their cloaking was nothing to her psi senses, and their light plasma shields were paper. But the two blood hunters didn¡¯t die in vain. As they died, they managed to buy enough time for their brothers.

    The two blood hunters that lived grabbed onto Jean¡¯s arms and started pumping void energy into her body. Jean groaned as her body grew weaker and weaker. A large amount of void energy could cripple or even kill a protoss or a zerg, nevermind a terran. Her body ached everywhere, and she could clearly fell her strength disappearing. No longer wanting to hide her watch, Jean tried to reach the device on her right arm. And yet, void energy in her body, Jean found the two blood hunters so difficult to get pass. She tried to resist, but she was held tight. She couldn¡¯t even reach the watch on her right arm with her left hand as the blood hunters restrained her. Without her zerg essence, Jean was really weak. She didn¡¯t bring any weapon or guards either. Bring weapons to see Nyon might be seen as a lack of trust.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Alarak walked down from his seat and slid his armored finger across Jean¡¯s cheek. Her zerg carapace had faded away, and the metal drew a red trail.

    ¡°At least scream.¡± He complained before casually opening four holes in Jean¡¯s four limbs. The zerg mending ability was held back by the void energy, and blood came out with no sign of stopping. Jean¡¯s face twitched, but she didn¡¯t make a sound.

    Alarak stepped back, bored. Where¡¯s the fun in torturing a quiet one?

    ¡°Deploy four blood hunters around her all the time. Give her a few shots of void energy whenever she moves. I don¡¯t want anything to happen before she is delivered to Amon.¡± Alarak ordered before kicking Jean in the head, rendering her unconscious.

    <hr>

    Pain.

    Jean never feared pain. She saw it as a mere warning. Pain warned her when something was wrong with her body. She could, and would, scream, but when she was screaming her mind would be clear. She hadn¡¯t felt fear for a very long time.

    This was why when she opened her eyes and found herself imprisoned, she mentally blocked out the numbing pain on her body and observed the surrounding.

    She was restrained with her arms and legs spread apart. There was no way she could reach her watch. The situation was, indeed, quite bad. Still, it didn¡¯t leave a single mark on her face. If someone was observing Jean¡¯s expression and not the surrounding they might think Jean¡¯s was debating what to have for dinner.

    The door snapped open, and a female protoss walked in. Her shiny armor and her red eyes showed her side. A corrupted Daelaam.

    ¡°Jean. The destroyer of Shakuras. I am the commander of the Golden Armada, executor Selendis.¡± Selendis said with a sense of hatred. The amount of pain Jean bought on the Daelaam was unimaginable. To a certain point Jean was the cause of the Daelaam¡¯s corruption. The fact that the Golden Armada had lost most of its forces after being corrupted was also a factor. ¡°Imagine my shock when you are delivered to us by your own allies.¡±

    Jean shrugged, or rather she tried to shrug in her chains. At least neither Selendis nor Amon knew she was helping the queen of blades against the Golden Armada. No one that had seen her on Char had the chance to live long enough to deliver the news.

    ¡°What do you want? Or rather what does Amon want?¡± The girl asked. ¡°If Amon wants to kill me I should be dead already. Corruption? Amon will not take the risk. I am alive here talking to you because Amon needs me. For what?¡± She tried to gain the control of the conversation. Some advantage was better than none.

    ¡°Maybe my master just want you to die slowly and painfully.¡± Selendis retaliated.

    ¡°No. He will not take the risk.¡± Jean denied Selendis¡¯ attempt to intimidate her. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Does it matter to you?¡± Selendis walked closer to Jean. ¡°The only thing you need to know is that you will die slowly and painfully. You have caused the suffering of our people, and soon you will pay the price, you monster.¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t say anything as she went over the little information she gained and tried to understand what was going on. Selendis glanced at Jean again and walked out of the prison, leaving Jean in chains.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 119: Container

    Golden Armada base, Aiur.

    ¡°Why are we keeping her alive?¡± Selendis added. ¡°Jean.¡± Amon didn¡¯t seem like a merciful god. Keeping a potential threat alive was uncharacteristic of him.

    A zealot was before Selendis. He was completely possessed by Amon. Normally Amon just turned Daelaam to his side and inserted his belief through the khala, but occasionally Amon could ¡°enter¡± a zealot. He could control the zealot¡¯s body. The possessed zealot couldn¡¯t own the full power of Amon, but he was certainly stronger than normal zealots. Without a proper body, Amon needed a temporary form to talk and act through.

    ¡°I need a body, Selendis. In order to form that body, I will need several materials.¡°Amon explained. Normally he would just give out orders and expect his underlings to obey him, but he understood in this situation he should explain his plan so his underlings could do what he truly wanted. ¡°I will need protoss bodies and zerg essences, along with the corpse of the overmind. With all three I can truly enter this world.¡±

    ¡°My people are willing to sacrifice themselves for you, my master.¡± Selendis exclaimed. To the corrupted giving their lives for their master was the greatest honor. ¡°The overmind¡¯s corpse is on this planet right now.¡±

    ¡°But I still need zerg essence. This is why I sent you after Kerrigan,¡± He paused in anger. ¡°in a mission that you have, disappointingly, failed.¡±

    ¡°Forgive me, my master.¡± Selendis knelt down in fear and shame. The battle against the swarm was the first battle the Golden Armada fought in the name of Amon, and it was a disaster.

    ¡°Your failure is disappointing, and you have lost the element of surprise and therefore the queen of blades, yet I have found out another method to achieve my purpose. I have sensed a zerg scent coming off Jean when I talked to her through the comm.¡± Amon walked around. ¡°Jean is mutated via zerg essence, just like the queen of blades, which means she can take Kerrigan¡¯s place as my provider of essence.¡±

    ¡°But Jean can hardly match Kerrigan in terms of strength.¡± Selendis protested. She was told of the process of how Jean was captured. If Kerrigan could be captured by four blood hunters then, well, she would be dead a long time ago. Jean was at a level in which she could slaughter normal units with ease but would struggle against other hero units. After all, Jean was created by Kerrigan as a commanding unit.

    ¡°True, which is why I need you to do a certain thing.¡± Amon stopped stepping around. ¡°What do you know of the planet Zerus?¡±

    ¡°It is there that the xel¡¯naga went to and took the local beasts and turned them into the zerg race. It contains primal zerg essence.¡± Selendis halted, noticing something.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I want you to get to Zerus with Jean. After you arrive, hunt down local beasts and make Jean absorb their essence.¡±

    Selendis couldn¡¯t believe her metaphorical ears. ¡°What? Jean is our enemy! Why are we strengthening her? She will break free and turn against us as soon as she can.¡±

    ¡°Silence!¡± Amon ordered at the outburst before explaining. ¡°I want to absorb zerg essence from Jean, so the more essence Jean absorbs from the primals means the more essence I can take out of her, and the stronger I will become.¡±

    ¡°But she will escape with her strength¡­¡±

    ¡°You have a fleet.¡± Amon cut her off. ¡°One girl can¡¯t be that much of a challenge. Tal¡¯darim blood hunters will assist you in keeping Jean under control.¡±

    Selendis had her doubts, but she nevertheless obeyed.

    <hr>

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Jean questioned.

    A few minutes ago two zealots put a warping device on her, and now she was standing in a protoss base on some random planet. The battalions of protoss ground forces, the several dozen cannons, and the Golden Armada in the air told her not to do anything stupid.

    Selendis¡¯ form took a few seconds to solidify. The highly advanced protoss technology allowed the movement from Aiur to Zerus to take merely seconds. With power fields and warp gates, of course.

    ¡°Zerus.¡± The female commander explained with a grain of salt. ¡°My master wants you to do something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Selendis made a psionic command, and two zealots dragged a half dead local beast forward.

    ¡°My master wants you to absorb the essence of the primal zerg as much as you can.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jean processed the information. ¡°Ahh. Amon can¡¯t get to Kerrigan, so he wants me to take her place. The stronger I become the more Amon can absorb from me. He wants to use me as a container.¡± Jean sat back, trying to use it as an advantage. ¡°Why would I do that?¡±

    Selendis tilted her head. One of the zealots ignited his blade and punched a hole in the head of the primal beasts, killing it instantly.

    What happened next was shiny. A cloud of purple energy exited the body of the slain primal. It subconsciously entered the closest zerg. Jean. The primal essence didn¡¯t even need to be consumed to enter its new owner. It was simply attracted toward the strongest zerg around it.

    As the purple essence entered Jean, she could feel herself growing in strength. Her cells mutated even stronger than before, but not by much. It took much more than a single primal zerg to make Jean evolve.

    Jean frowned. She didn¡¯t even have the option to decline the essence. Normally some free strength was great, but now that she knew everything she absorbed would be taken away, along with her life, it was much less appealing.

    Before she could do anything, a blood hunter grabbed onto her shoulder roughly and gave her another inject of void energy, cutting off whatever chance she had of escaping.

    Selendis smiled at the slightly stronger Jean. ¡°Templar, hunt down local animals and bring them to this location. Blood hunter, keep her secured at all cost. Amon demands it.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t doubt our strength in combat, templar.¡± A blood hunter replied with no respect.

    Selendis ignored the blood hunter and turned to Jean. ¡°Have a good meal, Jean.¡± She whispered harshly. ¡°For it will be your last.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 120: Plan of escape

    On a planet at the edge of the Korpulu sector.

    The once lifeless world was now fully crowded. Several establishment stood tall, expanding from several yellow nexus. Countless probes worked like ants as they gathered minerals and vespene gas to certain locations. At those locations, automated probes with yellow shading turned those resources into giant ships. As soon as they were completed, these capital ships would lift off into the air and join the giant fleet in space. The pilot was built inside the ships. A pile of resources were turned into a capital ship in a few days. There were dozens of ships in construction at the same time.

    In one of the nexus, a certain figure was standing. She looked like a human being, but she wasn¡¯t. She was a robot. A purifier.

    ¡°Report.¡± Nova said in a soft but decisive voice. Her metal heart was burning. The thought of her lover standing against a god all by herself was simply depressing.

    ¡°Executor.¡± A sentinel walked in and reported. ¡°We have established mining bases on eighteen planets. Ten thousand probes are working on resource gathering and ship construction with no delay.¡±

    ¡°And our ship count?¡± Nova hurried. She didn¡¯t care about controlling planets. She cared about her ship count. Jean told her to return when she had 500 ships, and no matter how worried she was she didn¡¯t want to go against what Jean said.

    ¡°We have constructed 345 carriers. Our overall capital ship count has reached 482. According to estimation we can reach 500 ships in two days.¡± The response was swift.

    Nova knew what the ship count was. In fact, she could receive the exact amount of ships built through the purifier data web, but she wanted to hear the numbers being told to her. It helped to ease her worries.

    The female purifier commander nodded for the sentinel to leave. As soon as she was alone, she sat down and flickered her fingers.

    She wasn¡¯t exactly at the requirement, but even Jean wouldn¡¯t get angry at her if she contacted her. Nova was going to do it anyways, so why not do it now?

    Taking out a comm device, Nova tried to contact Jean.

    Nothing. Nova frowned and tried a few more times. There was still no response.

    Now Nova was truly worried, and she had a reason to. The comm was purifier technology, and, unlike terran tech, purifier tech are usually pretty reliable. Distance should have few limitations on the contact. Jean¡¯s lack of response meant something was wrong.

    ¡°Sentinel! Mobilize the fleet and ready for warping!¡± Nova didn¡¯t know what exactly happened, but she wouldn¡¯t take the risk. The 500 ships deal was ignored.

    ¡°Destination?¡±

    Nova thought about it and located someone that might tell her something about where Jean was at. ¡°The Terran Dominion.¡± As the sentinel backed off, Nova summoned an executor.

    ¡°Stay here and continue mining and constructing more ships. Expand to other planets when you find it necessary to do so.¡± The executor obeyed, and Nova¡¯s body disappeared in a light beam.

    Stay safe, Jean. I¡¯m coming. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    <hr>

    Jean groaned as another hundred primal zerg were slaughtered before her. Sure, primal zerg were somewhat strong and had some organization based on packs, but they were made weak by the Golden Armada. The Golden Armada had lost more of its ships, but in comparison the primal had at most several primal guardians and primal mutalisks. They had neither the number nor the strength to take on the Golden Armada. The primal had powerful leaders, but even the most powerful of them all couldn¡¯t take on a dozen carriers in orbit. When the purification beam dropped, everything in its path burned. This gave the Daelaam the chance to capture as many primal as they needed.

    Ten streams of energy entered her body, further enhancing her strength. It was followed by four more dozens of void energy. The Daelaam wanted her to have those essence. They didn¡¯t want her to use it.

    It had been days since she was fed with these delicious treats. And yet Jean¡¯s heart only sunk deeper and deeper as time passed. The more essence she collected, the more likely Amon would consume her.

    Beside Jean were two blood hunters. Four blood hunters guarded her and they formed two rotations. Their void energy could easily disable her. Normally to Jean two blood hunters meant two seconds or two stabs, but now they represented two mountains that she couldn¡¯t get pass.

    Jean glanced at the watch on her right arm. She was searched to make sure she wasn¡¯t hiding anything up her sleeves, but apparently none of the guards could see her watch. If only she could reach it, she could unleash a fleet...but she couldn¡¯t. Her arms were spread apart and held still by chains. She was too weak to get by them.

    But hopefully she could find a chance.

    ¡°Hey!¡± Jean yelled weakly at one of the blood hunters. She motioned for her arms and legs, which were still bleeding. ¡°Hey I am dying over here!¡± Her face was white as a sheet.

    One of the blood hunters found it funny, as if she was watching a bug she could crush with her bare hands beg for mercy. ¡°Good.¡± She replied cruelly.

    ¡°Think about it.¡± Jean continued, coughing in the process. ¡°Amon wants me alive. What happens if I die? Huh? All the essence within me will disappear, along with Amon¡¯s chance to come into this world! He will not be happy!¡±

    These two blood hunters were loyal to Amon, so they were slightly worried. They knew what Amon¡¯s plan was and why he needed Jean, and they knew the girl was right. Like it or not, the blood hunters needed to keep Jean alive.

    ¡°You are absorbing essence from those primal. Your life is safe...for now.¡± The female blood hunter reasoned, even though she wasn¡¯t sure herself either. She was an assassin, not a filthy phase smith.

    ¡°And you also gave me a hell lot of void energy!¡± Jean said drily. ¡°I am telling you I am dying here. I physically cannot heal.¡±

    The commotion apparently alerted the Daelaam around, because Selendis walked out. ¡°What is it?¡± She asked the blood hunters. The female blood hunter told Selendis what was happening.

    Selendis didn¡¯t have a great answer either. ¡°What do you suggest?¡± She asked Jean.

    Jean pretended like she had already given up all hope.¡°Let me free for a while so I can mend with my zerg side.¡±

    Selendis smirked. Did Jean think she was stupid? ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°Think about it!¡± Jean urged. ¡°You have, what, two hundred ships in orbit? What can I do, huh? Just the several hundred zealots around is enough to kill me! What can I do all by myself? Just a few minutes to heal myself, that¡¯s all.¡±

    Selendis considered it. ¡°And you expect me to believe you will not try anything else? You¡¯re just going to give up and be emptied by our master?¡± She suspected foul play.

    ¡°I just hope it will be quick.¡± Jean said desperately. ¡°No one lives forever, right?¡±

    Selendis knew something was wrong. The girl was planning something. She knew it. But looking at Jean¡¯s pale face and pained expression, as well as her bleeding limbs, Selendis knew the girl needed to heal. The Daelaam didn¡¯t have healing mechanisms that work on terran. For a few seconds she wondered why Alarak needed to maim Jean. Jean couldn¡¯t die, at least not now.

    As long as she was careful enough while handling Jean, what could go wrong? Only a small number of fractions in this sector could save Jean from the Golden Armada. The Dominion had left. The tal¡¯darim went to Amon¡¯s side. The swarm was a threat, but there was no way for Jean to contact them.

    ¡°All right.¡± Selendis gave in.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 121: Primal

    Zerus.

    A distance away from the Daelaam establishment.

    A group of primal, several thousand in number, are gathering. Unlike mass produced swarm units, primal have a more variating appearance. They were gathered around packs under the strongest beasts in the pack.

    But the once prosper pack was silent. Even the lower beasts could sense the depressed mood of their leaders, and they, wisely, kept their mouths shut.

    The leader of this pack was Yagdra, a creature that resembled the characteristics of an ash worm. He was worried. Really worried.

    A group of foreign invaders landed on Zerus and started capturing local primal. The primal resisted, but they stood no chance against the overwhelming technology of the invaders. One of Yagdra¡¯s fellow pack leaders, a constantly enraged Kraith, led his pack on a charge toward the protoss defenses, things didn¡¯t go well.

    Primal zerglings were slashed open by enemy foot soldiers with shiny blades. Primal hydralisks and primal roaches were blasted away by energy weapons. Kraith charged forward and crushed several enemy forces, but before he could make even a victorious growl several walkers appeared in the enemy flank and started firing at Kraith. As a melee unit, Kraith was forced to charge at his enemy under a rain of fire. When the pack leader, after half a minute, reached the walkers, he was only half the former size.

    Normally Yagdra wouldn¡¯t mind the death of fellow primal. This was the rule of Zerus: Consume or be consumed. Hunt or be hunted. The hunted were dead because they were weak, which meant they deserved to die. The weak must die so the stronger could live.

    But this time it was different. This time the hunter came from outside the planet, and this time the hunter wasn¡¯t consuming the essence of the defeated. They seemed to be simply hunting down primal and bringing them back to their base for some reason. Also, this time the invader used technology.

    To the primal this was unacceptable. Technology was the weapon of the weak.

    Usually Yadgra would simply order his pack and overwhelm the protoss camp, but the experience of Kraith was enough to convince him to wait for a while and see what would happen later.

    He wasn¡¯t too happy to find out the invaders continued to expand, capturing more and more primal on the way and shipping them back to their base. For once Yadgra felt threatened. Two enemy scouts approached outside his pack just last day. They were consumed, but Yadgra knew this wouldn¡¯t be the end. More invaders would follow, and his pack wouldn¡¯t be enough to hold.

    This might be the first time Yadgra doubted the power of physical strength.

    Suddenly growled appeared from outside. Yadgra growled impatiently. If those underlings outside didn¡¯t have a good reason, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to unleash some of his anger on them. Sometimes essence can effectively relieve stress.

    Digging his way to the entrance, he found an unexpected guest.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°You are not in my pack.¡± Yadgra spoke to a primal. He was standing by two legs. He had two arms, and a tail dragged behind him. His sharp claws and fierce teeth meant he wasn¡¯t just an ordinary primal. ¡°Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Dehaka.¡± The primal responded.

    ¡°Have you come to join my pack?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Then you have come to challenge me.¡±Yadgra coughed destructive acid.

    ¡°No. I have come for an alliance.¡± Dehaka explained. He wasn¡¯t afraid of a fight, but he didn¡¯t need to fight.

    ¡°Alliance?¡± Yagdra asked curiously. One pack wasn¡¯t enough. How about several?

    ¡°Those foreigners. They will destroy all the packs on Zerus.¡± Dehaka reasoned, something strange for a primal. ¡°Only together can we survive.¡±

    Yadgra hesitated. ¡°Who else is in?¡±

    ¡°Slivan has agreed. Brakk has agreed.¡± Dehaka should feel proud. Primal weren¡¯t the nicest to talk to.

    Yadgra was convinced. ¡°I agree. My pack will join you. Those invaders must die! When shall we strike?¡±

    ¡°Ready your pack. We will wait until other packs arrive, and then we will strike together.¡±

    <hr>

    Daelaam base on Zerus.

    Selendis and hundreds of Daelaam units surrounded Jean. In orbit twenty carriers were ready for enemies from all sides. Even if Jean was able to summon reinforcements the help would be held back.

    ¡°I am flattered.¡± Jean joked. ¡°All this army, just for a girl.¡±

    ¡°Be quite.¡± Selendis snapped. She tapped her psi blade generator as the blood hunters put Jean down from the chains.

    Free from the restraints, Jean didn¡¯t go for her watch. She knew hundreds of pairs of eyes were trained on her. The Daelaam couldn¡¯t see her watch, but they would suspect something if she tapped any empty part of her wrist, and they wouldn¡¯t be blind either if a fleet appeared in space. If she made a wrong move twenty psi blades would make contact with her body in less than two seconds.

    Twenty primal were slaughtered before her. Twenty small streams of essence entered Jean¡¯s body. The girl smiled as the wounds on her limbs started to heal.

    Selendis gripped her fists tight and looked at the blood hunters. The moment Jean was back to full health was the time she would be disabled.

    Jean¡¯s muscle tensed as her wounds healed. As she collected the essence, she felt her body being filled with strength again. She didn¡¯t have enough to take down an entire fleet, but she might as well make it as painful and difficult for the Daelaam to capture her as possible.

    The more time she could buy and the more distraction she could cause, the more likely her plan would work.

    ¡°Kneel.¡± As Jean¡¯s was back to full health, the female blood hunter Jean first talked to walked up and demanded. She didn¡¯t like being threatened. She really didn¡¯t. This was why she especially enjoyed beating Jean down.

    Jean ignored her and didn¡¯t move, and the blood hunter was filled with anger. She held her hand out.

    From Selendis¡¯ perspective, the female templar could see a cold look crossing Jean¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare¡­¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t even wait for Selendis to finish as she turned around and wiped her right hand across the blood hunter¡¯s body.

    ¡°What¡­¡± The blood hunter paused, confused as she felt her strength disappearng. She looked down, and realized her body was cut into two pieces and fading away. The last thing she saw was a pair of cold blue eyes.

    ¡°Like you said yourself, you can not escape!¡± Selendis held her hand up and halted the templar that were going to make a move. She couldn¡¯t see the purpose. It didn¡¯t matter if Jean killed a guard or if she killed ten guards. Eventually she would be captured again. Why?

    ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to come and get me.¡± Jean smiled wickedly and extended her arms. ¡°By the way you need me alive, remember?¡± She reminded.

    Selendis¡¯ expression darkened.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 122: Zerus Primal v.s. the Golden Armada

    If Selendis had the necessary vocabulary she would¡¯ve called Jean a female dog. Jean couldn¡¯t escape anyways. Why would she bother a pointless fight? What was even worse was the situation the Daelaam was in. They had enough firepower to blast Jean to a thousand pieces, but they couldn¡¯t. They needed Jean alive, and Jean was using that as a leverage.

    Well, if they couldn¡¯t go for the kill, they would need to capture Jean. This was not exactly the easiest task, considering Jean just killed a blood hunter with her bare hands.

    Nonetheless, this was a necessary task.

    Selendis silently ordered an attack. Two dozen zealots and the three blood hunters left surrounded Jean. The plan was simple. The zealots would attack Jean and distract her while the blood hunters would find an opening to disable her.

    Jean tilted her head. When the battle start, it would be messy, and the mess would give her an opportunity to make her escape.

    But just before the battle could begin, a roar came from outside the settlement. Both Selendis and Jean turned around and found primal coming from all directions. Countless beasts charged toward the Daelaam defensive position like a flood.

    Selendis immediately turned back to Jean? Her first thought was it was the girl¡¯s doing. Otherwise why would they strike now, of all time?

    Jean acted surprised, like she had nothing to do with this. It was, strangely, true. The primal¡¯s attack was not part of the plan.

    ¡°Seize her.¡± Selendis ordered before turning around and leaving to command the defenses. Multiple thousands primal hitting at the same time was not to be underestimated. Selendis needed full attention dedicated to the battle to hold. The majority of the Daelaam around turned and followed their executor. This left just the three blood hunters and dozens of zealots against Jean.

    ¡°Huh.¡± Jean wasn¡¯t behind this turn of event, but she wouldn¡¯t complain either. Less eyes on her meant a greater chance for her to accomplish what she wanted. ¡°Now, shall we?¡±

    The Daelaam around Jean exchanged a few looks before charging forward at the same time. Blood hunters cloaked and lurked around, waiting for an opportunity.

    <hr>

    Outside the Daelaam settlement, primal were flooding past protoss defenses. Claws and teeth ripped open plasma shields. All sorts off odd attacks destroyed protoss units.

    The primal pack leaders were fighting in the very front. Dehaka knocked over and crushed zealots and dragoons one by one. Psi blades and phase disruptors were ineffective against his mutated carapace.

    Yagdra digged his way into the protoss base. As he popped his head out of the ground, he found himself beside several zealots and one dragoon. The zealots charged mindlessly, and were melted away one by one. The dragoon¡¯s extra armor helped him withstand two acid strikes and gave him the chance to fire once. The projectile could only be described as ¡°a nice try¡±.

    Slivan was like an enlarged swarm host. Hundreds of smaller organisms, creepers, dropped down from her body and moved toward the protoss units. Unsuspecting, protoss zealots charged, but as soon as their psi blades made contact with the creepers, those smaller creatures exploded. The melee nature of zealots maximized the damage.

    Brakk moved like a tank, running over any opposition. Whatever projectiles sent toward him were deflected. Zealots and dragoons were crushed.

    The fact that the primal attacked at the same time as Jean was freed was not a coincidence. The primal leaders were observing the Daelaam camp, and when Selendis assembled her forces at the center of the camp to prevent Jean from breaking out, the leaders sensed an opening. There were only so many Daelaam, and more defenses inside meant less defense outwards. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Hold the line!¡± Selendis and several hundred reinforcements arrived. It was sad, but these hundreds of Daelaam might be all Selendis had. Everything that happened, the continuous attacks on outposts, the battle of Char, and the sacrifice to create Amon¡¯s body, had cut the Daelaam numbers into only a tiny fraction of its former might. The once dominating race was near extinction.

    ¡°Consume them!¡± Dehaka growled, despite knowing the Daelaam couldn¡¯t be absorbed by the primal.

    A sea of primal overwhelmed the Daelaam reinforcements. The first line of primal fell almost instantly. The second were dropped a bit later. But the primal had more than the numbers. One by one the protoss fell.

    Luckily for the Daelaam, they had an advantage the primal could never match.

    ¡°Armada! Unleash fire and death upon our foe!¡± Selendis ordered loudly. She didn''t need to, as the khala was silent, but she nevertheless wanted the words to sound in the air.

    In orbit, the few carriers and motherships the Golden Armada had left activated their weapons. On the surface, observers located primal masses and calculated the targets where strikes could do the maximum damage. Once the calculations were done, the coordinates were sent to the armada. As soon as they were ready, the armada opened fire.

    Dozens of orbital strike projectiles smashed into the clumped up primal horde. Countless Primal were evaporated into ash. Their tight formation, aimed to maximize the advantage of their numbers, made sure they could take the most damage from the bombardment. Pained growls from those that barely survived the field covered the field. When the smoke cleared, one tenth of the primal were gone.

    ¡°Alien technology!¡± Dehaka mummered. ¡°Deploy our flyers! Rip their flyers apart!¡±

    Hundreds of primal mutalisks and primal guardians charged toward the Golden Armada in orbit. They soon realized that, despite how weak it was, the Golden Armada was still a capable fleet. A combination between capital ship firing and fighter manuvers tore the primal flyers apart. Glave worms and corrosive acid, without enough numbers, wasn¡¯t enough to go through the thin layer of shield. On the other hand, a few laser beams or ion cannons could easily melt the mutalisks.

    On the ground, the primal continued their assault on the foreigners. Brakk was the most aggressive. He used his larger size and his incredible strength to basically run over any opponent. At least a dozen zealots have been crushed at the beast¡¯s claws. For the Daelaam nowadays this was a huge lost.

    Selendis passed down an order, and five immortals took aim at Brakk.

    The pack leader noticed the assault striders, but he was a bit too consumed by the lust for battle to think logically, not that primal could really think at all. The beast charged at the immortals. Big mistake.

    Five immortals fired tirelessly. One after one the particle disruptor projectiles smashed into Brakk. The weapon designed against larger, more armored, units had met its perfect target.

    The first few shots blasted a whole in the carapace. More and more hits opened the wound further and further. The primal growled in pain, but he kept on charging. Sometimes being stupid was not a bad thing. At least in this case Brakk¡¯s stupidness made sure he was able to take an immortal down with him. It was the blast in the head that blew up half his brain that finally ended him.

    ¡°Primal beasts¡­¡± Selendis smirked at the slain creature. ¡°Armada, deploy another round of orbital strike as soon as you are ready!¡±

    The Daelaam ships recharged their weapons and took aim, and a few seconds later a storm of death was rained down upon the primal. Every shot killed most of the primal within its twenty meter radius and opened a hole in the primal flank. Countless primal were slaughtered. Blood stained the ground.

    At this point it was clear the primal were going to lose. Lower foot soldiers didn¡¯t have enough intelligence to realize the situation, but pack leaders have already understood the alliance was a lost cause.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Dehaka screeched. ¡°Fall back!¡±

    Pack leaders gave the order in a cry, and the primal turned and ran. They lost another fraction of their numbers on the way back. One of the pack leaders, Slivan, was unfortunately surrounded. Several dozen zealots dissected the enlarged swarm host.

    Selendis smirked. ¡°These fools have no idea of the power of the firstborn. They have barely even entered space.¡± But her excitement due to her victory was immediately cut off by her concern of Jean.

    What was the girl planning?

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 123: Amons discovery

    Selendis¡¯ doubt didn¡¯t disappear when Jean was brought to her, disabled, by a blood hunter. If anything, Jean¡¯s second capture increased her doubt. Granted the girl put up a good fight, having killed two of the three blood hunters and half of the zealots surrounding her, but this didn¡¯t add up. Jean convinced Selendis to free her. Jean somehow contacted the primal for a distraction. And now she was just captured again and delivered to her, just like this?

    Knowing there was no way she could get an answer from the girl with words and she couldn¡¯t torture the answer out, Selendis reached out with her psionic energy and started scanning Jean from top to bottom. She didn¡¯t have anything hidden on her. Her psionic scent was correct, so she wasn¡¯t a fake or a double. There wasn¡¯t any signal given off her.

    Everything seemed so normal. Jean tried to escape. She failed. But¡­

    ¡°Make her absorb more essence and don¡¯t release her under any condition. Give her a dose of void energy whenever you see fit.¡± The executor ordered as the Daelaam that survived started cleaning the scene. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t be far away from having enough essence. As soon as that¡¯s done, we will warp back to Aiur.¡±

    The essence of the primal would disappear if there wasn¡¯t any other primal in range to absorb them, but given the amount of dead primal in the field the amount of essence remaining was still remarkable. Jean¡¯s absorption sped up a lot after the slaughter. Seas of purple energy entered her body.

    And so, after one more days of essence gathering, Jean was shipped back to Aiur, where she would, supposedly, be sucked dry by the dark god.

    But was this ¡°failed attempt¡± really just a desperate, unprepared, and futile try?

    <hr>

    This was the first time Amon and Jean saw each other in real person. Despite fighting each other for what seemed like years, the only interaction the two have had was when Amon used words to pick apart Jean¡¯s alliance.

    Jean had to admit Amon was a frightening figure, and the few words of his presence didn¡¯t justify him. Just take a look at his temporary body. Void energy was so dense it could almost drip down. The zealot was more red than any tal¡¯darim or corrupted Daelaam Jean had seen. Jean scanned Amon with her psionic energy and was impressed by what she got. If she herself before absorbing the essence was the light generated from a single light bulb, then the current her was the moon. Amon was the sun. He was powerful all knowing, and invincible. It was no wonder that some of the tal¡¯darim supported him. Amon might not be completely invincible, but he was certainly the strongest personal in the sector.

    And yet this figure was just a part of Amon¡¯s power. He was still mortal. If he could finish constructing his body with overmind¡¯s body, protoss flesh, and zerg essence, then he could truly enter this world. He would be a god among men. He would be truly invincible.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The xel¡¯naga didn¡¯t say anything, but all the guards left the temple to just Amon and Jean.

    The two remained silent for a while.

    ¡°Something is off with you.¡± Amon finally spoke. His eyes were closed.

    Jean rose her eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±

    ¡°Something is wrong with you.¡± Amon continued, focusing on scanning Jean with his superior psi energy. ¡°I can sense it. Something is wrong with your mind. It is...¡± He paused, as if confirming his guess. ¡°It¡¯s as if a part of you has been severed...but that¡¯s impossible. No one can do that. Not even a xel¡¯naga.¡± He opened his eyes. ¡°Who are you? Who really are you? More importantly, why did someone do what they did to you.¡±

    ¡°I am Jean Turner, and I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± Jean replied, slightly confused on what Amon said. This concern didn¡¯t stop her from coming up with a lie. ¡°I believe your underlings have already delivered every single piece of information about me to you.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes. Former lieutenant of a rebel group known as Raynor¡¯s Raiders. Later assassinated commander. Have been targeting my underlings ever since.¡± Amon said slowly, toying with his words. ¡°But who really are you?¡±

    Jean played innocent. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡±

    ¡°What was done to you wasn¡¯t done for fun. It takes time and energy. It takes someone powerful.¡± Amon reasoned. When he saw the confused look on Jean he decided to ask a question. ¡°Why are you targeting me?¡± It was a question he had been wondering since a long time ago. ¡°Why are you opposing me?¡±

    ¡°I want to live, and your rise to power will present that.¡± Jean responded automatically, but her heart frowned.

    Why did she fight Amon? In fact, why did she even bother completing this mission? The Supreme One threatened to kill her if she didn¡¯t comply, but she wasn¡¯t afraid of dying. In fact, she was completely impervious to the threat. To her dying was just like casually taking a breathe. Why did she fight at all? What was powering her? What was stopping her from just sitting back and wait until she either die of starvation or of someone else¡¯s hand?

    Jean was starting to think her already complicated history would get even more messed up.

    ¡°You look concerned.¡± Amon noticed the doubt on Jean¡¯s face.

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong.¡± Jean quickly hid her questions.

    ¡°Well, I guess it will not matter anymore.¡± Amon didn¡¯t have the patience to continue asking and decided to skip this odd girl. It was partly because he was so close to victory and he didn¡¯t want his success to be disrupted and partly because Amon refused to believe there was someone capable of doing something even he couldn¡¯t do. The thought of someone even stronger than him drove him mad, so he chose to cross out the possibility. ¡°For today is the day I rise. After this day, no one will be able to stop me. No one.¡±

    Not giving Jean any more time to think, four blood hunters entered and took Jean outside. Amon followed.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 124: Help

    Aiur.

    What was left of Amon¡¯s forces were assembled near the overmind¡¯s corpse.

    The Daelaam were barely 1/100 of their former strength. The Golden Armada consisted of two motherships and two dozen carriers. The time when five hundred capital ships roamed around the sector to crush any opposition was gone. Ever since she could Jean had been cutting down the Daelaam number with every chance she had, whether it was starting a war between the Golden Armada and the swarm, starting a war between the Golden Armada and the tal¡¯darim, destroying Shakuras, or eventually commanding the battle of Char. Her work had paid off. The Golden Armada Amon corrupted was merely a shell of its former being.

    Random groups of feral zerg were scattered around Aiur. These units were left from the overmind¡¯s armada and were set loose after the overmind perished. They had outdated essence and mutations, and their units were weaker than their swarm counterparts, but they still had the numbers. Amon took over their control and used them as cannon fodders.

    The tal¡¯darim, those loyal to Amon, not Alarak, stood by and watched their leader zealously. Amon had promised to promote them, all of them, to hybrids. This act of strengthening them was seen as a gift. The tal¡¯darim loyal to Alarak retreated back to Slayn and fortified the planet, as if they were done with Amon and Jean.

    Some hybrids were still on Aiur. Their numbers had been demolished as well. Jean had nuked the largest hybrid developer, the Moebius Foundation, to ashes. Some hybrids were still in Amon¡¯s army as they were either produced earlier or were produced in other sites, but their numbers were dropping. In the battle of Char, many hybrids were ripped apart by the swarm. Those that survived were converged here.

    This ragged tagged force was here not only to cheer for their master¡¯s formal arrival to this world, but also to protect Amon¡¯s rebirth. While merging, there was little Amon could do to protect himself. His psi power would be limited, and his control of the host would be insufficient to use the host¡¯s body in battle.

    ¡°Your forces are weak.¡± Jean scanned the army and turned to Amon. ¡°If the swarm hits now¡­¡±

    ¡°You need not worry about me. This place is impenetrable. ¡± Amon turned to the overmind¡¯s form and rose his head. The next second the void energy within the zealot left the warrior¡¯s body and moved toward the giant body. Without Amon, the zealot collapsed and faded away. It¡¯s original mind was already consumed. Yet the loss of a mere zealot was ignored. In the air as Amon¡¯s conscious met with the overmind¡¯s body, they started to merge.

    Jean signed and whispered a line of random letters and numbers. ¡°DHS291.¡± It was so quiet that even the blood hunter beside Jean didn¡¯t hear her, but something heard her, and it took action.

    If someone was carefully scanning Jean now, they would sense a signal coming out of the girl. But all of Amon¡¯s followers, even the vigilant Selendis, were too attracted with their master¡¯s change. Seeing their leader rise to the height of his power was much more important than watching over a girl who would die a few minutes later. Plus, what could Jean do? Despite being defeated, Amon¡¯s followers had thousands of units left on this planet. Even if none of them moved and Jean was given a psi blade it would take her years to kill them all. Even if she somehow disabled the units, the void shards, positioned all around the planet and heavily guarded, could keep Amon alive. As long as Jean could¡¯t stop Amon, even if Jean could survive this and escape it would only be a matter of time before she was captured again.

    Across the sector, a red terran fleet blinked and disappeared. A distance behind the terran fleet, a yellow purifier fleet blinked and disappeared. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    <hr>

    The merging process continued for around half an hour. Finally, with one ear/mind piercing cry, the overmind¡¯s corpse stood up.

    As soon as the corpse moved, an endless wave of void energy poured from the void onto Aiur. Ground turned. Mountains fell. The once beautiful Daelaam homeworld was turned to an environment even worse than Char. Daelaam and tal¡¯darim forces bathed in the comfort of the void while Jean coughed, getting weaker.

    ¡°Bring me the essence.¡± Amon, having entered his new body, demanded. The overmind and the protoss were already here, and now the only thing necessary was the zerg essence. The two blood hunters behind Jean pushed her forward, and that was when things changed.

    An explosion occurred in orbit. Sound couldn¡¯t pass through space, but most of the units on the ground had psionic energy. They sensed it, and when they looked up, they were surprised to see what had happened.

    Two fleets had appeared in space. The first was a terran fleet. Its red plating showed it was with the Dominion. The second was a protoss fleet, but it was unlike anything from the Khalai, Nerazim, or tal¡¯darim style. It was yellow, and it was completely mechanical.

    The Purifiers have arrived.

    The two fleets almost covered the stars. Even from the ground it seemed like a sea of red and yellow. Selendis silently counted a thousand capital ships and god(Amon) knew how many fighters and support ships.

    Now this was a fleet.

    Tasked with securing Aiur from orbit, the Daelaam Golden Armada did their best to fight, and die, for their master. They did their best to return fire, but the once invincible fleet was no more.

    Nearly a hundred phoenixes, fire in their eyes, charged at the combined fleet. They were met with not just ten times but rather twenty times of enemies. Thousands of mirages and another several hundred vikings and wraiths hit. The few phoenixes and scouts fought bravely and with honor, but neither bravery nor honor could save them from the fate of being overwhelmed and destroyed.

    When the fighters were gone within the first minute of the fight, it was the turn for the capital ships. Daelaam motherships and carriers, along with some tal¡¯darim destroyers, attempted to force their way toward their foe.

    They burned.

    A thousand capital ships and ten thousand fighters unleashed their wrath on several dozen targets. Laser batteries, missiles, torpedoes, laser beams, purification beams, everything in the terran/protoss arsenal was tossed at their enemies. At this point no amount of shield could save those ships from a fiery death.

    The destroyers went down first. These support ships had the least defenses. The two tempests that survived all the hell and horror the Golden Armada went through before followed the terrible fate. The carriers held a bit longer, but one by one their crystals exploded and their shields went to pieces.

    The motherships were the last to go. They got close enough and lived long enough to make one swipe at the combined fleet with their purification beams, but that was it. Shields were gone. Armor were gone. Ships were gone.

    The Golden Armada was gone.

    On the ground, Amon¡¯s followers, whether it was the tal¡¯darim, the Daelaam, or the hybrids, were completely shocked by the turn of event. Where in the world did this giant fleet appear, and how did they know when to strike?

    As they were consumed in utter surprise, a figure appeared beside Jean. She handed Jean a small device. Jean smiled softly. Finally.

    Selendis suddenly had an odd feeling. She turned her head and found Jean holding something. A female figure wearing a terran stealth suit was standing beside her. Selendis didn¡¯t need to use her brain to know something was wrong.

    ¡°Stop her!¡± The female templar screamed desperately.

    The two tal¡¯darim guards beside Jean reacted quickly, but the ghost was quicker. She didn¡¯t even bother with weapons. All she did was punch with her fists, and somehow the punching force of the bare fists of a terran female was able to go through the shield and the armor of two blood hunters. The two tal¡¯darim looked down on their shattered body in disbelief, as if wondering what happened, before fading away.

    The entire planet was covered with Amon¡¯s forces, but neither Jean nor the ghost was here for a fight. At the same time they tapped the device and, under the raging eyes of a morphing Amon, disappeared in light beams.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 125: Reunion

    As soon as Jean felt her feet on metal ground and saw the yellow shading in the surrounding, she felt herself in the arms of a certain mechanical ghost.

    ¡°That was close!¡± Nova Terra whispered softly as she took several deep breathe. Back on Aiur if she made a mistake then both her and Jean would be dead. The planet was heavily defended, and all she had was the element of surprise and herself. Luckily it worked. The distraction proved to be more than enough.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Jean didn¡¯t break a sweat. She turned around and kissed Nova in the lips. The two held their for a few seconds before Nova broke away.

    ¡°Care to explain what¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°A second. Can I?¡± Nova nodded. Jean put her hand on Nova¡¯s forehead, and Nova was surprised but didn¡¯t respond. A surge of memory was passed into Nova.

    The ghost took a few seconds to process the information. ¡°Wow.¡± She said quietly. ¡°When I¡¯m done with Amon, I will be taking a trip to Slayn, and I¡¯ll bring the entire purifier fleet with me. Pity, I was beginning to like Nyon.¡±

    Jean giggled at Nova¡¯s promise. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be visiting our new Highlord, but now we need to deal with the god below. How did you find me, by the way? I remember the beacon was sending a signal to the AI on the Dominion fleet.¡±

    Nova held her hand out. ¡°May I?¡± Jean nodded, and Nova passed the information to her. As the memory flowed through her mind, Jean knew what happened.

    After losing contact with Jean, Nova knew something was off. She warped her purifier fleet, roughly five hundred ships, to the terran Dominion.

    What she found in the Dominion was some terrible news. Apparently one day the Dominion fleet just broke all communication with the outside world and jumped away to god knew well. There were tens of thousands of soldiers in the fleet, and the fleet was just gone with everyone on it.

    Nova knew about Jean¡¯s Warden mechanism and what she would do with ships she controlled and the crew members aboard the ships. She knew the thousands and thousands of soldiers in the fleet were probably dead. And yet Nova was never a nice girl. She was a ghost, and ghosts valued their missions over anything else. They could nuke a planet and kill everyone on it without breaking a tear. Granted this was the effect of the inhibitor chips, but who was to say the purifier upgrade and manipulation Jean gave was not worse than an inhibitor chip?

    Luckily, Nova had a certain level of authority in the Warden rank to command certain Warden AIs. This came into effect, and Nova was able to contact the Warden AI commanding the former Dominion now Warden fleet.

    When Jean broke free on Zerus she took out a specialized beacon from her watch and hid it in her arm, literally, in her arm. The beacon, upon activated, would be enough to attract all Warden units toward her location. It was hidden from plain sight, and Jean¡¯s own psionic power disturbed with Selendis¡¯ scan and hid it. The amount of essence flowing off her body might have also contributed to the covert operation. However, the device was dormant on Zerus, for Jean knew she would be examined and the beacon would draw attention. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    It was when Amon was being merged with the overmind¡¯s body that Jean activated the tracking device with a voice command. She really hoped it would work over the distance and would be enough to attract the Warden fleet to her. If that failed she would need to reveal the units in her watch and try to fight her way out. Luckily help came.

    Nova had command over the Warden fleet. When the Warden fleet received its orders and jumped to the provided coordinates, the purifier fleet followed them.

    That was basically how things that happened happened.

    ¡°What should we do now?¡± As the information were exchanged, Nova finally pulled her mind back to the current situation.

    From the point of view of the fleet in orbit, Aiur was covered by a mixture of purple and red. Amon¡¯s entering, or rather his attempt to enter, this material world transformed the once beautiful Aiur into hell. Even from orbit Jean and Nova could feel a hostile sensation from the planet below.

    ¡°Prepare all ships for orbital bombardment.¡± The combined fleet had total air superiority. Jean planned on using it.

    <hr>

    In contrast to the excitement of reunion on the purifier flagship, the mood on Aiur was not exactly light.

    ¡°How!¡± Amon screamed. ¡°How did that happen? Someone tell me how she got away! Who is that fleet! Where is our fleet?¡±

    Feeling Amon¡¯s hatred, rogue void energy randomly bombarded the surrounding space, regardless of who was in the way. A zealot was in the wrong place in the wrong time, and he was instantly ripped apart by his master¡¯s wrath. Most of the khalai collapsed onto the ground and groaned in pain as Amon¡¯s anger were passed down to them as well through the khala. The feral, even the lowest zergling, laid down in submission. The tal¡¯darim lowered their heads.

    Selendis silently stood by and endured the pain. She knew better than to talk to Amon now. She was loyal, not foolish.

    Amon was beyond angry. He was so close. So close! A few more minutes and he would be a god among men. He would be unstoppable. He would be able to wipe out that fleet in the air with a few hits. And now...now he was literally stuck. Like a warping unit who had half of his body on one side and half on the other and the force field just disappeared, he was stuck.

    Jean had the zerg essence, and she was gone. She left right before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. Just like his men, he was too occupied by the merging process and then the sudden fleet in the air to notice the escape. Now he was paying the price.

    Without the essence Amon wouldn¡¯t be able to enter this world. This body he was currently in, with just two of the three parts, was nothing more than a liability. It was defenseless. It was vulnerable. He was vulnerable...and he would stay vulnerable for quite a while, if not for an eternity. Judging from the hostile fleet in the air, he wouldn¡¯t have time to gather more essence. This was it.

    He had lost.

    Sure, even if his host was destroyed Amon could simply return to the void, but that wasn¡¯t as nice as it sounded. Amon had used everything in the material use that he had influence over for this plan, and from the look of the fleet in orbit he would lose everything. The tal¡¯darim. The zerg. The Golden Armada. After this day he would lose his army. Thousands of years of planning and lurking, all gone in a few seconds.

    That wasn¡¯t everything. Amon was patient. As a god he could live for another several thousand years, and in those thousands of years he could rebuilt his influence. What really hit him was that after this world he would lose both the protoss body and the zerg essence. The overmind¡¯s body would perish along with his host. He would never have a chance to enter the material world ever again.

    He would be banished into the void. For an eternity. He would be locked up in hell forever with no chance of breaking out.

    This hurts. This burns.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 126: The last stand

    ¡±My master!¡± After a while of ravaging and twelve unfortunate victims, Amon had finally calmed down enough for Selendis to approach. ¡°We await your command.¡± The khalai knelt down obediently. Unlike the tal¡¯darim, who were exchanging meaningful looks with each other, the Daelaam couldn¡¯t be turned by the weakness Amon showed and the seriousness of the situation.

    ¡°Command...command?¡± Amon whispered, half mad. ¡°Ah yes, command! Tell me, Selendis!¡± Selendis choked and was lifted into the air by Amon¡¯s void energy. ¡°What can you do? What can I do? They have a fleet! And I¡¯m stuck here with half my body intact!¡±

    ¡°Nevertheless, my master, we cannot give up.¡± Selendis said slowly. ¡°If that fleet up there want to destroy you, my brothers and sisters will make it as difficult for them as possible. Their road to victory will be paved with blood and bones of their people.¡± She spoke with full determination.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Amon recovered a bit. Indeed. If he was to be stuck in a world of nothing, then he would want his end to be as flashy as possible. His enemies might be able to defeat him, but he would be damn sure they wouldn¡¯t be smiling after that. ¡°Go. Go and make them pay.¡±

    As a god, Amon had some tricks up his sleeves. He was trapped and at a terrible position, but he wasn¡¯t completely defenseless against the fleet up there. A thousand ships and one god. Who would win?

    All across the planet void energy converged. These energies took the form of units in the material world of all three units, forming an army literally made up of darkness. From the basic zealots and marines to top tier carriers and battlecruisers, Amon just created an army.

    Unfortunately even so the void shade units were relatively few comparing to the combined fleet. Forming units took void energy, and apart from protecting himself and maintaining the void shards Amon could only spare so much energy.

    Selendis stood back up and turned to the rest of Amon¡¯s units, whether it was Daelaam, tal¡¯darim, feral zerg, or void shades. ¡°Construct defensive positions around void shards. Spread out your forces to minimize enemy bombardment. When the enemy strike unleash everything you have at them and hold your ground until the end. Fight to death for our god. Adept, lead a garrison of templar and execute anyone that falls back. For Amon!¡±

    ¡°For Amon!¡±

    <hr>

    ¡°Commander, scans show enemy forces preparing for battle.¡± On the purifier flagship a Warden AI reported.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°They want to fight.¡± Nova stated the obvious.

    Jean nodded. ¡°Nova, do me a favor and analyze the battlefield.¡±

    ¡°My pleasure.¡± Nova¡¯s eyes turned yellow as she connected the purifier data web, granting her knowledge of the entire purifier fleet. ¡°Opposing forces are spread across the planet. Our orbital bombardment will be inefficient. It is advised to deploy ground forces to exterminate enemy ground forces.¡±

    ¡°And Amon?¡±

    ¡°Four void shards are generating a layer of defenses over Amon¡¯s host. They must be destroyed for our fleet to do significant damage to Amon.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We have nothing but time.¡± Jean stretched her arms and felt the strength within her body. The amount of essence she was forced to ingest, the essence Amon was supposed to take from her, was now truly hers. The amount of benefit it did to her was amazing. She felt like she was at least three times as strong as she was before Zerus. After all at first she was infested as a commander, not a warrior. Perhaps she still wasn¡¯t as strong as the queen of blades, but she wasn¡¯t that far behind. At least now if Kerrigan wanted to kill her she would need a while.

    What made her even more satisfied was that she permanently delayed Amon¡¯s plan. She could imagine the look on Amon¡¯s face. It felt bad, really bad, to sacrifice your own interest for the sake of your greatest enemy. Good. The more emotional Amon was, the better.

    ¡°Deploy purifier units onto the planet below.¡± Jean tapped her chin, deep in thought. ¡°There are only so many enemy forces, and the purifiers are endless. Meanwhile, send smaller fleets across the sector. Drop probes on any planet you come across and warp in nexus and more probes. Turn those planets into mining bases and manufacturing facilities of purifier units.¡± If things go right, as the battle continues there would be more and more purifiers and less and less Amon¡¯s forces. Victory was just a matter of time.

    Nova had no problem with sending purifier units onto the hostile planet below. Almost all of the purifiers below were AIs. They were expendable and, literally, just numbers. She was slightly concerned with something else. ¡°And if we meet other factions?¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s the swarm then back off. If it¡¯s anyone else then warp in units and terminate the other factions to take over the planet. We no longer need to play nicely.¡± A thousand capital ships were more than enough to defeat most power in the sector. From Jean¡¯s perspective she no longer needed any ally besides from the swarm. Other factions in the sector, again except the swarm, like the Terran Dominion and the other terran factions, were worthless to her. In that case why not destroy them and take over their planets for the purifiers? At least that would help her. Cold calculating as always.

    Nova smiled proudly. She wasn¡¯t concerned of how many people would die at the girl¡¯s single order. She wasn¡¯t worried of how many families would be set aflame as the mindless AI forces sweep through the sector. Her mind was focused on the girl and the girl alone.

    ¡°I love it when you¡¯re so...confident.¡± The ghost whispered sweetly before closing her eyes and passing down the deadly order.

    Just seconds later, several smaller purifier fleets left the main horde. The majority of the combined fleet started to approach Aiur. Dozens of purifier warp prisms were deployed and sent flying toward the planet.

    Let the battle begin.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 127: Talis

    Praetor Talis stared at an approaching warp prism. Twenty adepts stood behind her.

    Under the order of executor Selendis, what was left of the Daelaam were spread across the planet. As experienced as Selendis was, she knew perhaps converging her forces wasn¡¯t the best idea when the enemy had a fleet in orbit, completely unchallenged. Scattering her forces into smaller groups could minimize bombardment damage.

    Talis and her forces were one of the smaller groups. She was under the order to destroy enemy warp prisms, thus dealing as much damage to the invading forces as possible.

    Feeling her glaive cannon, Talis¡¯ red eyes radiated hatred. This life is full of pain, and only Amon could end this endless cycle of torment. Why would someone want to stop him? Why? Doesn¡¯t matter. She, along with her brothers and sisters, would make the invaders realize how foolish they were. When the battle end, when the invaders finally win, they would understand the pain of life.

    The warp prism got closer and closer. Talis expertly calculated the distance and when she could fire, but just before the prism got close enough, it suddenly stopped.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Talis frowned.

    <hr>

    In the purifier flagship, Jean smiled as Nova entered full commander mode. In commander mode, Nova was linked to ever purifier unit just like how Jean was linked to every zerg unit on Char. This granted the commander as much information to process with as possible.  In comparison the terran commanding gadgets were really inefficient.

    Jean give Nova command of the Warden fleet as well. Nova ordered a few scans of landing sites. The result was unsurprising. The surface of the planet was heavily defended. Nova decided to make that lighter.

    ¡°All ships: Full bombardment of landing sites. Maintain firing until the landing site is clear. Open fire on my command.¡±

    The combined fleet moved to designated positions. Purifier warp prisms were deployed to transfer troops, and the attack could be delayed if the prisms were sniped. Neither Jean nor Nova were afraid of sacrificing foot soldiers, but sacrificing them for nothing was just inefficient. If the purifiers were to die, they must die after doing the maximum damage.

    Thus a bombardment was deployed to cover the landing.

    Battlecruiser air to ground laser batteries were directed toward certain locations. Carriers, now modified with a solar beam for anti air and a series of orbital cannons for anti ground, readied their weapons. Motherships charged up their purification beams.

    And then the order came.

    ¡°Open fire.¡±

    <hr>

    Talis suddenly sensed an extremely dangerous feeling from the air. Her battle instinct immediately took over. Not having time to say a single word, she activated her psionic projector. A transparent figure left her body and sped away quickly. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Templar, evacuate this area...¡± The female praetor tried to warn her sisters, but before she could do anything a hundred light beams dropped down from the sky. Talis closed her eyes sadly as she and her forces were consumed in flames. At the split second she was able to disappear and reappear at where her shade was, therefore dodging the bombardment from the orbital ships. Her forces weren¡¯t as lucky as they perished.

    The firing continued for three minutes. At the end all of the landing sites were cleared. Nothing on the ground, not even the strongest hybrid, could survive three minutes of intense bombardment from the combined fleet.

    When the bombing ended, the warp prisms entered the designated locations and entered phasing mode. Purifier light beams started to solidify on the ground.

    All alone, Talis aimed her glaive cannon at one of the purifier zealots, a sentinel. She fired, and a small round projectile flew toward the sentinel and shaved his mechanical head off.

    Talis smirked bloodthirsty, but the next second the sentinel¡¯s body twisted and turned. A backup piece of metal appeared at the wound and formed a new head, replacing the lost part. Now completely warped in, the sentinel charged at Talis.

    The hero adept was surprised. The purifiers were ancient. Really ancient. Due to their dark past only the highest level of the Daelaam knew about them. As a rather young field commander Talis had few knowledge about the ancient race, and she certainly didn¡¯t know purifier zealots could regenerate, but her battle instinct was still there.

    Taking a step to the side, Talis got out of the way of the mechanical zealot. The sentinel returned from energy form to physical mode, only to face a charged and ready glave cannon next to his head.

    This time the sentinel didn¡¯t regenerate. Talis not only took off his head but also blasted his body to pieces. Reconstruction could repair minor losses, but when the body was physically apart there was nothing to reconstruct off.

    Unfortunately, Talis¡¯ victory was a negligible one. Not all defenses were made up of experienced templar, and not all were able to carry on their mission. In fact, even in the case of Talis, she wasn¡¯t in a great position as she was surrounded by a dozen sentinels with more on the way.

    For most of the defenders the first wave of bombardment was the last thing they saw. Forget about the feral, even most templar failed to escape the sudden flames from above. Under the superior air advantage, the only difference between the hybrids and a random zergling was that the hybrid had a few seconds to scream whereas a zergling would be evaporated instantly.

    The bombardment took out most of the defenders around the landing site. Therefore most of the warp prisms were able to provide force fields and warp in units almost without having to worry about protecting themselves. When fresh troops were dispatched to the warp prisms, they were met with newly warped in purifiers.

    Across the planet two sides clashed. Amon¡¯s troops tried to push into and destroy the warp prisms, therefore cutting off reinforcements and eliminating the purifiers already on Aiur. The purifiers intended on defending the warp prisms. The longer they could hold, the more reinforcements would arrive.

    Amon¡¯s forces were the best of the best. Those that were here have lived through all the battles and military disasters before Aiur. None of them were weak. The weaks were already dead.

    In comparison the purifiers were relatively weaker, but they were endless. One sentinel fell, eleven would rise again. Ten of them were reinforcements and the last one was the sentinel that fell and repaired itself. On the other hand, one zealot that fell meant one less zealot under Amon¡¯s command.

    This battle could only end in one way.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 128: Specialized Purifier AI

    Talis sent a shade off while firing her glaive cannon at an instigator, a purifier stalker newly designed and constructed under the command of Nova. The instigator blinked and dodged the shot. Appearing in a different location, the instigator fired at Talis.

    Talis disappeared and replaced the shade she sent out just seconds ago.

    Around her Daelaam forces clashed with purifier troops. Talis managed to hold on long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Yet help didn¡¯t mean victory, because when the reinforcements arrived there were already dozens of sentinels in the field, along with several instigators and adepts as support.

    At this point at least a dozen units on both sides have fell, but the purifiers kept on warping in and the Daelaam reinforcements were nowhere in sight. Talis eyed the warp prism. She must destroy it. It was the only way to achieve somewhat of a victory. If this kept on going, eventually the firstborn would be overwhelmed. Experience couldn¡¯t help you when you were outnumbered ten to one.

    Sending out another shade, Talis suddenly tilted her head and dodged the slash of another sentinel. Adepts usually used their glaive cannons, but their melee skills were not to be underestimated either. Grabbing onto the arms of the metal zealot from the side, Talis tossed the robot to a nearby zealot with incredible strength.

    Already been warned through the khala, the zealot had his blades ready. He held his weapons out in a fashion so that when the sentinel fell it fell right on the blades. Instant hole through the chest. The zealot tossed the sentinel¡¯s body aside.

    Talis nodded at the zealot in gratitude before disappearing.

    Having slain another enemy in the name of Amon, the zealot felt himself overwhelmed by a blaze of glory. What was better to show the glory than a war cry?

    ¡°Glorious combat...¡± The war cry had barely left the zealot¡¯s psionically created lips when the zealot collapsed and faded away. The last thing the zealot saw was the cold, metal face of a sentinel and the mending hole in his chest.

    Two sentinels were guarding the warp prism. They weren¡¯t exactly surprised when an adept appeared right next to them.

    Purifiers didn¡¯t know surprise, at least not the standard typed ones. They weren¡¯t programmed for it. All they knew was how to identify their enemies and how to strike.

    As soon as Talis faded in, she was met with four yellow plasma blades.

    Taking a step back, she got out of the way of the four strikes. The two sentinels advanced, but Talis keenly saw an opportunity. The first sentinel was a second faster than the second. Using that opening, Talis fired a shot at the first sentinel. The sentinel¡¯s shield broke, but his body remained intact. Still, using that chance Talis moved past the yellow blades and grabbed onto the first sentinel¡¯s arms. That was when the second sentinel approached, and Talis turned the first sentinel¡¯s blades and forced them into the charging sentinel, breaking through both the plasma shield and the metal body. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Dropping the second sentinel and letting go of the first sentinel¡¯s blade, Talis turned her glaive cannon. put it to the first sentinel¡¯s head, and fired point range. This time the sentinel didn¡¯t survive.

    Putting two more projectiles to the two disabled sentinels to make sure they would stay down, Talis turned to the now vulnerable warp prism.

    But before she could fire, a round fired out of empty space and exploded beside the elite adept. The resulting explosion of blue wave hit Talis.

    Groaning, Talis collapsed. The once easily managed psionic energy disappeared out from her body. She knew what it was. An EMP. No, a modified EMP. A normal electromagnetic pulse couldn¡¯t disable someone as strong as she was. She tried to stand up, to resist, but someone hit her from behind and knocked her out.

    A figure wearing a mask solidified behind her. Ignoring the chaos of battle, the Warden ghost grabbed onto the disabled adept and dragged her toward his transport. A Daelaam zealot noticed him and charged, but all the Warden ghost didw as turned and fire, and an EMP shot forced him out of energy state. The second, an actual round, ended the zealot¡¯s life.

    An elite zealot, down in two seconds. Warden ghosts demonstrated the efficiency of Warden  AI units.

    <hr>

    In orbit, Nova noticed the action of the Warden ghost.

    ¡°What¡¯s with that adept?¡± The commander asked curiously. There wasn¡¯t much commanding left to do. Purifier executors were totally capable of sending purifiers units onto Aiur and ordering them to attack. This gave Nova time to talk with her lover.

    ¡°I noticed something.¡± Jean reasoned. She tapped a key, and a footage appeared on the computer screen before her. It was from the sight of a purifier sentinel.

    The sentinel was one of those that was fighting with Talis. Jean and Nova watched as Talis dealt with several sentinels and one instigators without being hit herself. Everytime she was in danger she would vanish and reappear where her shade was.

    ¡°Our adepts are armed with psionic projection as well, but the purifier version creates a projection that can attack enemies automatically. Why? Because none of the standard AIs were capable of independently thinking and making decisions based on the situation. This makes them less efficient.¡± Jean said as the footage went dark. The sentinel filming was destroyed.

    ¡°You want to recruit her.¡± Nova understood. ¡°How are you planning to ensure her loyalty?¡±

    There was a reason why Jean utilized the standard purifiers and terminated all the specialized AI personalities of famous warriors that were more capable in battle. The AI personalities were stronger, but they had their own thoughts and beliefs. Jean couldn¡¯t control them, whereas she could rule over the standard AIs with a simple hack.

    ¡°Well, ¡°Jean formed a ball of psionic energy in her palms. ¡°Thanks to the great patron Amon, I have received some new skills. For one thing, I have gotten better at messing with other¡¯s minds.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure it will work?¡±

    ¡°I am 90% sure.¡± Jean shrugged. ¡°But that¡¯s not enough, so I will be doing some experiments on that adept to convert her to a purifier.¡±

    ¡°You do that.¡± Nova agreed. ¡°Meanwhile I¡¯ll continue the attack on Aiur.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 130: Amons attempt

    If Aiur was heaven before the zerg and hell after Amon, then now it was purgatory.

    The surface of the planet was covered by the evidence of battle. The ground stinked of dead zerg. Protoss and hybrids vanish when they die, but not the zerg. Pieces of destroyed purifier shells and parts of ownerless weapons and armors dotted the floor.

    It had been a week since the battle began. Massive losses on both sides, but more and more purifiers were being warped onto the planet. Freshly coming off the production line from newly conquered planets and made up of resources from those exact planets, these mechanical warriors charged into battle with no fear.

    The defenders were exhausted. To the Daelaam, their faith was no longer able to sustain their lack of resources, reinforcements, hope, and almost everything an army needed to win. The feral were down to one tenth of their former number. The tal¡¯darim were starting to doubt whether or not Amon could truly lead them to ascension. Even the hybrids, with their minds consumed by hatred and the desire to kill, were doubtful of their chances.

    Selendis stood before Amon. Even the brainwashing she received couldn¡¯t convince her there was any chance of victory.

    ¡°My master.¡± The templar said quietly. Amon didn¡¯t respond, and Selendis proceeded. ¡°Another void shard is destroyed. There¡¯s...there¡¯s only one void shard left. Once that¡¯s down...¡±

    Amon didn¡¯t answer. Selendis knelt there for a few seconds. Finally Amon spoke.

    ¡°Is there...is there a chance for peace?¡± The dark god that dedicated his life to the destruction of all life in the sector was nearly  broken. It was one thing to send his own forces to die. It was another to be banished into the endless void for an eternity. At the start he was determined to just fight until the end, but seven days of listening to enemies approaching, seven days of feeling himself on the edge of failure, changed him. These days of isolation and potential destruction had taught Amon perhaps he could take a step back. Perhaps he could sign a truce. Maybe his mission would be lost, maybe he would be forced to submit to Jean, but at least he would stay in the material world. Even a prison in the material world was better than roaming freely in the void.

    If Selendis wasn¡¯t mind controlled she would be swearing to Amon¡¯s face. Her people fought and died for Amon, and now he wanted to surrender? Yet in this case she could only carry out Amon¡¯s will.

    ¡°I can send a communication to the combined fleet above, but¡­¡± The last part didn¡¯t need to be said. Whether or not Jean would accept Amon¡¯s surrender was a real problem.

    ¡°Do it.¡± Amon said decisively. He had no choice.

    The comm was opened via one of the Daelaam devices.

    ¡°State your request.¡± A Warden AI demanded. It¡¯s mechanical voice didn¡¯t show any respect to the god.

    ¡°I want to speak to your commander. I want to speak to Jean Turner.¡± Amon seemed a bit... polite?

    The Warden AI sent the request to Jean. The girl patched Amon through.

    ¡°Amon.¡± She stated. ¡°Here to say your last words?¡± She played the part of a proud victor.

    ¡°This is pointless.¡± Amon argued. He knew he had no convince the girl before him to have a chance of staying here. For a moment he was impressed by how the positions changed. A week ago he was one the road to success. He was about to become an invincible god. At that time the girl was just a container. Now he needed to beg the girl for mercy. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me. Not really.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± Jean tilted her head, as if hearing the news for the first time.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Even if I am destroyed here I will just return to the void. Give me ten thousand years and I will return again. Who will stop me then? You will be long gone.¡± Amon threatened.

    ¡°You are threatening me.¡± Jean noted. ¡°Oh how the mighty have fallen. A dark god that¡¯s attempting to use words and threats to defeat his enemies. ¡± She mocked.

    Amon groaned and wanted to rip the girl apart, but he controlled himself. ¡°Let me live, and I promise I will serve your cause. I will kill anyone you want me to kill and protect anyone you want me to protect. I will be your blade.¡±

    ¡°Interesting suggestion.¡± Jean smiled. ¡°But unfortunately I must kill you. I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± She really didn¡¯t. Her mission was to terminate Amon.

    Amon didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Let me go, and I can help you with whatever is wrong with your mind. I can¡¯t promise to change it, but I can certainly help.¡± He was almost confident it would work. No one would ignore a problem with their mind. He could sense something was very wrong with Jean, and he knew Jean knew it as well. Of course she would care. He could use this as a bargain.

    ¡°Change? Why would I want to change?¡± Jean asked strangely. She was fine. She was more than fine. In fact, she was doing great. She was efficient.

    Amon rose his nonexistent eyebrows.

    Seeing Amon had nothing else to say, Jean turned off the comm and turned to the figure beside her.

    ¡°Now, Kerrigan, what do you say on our deal?¡± Kerrigan had been observing the conversation between Amon and Jean. The weakness of the dark one shocked her. It was amazing how much the girl before her had grown. A while ago she was still using her knowledge and tactical awareness as a bargain. Now she was denying the surrender of a xel¡¯naga.

    The queen of blades have came over to Jean after realizing Jean was literally conquering the world and slaughtering anyone and everyone in her way, no matter if they opposed her or not. The swarm territory was left untouched, but Kerrigan wasn¡¯t convinced. This was certainly not a coincidence, and Jean spared the swarm for a reason. Kerrigan wanted to find out why. This was why she went to Jean¡¯s flagship, looking for an answer.

    Yes. Spare. With her renewed fleet Jean had enough to take down the swarm. As most of the sector fell under Jean¡¯s grasp even Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t put Jean¡¯s determination and power to question.

    ¡°The swarm will join forces with you. We will be allies.¡± Kerrigan promised. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t believe you need any help to defeat Amon.¡± She glanced at the now dark comm, wondering why Jean needed her. She was already winning the war.

    ¡°Defeat, no, I don¡¯t need you. But I will need your help to kill him.¡± Jean emphasised on the ¡°kill¡±.

    ¡°But, just as Amon said, destroying him here will only banish him into the void. in order to kill a xel¡¯naga you must find a way to enter the void. How are you planning to do that?¡± Kerrigan was doubtful. She still didn¡¯t know about Ulnar.

    ¡°I have a way.¡± Jean answered, but she kept it a secret for now. ¡°I will call you when I am done here. Return to Char and prep your forces.¡± It was a semi-order, but Kerrigan accepted it nonetheless. As the leader of a race that emphasised on Darwinism, survival of the fittest/strongest, she had no trouble following the order of the strongest. For now, Jean was the strongest.

    Watching Kerrigan leaving, Jean grinned with a sense of accomplishment. She was telling the truth. She did need Kerrigan to kill Amon. Only a xel¡¯naga could kill Amon, and Jean had no intention of becoming a god. It was too...flashy.

    ¡°Nova, do me a favor and keep the attack up. The last void shard should fall soon. When that happens destroy Amon¡¯s body by bombardment.¡±

    Nova nodded. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re going somewhere.¡±

    Jean smiled. ¡°Keen as always. Yes, I will be going to Zerus.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Nova couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°We are winning this war. It is only a matter of time before Amon dies. And then we can go to a brand new world with an entire fleet with us. Why are you still fighting your heart out for more power?¡±

    She just couldn¡¯t understand why Jean was so urgent. In fact, Nova hadn¡¯t really seen Jean taking a break. Even in the last seven days she was perfecting the second type of purifier personalities. And now that that was done she was going to somewhere else? Couldn¡¯t she at least stay here and observe Amon¡¯s defeat in satisfaction?

    Jean merely shook her head. She didn¡¯t know why, but something inside her was screaming for her to keep on fighting for more strength, more power. It was as if it was her instinct to get stronger. It felt strange, but she didn¡¯t think much about it. She was going to Zerus for the local primal essence, and after that she would be going for the void and for Amon¡¯s head. When that was done, she would likely be summoned back by the one that sent here, the Supreme One. For a second she wondered where she would be going next.

    All the while, across most of the sector, thousands of purifier outposts were set. Probes turned minerals to units and sent them to the purifier fleet on Aiur. Jean''s power was growing by the minutes.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 130: Amons attempt

    If Aiur was heaven before the zerg and hell after Amon, then now it was purgatory.

    The surface of the planet was covered by the evidence of battle. The ground stinked of dead zerg. Protoss and hybrids vanish when they die, but not the zerg. Pieces of destroyed purifier shells and parts of ownerless weapons and armors dotted the floor.

    It had been a week since the battle began. Massive losses on both sides, but more and more purifiers were being warped onto the planet. Freshly coming off the production line from newly conquered planets and made up of resources from those exact planets, these mechanical warriors charged into battle with no fear.

    The defenders were exhausted. To the Daelaam, their faith was no longer able to sustain their lack of resources, reinforcements, hope, and almost everything an army needed to win. The feral were down to one tenth of their former number. The tal¡¯darim were starting to doubt whether or not Amon could truly lead them to ascension. Even the hybrids, with their minds consumed by hatred and the desire to kill, were doubtful of their chances.

    Selendis stood before Amon. Even the brainwashing she received couldn¡¯t convince her there was any chance of victory.

    ¡°My master.¡± The templar said quietly. Amon didn¡¯t respond, and Selendis proceeded. ¡°Another void shard is destroyed. There¡¯s...there¡¯s only one void shard left. Once that¡¯s down...¡±

    Amon didn¡¯t answer. Selendis knelt there for a few seconds. Finally Amon spoke.

    ¡°Is there...is there a chance for peace?¡± The dark god that dedicated his life to the destruction of all life in the sector was nearly  broken. It was one thing to send his own forces to die. It was another to be banished into the endless void for an eternity. At the start he was determined to just fight until the end, but seven days of listening to enemies approaching, seven days of feeling himself on the edge of failure, changed him. These days of isolation and potential destruction had taught Amon perhaps he could take a step back. Perhaps he could sign a truce. Maybe his mission would be lost, maybe he would be forced to submit to Jean, but at least he would stay in the material world. Even a prison in the material world was better than roaming freely in the void.

    If Selendis wasn¡¯t mind controlled she would be swearing to Amon¡¯s face. Her people fought and died for Amon, and now he wanted to surrender? Yet in this case she could only carry out Amon¡¯s will.

    ¡°I can send a communication to the combined fleet above, but¡­¡± The last part didn¡¯t need to be said. Whether or not Jean would accept Amon¡¯s surrender was a real problem.

    ¡°Do it.¡± Amon said decisively. He had no choice.

    The comm was opened via one of the Daelaam devices.

    ¡°State your request.¡± A Warden AI demanded. It¡¯s mechanical voice didn¡¯t show any respect to the god.

    ¡°I want to speak to your commander. I want to speak to Jean Turner.¡± Amon seemed a bit... polite?

    The Warden AI sent the request to Jean. The girl patched Amon through.

    ¡°Amon.¡± She stated. ¡°Here to say your last words?¡± She played the part of a proud victor.

    ¡°This is pointless.¡± Amon argued. He knew he had no convince the girl before him to have a chance of staying here. For a moment he was impressed by how the positions changed. A week ago he was one the road to success. He was about to become an invincible god. At that time the girl was just a container. Now he needed to beg the girl for mercy. ¡°You can¡¯t kill me. Not really.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t?¡± Jean tilted her head, as if hearing the news for the first time.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Even if I am destroyed here I will just return to the void. Give me ten thousand years and I will return again. Who will stop me then? You will be long gone.¡± Amon threatened.

    ¡°You are threatening me.¡± Jean noted. ¡°Oh how the mighty have fallen. A dark god that¡¯s attempting to use words and threats to defeat his enemies. ¡± She mocked.

    Amon groaned and wanted to rip the girl apart, but he controlled himself. ¡°Let me live, and I promise I will serve your cause. I will kill anyone you want me to kill and protect anyone you want me to protect. I will be your blade.¡±

    ¡°Interesting suggestion.¡± Jean smiled. ¡°But unfortunately I must kill you. I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± She really didn¡¯t. Her mission was to terminate Amon.

    Amon didn¡¯t give up. ¡°Let me go, and I can help you with whatever is wrong with your mind. I can¡¯t promise to change it, but I can certainly help.¡± He was almost confident it would work. No one would ignore a problem with their mind. He could sense something was very wrong with Jean, and he knew Jean knew it as well. Of course she would care. He could use this as a bargain.

    ¡°Change? Why would I want to change?¡± Jean asked strangely. She was fine. She was more than fine. In fact, she was doing great. She was efficient.

    Amon rose his nonexistent eyebrows.

    Seeing Amon had nothing else to say, Jean turned off the comm and turned to the figure beside her.

    ¡°Now, Kerrigan, what do you say on our deal?¡± Kerrigan had been observing the conversation between Amon and Jean. The weakness of the dark one shocked her. It was amazing how much the girl before her had grown. A while ago she was still using her knowledge and tactical awareness as a bargain. Now she was denying the surrender of a xel¡¯naga.

    The queen of blades have came over to Jean after realizing Jean was literally conquering the world and slaughtering anyone and everyone in her way, no matter if they opposed her or not. The swarm territory was left untouched, but Kerrigan wasn¡¯t convinced. This was certainly not a coincidence, and Jean spared the swarm for a reason. Kerrigan wanted to find out why. This was why she went to Jean¡¯s flagship, looking for an answer.

    Yes. Spare. With her renewed fleet Jean had enough to take down the swarm. As most of the sector fell under Jean¡¯s grasp even Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t put Jean¡¯s determination and power to question.

    ¡°The swarm will join forces with you. We will be allies.¡± Kerrigan promised. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t believe you need any help to defeat Amon.¡± She glanced at the now dark comm, wondering why Jean needed her. She was already winning the war.

    ¡°Defeat, no, I don¡¯t need you. But I will need your help to kill him.¡± Jean emphasised on the ¡°kill¡±.

    ¡°But, just as Amon said, destroying him here will only banish him into the void. in order to kill a xel¡¯naga you must find a way to enter the void. How are you planning to do that?¡± Kerrigan was doubtful. She still didn¡¯t know about Ulnar.

    ¡°I have a way.¡± Jean answered, but she kept it a secret for now. ¡°I will call you when I am done here. Return to Char and prep your forces.¡± It was a semi-order, but Kerrigan accepted it nonetheless. As the leader of a race that emphasised on Darwinism, survival of the fittest/strongest, she had no trouble following the order of the strongest. For now, Jean was the strongest.

    Watching Kerrigan leaving, Jean grinned with a sense of accomplishment. She was telling the truth. She did need Kerrigan to kill Amon. Only a xel¡¯naga could kill Amon, and Jean had no intention of becoming a god. It was too...flashy.

    ¡°Nova, do me a favor and keep the attack up. The last void shard should fall soon. When that happens destroy Amon¡¯s body by bombardment.¡±

    Nova nodded. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re going somewhere.¡±

    Jean smiled. ¡°Keen as always. Yes, I will be going to Zerus.¡±

    ¡°For what?¡± Nova couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. ¡°We are winning this war. It is only a matter of time before Amon dies. And then we can go to a brand new world with an entire fleet with us. Why are you still fighting your heart out for more power?¡±

    She just couldn¡¯t understand why Jean was so urgent. In fact, Nova hadn¡¯t really seen Jean taking a break. Even in the last seven days she was perfecting the second type of purifier personalities. And now that that was done she was going to somewhere else? Couldn¡¯t she at least stay here and observe Amon¡¯s defeat in satisfaction?

    Jean merely shook her head. She didn¡¯t know why, but something inside her was screaming for her to keep on fighting for more strength, more power. It was as if it was her instinct to get stronger. It felt strange, but she didn¡¯t think much about it. She was going to Zerus for the local primal essence, and after that she would be going for the void and for Amon¡¯s head. When that was done, she would likely be summoned back by the one that sent here, the Supreme One. For a second she wondered where she would be going next.

    All the while, across most of the sector, thousands of purifier outposts were set. Probes turned minerals to units and sent them to the purifier fleet on Aiur. Jean''s power was growing by the minutes.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 131: Dehaka

    Jean brought forty Warden battlecruisers with her to Zerus. These forty battlecruisers met no resistance as they landed in an opening on the forest planet. Without a central command, the primal zerg had no chance of deflecting the landing, not that any planetary defense would be effective at all. Random mutalisks and guardians were no match to forty capital ships.

    Upon arrival, terran mechanical units left the battlecruisers in four lines and started building a defensive formation. SCVs constructed automated bunkers that had mounted turrets. Warden siege tanks entered siege mode and stared at any potential enemy that were foolish enough to come and storm the base. Positioned in the ideal position according to tactical AI calculations and connected in the same central network, the Warden forces were as efficient as possible. It would take at least ten times the primal zerg to storm the base.

    Goliaths, thors, and siege tanks, piloted by AIs, started to sweep through the surface of the planet. Any primal they met were immediately gunned down and brought back to where the battlecruisers landed. There, they would be fed to Jean.

    <hr>

    In a cave, Dehaka licked his wound, which was both physical and metaphorical.

    The alliance he put together was a disaster. Two weeks ago under his persuasion, most of the primal packs on Zerus came together and stormed the protoss camp. Despite the recent defeats the Daelaam suffered, they weren¡¯t weak enough to be defeated by a few hordes of mindless primal. The attack was a crushing defeat for the zerg. One of the pack leaders was killed, and all leaders were wounded to a certain degree. Even Dehaka himself took an immortal cannon to the face. The primal units were down to one third of their former numbers. It was truly a heavy blow to the packs.

    As a result the cause of this tragedy didn¡¯t receive much appreciation from the pack leaders. The leaders wouldn¡¯t dare to go after the primary cause, the Golden Armada, again, but they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to let off some steam on the secondary cause, which was, unfortunately, the one that rallied them together on the attack and promised them a successful battle. Dehaka. When the attack was obviously a disaster, even Dehaka was smart enough to know the primal leaders wouldn¡¯t welcome his return with open arms(claws). That was why he turned and ran into the woods during the chaos of the defeat instead of returning to the primal alliance.

    Luckily the foreign invaders left the planet a few days later. Turned out Dehaka didn¡¯t even need to rally the attack on the Daelaam. The pack leaders could¡¯ve just hid for a few days and sacrificed a few pawns and would still be nice and fine...Of course that realization only increased their hatred for Dehaka. If it wasn¡¯t for him and his foolish suggestion they wouldn¡¯t be wounded at all and most of their important units would still be alive. To Dehaka the departure of the protoss was only the beginning of his nightmare. Now there were several angry pack leaders outside that would be more than happy to feast on his essence. He had no choice but to stay in a cave and heal, hoping one day all the pack leaders that wanted him dead would be dead due to some reason and he would, once more, be free. It was a wild hope, but that was all Dehaka could do. He had no forces and no power to stand up against the primal packs. If only he had his own pack...

    As he was deep in his own wild imagination, Dehaka heard some noise from outside. He immediately got alert. Life as a fugitive was not easy. If there were some primal zerg outside then he would need to eliminate them before even one of them could escape and get the news of his presence to their leaders. As strong as he was, or as he thought he was, Dehaka didn¡¯t think he was strong enough to take on a single pack leader and an entire pack, much less several packs at the same time. As he stood up his thoughts flew to building his own pack again. If he could have an army of primal under his command¡­This time, thought, he quickly recovered and looked at the approaching creatures.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    What he saw wasn¡¯t exactly a primal zerg.

    A squad of five metal beasts navigated their way through the forest and was closing in on the cave. Dehaka wasn¡¯t that smart, but he was smart enough to know those metal creatures weren¡¯t his friends. Not wanting any trouble and in no desire/condition to fight, Dehaka kept his wounded head low and retreated deeper into the cave, hoping the potential enemies were here for a walk and nothing else. Maybe they couldn¡¯t find him. Maybe they would just glance around and then turn and leave.

    Frankly speaking the cave Dehaka hid in was a good hiding location for a runaway. The cave looked abandoned on the outside. Such caves were more than plenty on Zerus. Very few people would bother checking it out. Even if Dehaka was noticed and the primal somehow surrounded the cave, Dehaka could always hold the line. The pursuers advantage in number would be taken out of the equation by the position of the cave. This was almost the ideal location. Of course, the cave didn¡¯t have an alternate exit, but if he was cornered likely he wouldn¡¯t have any chance to escape.

    Yet the discreteness wasn¡¯t enough to save Dehaka from the Warden goliaths. In order hunt down primal as efficiently as possible, one of the five goliaths was armed with a radar. Perhaps a cave was enough to keep the primal away, but it did nothing against the terran technology.

    The goliath squad leader, the one carrying the radar, sent out a signal through the Warden network while the other four goliaths approached the cave. Their heat version were turned on. Dehaka¡¯s form was brighter than ever.

    The louder and louder sound of metal machines stepping on solid ground was enough to tell Dehaka he was founded. The problem with a lack of exit was...well...there wasn¡¯t any exit.

    Back against the wall, Dehaka took action. The primal, savage side of him took hold. Growling, Dehaka charged out into the open.

    If Dehaka was the primal pack leader he was when he met Kerrigan in the original history, he could destroy the five goliaths with absolute ease. Yet he wasn¡¯t. The Dehaka now was merely a primal zerg with slightly higher intelligence than other pack leaders. He was stronger than normal primal units, but not by much.

    The four goliaths opened fire. Warden AI immediately analysed the armor and hitpoint of Dehaka and identified how much damage they needed to do to maim him but keep him alive long enough for Jean to consume him.

    Dehaka¡¯s wild growl was immediately turned into a pained cry as four pairs of twin cannons hit him in the chest. His carapace did the best it could, but it simply wasn¡¯t enough. Warden goliaths went into the ideal position and were able to all fire at once. Flesh and blood covered the ground as Dehaka was punched back by the full impact of the terran arsenal.

    Pushed back, the primal knew he needed to do something, but then he realized the problem with having claws and only claws. The downside of only having a melee attack was fully demonstrated in this situation as Dehaka had no way to really attack the goliaths. For nearly an entire minute Dehaka tried to move forward and was constantly pushed back by auto cannon rounds. One step forward, two steps back. When the beast finally collapsed in a pool of his own blood, disabled but alive, twenty SCVs arrived outside the cave, along with two more squads of goliaths.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 132: Dehakas deal

    Dehaka woke up and felt himself being dragged along. He tried to look up and move his body, and found himself restrained and surrounded. The sound of metal clicking drew his attention to the two lines of metal creatures around him. They were slightly smaller than the machines that brought so much pain on him, and they were dragging him forward. He, subconsciously, tried to stand up, to resist, but it didn¡¯t take him long to realize his arms and legs were tied together by some metal tool. His primal strength wasn¡¯t enough to break through terran technology. Plus, even if he could, the five machines that attacked him before were around as well. If he couldn¡¯t defeat them before, there was no way for him, now heavily wounded and restrained, to escape.

    Agh, technology. Dehaka silently swore he would never underestimate the power of technology ever again. First the invaders with those shiny blades. Now these invaders with metal tools. Is physical strength really this useless?

    Spirit lower than ever, Dehaka made another desperate attempt to break free. No result. Almost giving up, he laid back and wondered what was happening. Since when did the primal  become so attractive? Who were these metal creatures and why were they after him? How were they related to the first group of intruders? Then again this will no longer matter. His chance of surviving was as low as chances get.

    Growls came from beside and attracted Dehaka¡¯s attention. Turning around, he found a several story tall monster. With blades the size of a hydralisk and feet large enough to crush zerglings, it was a primal ultralisk. No. It was a captured primal ultralisk.

    The situation was even worse than he had imagined. That ultralisk meant Dehaka wasn¡¯t the only one being targeted. Whoever these forces belong to they were after all the primal on Zerus. More importantly, these forces have the power to back up their plan. If it was Dehaka himself against that ultralisk he would need quite a while to kill it, and there was very little chance for him to take the ultralisk alive without taking severe damage himself. It was harder to capture a primal than to kill it. But the large hole on the ultralisk¡¯s carapace told Dehaka this formidable foe was taken alive. The perfectly healthy metal machines, marching in two straight lines, told him that beast didn¡¯t really put up a fight. Not one of the machines was wounded, and the filled lines meant not one of the machines was lost either.

    This was really scary. Primal ultralisks were widely considered the ultimate weapon in primal packs. With heavy carapace and menacing size, they could change the tide of a battle. Even pack leaders needed a while to kill them. But this ultimate killing machine was easily dealt with by these machines. That means...

    In reality Dehaka overestimated the Warden forces. The ultralisk was extremely unlucky, or else he might have put up more of a fight. The beast got sneaked upon by a goliath squad who, upon realizing the size and potential danger of the ultralisk, called for reinforcements. When the ultralisk realized something was wrong, it was met with four siege tanks, in siege mode, and four banshees. It really wasn¡¯t a fair fight, and ten minutes later here it was.

    Watching the ultralisk struggling and growling, both with no effect, Dehaka wondered what the metal creatures wanted by capturing primal? Why would someone do that? He didn¡¯t think about zerg essence. Why would metal machines with high tech weapons be after zerg essence? It didn¡¯t take knowledge of technology and the rest of the sector for Dehaka to realize the difference between primal zerg and Warden terran.

    The two prisoners continued for a while. The situation was mainly silent, and the desperate growls from the ultralisk only made Dehaka more frightened. With higher intelligence came higher chances of being scared. Dehaka¡¯s unusual talent in intelligence only made him more worried about his future. In contrast, the ultralisk, with little thinking, had no fear.

    On the way Dehaka came across several groups of metal machines. Some of them were different from those that captured him and some were of the same type. Dehaka roughly counted hundreds of them, and those were just the guards and the scouts. Judging from his experience with these units, these forces were more than enough to take down several primal packs. Dehaka¡¯s heart sank even deeper. There was no way he could escape all these. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The two moved for another several minutes before coming to a halt. The Warden units dropped Dehaka on the ground.

    Standing up, Dehaka found himself standing before a seemingly vulnerable creature that he had never met before. Dehaka, a native occupant of Zerus, had never seen a terran before. The primal ultralisk was dropped off beside him as well. As the ground shook, Dehaka¡¯s fear reached a peak. He felt like this was where he would be executed.

    However, to Dehaka¡¯s complete surprise, the metal creatures simply turned and left the two with Jean alone. As far as he could see there was little protection around. All the metal machines have left. Looking around, no reinforcements could be seen. This place was empty except for the three.

    Dehaka eyed the girl, who had her eyes closed unsuspectingly. If he could kill her, he might be able to escape before guards arrive. In terran form Jean¡¯s psionic and physical power was concealed. To the primal, who scaled strength level via size physical strength, the slant body had no sign of power at all. Even a primal zergling was stronger than the girl was.

    But something at the back of his mind told Dehaka not to make a move. There must be some sort of trick. There was no way the girl was as defenseless as she appeared to be. Maybe some of those metal things were hiding. Maybe they were just waiting for him to make a move. Maybe...Looking around carefully, he noticed the ground was slightly more red than usual.

    What happened next made Dehaka more than satisfied of his caution.

    The primal ultralisk beside him was somewhat stupid. It wasn¡¯t an insult. It was a fact. The ultralisks¡¯ intelligence was inversely proportional to its physical strength. The same could be said for most of the primal zerg.

    Standing up, the primal ultralisk charged toward Jean, crushing everything in its path. Silently calling the beast an idiot, Dehaka stood back and watched and got ready. If the ultralisk was successful, which he doubted would be the case, he could just break free and flee. If the ultralisk was unsuccessful, well, he didn¡¯t attack, so there was still ground for negotiation. The result was surprising and not surprising at the same time.

    It was unsurprising because Jean, just like he expected, wasn¡¯t as defenseless as she appeared.

    It was surprising because Dehaka thought the defenses were those metal guards. He was wrong.

    The primal ultralisk came to a screeching halt, as if it smashed into an invisible wall. Confused, the beast tried to continue its charge. Its four legs pushed into the ground, digging open four ditches and pushing its body forward. Every muscle in its giant body tensed up and provided energy to power the ultralisk forward. The combined strength was enough to move a mountain. Dehaka silently calculated and knew if it was him before the ultralisk he would be in some real trouble. He looked toward the figure, wondering what she would do.

    Jean didn¡¯t move, and the next second the ultralisk¡¯s head exploded.

    The headless primal stood there for a second before collapsing. Unlike their swarm counterparts, primal ultralisk¡¯s didn¡¯t have critical organs grown all over the body. A mixture of red and white stained the already bloodstained ground as the giant form hit the ground.

    Under Dehaka¡¯s shocked eyes, the executioner knelt down and started absorbing the essence from the fresh corpse.

    Beside, seeing the blue essence entering the female body, Dehaka knew he needed to do something to save himself or he would be next.

    ¡°I yield...Spare me.¡± Dehaka growled, attracting Jean¡¯s attention.

    Jean, finishing the absorption, looked at Dehaka and tilted her head in consideration. A primal that could speak and argue logically was an odd sight. He could be of some use. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°I locate other packs. Help you. Hunt them. Consume them.¡±

    Jean was able to understand the primal. She considered the deal. For now her forces were searching for and hunting down primal using radars and scans, but scans cost energy and radars were expensive. A guide would be more than helpful.

    ¡°You lead me to other primal packs. I let you live. Deal?¡±

    Dehaka was more than happy to say yes.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 133: Slaughter

    In the woods, Jean, Dehaka, and a couple hundred Warden mechancial units were marching. They stopped when they reached an open field.

    ¡°There...Yagdra¡¯s pack.¡± The traitor of his own kind pointed at where a swarm of primal zerg were wandering around aimlessly. At this point Dehaka¡¯s thoughts had went further than merely saving his own skin. If he could use this monstrous girl and her more than powerful forces to destroy all the established packs on Zerus...he, Dehaka, would be able to use the power vacuum to build his own pack after she leaves. Now he was doing this for his ambition.

    ¡°Noted.¡± Instead of sitting in her defenses and waiting for her underlings to bring half dead primal to her, Jean actually lead the assault forces. Perhaps Warden units could take small groups of primal alive, but there was no way for them to capture an entire pack alive while taking few losses. It was a bad trade, and more importantly it was unnecessary. Jean was all about trading efficiently.

    ¡°Stay back.¡± Dehaka walked up as if he wanted to participate in the fight, but Jean him back. She needed Dehaka as a guide, not a fighter. She had more than enough fighters

    Dehaka took a few steps back.

    ¡°Enter battle position. Move with caution.¡± The command was as quiet as ever.

    Warden units moved out of the woods quietly. Goliaths and SCVs, much more agile than siege tanks and thors, cleared a path for their larger friends. Warden sensors picked up information of the surrounding and allowed the units to make as little sound as possible as they moved into position. Thanks to a lack of scout, Jean¡¯s forces had the element of surprise.

    Half the army had left the woods when a loud sound pierced through the sky. A siege tank tried to move across a seemingly solid ground, and the ground just collapsed. The sound of the siege tank hitting the bottom of the hole was more than enough of a warning.

    Two third of the primal units looked up in alert. Their more than capable hearings easily picked up the noise. Seeing the now out in the open Warden forces, they growled and charged.

    Jean¡¯s eyes twitched as the sea of enemies swarmed up. The primal outnumbered the Warden forces at least 3 to 1. Luckily sometimes number didn¡¯t mean power. Jean tapped her earpiece and said something.

    Not needing Jean¡¯s orders, the Warden AIs responded swiftly. The first group of units went into battle formation to cover their comrades behind as they exited the woods. Siege tanks sieged. Goliaths readied their auto cannons. Thor¡¯s aimed their hammers.

    The next second three orange energy beams smashed into the charging primal forces. Flesh and blood exploded as three giant holes were formed in the dense primal lines. Even after suffering a terrible defeat at the hands of the Golden Armada these primal weren¡¯t smart enough to learn a lesson. Their battle tactic of stacking their forces closely and using their numbers as an advantage made them extremely vulnerable to orbital strikes.

    Jean stared at the now much thinner enemy horde. She had twenty battlecruisers in the air. Faced with no real opposition, their contribution to the battle on the ground was significant. If Jean needed she could order the battlecruisers to just bombard the primal packs to extinction. That would be really costly, though, which was why she still bothered with using ground forces.

    Still, despite the heavy losses that were enough to push back a normal army, the primal weren¡¯t shaken. The one advantage, perhaps the only advantage, of being ignorant was that ignorance meant a lack of fear. The death of their own only made them more bloodthirsty. The primal forces moved even quicker.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It merely took seconds for the primal to enter siege tanks firing range, but the Warden flank remained silent for a while. It was when half the primal horde entered range that the tanks fired all at once.

    Instantly dozens of Curcio cannon rounds covered the primal formation. Thanks to Warden network, none of the rounds overlapped. Less density meant more coverage, and every primal that moved into range was met with an explosion.

    Zerglings and hydralisks were tossed into the air, and when they fell back down they were already in pieces. Their intestines ripped apart. Ultralisks and roaches, on the other hand, weren¡¯t afraid of a single cannon round. Some of the roaches were maimed, but their rapid generation allowed them to drag their battered body toward their foe. Ultralisks merely shrugged off the siege tank round. Their meters of carapace weren¡¯t for show. Even direct hit of a tank round wasn¡¯t enough to go through meters of armor.

    But the Warden tricks weren¡¯t done.

    Now, despite the initial losses, the primal weren¡¯t doomed. If just a few ultralisks could get into the all ranged Warden lines and distract them for a while, fresh primal reinforcements could overrun the Warden flank. Then again, Jean was too smart to let that happen.

    Warden network identified the survivors of the first attack. Most of the plentiful units, like zerglings, were gone. This opened up an opportunity for single unit targeting.

    Fifteen thors moved forward to meet the fifteen ultralisks that survived the cannons. Each took a second to lock onto their target. Finally, they opened fire.

    Each of the ultralisk was hit in the face by two Thor¡¯s hammer rounds. Carapace was torn open. Blood was spilled. The charging of the primal were taken back for two seconds. They were shook, but they were still alive. Unlucky for them, the Warden thors weren¡¯t firing for the damage. They were doing it for the two seconds of pause.

    Two seconds might not be much in life, but in the field of battle it was proven to be quite important. All it took were two seconds for the siege tanks to recharge their weapons again. However this time, instead of a bombardment that favored more coverage, the siege tanks targeted individual ultralisks and roaches. No amount of carapace could protect the units when their inner intestines were reduced to jelly.

    When the last ultralisk fell twenty meters away from the mechanical flank, the second half of the pack had entered siege tank range...

    The same thing repeated again. For twenty minutes the primal kept on charging, and for twenty minutes they were beaten back. When one primal fell, another took its place. The ruthlessness and stupidity of the primal allowed them to keep up this suicidal charge, but this was no medieval battle. Numbers mattered, but not as much as technology. Theoretically with enough ammunition the Warden forces could keep the primal back forever. No amount of persistency could change that.

    When Yagdra collapsed with a several meter wide hole in his head, Jean walked up to the scene of slaughter, knelt down, and closed her eyes. Her hands reached out as blue essence entered her body.

    Beside her Dehaka walked up. The primal felt no guilt at all toward the literal layer of dead body that were once his people. Instead, he merely got more respectful toward Jean. Similar to the tal¡¯darim, the primal respected the strongest. Jean was the strongest.

    A Warden goliath blocked Dehaka¡¯s advance.

    ¡°Let him through.¡± Jean said with her eyes still closed. The goliath moved aside, giving way to Dehaka.

    The girl was literally moaning. Every cell in her body started to absorb energy. Muscles improved. When the blue gas cleared, Jean¡¯s eyes opened with twice the alertness she had before.

    Standing up, Jean frowned as her legs literally stepped a hole in the ground. It was completely by accident. She wasn¡¯t even trying, and that was bad. Really bad. She had the strength level of 10 but the control of a strength level of 1. She needed much more practice to fully use this newly gained strength.

    Still, practice could wait. The top priority now was to get more essence. Something told her it wasn¡¯t enough. She needed more power. She always needed more power.

    ¡°Where is the next closest pack?¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 134: Exile

    Aiur.

    The defenders were at their last moments.

    The rest of Amon¡¯s forces were near the last standing void shard. Once that shard falls, Amon would receive no additional life. When that happens, any attack done to the body would be permanent and irreversible. It wouldn¡¯t take long for that body to fall. When it does, Amon would be back to the eternal prison.

    Amon¡¯s followers would defend their master until their last breathe. It wouldn¡¯t matter if their sacrifice was completely futile.

    The Daelaam were the first line of defense. Most of the feral were already gone in the first few days of battle. Those that survived were too few to really matter and were mixed in other defenders. The tal¡¯darim were half hearted. If they could leave the planet alive they would¡¯ve be gone already. Unfortunately the last ascendant that tried to flee in his ship was blasted out of the sky by a Yamato cannon. There were less than a dozen hybrids left. Hybrids were labeled as top priority, which meant they were treated the same as a group of immortals or an archon. Whenever they appeared on the battlefield they would be met with enough orbital bombardment to kill the hybrid immediately.

    Selendis was still leading the pointless struggle. Her spirit was low, but she was still fighting. She would fight until her last breath for her master.

    Glancing through the battered Daelaam, the scattered feral, the desperate tal¡¯darim, and the random hybrids, Selendis knew no amount of devotion or courage could save them. Courage might be able to make them fight harder, be able to make them take out a few dozen more enemies, but in the end they would die. It was a fact, and nothing could change that.

    Turning away, she didn¡¯t even bother with usual war cries or brave encouragements. Instead, she just signed and turned to the obviously advantageous attackers.

    A sea of yellow was surrounding the void shard and its lonely defenders. Yesterday the purifiers have overwhelmed most of the planet and have reduced the territory of the defenders back to just miles within the last void shard. Even Amon¡¯s body was surrounded by the yellow robots. Selendis counted at least two thousand sentinels and at least a hundred legionnaires. That was over ten times the number of the defenders.

    Her eyes rested on a legionnaire for a few seconds. Taller and stronger than normal sentinels, they were the finest soldiers of the purifiers. Perhaps they didn¡¯t have earth shattering firepower, but they made up for it with alarger size, larger blades, heavier armors, and stronger shields. Just a dozen of them could take down a high templar. Selendis encountered them before. A few days ago she, and a squad of elite zealots, were ambushed by twenty legionnaires. It was bloody. She lived, which was obvious by her presence here, but her missing right arm showed the strength of the legionnaires.

    ¡°Executor.¡± A zealot walked up. The past confidence was nowhere to be seen. ¡°What are they waiting for?¡± He was talking about the purifiers.

    Selendis didn¡¯t respond. It didn¡¯t matter what the purifiers want to do. The ending was already decided. Maybe they just wanted the survivors to suffer in fear. She thought darkly.

    Suddenly the female executor looked up. Her psi energy screamed warning.

    In orbit, three tactical nukes left the hanger of a battlecruiser and flew toward the void shard.

    ¡°Fall back!¡± Selendis screamed desperately. She knew about these special terran weapons and the amount of damage they could do. Even a carrier couldn¡¯t withstand multiple tactical nukes. The fact that the defenders were forced into a small area didn¡¯t help with evading the missiles either. Now she knew what the purifiers were waiting for. They were waiting for the nukes to thin down the horde.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Daelaam zealots exchanged looks in desperation. Where could they go? Outside? They could barely hold back the purifier sentinels in defensive formation. Counterattacking into ten times the enemy sounded brave, but in reality it was just pure stupidity. Inside? It would only make them more clamped up and maximize the damage. None of the zealots did anything as the nukes came down. If they were in range, well, too bad. If they survived, they would just give their lives for their master a few minutes later.

    The first tactical nuke hit the ground and, with no delay, exploded. Thousands of degrees of heat swept through the defenders in range and melted everything in its way. Even the hybrids perished.

    In real combat the nukes weren¡¯t as effective because they could be easily detected and therefore intercepted by their enemies. Even if interception failed the defenders could always spread out and minimize the damage done. But in this case there was nothing the defenders could do. The Daelaam had no choice but to stay where they were and take the full impact of the blast.

    Before the smoke from the first nuke cleared, the second missile hit the floor, and then the third. When the smoke cleared, most of the defenders were reduced to ashes.

    Selendis was one of the lucky, or rather unlucky, survivors. She was near the edge of one of the missiles, and her plasma shield blinked heavily to deflect the blast. The shockwave knocked her over, but she was majorly fine. Standing up with one arm, she looked through the wreckage. Those that survived the hits as well were rare. Very rare. She counted a few dozen zealots and two hybrids left.

    That was when she heard the sentinels moving.

    ¡°Forward.¡± The leading legionnaire ordered, and thousands of purifiers charged toward the several dozen survivors¡­It was hardly a fair fight.

    <hr>

    Amon signed as he felt the last strand of life disappearing. The last thing keeping him in this world was gone. Looking up, he felt every ship in the fleet in orbit charging their weapons. His exile was at hand.

    ¡°Jean!¡± The dark god screamed in utter hatred. He was furious. Thousands of years of planning, all ruined by one girl. ¡°Listen to me, human! One day I will return! When I do, everything about you will burned! Your allies! Your people! Your descendants! Everything and everyone you love with perish in my fury!¡± His voice pierced the stars, warning the entire planet of the god¡¯s hatred.

    He had no idea Jean wasn¡¯t even in orbit. In fact, the only person near the planet still alive that had the ability to think independently was Nova. Obviously the ghost didn¡¯t appreciate Amon¡¯s threat.

    ¡°All batteries take aim.¡± Her voice was colder than ever. Amon was on his death bed, and he was still playing tough?

    The purifier fleet, now over 700 ships, readied everything they had. From the purifier beam of motherships to orbital strikes of carriers. From resonance coils of tempests to ion cannons of phoenixes. Everything in the purifier arsenal felt the fury of their commander, and they responded correspondingly. The Warden fleet took part as well. Nearly 500 battlecruisers charged up their Yamato cannons. Vikings and wraiths left the capital ship hangers and dove toward the enormously obvious target on the surface of the planet.

    Firepower enough to destroy half a planet took aim at the god.

    The first round of missiles and torpedoes ripped open the first layer of armor and made way for further attacks. Hundreds of orange Yamato cannons and blue orbital strikes followed. It got even tougher when the ten purifier motherships in orbit each turned on their purification beam. Ten blue rays dropped down from the sky and hit Amon in the face. Unlike other projectiles, these purification beams didn¡¯t just hit once and disappear. Instead, they kept on burning through their target.

    Amon screamed as his body melted, but there was literally nothing he could do. His body wasn¡¯t complete, which meant it was useless in combat. Everyone loyal to him were dead or dying. Every last trace of void energy Amon had control over had been turned to void shade units. Everything single card he had had been used. There was nothing he could do but sit back and enjoy the barbeque.

    The torture went on for ten minutes. For the entirety of ten minutes the dark god was burned through and melted down. When the firing ended, there was nothing left.

    As the host was gone, so was Amon¡¯s last influence in the material world.

    <hr>

    In the void, a xel¡¯naga screamed.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 135: Zurvan

    Zerus.

    A zergling crawled through the piles of dead. Its lower body was completely gone, but the zerg¡¯s tendency to not die easily kept it alive. In a pool of its own blood, ittried to crawl forward. That was before a goliath stepped on its head and crushed its skull.

    Another pack was completely wiped out. The ground stink of rotten flesh. Blood flowed like a river. Mechanical units walked through the piles of dead and finished off those who were unlucky enough to survive the previous onslaught. Before the brutal scene a girl stood back up. Her legs sank into the ground, earning a frown from the girl.

    Making another mental note, Jean turned to a primal beside her, but before she could speak her earpiece vibrated. Feeling the alert, she touched the device and nodded as she processed the information.

    Dehaka stood obediently beside her. He showed no regret of bring death and destruction upon his own people. The more primal killed here, the easier it would be for him to eventually come to power. He was slightly curious at what she heard, but he knew better than to ask.

    After receiving the transmission, Jean tapped her earpiece again and turned to the primal.

    ¡°Is there any more essence that you know about?¡±

    Dehaka shook his head and pointed at the piles of fallen primal. ¡°That...last essence...others...scattered...¡± For the past several days, with the help of Dehaka, the Warden forces have cleared the planet of all the packs. Everyday thousands of primal were turned from living, breathing weapons to dead bodies and then finally to an insignificant of Jean¡¯s body. Now that all the packs were gone, those that were still alive had very few essence and were scattered all over the forest. The amount of essence that could be absorbed wasn¡¯t worth the time needed to locate and hunt them.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Usually this was the part where Jean betray and backstab Dehaka, but this time she merely stood around thoughtfully. ¡°I sense someone else. Someone strong. Someone large. Someone... ancient.¡± Her eyes turned blue as she scanned the surface of the planet with her newly enhanced psi energy.

    ¡°This way.¡± She turned and ran toward a direction. Warden units turned their engines to maximum efficiency and followed her.

    <hr>

    Jean stopped at a crescent shaped field. Dehaka, exhausted, took a few more seconds to catch up to Jean. Sometimes he wondered how the thin legs of the girl could run so quickly. He knew it was the zerg essence helping, but the habit of judging by look continued to take part.

    ¡°It¡¯s...empty.¡± The primal stated as he glanced around and realized the place was empty.

    ¡°Empty?¡± Jean smiled, toying with the words. She didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds. It was when the Warden forces caught up that Jean finally spoke.

    She didn¡¯t want to scare away her target before she was ready to engage.

    ¡°I have never expected a primal to hide from battle.¡± The girl taunted as she looked around.¡±I am truly, truly, disappointed to realize someone as experienced with the way of the zerg to be a coward. No allegiance but to self. Kill or be killed. Am I correct, Zurvan? Or should I call you the Ancient One?¡± She stopped turning and faced the center of the field.

    Dehaka frowned. For a few seconds he thought Jean had lost her mind from the amount of essence she ingested. ¡°I...don¡¯t...understand.¡± For all his time here he had never heard of a primal named Zurvan.Stolen story; please report.

    There was no response, so Jean smirked and continued. She walked closer to the edge and held her right hand out down toward the bottom of the cliff. A blue psi blast formed in her palm. It took two seconds to charge up before flying out down the cliff.

    For a second nothing happened, but before Dehaka could ask another question a pained growl came from below the cliff. Hurt and pissed, a giant figure poked his head out into the open.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The ancient one spoke, trying to cover his anger. Anyone would be angry if he was just having a nice nap and suddenly got woken up by an energy blast in the head. Usually he would just crush, literally crush, the intruder, but unlike the lower primal fools Zurvan could sense a dangerous feeling from the girl. He had a feeling that if he attacked he would be in a life threatening danger. This was enough to keep him back and force him to speak nicely. He was old, and he didn¡¯t live for millions of years so he could risk his life for being impolite.

    ¡°I have came with a secret. A deep, dark secret that can change everything in this sector. It can change the concept of life and death. It is worth dying for.¡± Jean said mysteriously.

    Zurvan frowned. Whatever the girl was talking about or whoever she was, this secret sounded important. His curiosity was completely drawn. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°It is¡­¡± Jean peaked into the sky before looking back at Zurvan. Her mouth shut.

    And then three orange blasts came down from the sky and smashed into the curious creature¡¯s skull.

    Jean was never a talkative person. Every word she spoke had a purpose. The only reason she was talking was because she didn¡¯t want Zurvan to run away. If he had turned around and fled it would be very time consuming for her to chase him down. A few shots couldn¡¯t kill him immediately and attacks powerful enough to do real damage took time, giving Zurvan time to dodge. The psi blast, which was neither strong enough to scare Zurvan away nor weak enough to be shrugged off, brought Zurvan out of his hiding and into the open. After that she was merely distracting Zurvan with a random made up secret and buying time for the killing blow. Either because he was stupid or because it had been a while since he had dealt with someone intelligent enough to lie, Zurvan was tricked.

    Whatever the reason was, Zurvan paid for it with his life.

    Zurvan screamed. His size and armor could hold most attacks. That psionic blast the girl hit him with brought him more pain and annoyance than real damage. But the three Yamatos were different. The immense kenetic energy penetrated his armor and roasted his brain. His primal carapace was evolved against direct attacks of other primal like claws and teeth, but they were simply insufficient against the terran weaponry.

    Three shots, and the primal who had been alive for millions of years was gone. The power of an individual was so insignificant against an army. In a fair fight Zurvan could take down an entire pack. He might even stand a chance against Jean, but three Yamato cannons from three capital ships destroyed him with absolute ease.

    The last thing the ancient one saw was the girl kneeling down and absorbing his essence.

    <hr>

    It took her nearly an hour to absorb everything that made Zurvan so powerful. When she was done, the giant body was completely grey. Every single drop of energy was drained.

    Scanning around and realizing all the insignificant essence sources were gone, Jean knew it was time to leave.

    ¡°I will be leaving. I have done my part. You have done yours. Our deal is done.¡± Jean said straightforwardly to Dehaka.

    ¡°I...understand.¡± Dehaka nodded, barely able to hide his satisfaction.

    Again, usually this was the part where Jean pretend to leave but stab Dehaka and take his essence, but Jean realized she didn¡¯t need to. Upon taking over ninety percent of the essence on Zerus, the amount of contribution Dehaka¡¯s essence could make was next to nothing. Just like a single drop of water couldn¡¯t change the level of an ocean, Jean found no real purpose in killing Dehaka. Plus, Dehaka stayed true to his part of the deal, and normally Jean would stay true to her deal as well, especially when there was no real gain for her to turn.

    This was why Jean merely turned around and warped away onto her Warden flagship.

    As the Warden forces departed, Dehaka remained and plotted his plan to take over the planet. He had no idea how lucky he was. After all, he was the only one that made a deal with Jean and was still alive when the deal ended.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 136: Testing

    Warden Flagship B501. Zerus.

    Jean looked down on the shattered glass on the ground. Her eyebrows grew even tighter.

    The essence from Zerus was helpful. She was at the peak of her strength. Even without the help of her Warden fleet she might be able to take on Kerrigan in a one on one and probably win. But this sudden growth of strength had brought its fair share of trouble as well. She had very little control and experience over her new body. Forget about fighting, she could barely take a drink without unintentionally breaking the glass, which she just did.

    She needed time. Only time could get her used to this newly gained power.

    Stepping on and crushing the glass, Jean took her mind away from herself. Instead she turned to the B501 Warden AI.

    ¡°Report.¡±

    ¡°The purifier fleet have controlled 85 percent of the planets in the sector. A total of 498 purifier capital ships and 166 Warden battlecruisers have been produced. More are in the production line.¡±

    Jean nodded in satisfaction. A total of 600 more capital ships didn¡¯t sound like a lot, but keep in mind the Golden Armada was merely around 500 ships. Adding to the already present ships, the combined fleet had a total of over a thousand purifier ships and around six hundred Warden ships. If Jean had a fleet this size at the very start she would¡¯ve just engaged the Golden Armada directly and probably would¡¯ve won.

    Of course, this came with a cost. AI technology allowed Jean to create units without worrying about having a population to back the fleet up, but even AI units required resources and energy. Purifier probes and Warden SCVs had been stripping the planets of their resources. Every single piece of mineral and every single drop of vespene gas had been turned to a part of the fleet. This was disastrous to the environment. When the miners were done it would take the planets years to recover. This was why no other faction, except the zerg, and perhaps the tal¡¯darim, dared to do such a thing. Luckily environmental concern didn¡¯t matter to Jean.

    ¡°Calculate the amount of time until complete resource depletion.¡±

    ¡°Calculating now.¡± The AI calculated, as shown through the blinking light on the AI symbol on the computer screen of the battlecruiser control panel. ¡°Estimated ten days until complete resource depletion.¡± The efficiency of probes and SCVs was mind blowing. They needed no rest at all and only a small amount of energy to function. Tens of thousands of mechanical workers were working on each planet. Day and night they worked to build up an invincible fleet.

    ¡°Understood.¡± Jean acknowledged and then remembered something. ¡°Speaking of, where is Nova?¡± Before confronting Zurvan she received report of Nova destroying Amon¡¯s body.

    ¡°Commander Terra has led the combined fleet to Slayn right after the battle of Aiur. According to analysis on tal¡¯darim military forces and combined fleet military forces victory should be soon.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh.¡± Jean understood immediately. Nova had told her about making Alarak pay for his betrayal. The only thing keeping her from going to Slayn the moment she learned about what Alarak did to Jean was the greater enemy, Amon. Amon was dead now, so...Personally Jean didn¡¯t find a purpose in revenge. The tal¡¯darim could no longer help or harm her cause. The only reason they survived the takeover of the sector was because Warden AIs estimated the amount of losses an attack could potentially lead to and realized it was greater than the amount of resources that could be taken over after the victory. Still, Jean didn¡¯t call Nova back. It was good for her to have some fun. She needed to let off some steam.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    SInce it would be a while until Nova¡¯ return, Jean had no intention of wasting that time.

    ¡°B501, what are the units on this ship?¡±

    <hr>

    Jean stood in the hanger of B501. Taking off her specialized suit, she stood as her zerg part took over her body. The pretty girl was gone. Now instead of just being a monster within, she was a monster within and without.

    Apparently the primal essence had changed Jean¡¯s zerg mode by a small but crucial amount. She felt like she had much more control over her body compared to after she was mutated by Abathur. Actions like changing the form of her body was much easier. Usually she couldn¡¯t really change the general look when she was in zerg mode. Whenever she fought, whether it was when killing Mengsk or during the other fights, she had to turn her entire body to zerg form. This was rather risky when she was doing covert missions. But now¡­

    Jean looked down on her right hand. At Jean¡¯s will, the limb changed. The long, dangerous, and obviously impossible to hide, claws turned back into Jean¡¯s normal fingers. Her nails were still long and sharp, but they were much more discreet than claws. She did the same to her entire body. The carapace remained, but they turned to a fleshy color that were easier to be hidden.

    This was good, but still Jean wondered what else there were. Guess it was time to find out.

    A variaty of Warden forces was standing before Jean.

    Jean estimated herself to be powerful enough to fight the queen of blades, but she didn¡¯t know that for sure. The zerg essence enhanced her physical strength and her psionic power by a significant amount. Jean wanted to find out what exactly that amount was.

    What was a better way to learn about her power than in battle? She wasn¡¯t fighting an enemy, but who said one could only fight with an enemy?

    A Warden marine was the first to act. It aimed at Jean and fired. Without any surprise, the gauss rifle barely penetrated her first layer of carapace. Her body looked like it was covered by flash, but it was not. Then again the failure of the rifle was completely normal. Even before Zerus Jean was more than capable of dealing with the lowest rank of the terran army. Now that defense had been tested, it was time to test the attack. Jean looked at her right hand again. Her long nails might appear harmless, but they weren¡¯t.

    The next second she disappeared and reappeared right next to the mechanical marine. She didn¡¯t know how to blink. It was just that she was fast enough to move a short distance in a very short amount of time. It was just a sudden burst, but it could mean life and death in battle.

    Beside the marine, Jean reached out and scratched on the armor. Her fingernail moved without a single sense of resistance. As it went across, the nails left a deep scar. If Jean really wanted she could rip the entire suit open faster than she could blink.

    Waving and ordering the marine to back off and get repaired, Jean turned her attention to other more advanced weaponry.

    The next on the menu was a hellbat. A Warden hellion armed with infernal preignitor. As Jean ordered it to fire on her, she silently prepared some precautions for if things went to the wrong direction for her.

    As the order was given, the blue flame left the flamethrower and hit Jean in the face. The initial burst of scorched sensation made Jean groan a bit, but it didn¡¯t take long before Jean¡¯s body reacted. The adaptive side of the zerg essence took hold. One hidden strain hidden in Jean¡¯s zerg dna chain of an ash worm was rediscovered. Literally living in lava, ash worms weren¡¯t exactly vulnerable to heat. Every cell in Jean¡¯s body mutated and prepared itself with the capability of withstanding lava, much less flame throwers.

    The zerg were known for their ability to assimilate and adapt.

    The process wasn¡¯t comfortable, but it was effective. A few minutes later Jean¡¯s pained expression was gone. Giving another order, the hellion set her aflame again. Only this time the fire did next to nothing. In fact perhaps the only thing it did was it made her look oddly pretty.

    Moving on, Jean continued down the terran tech tree. Siege tanks made her cough. Thors pushed her back. Plasma blades hurt her eyes more than they hurt her body. Neither siege tanks nor thors could withstand several scratches. She could sense cloaked units within a half a mile radius.

    In conclusion, Jean was really badass.

    As the experiment ended, Jean left the hanger and went to take a bath. All the getting burned could really make her body dirty. As she was cleaning, the sound of Warden AI B501 rang through the halls.

    ¡°Commander, commander Terra has returned from Slayn.¡°

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 137: Novas thoughts

    The door of the bridge snapped open. Outside, four legionnaire guards stood to the side in two lines. Under their vigilant glances, a female figure walked in. Jean silently closed her right palm on another pile of broken glass, reducing the already shattered pieces into particles too small for human eyes to see.

    ¡±I see you have received quite the benefit.¡± Nova scanned Jean from top to bottom with her mechanical eyes. The thin layer of pajamas Jean wore could barely cover her skin. However, Nova wasn¡¯t looking at the bare skin, at least not just the skin, but also her power scale. Jean¡¯s psionic level was off the chart.

    Jean smiled warmly, crossing her legs. ¡°Indeed. Speaking of, how¡¯s poor old Alarak?¡± If Nova was back, and judging from her look she was victorious, Alarak must be in some real trouble. He would be lucky if he was still alive...or rather unlucky. The tal¡¯darim were strong, but not strong enough to withstand perhaps the largest fleet in the sector.

    Nova grinned coldly and stepped to the side. A mechanical legionnaire walked in. Jean rose her eyebrows.

    Nova tapped the legionnaire¡¯s arm with her index finger. ¡°This is Alarak.¡± The legionnaire didn¡¯t move. The only thing that distinguished him from standard legionnaires was the red plating on his head.

    Jean coughed and almost fell out of her chair, completely taken by surprise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± She asked, returning her gaze to Nova once again, waiting for an explanation.

    ¡°I downloaded his conscious and turned him into a purifier AI. All ideas of self interest removed. Replaced by complete loyalty to you and you alone. His memory and his battle skill are still present.¡± Nova walked closer and said wickedly. ¡°Made to serve your greatest enemy. This is the best punishment.¡± She sat on the armrest of the seat Jean was sitting on and rested her right hand on Jean¡¯s back. Her legs dangled down, crossed, as she faced Alarak. The layer of pajama wasn¡¯t an obstacle as she felt the warmth on her palm.

    Jean was impressed. Nova appeared all nice and cute and cuddly in front of her, but behind the smiles and kisses and sexes she was still a merciless ghost agent. Alarak had hurt Jean, and to Nova that was worse than anything else the Highlord could¡¯ve possibly done. Taking the captured Highlord and turning him to Jean¡¯s slave was something Nova was totally capable of doing.

    ¡°Remind me to stay away from you when you¡¯re upset.¡± Jean joked.

    Nova grinned in return. She gave out another silent order via the purifier data web, and Alarak walked out of the bridge. As he left, he closed the door, leaving the two in the bridge alone for some private moment.

    ¡°Nice job on dealing with Amon, by the way.¡± Jean complemented as she stood up and poured a drink and handed it to Nova. For a moment she looked like a wife welcoming her husband home from a battlefield. That wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. ¡°B501 told me how pathetic he was at his last moments.¡±

    Nova jumped down from the armset and drank the drink. Her mechanical body was made to look like that of a human. Nova could still eat and drink and do everything a normal human being could do. She could even get drunk if she wanted to. ¡°About Amon, when are you planning to enter the void and kill him?¡± Jean had told Nova about her plan to go through Ulnar and end Amon once and for all. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait for ten more days.¡± Jean replied.

    Nova¡¯s face turned slightly red. Whether it was from the alcohol or from some other reason was unknown. ¡°So what I¡¯m hearing is we have ten days and nothing to do?¡±

    Jean shrugged before realizing what Nova was referring to.

    <hr>

    In the bridge of battlecruiser B501, Jean laid on her bare back. Her cheek was red. She breathed heavily as she strolled her fingers through Nova¡¯s long, blonde/white hair.

    ¡°That was¡­¡± Nova started as a gigglebefore finally broke out into laughers. Jean joined her. The two laid in relief for a few minutes. Jean suddenly felt the beauty beside her taking a deep sign.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jean felt a wave of sadness coming off Nova.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Nova stumbled. ¡°I just want you to know how grateful I am.¡±

    Jean rose her eyebrows.

    Nova ignored Jean¡¯s confusion but nonetheless continued. ¡°For my entire life, I have been used as a living, breathing weapon. Fagin. The Confederacy. The Dominion. Ever since the rebels killed my parents, everyone I met sought to use me against their enemies. A weapon. That¡¯s it. Nothing else.¡± Fagin was a crime lord that controlled the gutter on Tarsonis.

    Jean frowned. ¡°And you¡¯re so sure I am not using you?¡°

    Nova grinned sadly. ¡°Fagin starved me for days until I submitted. The Confederacy and the Dominion mind controlled me.¡± She strolled her fingers along Jean¡¯s skin. ¡°I¡¯d say you¡¯re pretty nice to me.¡±

    ¡°Plus, I have felt something from you that I have never felt for decades.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Love.¡±

    If Jean wasn¡¯t an emotionless girl she would¡¯ve burst out in laughers. The irony was...sad.

    ¡°And I just want you to know that I will do anything, anything, to protect this love. Whoever wants to take you away from me, whoever wants to stop you, whether it¡¯s the Terran Dominion or Amon or this Supreme One or anyone else, I will do everything I can to stop them. No matter the cost.¡± The ghost said firmly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if the world burns. I will gladly end this entire sector and everything and everyone in it for you.¡±

    Jean slightly understood what happened.

    As cold and merciless as Nova appeared, seeing the world that she grew up in burn was not an easy task. Nova grew up in the Terran Confederacy and had served the Terran Dominion for most of her life. Connected to the purifier network, she saw countless planets burn and countless terran die. And yet she did nothing. She had the command over the purifier fleet. She could call them back anytime she wanted to. She could save the world and all the billions and billions of people in it. Yet she did nothing.

    She did nothing because she knew Jean needed the death of the sector to achieve her goal. She knew what was good for Jean, and she did exactly that.

    Just like she said, Nova didn¡¯t care if the world burns as long as it was good for Jean.

    Jean smiled and grabbed onto Nova¡¯s hands. ¡°I will never fail you. I can promise you that.¡± At least I will never fail you when you don¡¯t betray me and when you are still worthy.

    Nova smiled innocently.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 138: Into the void

    Ten days later. Ulnar.

    The largest fleet ever built in this sector was assembled here. Around 1500 purifier capital ships, including nearly a hundred motherships, and around 700 Warden battlecruisers were present. They held an army made up of most of the resources in the sector. Every carrier held thousands of sentinels and legionnaires. Every battlecruiser contained hundreds of Warden units. The amount of smaller fighters were beyond measure. An armada almost five times the size of the Golden Armada waited in the sector. All it needed was a single order from its commander to unleash death and destruction upon its enemy. Any enemy.

    Ulnar was not a planet, or rather not just a planet. It was an ancient xel¡¯naga temple that acted as both the resting place for the xel¡¯naga and a void portal that connected the void and the material world. As far as technology went, terran or protoss, Ulnar didn¡¯t exist in this world.

    A distance beside the combined fleet, twenty leviathans exited warp space.

    Kerrigan didn¡¯t bring that big of a fleet. She knew she wasn¡¯t needed for her ships. She was needed because Jean claimed she needed her to kill Amon. Kerrigan didn¡¯t know how or why, but she knew better than to ask questions. Even if Jean just wanted her to be there to witness her final victory and brag to her she would still be here. She had no choice.

    The leviathan fleet stopped a distance away from the much much larger fleet. A single overlord departed from the largest leviathan in the fleet and speeded toward the combined fleet. It entered the hanger of the Warden capital ship, a former Sovereign battlecruiser.

    Sovereign battlecruisers were the newest type of battlecruisers. Even the Gorgon battlecruisers seemed small against these ultimate terran killing machines. Stronger laser battery, heavier armor, and larger size were just the basics. Thanks to overcharged reactor technology, yamato cannons had been turned from a last resort/killing blow to a regular weaponry. Even with the resources from the entire sector the Warden fleet had a tiny Sovereign battlecruiser count of 50. Just like purifier motherships, they were used as flagships.

    Now Kerrigan was going onto Jean¡¯s new flagship, a ship known only with the numbers S101. Jean never bothered with naming her ships.

    Entering the hanger, Kerrigan left the overlord and sent the transport back before walking further into the ship. She was here alone. If Jean wanted her dead bringing the entire zerg fleet wouldn¡¯t change anything. In that case why not be polite?

    The hall was dead silent. A battlecruiser large enough to hold thousands of crew members was almost completely empty. However, empty meant neither defenseless nor vulnerable. Kerrigan eyed the goliath armors in the individual rooms usually reserved for crew members. These mechanical walkers could get into battle whenever they were needed.

    The sound of her feet clicking on the metal floor made Kerrigan slightly nervous. In fact it had been a while since Kerrigan last felt the emotion of nervousness. Whether as a ghost or as the queen of blades, she was always in control. The feeling of not having any control over her own future stroke fear into her zerg heart.

    As she moved, her thoughts wondered. If only she had known what Jean was capable of, she would have ended her the first time they met. She would rather face the threat of the Golden Armada and later Amon all by herself rather than having to face the Jean now. Both the Golden Armada and Amon could be defeated, but Jean¡­ Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Having seen how Jean went from a lieutenant under a small rebel faction to the master of the entire sector in months, Kerrigan was truly frightened of her potential. Having seen the might of the purifiers and of the Warden fleet, Kerrigan was jealous of Jean¡¯s power.

    But no matter how frightened or jealous Kerrigan was, she had already missed the chance to terminate Jean. The battle of Char might have been the last chance Kerrigan had, but Jean used the queen¡¯s fear of the Golden Armada and used it to protect herself. When Amon¡¯s forces were gone and the threat was cleared, so was Jean. The girl gave Kerrigan no opportunity to hit.

    Unfortunately for Kerrigan, time travel didn¡¯t exist in the starcraft universe. Even the strongest xel¡¯naga couldn¡¯t go back in time, much less the queen of blades. Kerrigan¡¯s only option was to face the consequence of her own decision.

    The battlecruiser was giant. The distance from the hanger to the bridge would¡¯ve taken a hellion at full speed a few minutes. Kerrigan completed the walk in two minutes.

    The door to the bridge was guarded by four elite Warden marines. Their T shaped helmet covered their emptiness inside. Seeing the queen of blades, the marines stepped aside. Kerrigan took a deep breathe before entering.

    Two figures were in the bridge. Jean was in her usual ghost modified suit. Even though that suit could no longer provide any help to her anymore, wearing a hostile environment suit to battle was still the most suitable choice. Her cheek was slightly red, but Kerrigan was too emotional to think much of it. Nova wore a very similar ghost suit. Two plasma blades were attached to her arms. A canister rifle on her back. Goggles covered her eyes. She seemed vigilant, but Kerrigan could see some sweat on her cheek.

    Jean got right down to business.

    ¡°As you are aware of, I have defeated the dark god and brought peace back to this world. Unfortunately by destroying his body in the material world, Amon was merely banished into the void. Eventually he will return, and when he does, the sector will burn. I will not allow this burden to be passed on to the future generations.¡± Jean announced, using the sake of the sector to cover her own purpose.

    Kerrigan smirked inside. The sector will burn? The sector is already burning. The purifiers have done more damage than Amon ever could. Still, the queen remained silent. Jean¡¯s decision wasn¡¯t surprising. As far as Kerrigan knew every single one of Jean¡¯s enemies was dead. There was no reason for Amon to be different. Only fools would keep their enemies alive for no reason at all when they were able to finish them off. Jean was no fool.

    ¡°How can we do that?¡± The queen of blades just wanted to get the job done. Hopefully after the final victory Jean could give her and the swarm some living space to work with. Her ambition had been reduced from taking over the world to self preservation.

    ¡°Ulnar can bring us into the void.¡± Jean pointed at the temple outside the hardened window of the ship.

    ¡°And then?¡±

    ¡°I have two thousand ships.¡± Jean didn¡¯t mention Ouros and the xel¡¯naga essence that would, in the original history, turn Kerrigan into a xel¡¯naga and grant her the power to destroy Amon. There was no way she could explain how she knew this information. Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t ask questions, but Jean wasn¡¯t taking the chances just because she was careless.

    Kerrigan nodded. Amon was powerful, but even the strongest individual in the sector would fall at the hands of a fleet this large. Kerrigan estimated her own ability and knew it would take at most ten Sovereign battlecruisers to destroy her. The Warden fleet itself had 700 battlecruisers, and then there were the purifiers. Even if Amon was a hundred times more powerful than she was the ending would be the same.

    ¡°Then what are we waiting for?¡± She smiled. ¡°The swarm is happy to serve you. My queen.¡± The survival of the swarm was the top priority. She had already dropped her pride for that.

    Jean nodded.

    Ulnar started to open, revealing a dark, circular portal. Purple void energy radiated out and stained the space around the temple. Across the gate, Jean could see the space on the other side. The void energy and the lifeless feature screamed its identity. Their destination. The void.

    ¡°Proceed.¡±

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 139: Ouros

    As arrogant as she seemed, Jean wasn¡¯t blinded by her advantages. She first sent a vanguard through the portal. The vanguard included one single Sovereign and fifty Minotaurs. It was when a ship returned and reported that the other side was relatively safe that the main fleet finally went through the door.

    A hidden part within the void, an old creature opened his eyes thoughtfully.

    As soon as Jean entered the void, she received emergency reports from the vanguard.

    ¡°Commander, multiple void shades are assaulting our ships.¡± The cold voice of the Warden AI of the Sovereign, S102, showed no resemblance of the direness of the situation. ¡°They have taken the form of units from all three races. We are outnumbered 1.28 to 1. Reinforcement is advised.¡± The AI paused for a second. ¡°Scans to our ships show that the environment is slowly corroding our ships.¡±

    Nova tapped her cheek. ¡°I am sending reinforcements to the vanguard. What do we do to the corrosive environment? Our forces can¡¯t fight a drawn out war under this environment.¡±

    Jean pressed a few keys, and the Warden ships immediately conducted searches of the ground below. ¡°Scans have located several sources of corruption. It appears like these locations are continuously turning the already destructive void energy into weapons against anything that does not contain void energy. Perfectly harmless to void shades but deadly to outsiders like us. The perfect defense.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not so perfect. If we can destroy the sources of corruption...¡± Nova was always full of ideas, not that breaking through with pure force required a lot of thinking. Using void energy as a weapon was clever, but it wasn¡¯t enough to turn the tide.

    ¡°Then we can turn the situation to our favor. Without the advantage of the battlefield the void shades will be crushed.¡± Jean continued the idea. ¡°Scans show five sources. I am dispatching fleets to every one of them as we speak.¡± As she spoke, five smaller fleets, purifier and Warden vessels alike, left the main fleet and moved toward the sources. Each consisted of twenty capital ships and five hundred fighters. They were just large enough to defeat the defenders and take out the sources and just small enough so that even if they were defeated the main fleet wouldn¡¯t be significantly weakened.

    Kerrigan stood and watched the event unfold. She didn¡¯t really care what happens. In fact, a small part of her was hoping that this expedition would fail, and Jean, with all her forces, would be wiped out. That hope was immediately shut down when Kerrigan realized she was on the same ship as Jean and Nova. If it sank, they would all be dead.

    Jean didn¡¯t really care what Kerrigan thought. ¡°Meanwhile¡­¡± She was about to say something when she abruptly went silent.

    Nova and Kerrigan looked at her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The ghost asked with concern.

    Jean held her index finger to her lips, demanding the two other women to stay quiet for a while. Inside her mind, she was hearing a voice.

    ¡°Jean¡­my child...¡±

    Jean frowned. This voice was... familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

    It was unfamiliar because she had never truly heard the voice before in her life,

    It was familiar because she knew this voice belonged to her father.

    Well, not exactly her father. Lieutanent Jean Turner¡¯s father.

    When Jean was inserted into the starcraft universe, she was given the identity of a lieutenant in Raynor Raiders with the same name as her. Despite just arriving, Jean had technically lived a full life in this sector. When this Jean arrived, everything about the local Jean¡¯s past was inserted into the new Jean¡¯s memory. She could remember her youth, her family, and how and why she joined the Raiders as if she had went through all the events herself. Everything seemed so real and logical. At one point Jean had even hacked into the Terran Dominion database and realized everything about her was in place. Whoever set up this insertion system, they were good. Anyone would think Jean was just a normal, Koprulu grown girl and not a traveller from another universe. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Appearantly the disguise was good enough to fool a xel¡¯naga.

    Jean knew very well who this voice belonged to. It was Ouros, the third xel¡¯naga still alive, right next to Amon and Narud. Unlike Narud, he had tried everything he could to go against Amon. He was defeated and imprisoned, but he nevertheless continued his struggle by affecting the material world with prophecies. By doing things like leading Zeratul to the ancient xel¡¯naga artifact, he paved the road to the final destruction of Amon. In the original history he would approach Artanis, who led the expedition force of all three races into the void. The old xel¡¯naga disguised himself as Tassadar, Artanis¡¯ former teacher. Eventually Ouros would sacrifice himself and pass on his essence to Kerrigan, granting the latter the power of the xel¡¯naga and thus leading to the final and ultimate destruction of Amon.

    This was also why Jean bought Kerrigan. Jean wanted Kerrigan to take the essence and become a xel¡¯naga. She didn¡¯t know what effect becoming a xel¡¯naga could have on her, and she wasn¡¯t taking the chances. As far as she knew becoming a xel¡¯naga might mean she would be enslaved by the xel¡¯naga¡¯s ideal of an infinite cycle and be stuck in this world forever. So what if she would be a god? Her destiny laid in the infinite universes, not just this one.

    Back to the situation. Jean suspected Ouros was, just like with Artanis, using some sort of psionic trick on her to make her hear the voice of someone she trusted. The xel¡¯naga were the strongest species in this sector. They had what was described as unlimited psionic potential. Ouros might be old and weak, but even so he could still trick someone as powerful as Jean. This said something.

    For a second Jean doubted whether or not she would give the chance of becoming a xel¡¯naga to Kerrigan because of a single possibility. The power of the xel¡¯naga was well worth the risk.

    Of course, that was by no means saying in a real fight Ouros could best Jean. Battles were much more than just comparing numbers and statistics.

    ¡°Impossible.¡± As her mind turned a thousand miles an hour, Jean instantly became a good actress. ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­It is not possible. My father died years ago. I saw his body. Even if he¡¯s still alive there is no way he¡¯s able to survive here in the void. Who are you?¡± She seemed pissed off. Anyone that saw their dead parents¡¯ image being used would be pissed off. It was only normal.

    On the other end Ouros was pretty frustrated. He noticed the enormous fleet entering the void, and in the fleet he saw a chance to defeat Amon. After locating the commander, he used his decaying but still powerful psionic ability to try and influence Jean. But things went south really quickly. If the commander was a protoss or a zerg he might be able to convince her he was who he claimed to be, but a human being...There was no way a human being could survive in the void. Anyone with some logic would realize that almost instantly and therefore understand it was someone else. Now Ouros found himself not only failing to win Jean¡¯s trust but also being suspected and even disdained.

    Another thing worth mentioning was that technically Ouros should be sensing someone close to Jean, to the real Jean, but he couldn¡¯t find anything besides from the memories inserted into Jean after she arrived.

    Knowing his disguise would only make things worse, Ouros returned to his original form. ¡°I apologize for my actions, but I have to have your trust. I am Ouros, the last shepherd of the infinite cycle.¡± The xel¡¯naga said in a deep old voice. ¡°If you are here, you must have seen my prophecy. You must be here to kill Amon.¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen or heard of this prophecy you speak of.¡± Jean replied coldly, still holding a grudge for Ouros¡¯ use of her father¡¯s form. ¡°But you got the last part right. I am here to kill Amon.¡±

    ¡°Then I can help you.¡± Ouros suggested. ¡°But you have to free me first.¡±

    ¡°I have a fleet large enough to cover the stars. I don¡¯t need your help.¡±

    ¡°Amon is stronger than you think.¡± The old xel¡¯naga insisted urgently. Amon was much stronger in the void than he was in the material world. Ouros didn¡¯t want the perhaps only hope against Amon to fall because of Jean¡¯s arrogance.

    Jean thought about it. Of course that was just an act. A few seconds later she finally seemed convinced. ¡°How can I free you?¡±

    ¡°I am imprisoned by Narud. Kill him, and I will be freed.¡±

    Jean nodded in hesitation.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 140: Amons last stand

    A creature lurked on a heavily defended platform in the void. His multiple red eyes glared and stroke fear into anyone that would dare to face him. Tentacles were around his mouth. He looked like a hybrid...or rather hybrids were made to look like him. Crimson void energy assembled around him, ripping apart everything around him. Occasionally an area of space would be ripped open. Anything in that area were just...gone. The closest void shade unit was a hundred meters away.

    A xel¡¯naga in his own field and with his maximum power was ten times more powerful than a xel¡¯naga stuck in the material world inside an incomplete host.

    It had been ten days since he was kicked out of the material world, but Amon¡¯s anger hardly disappeared. To a xel¡¯naga with almost infinite life span, ten days were no different from two seconds. Amon felt like it was yesterday when his complete victory was turned to a crushing defeat.

    A creature sent him a communication request. Amon frowned. It was his most trusted, most capable, and only underling, Narud.

    Amon had been quite disappointed toward this fellow xel¡¯naga. He had spent countless years and endless effort to get that fool into the material world. Even if the xel¡¯naga, with his unchallenged psionic power, almost perfect timing, and precious element of surprise, couldn¡¯t take over the entire sector and welcome his master back with open arms, at least he should have been able to somehow contribute to his return, right? He should have done a lot more than just being outright nuked and sent back into the void without really helping Amon¡¯s cause at all. A few hybrids were fine, but that was hardly worth the cost. Amon didn¡¯t send Narud over so he could build a couple hundred hybrids and then be given a one way trip ticket home.

    After being kicked back here, Amon needed someone to take the blame for his defeat. He needed someone to be the victim of his ultimate rage. Amon obviously wouldn¡¯t blame himself for the disaster. Void shades were puppets, and punishing them would be the same as hitting random rocks on the side of the road. His enemy Ouros was locked up in a prison and opening it just so Amon could beat him up might open an opportunity for some shenanigans. So Amon turned to the only one he could get hold of and the only one that, partially, held the responsibility of the failure.

    Physical pain didn¡¯t satisfy Amon, but the dark god knew that, just like himself, Narud desired the material world. It was exactly why Narud joined his cause against all the other xel¡¯naga. So he sent poor old Narud to the place closest to the material world: The platform where the void portal would be if it was to be turned on. The lesser xel¡¯naga was forced to stand at where the one way gate might one day open up on and pray, hopelessly, for a miracle. He wanted the xel¡¯naga to live thousands of years of his life one step away from the prosperous material world. So close, yet so far. It was the ultimate punishment Amon gave to the one that disappointed him.

    And then report came. Amon groaned. He didn¡¯t want to answer it, but he knew whatever this was this must be urgent. Narud wouldn¡¯t risk angering him with a piece of random, unimportant news.

    ¡°My master!¡± Whether or not Narud held a grudge against Amon was a question the world may never know, but even if he did he had kept it well hidden. His voice radiated with both excitement and fear. ¡°The void portal is opened from the other side! A hostile fleet has passed through the portal. It¡¯s pushing through the defenses. They have too many ships. I need reinforcements!¡± He was excited because the opened portal meant a glimmer of a chance to go back to the material world.  At the same time he was frightened because a fleet larger than anything he had seen before was here, and they didn¡¯t look too friendly. His first line of defense had fell within minutes. Even as he spoke the defenders were decreasing exponentially.

    ¡°Impossible!¡± Amon just couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around what happened. It was no doubt Jean, but what did she want? She had already banished him! Shouldn¡¯t she be sitting back in her palace, enjoying the beauty of the world?

    Was she really arrogant enough to think she could defeat him here in the void? Amon¡¯s heart suddenly lightened at the idea. He thought he was hopeless, but now he was given another chance. Jean might have a fleet, but he was a xel¡¯naga. More importantly, he was a xel¡¯naga in his prime. The surrounding of the void provided him with endless power. His complete body could wipe out armies with several movements. A few hundred ships couldn¡¯t stop him. Jean would pay for her arrogance with her life.

    If he could take down Jean¡¯s fleet quick enough and get to the void portal before it could be closed...he might as well be able to take over the sector after all.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Amon knew if he was to act he would need to do it quickly. He had already lost one opportunity to victory. He would not lose another.

    ¡°My master?¡± Narud¡¯s hesitant words brought Amon out of his thoughts and back to the void. Amon could afford to take the time to think, but Narud knew he couldn¡¯t. Every second he could sense his forces dying. He estimated a few more minutes before having to get into the field himself.

    ¡°My most loyal servant, mobilize all your forces and hold off the invading fleet at all cost. I am on my way.¡± Amon silently contacted the location of the platform near the void portal. It wouldn¡¯t take him long to get there. Once he was there.

    Yet his plan was cut off.

    ¡°What the...Ahhh!¡± Narud¡¯s scream penetrated through Amon¡¯s throne room. The stronger xel¡¯naga frowned.

    ¡°Narud! What happened? Answer me!¡±

    There was no response. Amon¡¯s heart collapsed. He knew Narud would never ignore him by choice. He was either cut off or...or he might be killed. Amon tried to contact the void shards. No response either.

    A few seconds ago Amon would have warped to the platform by himself and eradicate the invading fleet, but the lost of contact of Narud shed some shadow upon his confidence. Narud was weaker than Amon was, but not by that much. After all, they were of the same race. It had been a few seconds between the confident Narud and the screaming Narud. If the invaders could kill Narud in a few seconds...how long would it take them to terminate him?

    Amon decided to be more cautious. This caution saved his life.¡°Scouts! Get in there and find out what happened!¡± He ordered impatiently.

    A platform close to the platform near the void portal, a void shade that took the form of a phoenix darted into the empty void. It took the fighter a few minutes to reach the former Narud¡¯s fortress.

    As the phoenix arrived, Amon connected to the void shades¡¯ eyes, giving himself a way to see the battlefield first handed without risking his own life. What he saw made him thank his caution.

    The platform, once covered by countless orbital defenses, void shards, and void shades, was naked. Everything connected to the void was gone. Even the ultimate planetary defense, the corruption that transformed the environment to be deadly to any outsider, was gone.

    Amon couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He wasn¡¯t stupid, and he was well aware of the possibility that someone might come through the portal and try to slay him. For this reason alone he had sent one fifth of all the void shades in the void to that position. As the name suggested, the void held an almost endless amount of void energy, which meant fleets and fleets of void shades. One fifth of all the void shades was impressive, and they were dead in at most a few minutes. The phoenix kept flying, examine the situation. It was before a corpse that he finally stopped.

    A giant corpse laid before a half destroyed temple. Amon could recognize it as his former servant. The xel¡¯naga, the practical god with ultimate psionic power, was dead. He was killed in the void, so he was truly gone with no hope of returning.

    Narud¡¯s body was only one fourth the size of its former form. Even the pieces that remained were burnt. The perfect combination of psionic power and physical strength was literally ripped apart. Neither his impenetrable plasma shield, backed up by his ultimate psionic power, nor his indestructible body, could save him from meeting his end.

    What could have done this? It was undoubtedly Jean, but where did she get the power to outright kill a xel¡¯naga? More importantly, how did she get it in a few weeks?

    Amon¡¯s mind rotated. The void shard, under his command, turned over and attempted to get a full look on the attackers. He managed to do exactly that. Turning over, Amon found himself staring at a fleet.

    The fleet itself wasn¡¯t a surprise. It was the size of the fleet that made him cringe. The amount of ships could make anyone with trypophobia faint. Amon subconsciously counted the amount of capital ships and put it at 2483.

    This was bad. This was really bad. Amon could crush a couple hundred ships. In fact, he wouldn¡¯t even need his void shade forces to do that. Just the sheer power of his body could withstand the firing of those ships long enough for the xel¡¯naga to get close enough and rip open the ships. But two thousand or so ships¡­ That was a whole different story. Amon knew he would be blasted to pieces before he could lay his tentacles on a single enemy vessel. He could withstand a hundred Yamatos, but how about a thousand?

    The combined fleet had noticed the scout. Ten mirages deviated from the fleet and moved toward the void shade. The phoenix fought back, but Amon didn¡¯t have any more time to waste. He immediately broke off the communication and returned his conscious into his body on the platform, leaving the void shade phoenix to die.

    Back in his fortress, Amon acted swiftly. As his order was passed down, every single void shade unit in the void converged toward the fortress. From the lowest zergling to the strongest mothership, Amon needed every single unit he could get his hands on. The confidence he had a few minutes ago were nowhere to be seen. The table was turned, and now he was the hunted.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 141: Xelnaga Jean

    Jean didn¡¯t know Amon had almost thrown himself into Jean¡¯s grip. She didn¡¯t know the scout that was just destroyed had held Amon¡¯s conscious. Even if she did she wouldn¡¯t care. She had already gone past the time to be discreet and lay low. Her forces had reached a critical mass, and the element of surprise wouldn¡¯t matter if she could just roll over any opposition.

    As for now, she was having a rather heated conversation with the xel¡¯naga that guided her here.

    ¡°What do you mean she can¡¯t be turned?¡± Jean said, slightly unsatisfied as she pointed at Kerrigan.

    After ending Narud and the defenders on the platform with the concentrated bombing of the entire combined fleet, Jean immediately went to see the imprisoned Ouros. The xel''naga, just like in the original history, suggested the idea that he would pass his essence down to someone so she could become the new xel¡¯naga and defeat Amon.

    Jean didn¡¯t know what the transformation would do to her, so she brought Kerrigan along to be the xel¡¯naga instead. After all, in the original history Kerrigan was able to absorb the essence and become the xel¡¯naga. Kerrigan would be the xel¡¯naga and defeat Amon. After the victory, Jean would just grab her fleet and return to where she was supposed to be. Perfect plan, right?

    Except Ouros just informed her there was a flaw in her plan. Kerrigan couldn¡¯t accept the essence.

    ¡°Merging needs purity of form and purity of essence. She has the purity of form, but she doesn¡¯t have the essnece.¡± Ouros explained.

    Jean came to a horrifying realization. In the original history Kerrigan would go to Zerus, slay most of the local pack leaders, and absorb their essence. However, in this world, Jean literally slaughtered the entire planet for essence¡­

    She just wanted to ask if it was too late to turn around, go back to the material world, repopulate Zerus, and feed Kerrigan enough essence for years before returning here.

    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Jean had a guess of what Ouros was going to say, but she knew very well she wouldn¡¯t like the answer.

    ¡°You...you and you alone can hold my essence. You must fulfill your destiny. Ascend as a xel¡¯naga and continue the infinite cycle.¡± Ouros urged. Deep down he was really confused as of why Jean was so resentful of becoming a xel¡¯naga. She could be a god. As weak as Narud seemed, the xel¡¯naga were powerful, and not just in terms of fighting. They literally created the protoss and the zerg.

    Jean had her own concerns. She desired power, and she would be more than satisfied to get a free upgrade, but a xel¡¯naga...she had no idea what would happen to her.

    Still, Jean wasted no time on regretting her decision. She knew she had to make a choice, and that was exactly what she did.

    ¡°I agree.¡±

    ¡°What? Jean this is a bad idea.¡± Nova said with full disbelief. Jean had told Nova her concern before. By having the power of the xel¡¯naga, there was a possibility that she would need to hold the burden of them as well. Sure, she would leave this world after this war, but¡­

    ¡°We have enough ships to outright kill Jean.¡± She reminded. ¡°There is no need for this.¡±

    ¡°Only a xel¡¯naga can defeat Amon.¡± Ouros objected, ignoring the death glares Nova was sending him.

    ¡°I have made my decision, Nova.¡± Jean insisted. The xel¡¯naga essence was out of her control, but she really had no choice.

    ¡°We can always leave this place.¡± Nova suddenly exclaimed. ¡°Amon will not be a concern for lifetimes! Even if he can somehow break out we can just banish him again. We did it this time. What is going to change?¡± She looked into Jean¡¯s eyes, and she meant what she said. ¡°We can settle down and get married. Live out our lives not having to worry about battles and wars.¡± There was another, deeper meaning in her words. She wanted Jean to abandon her mission of killing Amon and settle down in the Koprulu sector...with her...forever.

    But Jean shook her head. The offer was nice and sweet, but she was meant for a greatest destiny. She didn¡¯t know what it was...yet. But she would find out, and she couldn¡¯t do that as someone stuck in this universe.

    Nova signed, but she was as supportive as always. ¡°Fine.¡± Suddenly she looked at Kerrigan. ¡°What do we do with her?¡±

    Kerrigan¡¯s body tensed up. She had realized she was in a terrible situation as soon as Ouros announced she was useless. She had seen what Jean did to those that couldn¡¯t help her cause, and she had no intention of joining them in death. Now the worst thing she had feared had came true. She was useless, and Jean would be dealing with her. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Kerrigan knew she couldn¡¯t win a fight, but that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t fight at all. Seeing her hostile response, Nova¡¯s plasma blades were lit up. She had been really stressed these days, and Jean¡¯s decision had just put her in an even worse mood. She loved Jean with all her heart and supported her every decision, but that didn¡¯t mean she was without worries. Her thoughts inevitably turned to Kerrigan. It was due to her uselessness that had forced Jean into this dangerous position. The ghost knew she was being a senseless bitch, but she didn¡¯t care.

    Jean glanced at Kerrigan. ¡°Let her go.¡±

    The queen couldn¡¯t believe her ears.

    ¡°Leave. Bring your fleet with you and return to the material world.¡± Jean¡¯s decision was hardly surprising. Killing Kerrigan wouldn¡¯t accomplish anything, and would probably cost her a few ships. The swarm ships were outnumbered by more than a hundred times, but they were large and fearless. It would be a pointless battle, so why bother?

    Kerrigan looked at Jean for a few seconds and nodded before turning and leaving.

    Jean turned back to Ouros. ¡°Now, what do I need to do now?¡±

    <hr>

    Jean stood in the center of the abandoned platform. Warden and purifier forces waited around in vigilance. Static defenses were constructed. In space thousands of ships searched around for any trace of enemy. Mirages and wraiths patrolled over the further areas in groups of twenty to make sure no enemy could ever make it to Jean undetected. Nova herself stood right next to Jean.

    ¡°It¡¯s not too late to turn back now.¡± The ghost suggested, standing incredibly close to her lover. Jean merely smiled in return. She would kiss her if Ouros wasn¡¯t beside.

    ¡°Is the area secured?¡± Jean changed the topic.

    ¡°Yes. Any enemy fleet that approaches will be wiped out as soon as they exit warp space.¡± Nova stated surely. ¡°Our scouts have just located Amon¡¯s fortress. It is on a platform in the void. Apparently he had pulled back all his forces to his orbital defenses. I don¡¯t think he will move out and attack, but even if he does we will be prepared.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Jean paused for a second. Nova was about to turn around, but Jean caught her by her arm. ¡°Nova! I...I just want to tell you...whatever happens next, whatever I become, I will always love you.¡± Nova nodded. If she was the crying type she would be in tears already. But, the person that she was, Nova merely gripped her rifle tighter. A part of her even hoped that some enemy would arrive so she could have fun slaughtering them.

    As the process was about to start, Nova stepped aside, but her eyes were still trained on Jean and Jean alone. Nothing else mattered to her.

    ¡°Jean. May the last of my essence give you the power you need.¡± Ouros¡¯ essence flowed out of his body in a gold stream and entered Jean¡¯s body. The xel¡¯naga knew he was about to die, but he didn¡¯t care. In face, he was almost peaceful and welcoming. For a moment Jean¡¯s entire body turned gold. The power of the xel¡¯naga converged upon her, transforming her body and changing her very being.

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Jean trailed off as her eyes turned gold. The xel¡¯naga celestial power went through her body and unlocked certain secrets. ¡°I see my purpose in life. I see the mission that I am bred for. A mission far greater than anything else! A mission knit into my very being! A mission worth dying for!¡± She looked down on her hands. Her individual DNA expended before her eyes. Turning her gaze to the purifiers, she realized their metal bodies were completely naked to her gaze. She peaked into their very cores. Instantly, she had came up with dozens of ideas to make them more efficient. But for now her attention was turned back to herself and the secret she had just discovered. ¡°It is a mission worth losing things for¡­¡±

    She was saying the words out loud, but subconsciously she was using her newly gained xel¡¯naga power to cover it. Neither the dying Ouros nor Nova heard about what she said.

    Good, otherwise Jean would have to kill them.

    For the moment every question Jean had faced were answered. Her lack of emotions. Her endless desire for power. Her need to return to the infinite universes instead of staying here in the Starcraft universe to live out the rest of her life in peace.

    Everything had became so clear now.

    ¡°Jean?¡± Nova asked. From her perspective Jean had been quiet the entire time.

    Jean retreated from her newly gained information and realized the transformation was already over. Ouros¡¯ lifeless body fell into the void.

    Jean looked down on her body and realized her suit had perished in the transformation. Nova and her were the only two beings here that could really think, and both of them had seen Jean¡¯s naked body more than once before this. Still, a layer of golden energy quickly covered Jean¡¯s skin. It took a second before turning into an earth tank top and a pair of jeans. She tried to enter zerg mode, and realized it was nowhere to be seen. Appearantly the xel¡¯naga transformation had overriden her zerg transformation.

    It felt strange. Still, trading from zerg to xel¡¯naga was a worthy deal. Jean was much much more powerful than she was as a zerg, even after Zerus. She looked at the void, and something inside her told her she could destroy it with a single strike. This time, however, she wasn¡¯t exactly wrong.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Nova asked. She saw the transformatio was successful, but that made her slightly afraid. Was the girl bfore her still the Jean she knew? Or was her made into a puppet of this so called infinite cycle?

    Jean¡¯s golden celestial energy faded away, and once again she appeared exactly the same as when she first came into this world. Soft. Vulnerable. Defenseless. But in fact she was a god. She was literally a god. She could wipe out an entire fleet with one hit. She could jump into lava and come out without a single mark.

    Walking to Nova, Jean answered her question with the most direct way possible.

 Season 1: The Starcraft Commander---Chapter 142: The End...or is it the beginning?

    Jean watched as her entire fleet converged upon the hostile platform. Even from aboard S101 she could see the darkness on the platform below. She could sense the stretch of the void shades even from her ship. The celestial power in her yearned to unleash destruction upon the abominations below.

    Jean suppressed this urge. The power of the xel¡¯naga was strong, but she was stronger. She controlled her power, not the other way around.

    ¡°All those planning having led you to this day.¡± Nova approached from behind and wrapped her arms through Jean¡¯s waist. ¡°You should be proud.¡± Nova knew how much Jean sacrificed to go from just another low level terran officer to the goddess she was today. This was why this moment was so precious.

    ¡°There is nothing to be proud of. I have a much, much bigger stage.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Commence the attack.¡±

    Nova gave out the order, and the combined fleet did their usual trick.

    The bombardment continued for an hour, emptying one third of the ammunition and energy storage of the entire fleet. Considering the fleet was made up of two thousand or so ships, and all of them had been continuously firing for an entire hour with every gun they had...the result was significant.

    The orbital defenses worked together with whatever void shade ships Amon had left to try to deflect the attackers, but they were greatly outnumbered and outgunned. The entirety of Amon¡¯s fleet fell in the first ten minutes. The orbital defenses lasted longer with their digged in positions and reinforced armors, but they still fell within the next twenty. When all the defenses had quieted down, all that were left for the defenders to do was hide in their positions and hope they wouldn¡¯t be unlucky enough to be hit in the face. Most of the time their prayers came true, but occasionally an orbital strike would land in an ok spot. Everything in that area would be reduced to basic void energy.

    If the void shades had the ability to think individually they would be complaining about balance. This was not just unfair. This was cheating. Any static defense, even if it was just a single photon cannon, would be welcomed with an orbital round with no exception. Any group of enemy with a unit count larger than five would be fired upon. Any important unit, even if it was just a siege tank or an immortal, would be destroyed.

    Ever since the first thirty minutes there was nothing left for the defenders to do to retaliate. A spore cannon fired back a few shots, and immediately met its end at five orbital strikes. Random marines and stalkers fired into the sky, but their shots did absolutely nothing.

    When the bombing stopped, most of the static defenses were gone. Void shades knew no fear, but they still responded to the bombardment by getting into smaller groups to avoid being taken out in a few shots. This opened up opportunity for the invasion forces to sweep in and take them out one by one. The great majority of the defenders were still alive, but that was fine.

    Jean had never fancied winning the fight with bombardment only. The past hour of hell was just an appetizer. It was nothing but a way for her to announce to Amon that she was here and that he should be ready to die.

    ¡°Prepare ground forces.¡± Jean ordered before walking out of the bridge. ¡°I will clear a landing zone. As soon as I give you a signal, send transports to my location.¡± Nova nodded and watched as she left. She would tell her to be careful, but then again she knew she didn¡¯t need to. Jean was more than capable of taking care of herself. It was her enemies that needed to be careful.

    Walking to the hanger, Jean ignored the wraith beside her. Instead, she merely jumped out of the hanger door and into the void¡­

    In the bridge, Nova facepalmed in sliight frustration. It was one thing to know she would be perfectly safe. It was another to see her in this situation, especially when she could totally sit back and still win. Even so, the small curve on her lips showed that she wasn¡¯t as frustrated as she was proud.

    The void looked dangerous, and it was indeed dangerous. The hostile environment could, painfully, kill any terran without special equipment in mere seconds. Even most protoss and zerg, without proper preparation, would simply float away toward a random direction as there was nothing they could do to control where they were going. Even if someone got the direction correct and managed to live long enough to get there, they would meet a juicy end at the hand of the platform itself. An impact this great could turn most creatures¡¯ inside into jelly. Jumping down from a ship in space and toward a platform below seemed cool, but the visual pleasantry came with a heavy price. Jean might be the only one in this sector that could do a thing like this. Even Kerrigan couldn¡¯t do something this reckless and be fine. Amon might be able to, but he would just punch a hole through the ground and continue falling.

    In the void, Jean used her power to direct her toward the platform. Void energy tried to corrode through her body, but she simply shrugged them off. The crimson energy burned against the golden shield, creating a bright mixture of red and gold that could be seen by both sides of the battle. Ignoring the surrounding, it was actually pretty cool.

    As Jean got closer and closer to the surface, a few ground units that survived the onslaught saw the bright light. Identifying Jean as an enemy, they opened fire without hesitation. Void energy, taking the form of material weapons like rifles and particle disruptors, smashed into Jean with incredible accuracy. But whatever attack it was, whether it was a missile, a laser, or a spore, it achieved nothing. If anything, it made Jean look more invincible. Anyone could walk, but very few could walk through a hail of bullets.

    Jean chose a relatively stable part of the platform to make her enter. She didn¡¯t want to land on the platform only for the ground to fall apart. She would still live, but that would just be awkward. As she fell, she could see defenses gathering beneath her. The void shades were neither stupid nor blind. In the few seconds they had already located the exact point where she would be landing and had already established defenses.

    In the front a battalion of zealots ignited their dark red blades. Behind them marines, marauders, stalkers, and roaches waited patiently for their moment to shine. Hydralisks polished their spines. Siege tanks entered siege mode. Their cannon rounds would be dropped on top of Jean the second she land. Ultralisks were a short distance away from the landing zone so they could charge and use their momentum to do more damage. A distance away, a void shade battlecruiser readied its warp drive and overcharged its reactor at the same time. It had one purpose and one purpose only. When Jean arrived, it would warp onto Jean and self destruct, unleashing a hell lot of destructive energy on its target.

    They couldn¡¯t kill Jean. This was for sure, but at least they could make her life a bit harder. If they could, by any chance, injure her...then the chance of their master winning the final duel would be much higher. For this tiny glimmer of hope, every void shade unit present was willing to give their life. After all, Amon was their creator. Without Amon, they wouldn¡¯t even exist in the first place.

    Let¡¯s just say things didn¡¯t go as they hoped for.

    Jean¡¯s legs didn¡¯t even budge as they made contact with the metal ground. In contrary to her ease, the ground actually sank in by an significant amount. It was like cracking a rock onto an egg. The rock was perfectly fine, but the egg cracked.

    ¡°DEATH COMES TO ALL!¡± A void shade high templar screamed, and the next thing he knew he was overwhelmed by a bright, golden light. That was the last thing he knew.

    In space, Nova watched in awe as a bright light swept through a small spot on the platform below. When the light cleared, the redness of the area had disappeared and was replaced by a golden atmosphere. Scanners showed every single void shade unit had been, literally, wiped out. Not a trace of their existence remained. No flesh. No armor. No nothing.

    Standing over the pit she just made, Jean was in her skin tight modified ghost suit. Luckily the suit was generated by her celestial power, or else this would be a very awkward moment as no armor could survive the impact to the ground. Her entire body was gold. Her eyes radiated golden energy. Her hair was blonde. Her cloth were made up of her energy.

    She looked like a goddess.

    Suddenly, she turned around and glanced at a direction for a brief moment before turning back. ¡°Nova, the landing zone is clear. Send in the transports.¡±

    On the other side, Amon signed as the void shade that acted as his eyes and ears just straight up exploded. He, logically, knew the void shades, no matter how prepared they were, couldn¡¯t hurt Jean at all. When a figure was this powerful, numbers no longer mattered. If he was in Jean¡¯s place he would¡¯ve been able to slaughter the defenders as well. That being said, he couldn¡¯t deny being slightly disappointed at the result.

    The girl was more powerful than he thought.

    Amon knew Jean was transformed into a xel¡¯naga the second the process started. The bright light of the celestial energy could be seen across the void. He also knew his chances of victory was even smaller if Jean could gain the power of the xel¡¯naga. A human Jean killed him once. What could a xel¡¯naga Jean do? Yet attacking into thousands of ships was a quick way to get himself killed. On this platform, in the base he had spent millions of years building, he had several advantages that could benefit him in combat. Void shards harvested energy from the void and fed it into his body, making him stronger and more durable. Static defenses, to a certain point, helped the tiny fleet Amon had. Just this platform itself was built in the place in the void with the most void energy concentration. He might stand a chance if the battle took place here, but if he was to move out and attack...he might as well suicide and deny Jean the pleasure of seeing him burn.

    Whether or not his decision was the better choice was never to be known, but, like it or not, he was in this position.

    Switching to another void shade, Amon ordered all the void shades around to move forward toward the landing zone. He knew they would die pretty quickly, but their whole purpose was to hopefully weaken Jean. Their death could also allow Amon to observe Jean¡¯s moves and come up with a plan to kill her in the final duel. Jean was a newly ascended xel¡¯naga, but Amon was old, and his forces were dying. In a fair fight Amon¡¯s chances were good.

    <hr>

    Behind Jean, twenty warp prisms were turned on. A thousand light beams dropped down onto the platform.

    ¡°Commander Turner, we await your command.¡± Selendis, in the form of a specialized legionnaire shell, greeted.

    Ever since Jean¡¯s capture of Talis on Aiur, the purifiers have started to capture elite enemy warriors based on their performs against the purifiers and turn them into purifier AIs. The female executor fell prey to this decision.

    ¡°Kill them all.¡±

    ¡°For the purifiers! For Nova!¡± Selendis screamed. Two giant yellow blades extended out of her arms. Followed by fellow legionnaires and sentinels, she charged head on into the approaching void shades.

    Across the field the purifiers were met with void shades. Both sides were silent. The only sound was the sound of weapons clashing with plasma shields and armors. Both sides were fearless warriors bred for one purpose: To kill. Neither side fell back as bodies were dropped. Shattered purifier shells hit the ground. Void shades reduced into basic void energy.  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Selendis turned her blades with a speed extremely impressive for her new size. A zealot was sliced into two as soon as it made contact with the blades. A marine fired bravely and desperately, and was rewarded with a plasma blade in the head. Literally, in the head. There was neither blood nor scream as the void shade faded away.

    Four zerglings launched themselves at the female purifier. The first was cut in half while it was still in the air. The second thought he got past Selendis¡¯ blades, but his dream was broken as Selendis raised her elbow and smashed the zergling head on. The strength of the machine tossed the zergling five meters away. The beast, still barely alive, struggled to stand up, only to get stepped on by an ultralisk on the same side. The third zergling clawed and bit on her plasma shield, and was cut in half by the twin plasma blades. The fourth went for Selendis¡¯ legs. The purifier frowned and raised her leg and stepped on the unit. The action resulted in a pleasant Splat. When she moved her leg back, the zergling was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that showed his presence was the slightly darkened floor.

    Void shades continued to arrive. A siege tank entered siege mode and shelled on a mixture of void shade zealots, void shade zerglings, and purifiers. The explosion cleared away the zerglings and ripped apart most of the void shade zealots, but the steadier body and heavier armor of the sentinels and legionnaires allowed them to survive. The siege tank tried to reload, but it never got the chance. A legionnaire jumped onto the tank and sticked his blades into the vehicle and, brutally, turned it. If the impact of a several meter tall metal body landing wasn¡¯t enough, the plasma blades finished the job.

    Behind the purifier line a stream of reinforcements continued to warp into the battlefield. Instigators, adepts, and immortals provided fire support for their melee brothers. A specialized adept was especially so. Using a mixture of specialized glaive cannons and purifier physical strength, Talis cut her way through enemy after enemy.

    Jean wasn¡¯t moved by all this chaos. Instead, she was merely walking toward where Amon was. The few void shades that made a move on her evaporated before they could even get close.

    A distance away fourty void shade zealots approached. Their blades yearned for the blood of their foe. Every single cell in them wanted to die for their master.

    They got what they wished for.

    A light beam dropped down from the sky and smashed into the center of the mass. Two third of the zealots immediately perished. A lucky few survived, but their shields were depleted and their bodies were battered. They didn¡¯t let that stand in their way as they charged into the field, only to get slaughtered by the first enemy they met, who happened to be Selendis. The executor utilized her past experience to the furthest extent. None of the void shades could survive two seconds against her.

    The entire time Jean was silent. Instead of paying attention to the battlefield in front, she glanced into a distance. She glanced at where Amon was.

    The dark god returned the glance. Across the field of battle, across the place where thousands were dying, the two gods exchanged a look.

    Amon signed. All of a sudden every single last void shade that could still move retreated.

    ¡°Commander, this is a tactical retreat, not a defeat.¡± Selendis walked up to Jean and warned. The only thing that could make the void shades to flee would be an order from their god.

    ¡°I know.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Stay here and await further orders from Nova.¡±

    ¡°Where will you be going, commander?¡±

    Jean¡¯s eyes shined. ¡°To end the war.¡± She tilted her head thoughtfully. ¡°At least to end this war.¡±

    <hr>

    Amon knew ordering the void shades to stand and fight would mean they would be sacrificed pointlessly. Jean wasn¡¯t even fighting. The only trade they would have was to be with replaceable robots that could be produced by the thousands. Instead of wasting them, Amon sent them to defend the void shards. As long as the void shards stood, he would still have a chance of victory. He knew Jean would be coming here to take him down herself. The girl would never miss another feast of celestial essence. If he could take her by surprise and kill her, then there was still some hope.

    His thoughts were proven almost immediately. Amon could sense void shades standing guard around her being taken out one by one as Jean got closer and closer to his position. He got ready and started to count down.

    Five. A zealot was reduced to ashes.

    Four. An immortal fired futilely, but the phase cannon shots seemed to have just disappeared. Slightly frowned, Jean held her right hand into a fist, and the immortal exploded.

    Three. A high templar tried to feed back Jean, only to get evaporated as he tried to ignite Jean¡¯s celestial xel¡¯naga energy.

    Two. A thor fired. A thor died.

    One. A carrier turned its head and aimed at Jean before smashing down on her. Jean waved her hand, and a giant layer of golden energy appeared in front of the dropping carrier. As soon as the tip of the ship met the energy, it melted. The entire carrier didn¡¯t even slow down as it fell into the celestial energy and just evaporated.

    Zero. Jean was standing in front of Amon.

    A casual 1.8 meters tall, Jean seemed like an ant in comparison to Amon, who was the size of at least a dozen battlecruisers combined. Nothing about her, except her lit up eyes, suggested how strong she really was. Yet this girl just massacred an army made up of the best among the sector.

    Amon¡¯s every muscles tensed up. His psionic energy amplified. A determined look appeared on his face. It was do or die. Victory or Death. There was no other choice except¡­

    ¡°I surrender!¡± Amon waved his claws, more than two, up. ¡°Let me live, and I will be your servant. Whatever it is that you desire, I will help you get it.¡±

    Jean nodded. ¡°Of course, but how should I know you will not turn on me later?¡±

    ¡°The ancient xel¡¯naga have a way to control other xel¡¯naga. Let me show you.¡± Amon held one hand out to Jean, and the next thing Jean knew he was smashing down on her. In a shocking turn of events, the ground she was standing on was reduced to nothing as Amon slammed his giant arms on it.

    ¡°Is she dead?¡± Sensing no resistance, Amon frowned and held his claws up. The attack was so successful it was too good to be true. He knew he had done a lotto prepare for this moment. He had purposefully ordered the void shades around him to stand and fight so they could be slaughtered and, hopefully, Jean could be made arrogant. He even promised a surrender to lower Jean¡¯s guards. Still, they was no resistance at all. Was he just lucky enough to kill Jean before she could channel her inner energy to fight back?

    It was possible, but¡­

    The dark god¡¯s doubt was answered by a burning feeling in his neck. Turning around, he saw Jean trying to jamm a giant, golden, one meter long blade into his neck. The blade seemed puny compared to the size of its target, but Amon could feel his life was threatened by that weapon. What in the name of the void was she doing?

    Xel¡¯naga didn¡¯t use weapons. Their standard fighting techniques included a total of two styles: Blasting each other with their energies or hitting each other with their celestial bodies. Jean¡¯s usage of a¡­¡±celestial blade¡±...was strange.

    And yet effective. Amon could sense a burning wound on his neck.

    Jean glanced at the fried psi amplifier attached on her arm and frowned. She had suddenly came up with a strange but practical idea. If she could find a way to concentrate her already powerful celestial energy into the form of a blade, it should be enough to break through enemy xel¡¯naga. She was correct in that the blade was able to break through the defenses, but a normal protoss psionic amplifier struggled in terms of holding the power of god. One hit and it was already fried.

    Dropping the now useless weapon, Jean took out another amplifier from her watch. Even if one amplifier could only sustain one hit, she still had enough for hours.

    Seeing Jean ignite her weapon, Amon shook all doubt away. Now was not the time for science. Void energy poured onto the wound on his neck and mended the opening. With the backing of void shards and thus almost an unlimited amount of void energy, Amon fought with brute force, directing a wave of void energy onto Jean.

    The xel¡¯naga was a powerful race with a high power scale, but wherever there was a group there would always be a difference in power level. For example, Narud and Ouros were weaker than Amon. This difference could be the result of a number of reasons. It could be due to the power of the creature before they were ascended. Age and experience also mattered, so did the amount of energy the individuals had to work with.

    In this case, Amon had an advantage in terms of energy. Unfortunately, even the strongest energy didn¡¯t matter if it couldn¡¯t hit the enemy. In this case, Jean easily dodged the attacks. A thousand times larger than his enemy, Amon¡¯s action seemed so clumsy. All Jean had to do was jump around, and Amon would be wasting his energy in futile.

    Jumping up into the air once more, Jean suddenly felt the sky darkening. She looked up and saw a giant claw smashing down. Instead of flinching and missing the best time to escape, Jean raised her arm and poured her energy into the fifth psi blade. Amon saw the glimmer of gold and tried to catch himself, but the momentum of something of his size was way too great, and across a distance this small, there was nothing he could do but just smash into the blades.

    Amon¡¯s body was covered by his energy, but here¡¯s the thing. Amon and Jean had a similar amount of energy, but Amon¡¯s power was scattered over his entire body. Jean, however, briefly focused all her strength on a single point, establishing superior power over a small area, therefore breaking through.

    Amon screamed as a hole was opened up in his limb, but he wasn¡¯t worried. Pulling his claws back, red void energy covered the wound. A second later the claw was as good as new.

    ¡°You can¡¯t win.¡± Feeling the infinite power from within, Amon announced. ¡°My power is reinforced every second, and your power is limited. This is a fight you are destined to lose!¡±

    As if it was a signal, Amon suddenly felt the void energy transport line breaking off. The endless void energy reserve was gone. Sensing the new emptiness in his body, the god screamed. This time it wasn¡¯t from pain. It was from fear. Fear of death.

    ¡°What have you done!¡± His question was met with Jean¡¯s emotionless cold eyes.

    As Jean was coming here to face Amon, she noticed Nova had sent the purifier forces to go after the void shards. Nova didn¡¯t necessarily know they were feeding Amon energy, but she did know Amon built those shards, and whatever her enemy wanted to build, she would destroy. The void shades fought hard, but they were faced with enemies both on the ground and from orbit. Usually Amon would give out orders, whether it was to deploy reinforcements or anything else, but this time he was too distracted with his fight with Jean. It was when the void shards were down that he finally realized what was going on.

    It was too late. Amon knew it. As he stared at the powerful figure of Jean Turner, he knew his end was here and now.

    This was the day the god was slain.

    <hr>

    Standing over the now essence-less corpse of Amon, Jean felt her watch buzz. She tapped it, and a projection popped up.

    It was the projection she saw when she first arrived here.

    Name: Jean Turner

    Dimension: Starcraft

    Current location: The Void.

    Mission: Terminate Amon, the dark god. (Complete)

    Return to the Hub (Yes/No)

    PS 1. Choosing No will delay the return by ten days.

    PS 2. Rewards will be given after you return to the Hub.

    PS 3. If you return, everything in your ownership will be automatically returned to your watch.

    Jean glanced at the universe and, without any hesitation, pressed Yes.

    One moment the void was filled. The next moment it was empty.

    <hr>

    The war between Jean Turner and Amon was known as the End War, for it had ended the lives of so many people. No one knew how the war ended as no one came back from the void to tell the tale. All the people of Koprulu sector knew was that the purifiers that ravaged their homeland and slaughtered their people were gone. They weren¡¯t killed. They weren¡¯t banished. They weren¡¯t defeated. They just...left.

    As time passed, the swarm remained quiet. Still with an intact military and having survived the purifier onslaught, the swarm was capable of taking over the neighbouring planets that were now empty. Yet the swarm made no move. Reason? Maybe only the queen of blades knew.

    On the planet of Zerus, Dehaka watched as the local inhabitants slaughtered each other. Jean had took most of the essence from the planet, but it didn¡¯t matter. As the local beasts fought, the stronger would emerge. They would evolve and generate essence once more. Give them a few decades, and a brand new race of primal zerg would be reborn. Only this time, he would be their leader. Glancing down on a barely repaired psi blade, Dehaka smiled. This time, he would merge physical strength and technology. This time, he would be unstoppable.

    The protoss were completely wiped out in the purifier onslaught. There were no survivors.

    In a corner of the sector, three terran ships aimlessly drifted through space. They were tired and frightened, but they were alive, and that was all it mattered. Maybe one day the survivors of these three ships would reach a habitable planet and turn it into a brand new terran world. After all, that was how human being arrived at Korpulu sector.

    The xel¡¯naga were gone. All their essence were absorbed by one person, and that person have left the universe. In the end, the infinite cycle was broken.

    How ironic.

    END OF SEASON 1.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 1: The Hub

    Unknown dimension. Unknown coordinates. The Hub.

    A light beam dropped down from the sky. As the blinding light cleared, a blonde girl emerged into the open. Her blonde hair was scattered on her back, but it was more casual than messy. Her body was covered by a white skin tight ghost suit. Her eyes were covered by a pair of tactical goggles. Her hands were empty and she carried no weapon, but there was no doubt that messing with her was a bad idea. A watch was attached to her right wrist.

    As soon as she emerged, the girl looked around in vigilance. She didn¡¯t relax as she found herself standing in an empty room. There wasn¡¯t a single object within the room. The wall, the floor, and even the ceiling was completely white.

    ¡°Welcome, Voyager Jean.¡± A familiar voice ranged across the room. Jean frowned as she realized the voice belonged to herself. Of course, it wasn¡¯t her speaking. ¡°Congratulations on your victory. May it be the first step to your endless voyage.¡±

    ¡°Identify yourself.¡± Jean was alerted but not scared.

    ¡°I am your personal AI. I have no name, but you can name me whatever you desire. It is my duty to help you adapt to this life and prepare for future missions. In general, I am made to serve you.¡± Jean¡¯s image, with the exact hairstyle and clothing of the current Jean, was projected into the room by the AI.

    Jean gave a second, slightly uncomfortable look at the projection before looking around. ¡°Where am I?¡±

    ¡°Your room.¡±

    ¡°As far as rooms go this is rather disappointing.¡± Jean commented with a grain of salt, but if someone looked really carefully into her eyes they would find that she was calmer than ever.

    ¡°You can adjust the structures of this room however you wish.¡±

    ¡°How?¡±

    ¡°You can change this room through me. Describe the room you want to me, and I will create it.¡±

    Jean rose her eyebrows almost challengingly. ¡°I want a palace.¡±

    The next second the room transformed. One minute it was a dull white room. The next second Jean found herself standing in a literal palace. It was empty, but the luxurious design and the silly amount of empty space told Jean she was indeed in a palace.

    Jean¡¯s eyes slightly shined, and her power swept out and scanned the room. The result was not exactly satisfying. The room wasn¡¯t a hallucination. In fact, it was actually much bigger than it was before. Whoever this AI was, it had a lot of power. If one servant AI could do this, then how powerful would be the one behind everything? She would need a lot more power to complete her mission. In fact, she needed more than just power.

    But now was not the time for this. Jean turned back to the AI.

    ¡°Why are you using my voice and image?¡± She said as if she had a grudge.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have one of my own. Of course, you can give me one.¡±

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll name you Butler. You can keep my image and my voice, though. You¡¯re welcome.¡± She promised.

    ¡°Order accepted.¡± Butler obeyed.

    ¡°So, where am I?¡± Jean sat down on a sofa and groaned as she sank in. This type of luxury wasn¡¯t exactly present in the Starcraft universe, not that she enjoyed it.

    ¡°You are in The Hub, a city for voyagers like you to rest, relax, and prepare for future missions.¡±

    ¡°You kept on calling me voyager, why?¡±

    ¡°Because you take voyages through dimensions.¡±

    ¡°Ok.¡± Jean sighed at the unhelpful answer and stood up from the sofa. ¡°Show me around this place. You said it¡¯s a city and there are other people like me, so this place must be larger than just this room.¡± She looked around. ¡°By the way can you leave this room?¡±

    ¡°I can be inserted into your watch.¡±

    ¡°No you can¡¯t.¡± Jean denied arrogantly before glancing down and tapping on her watch. She had never seen a function in her watch that allowed her to carry AIs around, and since she had spent countless hours going through everything about the watch, the presence of this function was unlikely. ¡°Oh wait.¡± She suddenly realized there were some changes she didn¡¯t notice before because she was a bit too attracted by a certain AI.

    Voyager profile:

    Name: Jean Turner

    Current Dimension: UnknownThe story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Current location: The Hub.

    User kill confirmed. Delivering reward into storage space now.

    Reward:

    1000 red crystals.

    User completed first mission, upgrading user watch into standard model now. Delivering standard voyager gadget into storage space now.

    The watch was immediately taken over by a bright white light that even Jean couldn¡¯t see through. The next second the white light disappeared, revealing a brand new tool. The former grey surface was turned into a shiny black color.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Jean pointed at the refreshed tool.

    ¡°The watch you had in your first universe was the recruit model. It was designed for two purposes only: Act as a storage space and inform the recruits on their mission. If the recruit survived their first mission and became a voyager, they would be worthy of a standard modeled watch. If they died, giving them an upgraded watch would be a waste.¡±

    Jean nodded and continued to examine her new watch like a teenage girl who just got her first phone.

    The standard version was completely different and much more helpful comparing to the recruit model. The standard model watch not only kept the original two applications but was also able to do many other things to aid the user in their mission. For instance, Jean tapped her watch, and the Butler¡¯s presence was uploaded to her watch. The AI soon appeared on a hologram from the watch.

    ¡°There are changes made to your profile.¡± She reminded as she went through Jean¡¯s watch.

    ¡°Show me.¡±

    Voyager profile:

    Name: Jean Turner

    Current Dimension: Unknown

    Current location: The Hub.

    Mission completed: 1(Starcraft)

    Follower: (0/2)

    ¡°Explain to me about the follower tab.¡± Jean understood the purposes of all the other tabs, but not the follower one. She had a guess, but she needed a confirmation.

    ¡°As the reward to a voyager who has completed one mission, you can now bring two living beings from any dimension you travel to. This number will double with every mission completed.¡±

    Jean nodded. If she had this function from the very beginning then she could¡¯ve brought Nova and maybe Kerrigan with her. That would mean two more combatants. Unfortunately there was no if. ¡°Understood. Open the storage space and show me the reward.¡± She remembered something about red crystals as a reward.

    As Jean soon found out, red crystals were, as their name suggested, crystals that were red. Jean toyed with the crystal in her hand for a few seconds before suddenly realizing her xel¡¯naga celestial power grew. It was just a tiny bit, but it was enough to surprise her. Xel¡¯naga power was pretty much confined, and was really tough to be enhanced. Glancing down, she realized the crystal was a bit smaller. The outer part was turned white and fragile. She ran her fingernails across the white part, and it simply melted away into dust. Jean realized what happened. She had just absorbed the energy out of the red crystal.

    ¡°Butler?¡± She said with a surprised look.

    ¡°Crystals contain a form of unidentified energy that can be absorbed by every single power structure ever existed. Due to this characteristic, they are also used as currencies in the Hub. Crystal colors include red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, blue, and violet with red containing the least energy and violet containing the most. Each color holds ten times the power of those of the lower color.¡±

    ¡°Impressive.¡± Jean was really impressed. This was another thing that showed her how weak and insignificant she was. When the lowest power source of the Hub could make her stronger, she knew she should lay low for a while. ¡°And the voyager gadgets?¡±

    A stack of objects fell out of Jean¡¯s watch and onto the ground in front of her. Jean knelt down on the carpetand picked up a pair of goggles. She looked at the Butler, waiting for an answer.

    ¡°Voyager tactical goggles.¡± The Butler explained as Jean put it over her eyes. ¡°Contains night vision mode and heat vision mode. Can be used as telescope and microscope. Can be used as a recorder and a camera. Automatically identifies enemy targets. It is connected to my software so I can aid you in combat.¡±

    Jean kept the goggles on while picking up a female body suit. Ignoring the Butler, she stripped down her ghost uniform and put the new suit on. It was a completely black uniform that covered most of her skin. The uniform itself took care of her upper and lower body. A pair of tactical black gloves covered her hands. A pair of shoes, black as well, were on her feet. A black cloak dangled behind her back. She stretched and realized the uniform fit her body perfectly.

    ¡°Voyager battle suit. Contains camouflage that can adapt with the surrounding and minimize the presence of the voyager. Can provide protection against most attacks, energy or physical. Moderate protection against high temperature. Moderate protection against low temperature. Moderate protection against corrosive materials. Maximizes the battle ability of the wearer.¡±

    Now completely in black, Jean picked up a short stick. She was starting to wonder whether or not there was something in the gadgets that wasn¡¯t pure black. There wasn¡¯t.

    ¡°Be careful.¡± The Butler warned. ¡°This is a voyager blade. Mentally connected to its user, this weapon can form any shape its user wants it to be. It is powered by crystals, and its power depends on its power source. The stronger the power source is, the stronger and more durable the weapon is.¡±

    Jean took out a red crystal and sticked it into a slot in the handle of the blade. She reached out to the sword and imagined a sword, and the next second a red blade appeared in her hand. She scanned the weapon, and realized it was around the power of the psi blade of a zealot. It couldn¡¯t even scratch her skin, but for a standard weapon powered by the lowest level of power source and given to a new recruit it was pretty impressive.

    Nodding and turning off the weapon, Jean attached a holster on her belt specifically designed for this weapon. ¡°And this?¡± She picked up a gun looking weapon and examined it.

    ¡°Voyager rifle. Powered by crystals. Effectiveness directly related to power source. Stopping power and firing frequency can be altered via mental connection.¡± The description slightly confused Jean, but she found out what the Butler meant as soon as she tried it. With her mind, she was able to change the mode of the rifle. One minute it was a sniper rifle that could fire a shot with impressive power but required quite some time to recharge, and the next second it was a machine gun, able to fire frequent shots that were slightly less effective. This time Jean threw the gun into her watch. It was just too big to be put onto her suit.

    Looking over again to make sure there weren¡¯t anything else, Jean walked to the entrance to her room. She stopped for a brief second before opening it and walking out.

    Outside, a whole new world awaited her.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 2: The Three Areas

    Walking out the door, Jean found herself standing in the middle of a street. Men and women wearing black suits were walking by all around her. All of them were wearing a black watch. She turned around and could no longer see her palace.

    ¡°Butler?¡± Walking to the side to avoid being ran over by the traffic, Jean realized taking out a hologram in public might not be the best for her privacy, so she took out an earpiece and put it to her ear. Just as she expected, the Butler was able to connect to the earpiece and talk to her. ¡°Explain. I was walking out of my room. How am I here?¡±

    ¡°The room of every voyager is hidden with spatial technology. Every room is in a sub-dimension. It is linked to a main dimension, the Hub, but it can be expanded in size with ease. When you walk out of your room, you are teleported to a designated area in the main dimension of Hub. You can be teleported back to your room with a single order.¡±

    Spatial technology. Jean coughed to hide her surprise. In the starcraft universe spatial technology was only somewhat utilized by the most valuable vessels in the protoss race. Compare that to an organization where the living room of a soldier of the lowest rank is hidden in a smaller dimension¡­Then again that explained how the small room she first saw when she arrived could be turned into a giant palace.

    ¡°Fair enough. Tell me about this place.¡± She tilted her head and glanced around curiously, eyeing the men and women walking by her. She knew they were all voyagers, and she could sense some of them were much more powerful than she was while others were not so much.

    The Butler¡¯s familiar voice went directly into Jean¡¯s ears. ¡°The Hub is a place for voyagers to stay when they are not in a mission. A period of time after returning from their last mission, voyagers will receive a new mission from their watch. For those that just completed their first mission this gap is usually around a month. This time will grow as you complete more missions. During this time you can do whatever you want, whether it is to relax, prepare, or anything else. The Hub is designed to meet whatever demand voyagers have when they are on break. Uploading the Hub map to tactical goggles now.¡±

    A transparent 2D layout of the Hub appeared in front of Jean without blocking her view. A red blinking star in the center showed where she was. A line showed the street she was on. The line was connected to three marked areas. She touched one of them that was labeled the Recreational Division.

    ¡°The Recreational Division is designed to entertain voyagers. Going through different dimensions to accomplish relatively difficult missions can be stressful. Designed to relieve this stress, the Recreational Division can satisfy the desire of every voyager. You can find anything there, whether it is food, drugs, movies, games, or even guys... or girls, depending on your preference. Anything you can imagine, as long as you can afford it, they can provide.¡±

    Jean licked her lips. Her attention was attracted by the description, but she decided to go through all the places before deciding where to go. She pointed at another area. ¡°And this?¡±

    ¡°The Training Division is made to prepare voyagers for future missions. Voyagers can train both in terms of voyager combat style, with voyager gadgets, and in terms of their own power structures. Virtual Reality technology allow trainees to use their full power without endangering themselves or those around them. Temporal technology can give trainees more time to prepare for their next mission. Of course, just like with the Recreational Division, all of these services require payment of crystals.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jean complained and pointed at the last area. ¡°And this?¡±

    ¡°Merchandise Division. Provides a platform for voyagers to buy or sell items they own. Sometimes voyagers gain things in dimensions that they don¡¯t need. Instead of keeping them in their watches forever, they can sell these extra items for crystals and use the crystals to buy items that can help them, therefore turning waste into power.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s basically a mall.¡± Jean snapped her fingers and cut the Butler off. ¡°As much as I enjoy a good shopping, the recreational area seems much more intriguing, so that¡¯s where I¡¯m going.¡±

    The Butler made no objection. Her mission, no, her meaning of life, was to help Jean do whatever she wanted to. It made no difference to her whether Jean chose to spend her time sleeping or practicing her skills. Hell if Jean wanted to suicide she would tell her what was the best way to do that. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are you sure this is the right place?¡± Jean threw her hands up and complained, but deep down she was scanning the surrounding with her celestial power.

    She was standing before a gate. The words ¡°Recreational Division¡± were written on an electronic screen beside the gate. Yet from Jean¡¯s perspective she couldn¡¯t see anything. Her power made no discovery either.

    Before the Butler could respond, a fellow voyager walked by Jean and through the gate. As soon as she passed the mark, she was gone.

    ¡°This is the right place. Just like your room, the Recreational Division is located in a sub-dimension linked to the Hub. The gate is a teleportation field that can transport the user to their destination.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± What did she expect? Her dorm was hidden with dimensional technology. Why would she expect one of the key components of this place to be in the same dimension as everything else? Taking a deep breath, she walked over the gate.

    She didn¡¯t have any control as she disappeared.

    <hr>

    Jean opened her eyes and found herself standing in a giant building. A door behind her allowed her to leave whenever she wanted to. Looking up, Jean realized she literally couldn¡¯t see the ceiling. She was a xel¡¯naga. She could see a zealot on a planet from a ship in orbit. This said something about the height of this building.

    Turning her attention back down, Jean started to walk down the hall. All around her voyagers were strolling by. Most of them had a relaxed look on their face. After all, this was a place for pleasure. Both sides of the hall were occupied by all sort of business. Employees and store owners, also in black, were doing their best to attract attention.

    ¡°Wait a second, they are voyagers as well, right?¡± Jean questioned as she eyed the black uniforms on those salesman. ¡°Why are they setting up stores and being servants? Shouldn¡¯t they be, you know, enjoying life?¡±

    ¡°Yes, they are voyagers. As for why they are working...why do people in your original world work?¡±

    ¡°To earn money. Oh...¡± Jean came to a realization. ¡°But I thought voyagers get rewards. A thousand red crystals is a lot, right? And I bet the reward for the second mission is much higher than the reward of the first. Don¡¯t tell me a thousand crystals are like ten dollars in my world!¡± She tapped her watch and growled at the Butler¡¯s hologram.

    ¡°A thousand crystals is a lot. However, voyagers can only get rewards if they complete their mission. Not all voyagers completed their first missions.¡±

    ¡°Hold on a second. Failure to complete mission is punishable by death.¡± Jean remembered a part of the memory she received.

    ¡°That is a lie told to the recruits to boost their morale. Ninety percent of the voyagers in The Hub have failed their first mission. Voyagers that failed to complete or were killed in their first mission will be teleported back to the Hub. They will lose their rewards, but they will live.¡± The Butler silently motioned for those working. ¡°But being alive doesn¡¯t mean being successful. Every necessity, like food and clothing, will be delivered to the voyagers¡¯ rooms, but any type of entertainment, merchandise, and enhancement will require crystals. If these people don¡¯t work, they will have nothing but their voyager gadgets to bring to their next mission. They can¡¯t even pay for any type of training. This usually means either death or failure. Death is obviously an unwanted outcome. If they fail again, they will still lack crystals. This will continue as an endless loop that will eventually end with the destruction of the voyager.¡±

    ¡°I thought we will be brought back upon death, so what¡¯s wrong with dying?¡±

    ¡°Every voyager is armed with an emergency teleportation device that can save them from a fatal wound. This Dying for a second time will mean death.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh.¡± Jean silently made a mental note. The Hub went through all the trouble to keep those that failed their first mission alive. Why? Shouldn¡¯t they be leaving the weak to die and then replace them with new recruits so only the strongest can become a formal voyager? This doesn¡¯t make sense, at least not now. ¡°In that case I should be happy I was lucky on my first mission.¡± She casually walked down the hall, curiously glancing at the shops around for anything that interested her.

    A few minutes later Jean came to the realization that when the Butler said there was everything she could possibly desire, in terms of pleasure, in the recreational area, the AI wasn¡¯t lying. Just look at her: The bottle of wine carefully stashed in a corner of the storage space in her watch was supposed to be enough to get a lion drunk with one single drop. The recreational VR should be able to bring her into a computer simulated world where she could enjoy everything a girl could possibly desire in the world. A movie pack downloaded into her watch held over a thousand movies. Just one of the pills in a small bottle in Jean¡¯s watch could make its user feel like she was in heaven. All of those just costed her three red crystals in total.

    Recreational objects were extremely cheap, and there was a reason for it. In most cases, the top priority of voyagers was to improve themselves in terms of power. Only occasionally would they spend some money for leisure purposes. If these objects were too expensive, they would lose their customers. Plus, three red crystals were not as little as it seemed. After all, a small part of one of them was able make Jean, the most powerful being in a dimension, stronger.

    Jean was examining a bottle of perfume when she spotted someone. Tossing a red crystal to the salesman, Jean pocketed the bottle of liquid that was said to be able to make any man/woman drool and walked toward a woman.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 3: Lurker Sara

    The woman, or rather the girl, was around seventeen years old. Her black hair was tied into a clean ponytail. The voyager uniform showed her curves. She had a nice innocent smile on her face that would make anyone that came close to her relax and trust her.

    She was looking through a shelf in the same store.

    Jean paused a short distance away and touched her earpiece. ¡°Butler, is there any restriction of interaction between voyagers?¡±

    ¡°It is decided by the Supreme One that physical conflict between voyagers is forbidden within the Hub. If you have a grudge with another voyager, you can settle the score by challenging him or her in a duel. If the other voyager agrees, you two can duel in a fight till death in the Training Division. Those that break this rule will be punished by a fine.¡±

    ¡°Not that type of interaction. The type that¡¯s a bit...warmer.¡±

    ¡°You mean sexual intercourse.¡± The Butler understood instantly. ¡°It is allowed as long as both sides give consent.¡±

    ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡±

    Jean approached the girl from behind with a smirk and, without any warning, hugged her.

    She could feel the body in her arms shake in surprise before pushing her back.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The girl, turning back to face Jean, wasn¡¯t too happy. If it was a man she would be drawing her weapon already, but another girl was a different story. Jean¡¯s sex was the only reason the girl was still talking.

    Without a word, Jean grabbed onto the girl¡¯s right hand and slid a red crystal to her. Her fingernail sliding across her skin in the process.

    The girl¡¯s expression changed before tapping something on her own watch. It was an invitation to her place, and it was sent to Jean, who returned a satisfied smile. The two disappeared a second later.

    <hr>

    As soon as the two appeared in the girl¡¯s room, they were getting on top of each other. The situation got very hot for a few minutes.

    ¡°Wait a sec. I do not want to be watched.¡± Jean suddenly pushed back the girl¡¯s hands that were reaching for the belt of her suit. She tapped her watch and pulled out the Butler. ¡°I¡¯ll turn you off for a while.¡± She said hurriedly with a blush on her face and, without a reply from the Butler, turned the AI off.

    The other girl, as if reminded, did the same to her AI. As soon as the AIs were down, the lust in the two girls eyes completely disappeared. Both of them sprang into action. Jean¡¯s voyager blade was next to the girl¡¯s neck. The girl¡¯s voyager rifle was pointing at Jean¡¯s chest.

    ¡°Hello, sister.¡± Jean said coldly, now completely getting rid of her cover. The girl that spent her money shopping was nowhere to be seen. Once again, she was the cold calculating killer that ended the life of millions with a single order.

    The girl replied with equal coldness. The innocent smile was gone, replaced by infinite coldness. ¡°How did you find me?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°I saw the look in your eyes. I know it. I see it everytime I look into a mirror.¡±

    ¡°You might be wrong.¡±

    ¡°Then I hugged you from behind.¡±

    ¡°I was surprised. I shook.¡±

    ¡°You were a one third of a second later than a normal person. I sensed it.¡±

    ¡°I might have sensed you. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not surprised.¡±

    ¡°It is unlikely. You match every characteristic of a lurker. You are a young female with a pretty face. You are nice and innocent. Everything about you is designed according to the lurker criteria. Plus, if you are not a lurker, you will just feel insulted by the crystal I gave you and walk away instead of recognize the symbol I drew in your palm.¡± When Jean handed the girl the red crystal, her fingernails slid by her palm and drew a shape that only meant something for people like her.

    ¡°Agreed. Your excuse to turn off your AI is clever.¡± The girl nodded and stepped back and put her rifle away. Jean did a similar thing with her blade. ¡°I am Lurker Sara West. If you are looking for me, you must have gained access to the memories sealed in your mind. It is odd that I have never seen you before. How many missions have you completed?¡±

    ¡°One.¡±

    ¡°Sealed memories are designed to make sure lower level lurkers don¡¯t get captured and get our secret extracted out of her. Only lurkers of a certain power level can access these memories. You accessed them after one mission?¡± There was no surprise in her question.

    ¡°Yes. I was extremely successful in my mission. I am Lurker Jean Turner.¡±

    ¡°Why did you come for me?¡±

    ¡°To ask for advice.¡±

    ¡°About what?¡±

    ¡°About how to complete our mission. I have seen the technologies here. We need more power.¡±

    ¡°We are lurkers. We don¡¯t need to engage the Hub directly. There is a reason we are designed as beautiful girls.¡± Sara explained explicitly, ignoring her messy suit. ¡°Everything about us is modified to make it easier for us to infiltrate the Hub. Our sex. Our look. Our brains are modified to function much faster than that of a normal person. Even our emotions are taken away so we can do everything we can to complete our mission without breaking into the open.¡±

    ¡°There is a reason we are sent into the Hub. The Hub provides us with not only danger but also an opportunity.¡± Sara continued.

    ¡°I understand. Lay low and use the missions assigned to us and the dimensions we can go to to gain power.¡±

    ¡°Not only so.¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°There is a function in the watch called Team Making. Voyagers can form teams and participate in missions as a team. Use this structure to gain support from other voyagers. Use your body to manipulate them into helping you. When the time comes, every lurker will represent several voyager combatants.¡±

    Jean thought about it. ¡°It¡¯s risky.¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°Team leaders are scarce and important. The Supreme One will focus his attention on them. It increases our chance of getting noticed.¡±

    ¡°You have a plan.¡±

    ¡°Yes. If we can find someone else, someone not a lurker, and make him or her the team leader, we will be able to control the team through him or her without risking drawing attention to ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Clever.¡±

    ¡°Anything else?¡±

    ¡°There is another function in the watch called Friends. It allows communication between voyagers. Add my account.¡±

    ¡°It is likely under surveillance.¡±

    ¡°We can use covert messages.¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°We can pose as lovers and only use the watch to arrange meetings. Nothing important.¡±

    ¡°Agreed.¡±

    Jean glanced at her watch and then looked back up at Sara. ¡°How much control over your body does your power structure provide?¡±

    ¡°Explain.¡±

    ¡°Can you fake the evidence of sexual intercourse?¡± Jean raised her watch. ¡°We both need to fool our AIs.¡±

    Sara tilted her head.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 4: Training

    The Hub. Training Division.

    In a concealed room, Jean and Sara were standing face to face. Both of them wore a black tank top and a pair of shorts that maximized their agility. Both had their hair tied into ponytails so they wouldn¡¯t block their vision in combat. The innocent smile on their face meant their mask was on. As of now they were voyagers Jean and Sara, not lurkers Jean and Sara. After all, this place was unlike Sara¡¯s room. Who knows who might be listening.

    Jean activated the training blade and the training rifle in her hands. This was a practice, not a real fight. As much as both girls trusted their control, neither of them wanted to risk their lives with serious weapons. Red crystal powered weapons couldn¡¯t even graze their skin, but that might be even worse as it would attract more attention on them. For most recruits red crystal weapons were deadly.

    ¡°Ready?¡± Jean asked challengingly, taking off her shoes. In a real fight she would¡¯ve been striking already. Fairness meant nothing to her. But the element of surprise was pointless in a training.

    ¡°Yep.¡± Sara replied with equal confidence. Jean nodded before charging forward. Her blade on her right hand and her rifle on her left. Sara raised her own weapons.

    Both girls knew very well one of their best cards, one of their greatest advantages, was the powers they gained in their missions. The Hub had limited control over voyagers when they were in missions, and the girls were careful in terms of hiding their powers in front of their AIs. Since most voyagers failed their first mission, and most of the successful ones returned empty handed, their hidden power would go completely unchecked. It meant they could take whatever enemy they were facing by complete surprise. This also meant if they wanted to keep their cover and stay away from unwanted attention they would need to rely on their voyager gadgets to take down most enemies.

    Thus came the practice. After spending ten red crystals to rent a practice chamber for ten days and purchasing necessary training gadgets, Jean found herself being taught by someone much more experienced than she was. Sara have already passed four missions with mostly just her gadgets. That said something about her combat abilities without using her power. In an all out fight Jean could probably kill Sara, with all her xel¡¯naga power and her purifier fleet, but on equal ground Jean was no match against the brunette.

    Jean realized that when Sara turned her blade and casually deflected Jean¡¯s shots. The white blasts coming out of the training rifles disappeared as it made contact with Sara¡¯s training blade. Dropping the rifle without any hesitation, Jean held her blade with both hands and slashed down on Sara.

    For a second Sara didn¡¯t move. If Jean didn¡¯t know the nature of the brunette she would think the girl was paralyzed by fear. But knowing who Sara was, Jean merely continued her strike.

    Just when Jean¡¯s weapon was going to land on Sara¡¯s head, the latter raised her weapon over her head and blocked the attack. The two blades clashed in midair. Jean pushed down with two arms, which was more than the one arm Sara used, and managed to force the blades closer and closer to Sara. Seeing the approaching weapon and the closing in Jean, Sara smirked. She got what she wanted to achieve. Her weapon brought her a few seconds, and Sara wasted no time to use the opening to punch Jean in the undefended chest with her spare left hand.

    The brunette was much stronger than she appeared. The blonde stumbled back a few steps before stopping herself.

    ¡°You have all attack and no defense.¡± Sara explained as she flipped her blade tauntingly. ¡°Raising your weapon as high as you did is menacing to the inexperienced, but from the perspective of someone as talented as I am, your action just makes your upper body vulnerable. You¡¯re lucky it was a punch and not a stab or a shot.¡±

    ¡°Yeah right.¡± Jean replied with a snarky comment, playing the role of a salty loser, but her mind was clear. Despite all the act they were putting up, Jean understood why she was here. When she was in the starcraft universe she mostly relied on tactical maneuvers, underlings, and sheer power to push through her enemies. Her melee skill was next to non existent. She silently took Sara¡¯s advice and tried to incorporate it into her own battle style.

    Picking up her rifle, Jean made another attempt. This time she tried a similar start. Once again the firing from her rifle was deflected. Jean didn¡¯t know what power Sara had, but whatever it was it enhanced her reflexes. Power was off limits here, but passive enhancements these power brought, like additional strength and quicker reflexes, couldn¡¯t just get turned off. To Jean, this meant that under normal circumstances the possibility of hitting Sara with projectiles was quite low. Unless she could put the rifle right next to Sara¡¯s head and pull the trigger, the fellow lurker could always dodge the blasts. There was a reason Sara wasn¡¯t using her ranged weapon. Sara knew Jean could do the same thing.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    The rifle brought no success, but Jean wasn¡¯t disappointed. It was the melee part that she was trying to make a difference in. Dropping her rifle again, this time she wielded her weapon across her chest and approached with much more caution than before, and this time Sara was the one who attacked.

    Sara moved more like a dancer than a fighter as she turned her blade around her body. Her toes, covered in white socks, tapped lightly on the ground. Ignoring the shiny weapon in her hand, she would receive quite the completements if she was on a stage. Yet Jean didn¡¯t let her guard down. Beautiful and deadly. That was the most accurate discription possible for lurkers.

    Suddenly, as she got close enough, Sara stopped flipping her weapon and instead held it tight in her right hand and slashed it down on Jean almost exactly like how Jean attacked her. Frowning, Jean copied what Sara did a few seconds ago and raised her weapon horizontally to deflect the attack. Her left hand rested next to her stomach, ready to hit.

    And then, a second before making contact, Sara¡¯s blade turned into a whip.

    Jean wasn¡¯t exactly caught by surprise, but no idea came to mind as her blade was caught by the white whip. The soft weapon swinged around the straight blade and threatened to pull it way. Jean had to use her entire body and both hands to keep the weapon in her grip. The nature of the whip allowed Sara to divert more strength from Jean with less strength.

    As Jean was doing the tug of war, she suddenly realized Sara was holding her left hand out. Jean frowned in confusion and extended her arms out to keep a distance between her and Sara in case of another punch, but her attempt was rendered useless when by what Sara did next.

    Sara¡¯s training rifle, previously kept in her watch, appeared in her left hand. Jean turned her body as Sara fired, trying to dodge, but the projectile traveled much faster than she imagined. In less than a second the white light hit her chest and sent her flying backwards. If she was a distance away she might have been able to dodge that, but the rifle was almost literally tucked to her stomach.

    Luckily it was a training rifle, and Jean was far from hurt. Landing on the solid ground, she groaned and looked at Sara with an annoyed look.

    ¡°What was that? Can you just stop with your tricks and really fight me?¡±

    ¡°Those ¡®tricks¡¯ is called adapting to the situation and developing countermeasures.¡± Sara bragged, but neither allowed the words to distact them. ¡°Keep in mind, Jean, we are voyagers. We are not warriors. We are not knights. We are voyagers. We don¡¯t care what method we use as long as we win. Advantages like our watch and our rifles might be unfair to our enemies, but so what? Who cares about fairness if we can be victorious? There is no way to a certain victory, but learning to use whatever advantage we have under the right circumstances will make us mostly successful.¡± She gestured for the rifle on the ground as Jean sank in thoughts. ¡°What were you doing with your rifle?¡±

    ¡°Shooting.¡± Sara rose her eyebrows at the response. ¡°Doing as much damage as I can before the hand to hand combat.¡±

    Sara signed like a disappointed mother. ¡°Look, at the level of you and me there are only two things you can do with your rifle. You can either set it to maximum power and minimum frequency and use it as a one shot one kill weapon or set it to minimum power and maximum frequency and use it as a distraction. What you did, setting both types to standard,¡± Sara picked up Jean¡¯s rifle. ¡°means the blasts are neither frequent or quick. Anyone that¡¯s somewhat good can dodge your shots.¡±

    Jean nodded as she stood up. Sara tossed her rifle back to her.

    ¡°How about your whip?¡±

    ¡°Voyager blades can take the form of melee weapon. This change can take place in combat. This can be especially helpful. Back there, you were completely taken by surprise.¡± Sara swinged her white training whip.

    Jean looked down on her blade thoughtfully. She remembered something the Butler told her about mentally changing the shape of her weapon, but she had never thought of using it in combat. It wasn¡¯t because she was stupid or anything. She just lacked the experience and the innovation needed to come up with that idea. Sara was different.

    Gripping to the weapon, Jean focused her thoughts. A second later the blade turned to a two meter long lance. The two tips were covered by white light and the center handle was solid. The laws of physics was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Ahhh.¡± She swinged the lance around before realizing she was much better at using a sword. Turning the weapon back, she looked at Sara. ¡°You talked about adapting to the situation. Is that it? That doesn¡¯t sound so tough.¡±

    Jean was being a bitch. Even now she didn¡¯t forget about what the Hub and whoever might be observing her knew. As far as they were concerned, she was an arrogant recruit that happened to be lucky enough to get past her first mission. She established a deal with an experienced voyager named Sara, probably by wasting the easily earned reward, and hired her to train her/sleep with her. Still, her arrogance remained through the entire training process. Everything was completely normal and reasonable. Everything between Jean and Sara was explained. Without enough information, even the most doubtful person wouldn¡¯t question it.

    ¡°It is much harder than you think.¡± Sara saw the arrogance on Jean¡¯s face and decided to rain on her charade. ¡°It takes training and experience. Trying to do this blindly will fail terribly. Back when you were attacking, changing my blade to a whip can be disastrous.¡±

    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s a good thing we have this room for the next ten days.¡± Jean shrugged.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 5: Preparing

    Ten days later.

    Jean and Sara were breathing heavily. For ten full days, eighteen hours a day, they were fighting and training in every way possible, whether it was with blades, with rifles, or with hand to hand combat.

    Jean was improving quickly in all fronts. In order to maximize the chance of victory, lurkers were smart. They were designed to be smart. Whether it was due to their lack of emotions or some other alteration, their brains were much more advanced than normal people. This meant they could think much quicker and learn new things faster compared to normal people. This helped Jean to master hacking and battle tactics in the starcraft world, and now it was helping her in learning how to fight. Ten days ago she was getting absolutely demolished by Sara. Now¡­

    Sara kicked Jean in the chest and pushed her back. Using the opportunity as Jean was catching herself from falling, Sara leaped toward her target.

    But as soon as she was in the air, Sara noticed a small smirk on Jean¡¯s face. Rolling on the ground to stable herself in a second, the blonde wiped her hand on her watch, and a rifle appeared on her right hand. Already shifted to focused shot, Jean fired at the brunette, who was currently in the air and about to land on where the blonde was. The white bolt speeded toward the brunette, who was in midair and couldn¡¯t really dodge. Quietly nodding at Jean¡¯s trap, Sara had no choice but to put her blade between her and the shot. The shot hit the blade and, instead of being canceled out like a standard shot, exploded. The explosion pushed Sara back toward the direction she was jumping from.

    Her body in the air with her head facing down, Sara managed to literally turn her body so she could land on her legs. Female flexibility was used to its full extent. Another reason lurkers were female. But as soon as her legs made contact with the ground and just before she could even look, Sara felt a burning sensation on her neck. She knew it was the signal of her defeat. Just like she thought, Jean¡¯s blade was next to her neck. If this was a real battle she would be dead already. Sara held her hands up, yielding, and the blonde grinned slightly and pulled the weapon back.

    ¡°Nice combo. I was defeated as soon as I was in the air.¡± Defeated, Sara had no hard feeling. Instead, she merely went through what happened calmly and patiently. The two had been doing this for quite a while. Hundreds of duels have happened during these ten days, and even with their acts on both girls have gone past the point where they felt happy or sad about the result. ¡°Nice prediction by the way.¡± She said encouragingly, like a mother who was satisfied by the A+ her daughter got.

    Jean smiled proudly. After firing the shot and even before Sara was hit, she was already predicting where Sara would be landing. When Sara was busy making sure she wouldn¡¯t land on her head, Jean was already moving forward. The moment Sara landed, Jean¡¯s weapon was already on the brunette. The combo gave Sara no time at all to fight back.

    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± She asked before looking at a timer on the wall and realized it had been ten days already. ¡°Oh. Time really flies when you¡¯re having fun.¡± She glanced at Sara with a questioning look. ¡°I can keep paying for this room, you know. I have more than enough crystals.¡± She acted like a rich kid who didn¡¯t value the money she was given.

    Sara shook her head. ¡°There is very little that I can teach you. At this point you will need experience to get better. Real experience of life between life and death and enemies that really want to kill you, not experience fighting with someone who wouldn¡¯t really hurt you.¡±

    ¡°Ah well.¡± Jean shrugged as she collected her things. ¡°I have twenty more days until my next mission. Anywhere you suggest me to go to?¡± She smirked. ¡°Anymore advice from the experienced?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I think you should buy some weapons.¡±

    Jean rose her eyebrows and gestured for the voyager blade on her belt.

    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing. Voyager gadgets are good, but they are way too good for certain circumstances. For example,¡± Sara explained as she tapped a thing on her watch and disappeared. Jean did a similar thing. The two appeared in Sara¡¯s room, where they continued their conversation. ¡°as I was saying, there are circumstances that voyager blades are too special. In worlds like Star Wars maybe it can be considered normal, but if you light the blade in Lord of the Rings...The natives are not fools. They will consider you as a foreigner and therefore untrustworthy. If that happens, it will be very difficult to stick to the original history.¡±

    ¡°So?¡± Jean glanced at the activated Butler on her watch and continued acting. She could technically turn the AI off, but if someone was watching her through her AI they would be suspicious. Normal voyagers wouldn¡¯t turn off an AI as helpful as the Butler was.

    Sara sat down on a yoga mat. A small disturbed look was on her face. ¡°It has never been proven, but there is a legend.¡± She looked up and Jean, who had quieted down and had sat next to Sara. ¡°It is said that the more a voyager changes the original path of a dimension, the more likely the voyager will not be able to return.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Huh?¡± This was the more covert way of saying ¡®Explain¡¯.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it is true, but it is a popular theory in the Hub. Also, someone who has completed six missions warned me about that himself. Considering he told me that after sleeping with me, he should be telling the truth.¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jean frowned deeply. ¡°What can possibly happen?¡±

    ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s just a legend and no one have solid proof, but you should be careful not to use weapons that is just way too special or do things that completely changes the original history. Bad things might happen. Don¡¯t risk it.¡± Sara continued. She didn¡¯t want Jean to get hurt. After all, they were supposed to be in love after what happened ten days ago. That was a bit quick in terms of romance, but voyagers were not exactly normal either, so...

    ¡°Ok ok I get it. Don¡¯t bring a gun to a sword fight.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t bring a laser to a sword fight. In most cases a gun is fine, unless guns are not invented, in which it will not be fine...Point is, be careful.¡± Sara stumbled slightly, but there was no doubt she was serious.

    ¡°I see. Anyways, see you later.¡± Jean nodded and kissed Sara on the cheek before leaving her room.

    <hr>

    It took Jean 7 red crystals to buy five swords, three pistols, one automatic rifle, one bow and forty arrows, a crossbow, twenty grenades, and a one meter tall shield. These things were relatively cheap because anyone with a mission in the right time period could get these.

    Eyeing the 984 red crystals left in her watch, Jean tapped the Butler.

    ¡°Any suggestions?¡±

    ¡°You can absorb them. You don¡¯t have any established power structure, but your body itself can still absorb red crystals. You can only absorb them one at a time and you must take a while to fully process the energy, but twenty days will still allow you to absorb around 400 red crystals. Crystals will improve all aspects of your body, including strength, speed, cellular regeneration, cellular strength, and so on. It is possible to not have a power structure and still be very powerful.¡± If you have enough crystals.

    When Jean first arrived in her room, she accidentally absorbed a red crystal in front of the Butler. Luckily she hadn¡¯t shown any sign of her power in front of the AI, so the Butler thought Jean was straight up absorbing the energy in the red crystal into her body. It was possible and countless have done the same thing before her. Taking red crystals in directly was less efficient and less powerful than using them to improve a certain power, but not everyone was lucky enough to get a power structure. So a large amount of voyagers were forced to choose the slow but steady path. They represented the average voyagers. Voyager blades and voyager rifles paired up with a relatively superior body. Stronger than most people they would encounter but would get slaughtered by the rare ones that were actually good.

    ¡°I see.¡± Of course, Jean didn¡¯t know all that. Still, she was happy there was a way she could absorb the red crystals without attracting unwanted attention. She just needed to take it slowly and carefully.

    Tucking 400 crystals away, Jean continued to shop around the Merchandise Division. She had no intention of keeping them. She had no idea what the next mission would be, and storing red crystals instead of turning them into power meant she might be killed with the riches wasted.

    As she walked, an item caught her attention.

    ¡°Energy shield generator. Powered by red crystals. Generates a force field that can stop any incoming ranged attack, whether it is energy or projectile. It does nothing against melee attack and enemy bodies, which means maybe a bullet or a rocket can¡¯t get through the force field, but an enemy himself might.¡± The shopkeeper explained, trying to convince Jean as he pointed at a small black box.

    Jean was interested. ¡°How powerful is it?¡±

    ¡°Theoretical speaking, as long as power source holds, it can stop anything.¡± The man boasted.

    ¡°Well, it is worth 50 red crystals, which means it is not invincible.¡± Jean pointed at the price tag and revealed the man¡¯s lie without any mercy.

    The man smiled, slightly enbarassed as his lie/reduced truth was exposed. ¡°That¡¯s why I said theoretically. Anything strong enough can break through the shield and fry the device itself before you can change the battery. Still¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± Jean had enough plasma shield generators in her watch to arm an army, but as the normal recruit she was trying her heart out to portray she would need something that could save her life in a dire situation without busting her cover.

    Giving the man 50 crystals, Jean tossed the expensive device into her watch after putting a red crystal inside. Hopefully she would never need to use it.

    The next hour of shopping brought Jean three more items: A psychic paper that could change based on what Jean wanted him or her to think. 30 red crystals. An EMP that could disable any electronic device within a one mile radius. 50 red crystals. And, most importantly...

    ¡°Disposable Allspark. Capable of transforming any vehicle into a transformer totally loyal to the owner of the device. Can only work once. 300 red crystals.¡°

    Jean didn¡¯t hesitate to purchase this item. No one said girls couldn¡¯t be interested in cars.

    <hr>

    The next twenty days went by without much event. Apart from the several times she called Sara and what they did after that, and the multiple times she spent on using the recreational items she bought, Jean spent her time absorbing the red crystals. The Butler thought she was enhancing her body, but Jean was actually improving her xel¡¯naga power.

    Twenty days later, when she received news of her new mission, Jean was ready.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 6: Three voyagers. Two recruits. One mission.

    In her palace, Jean checked her watch for the fourth time. A normal recruit shouldn¡¯t approach a potentially fatal situation with a smile. No. She should be worried, scared, stressed, and perhaps even giving up. Jean did that by dramatically increasing the frequency she drank as she got closer and closer to the date. The redder eyes she managed to create helped as well.

    ¡°Calm down. You will be fine. Just stick with the others and you¡¯ll be safe.¡± Sara had been called over by a stressed out Jean, and, looking at the exhausted blonde, she did her best to make Jean feel more confident. ¡°And stop drinking!¡± She suddenly snapped and took away a bottle Jean was holding and smashed it on the ground, shattering it. ¡°Getting drunk can¡¯t save your life! Keeping your mind clear can!¡±

    ¡°Wait, others?¡± Jean suddenly realized her last mission was a solo mission. ¡°There are more than one voyager in a mission?¡±

    ¡°Most of the times, yeah.¡± Sara nodded.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Jean¡¯s thoughtfulness was quickly covered by her gradually heavier breath. She looked down on her watch and realized the timer was about to reach 0. ¡°Anyways, wish me luck.¡± She said desperately as she stood up.

    ¡°Good luck.¡± Sara said as Jean¡¯s figure disappeared in a light beam. As the light beam disappeared, her smile immediately turned into a blank face. As powerful as she was, she still couldn¡¯t do anything about the light beam that bought voyagers in and out of dimensions. If she was a normal voyager she wouldn¡¯t mind, but as a lurker...Completely taking her mind off the girl she was just comforting and caring about, Sara returned to her room and continued to absorb red crystals.

    <hr>

    In a armored moving vehicle, five people simultaneously opened their eyes. Three male. Two female.

    All of them wore black suits. All of them had an automatic rifle by their arms. A pistol was strapped to their sides. Four grenades hanged on their black jackets. Two daggers laid in their belts. Dozens of ammo clips were stuck in their bags. This was just the standard weapons.

    The first was a blonde. The second she opened her eyes a cold look covered her beautiful blue eyes, but this look was immediately replaced with a nice innocent gaze. She silently wiped her finger on her wrist and took out another pistol and several more grenades and attached them to her suit.

    The second was a man with a large beard. A giant Gatling machine gun appeared in his hands, adding to his standard arsenal. The machine gun was enormous, but the man lifted it with just his arms. Judging from the casual look he wasn¡¯t even having any trouble doing that.

    The third was an Asian woman with dark hair. Just like the man, she had something to add to just her normal weapons. A sniper rifle almost as tall as she was appeared in her right hand. She looked around vigilantly. Her muscle tensed up for a second, but it soon relaxed when she realized she was safe.

    As their weapons were in place, all three tapped their watch and stared forward blankly. If someone else was looking at them they would realize the area before the three people were empty. Only the three themselves knew what they were after.  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The blonde licked her lips as she saw her interface.

    Name: Jean Turner

    Current Dimension: Resident Evil

    Current location: Racoon City, America.

    Mission: Terminate Umbrella Corporation.

    Reward: 1500 red crystals

    Optional mission: Terminate virus infected creatures. Reward will be based on type of creature.

    Follower: (0/2)

    The two other were not as calm and casual as the first three. Both were young men at their twenties, and both closed their eyes almost the moment they opened them. Their tight lips showed that they were quite troubled inside.

    The first man with the machine gun was the first to recover. ¡°Three voyagers. Two recruits. This is going to be a tough one.¡± His voice was deep as he scanned the surrounding comrades, unsatisfied at what he saw. ¡°We¡¯ll be here for quite a while, so I say we come to know each other. Call me Ivan. I have completed two missions.¡± He patted his weapon heavily. ¡°I¡¯ve got enhanced strength.¡±

    ¡°Xia. Two missions. Sniper.¡± The Asian girl said quietly and concisely.

    ¡°Jean. Completed one mission. No real enhancement.¡± Jean replied, lying low.

    Ivan didn¡¯t bother to ask who the two recruits were. He didn¡¯t really care. ¡°I believe you have seen the mission and have received memory about this world. We will be fighting the Umbrella Corporation, the main villain of this dimension. From the information we got this is going to be pretty tough. Umbrella is extremely powerful. At one point it even launched a nuclear missile at the exact city we are standing on. But as long as we work together and move carefully we can complete this mission and return to the Hub alive.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, what is happening?¡± One of the recruits cut Ivan off with a shaky voice.

    ¡°You propose an alliance?¡± Xia stated with a slight Asian accent, ignoring the recruit.

    ¡°I propose a plan and a central command. We need to come up with a plan and execute it carefully.¡± Ivan said, slightly frustrated. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but the last two missions I went through there was an established good side. All I had to do was stick with the good guys, and I still died once. Here...I can¡¯t even remember how many times Alice was captured by Umbrella. She would have been dead a thousand times if she wasn¡¯t protected by plot armor. Everyone around her tend to die. There is no way we can stick with her and win. If we want to live through this, we will need a plan.¡± He seemed frustrated. Neither his bearded face nor his giant weapon nor his physical upgrade seemed to bring him confidence.

    ¡°Ah...mister?¡± The recruit continued. ¡°What is going on?¡±

    ¡°What the f**k is wrong with you? You know what the f**k is going on!¡± Ivan suddenly snapped. ¡°So shut the f**k up!¡± He tried to cover it up, but he was not just frustrated. He was frightened. Like he said, he had already used up his chance of being pulled back to the Hub when receiving a fatal hit. If he was to die here, this would be the end. No one, espeically not him, wanted to die. Ivan knew better than to unleash this fear on his fellow voyagers, but lashing out on a few defenseless recruits was not exactly a problem. No voyager would fight him on this and risk making a critical fighter an enemy, and there was nothing the recruits themselves could do about being bullied. This was the most he could do.

    The vehicle was quiet for a few seconds. The two recruits sat back in a mixture of shock, anger, and fear. Xia didn¡¯t say anything, and Ivan took the opportunity to calm himself. Having passed two missions already, he knew being emotional would only make things worse.

    ¡°I think a plan can wait.¡± Jean broke the ice. The next moment the door of the vehicle snapped open.

    The game was on.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 7: Carl

    Ivan signed and walked out first. Xia and Jean followed. The two recruits exchanged a hesitant look with each other. The recruit that spoke first sighed deeply and walked out. The recruit that was quiet the whole time was the last to leave.

    A man was standing before the five people. The suit on him and the umbrella badge attached to the suit showed the voyagers who he was.

    ¡°The Hound mercenary squad. I hope you are as good as legends say.¡± The man said with an arrogant tone.

    It took a second for Jean to realize this random mercenary team was the cover story the Hub gave them. Before she could say or do anything, Ivan walked up as if he was the leader of the team.

    ¡°You will find out soon. What is our mission?¡± Ivan was already getting pretty experienced in things like this. The memory he received told him the Hound mercenary squad wasn¡¯t exactly under Umbrella command. They were more of a guns for hire team, which meant they had more freedom and had to show less respect toward the Umbrella officials.

    ¡°We have lost contact with one of our top secret research facilities, the Hive. We don¡¯t know what happened, so your mission is to go down there, investigate the threat, neutralize it, and report back. Is that clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes sir. You can count on us to get the job done.¡± Ivan blindly promised. ¡°Just don¡¯t forget our payment.¡± He didn¡¯t give a damn about the money, but voyagers that lived as long as he did were good actors, and he knew a normal mercenary should have his eyes on the riches.

    ¡°You will get the money.¡± Jean noticed a look of disdain and a slight smirk on the man¡¯s face. ¡°Meanwhile, the Sanitation Team will work with you on this mission.¡±

    A squad of seven men and women in black walked up. They had gas masks on their belts and weapons by their side. The cold look on their face showed the world they weren¡¯t afraid of killing. They were the Umbrella Sanitation team, a military squad loyal to the Umbrella Corporation. Unlike the Hound mercenary squad, they were absolutely loyal to Umbrella.

    <hr>

    Inside Racoon City, twelve men and women arrived at a luxurious mansion. It looked normal, but everyone present knew this building had one purpose, and that was not as a house. It was built to hide the entrance to the Hive.

    ¡°I am captain James Shade. I will be leading this mission. Any questions.¡± The captain of the Umbrella Sanitation Team, a bold man with dark skin and sharp nose, nodded at Ivan, who he perceived as the team leader. As he was doing that, Jean noticed he was slightly eyeing Ivan¡¯s giant weapon. Normal people, even normal mercenaries, don¡¯t carry giant Gatling guns around. The firepower was impressive, but so was the weight. Usually carrying these types of machine guns would slow the entire team down, but Shade¡¯s questions soon went quiet when he saw Ivan casually walking around with the weapon in his arms and showing no sign of burden.

    ¡°No, sir.¡± Ivan replied, not really paying much respect to the captain. Voyagers jump from world to world, which meant most of them treated the native people like NPCs. The superhuman strength these voyagers received meant they could, in most cases, easily kill the natives. When the difference in power scale was high, basic respects disappear. Just like human beings wouldn¡¯t be sorry if they accidentally stepped on an ant, experienced voyagers didn¡¯t really care if they harmed natives in the process. Plus, there weren¡¯t really any law in the Hub in regard to crime committed in missions. When crimes could go unpunished, people tend to turn into animals. In the best cases, voyagers didn¡¯t care if they hurt the natives. In the worst cases, voyagers take pleasure in hurting the innocent. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Thankfully this was not the case here. As pissed off and depressed as Ivan was, he knew better than to lash out on the mercenaries. Opening fire on a group of armed forces in their field was a quick way to die.

    ¡°As far as we know the Hive might be infiltrated by enemy forces. We need to approach with extreme caution.¡± Shade and his men put their gas masks on and made sure every inch of their skin was covered. ¡°Get ready, we approach in one minute.¡± He and his men went to the side to get ready.

    Ivan and Xia put their masks on and started examining their weapons. They knew the Hive would be safe until the Red Queen was turned off, except for the laser trap, but that didn¡¯t really mean they could let their guards down. Jean took out a gas mask and was about to put it on when she heard someone talking to her.

    ¡°Eh...excuse me?¡± It was the recruit that questioned Ivan.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have gas masks.¡±

    The recruit didn¡¯t really want to make contact with voyagers who obviously didn¡¯t care about him, but he didn¡¯t need to think much to realize not wearing a gas mask when everyone else wore one might be a bad thing. He had no choice but to approach the voyagers, and comparing to a giant man with the combination of anger issues and a Gatling machine gun and a cold Asian girl with a giant sniper rifle and a look that can send anyone that tried to talk to her fleeing, Jean was much more approachable.

    ¡°Yes you do. Have you checked your bag?¡± Jean knew the Hub wouldn¡¯t bother voyagers like her with small problems like these. When she was first in Starcraft universe she had everything she needed to be a lieutenant in the Raiders. This time wouldn¡¯t be any different. If standard mercenary gadgets like firearms were given, then why wouldn¡¯t gadgets like gas masks be provided as well? This theory was proven when she found a gas mask in her bag.

    The recruit reached into his bag, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face when he found what he was looking for. ¡°Ah...yes...sorry about that.¡± He held his hand out. ¡°I¡¯m Carl, by the way. He¡¯s Aidan.¡± He pointed at the other recruit, who was quiet the entire time. He smiled slightly as Jean looked over.

    ¡°Jean. Jean Turner.¡± Jean held her hand out, and the two shook hands.

    Carl seemed to have relaxed a bit after seeing Jean was much nicer than the other two. ¡°Is this really happening...I mean,¡± He blushed slightly have realizing how stupid his question was. The memory in her mind answered that question. ¡°I mean, I know this is really happening, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But you can¡¯t accept it.¡± Jean stated with an understanding look. ¡°The truth is too painful to accept. The knowledge that you might die scares you.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Carl wasn¡¯t afraid of admitting his fear. ¡°A few minutes ago I was just a college student. My biggest enemy was my math project.¡± He looked at the automatic rifle in his grip. ¡°Now....¡± He suddenly glanced around to make sure no one was listening. If someone was curious about what he was saying and got close enough to hear what he said, they would realize what he said was completely different from what a mercenary should be saying.

    ¡°Now you are about to go into a top secret research facility filled with undead armed with nothing but an automatic rifle and some hope for surviving.¡± Jean joked.

    Carl grinned as well, slightly relieved at the small joke the blonde told him. ¡°Thanks. Speaking of, how was your first time? I mean the your first time in a mission, not...¡±

    Jean shrugged and didn¡¯t respond. Telling him the truth was not an option. She was about to come up with a sad story when an order from Shade saved her the trouble.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡±

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 8: Plan and complications

    Just like most teenagers, Carl had often imagined himself being a hero. He imagined himself facing danger with a wide confident smile and take down whatever enemy he was facing with the snap of a finger. He imagined himself saving the world and getting the girl.

    But now, as his dream sort of came true, and as he crashed through the window of the mansion, he suddenly realized he just wanted to go home. Screw hero. Screw saving the world. He just wanted to return to his comfortable house and lay in his bed for an eternity.

    As he stood up in a pile of broken glass, Carl heard a pained groan. He realized two people were already in the room, and they weren¡¯t exactly welcomed by the Sanitation Team that was ready to shoot any enemy on sight. A man was on the ground, and a mercenary was putting cuffs on him while two other mercenaries were pointing their guns at him. Another woman in a bright red dress stood at the side and stared blankly at the cuffed man and the newly arrived mercenary team.

    ¡°I¡¯m a cop!¡± The man on the ground screamed. A pistol laid on the ground beside him. ¡°You¡¯re breaking my arm!¡± He struggled futilely. The mercenaries didn¡¯t really care who he was. Even if he was police they probably would¡¯ve cuffed him anyways. In Racoon City, Umbrella was much more influential than the government.

    Shade walked to the woman in red dress. ¡°Report.¡± The woman just stared at Shade blankly. The captain grabbed onto the woman¡¯s arm and held her to the wall. ¡°Report now.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± This time the woman responded, but she seemed confused.

    ¡°I want you report, soldier.¡± Shade continued.

    Jean felt Carl tapping on her shoulder. Suppressing the urge to snap his neck, she turned.

    ¡°She¡¯s Alice, right?¡± Jean silently nodded. The memory they were given before this mission included a few major events that would happen within this dimension. One of them was what would happen in the Hive. Another was a list of important figures. Alice was on the top of the second list. It was hard to imagine this clumsy woman would become one of the most influential people in this dimension.

    ¡°Sir, the house¡¯s primary defenses have been activated. She¡¯s probably still suffering the side effects.¡±

    Shade¡¯s expression was hidden under his mask, but he pushed Alice further into the room.

    ¡°What about the cop?¡± He asked.

    ¡°Matthew Addison. I¡¯m not getting a match.¡± The tech guy in the mercenary squad checked the man¡¯s police badge with the city record. The female mercenary guarding Addison immediately pulled her pistol on him. He was a fake cop in the entrance of a facility that Umbrella just lost contact with. It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. Best case he was a curious civilian. Worst case he killed everyone in the Hive.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± She demanded.

    ¡°I have just transferred. They probably don¡¯t even have me on file yet.¡± Addison struggled but decided that was a bad idea when he felt the ice cold gun barrel on the back of his neck.

    ¡°The locals are inefficient. It is possible.¡± Shade showed no respect toward the local government. He had a reason to. The American government in the Resident Evil dimension might be one of the most ineffective governments. They did next to nothing to stop the undead outbreak. Still, Jean remained silent and observed as the event unfold.

    ¡°Should I secure him here?¡± The female mercenary cocked her gun. By secure she meant execute. If he got out, there was no telling what he might tell the public. This wasn¡¯t the first time the Sanitation Team had to do some dirty work to clean up loose ends, nor was this the first time they had to kill.

    Shade looked at Alice for a second before taking off his mask. ¡°No. We take him with us.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± Addison complained as the female mercenary took off her mask, revealing a tough looking brunette.

    ¡°Blow me.¡± She whispered loudly and pushed Addison forward.

    ¡°Prepare entry to the Hive.¡± Shade ordered as a door to several level of stairs snapped open.

    The voyagers were standing back as the entire thing happened, completely in awe. The way the mercenaries entered the mansion, flash grenade followed by soldiers themselves, was impressive. Addison took out his pistol and tried to resist, and was down in two seconds. As Shade was talking to Alice, the rest of the team had already secured the room. The chance of being ambushed was as low as possible, and even if there was an ambush the mercenaries could easily fight back. The mercenaries might be ruthless, but their skills were not to be underestimated. Their individual power might be weaker than average voyagers, but their cooperation and experience made them a difficult foe.

    The mercenaries were the first to go down the stairs. The voyagers followed. They reached a train that should bring them to the Hive itself. It was their ticket, hopefully not one-way, to what will soon become hell.

    The problem was less than half of the expedition team knew what awaited them.

    ¡°The power¡¯s down.¡± One of the mercenaries reported after examining the power source.

    ¡°So fix it.¡± At the command, the mercenaries went through the train, restoring the power. Elite mercenaries like them knew much more than just killing. Sometimes a few talents could save their lives.

    The voyagers practically stood by and watched. Looking at the working mercenaries, Carl suddenly felt something was off. He didn¡¯t realize what it was, but it just kept on bugging him. He didn¡¯t even pay much attention to when two mercenaries teased each other and when a man dropped out a door of the train and collapsed onto the ground. The medic went to his side and examined him. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°He¡¯s fine. Memory loss, just like the other one.¡± She concluded after asking a few questions. The last one referred to Alice.

    ¡°What happened?¡± The man sat up and asked quietly, but no one, except the voyagers, could answer his question.

    <hr>

    The train moved with a heavy rambling. Mercenaries looked out of the cargo doors. They still thought the environment might be hostile, and as far as they knew their arrival into the Hive might be welcomed by a ground to ground missile. They were ready to jump off the train and get into fighting position whenever necessary.

    This gave the voyagers an opportunity to talk in private.

    ¡°The lowest level of the Hive contains the original Isaac and Alicia. They basically own the entire Umbrella Corporation. If we can go down there and kill them both in their hibernation¡­this mission will be over very quickly.¡± Ivan tried to find a short cut. The idea of jumping on two defenseless, unconscious targets was much more appealing than taking down an entire corporation while fending off endless undead hordes.

    ¡°Perhaps, but think about it.¡± This was the longest sentence Xia had said ever since Jean met her. ¡°This time we are facing Umbrella. They¡¯re evil and powerful, but at least they are human. Bullets can kill them. Plus, this mission has an opportunity for us to earn a lot, and I do mean a lot, of reward.¡± She tapped her watch, reminding Ivan and Jean of their mission, especially their second mission. ¡°If we miss this chance, so what if we complete this mission? Basic reward is not going to be enough to make us strong enough to matter. We¡¯ll be going back to the Hub and continue to be nobody.¡± She looked at Ivan and to Jean and then back to Ivan again. ¡°I am not going to lie. I have ambitions, and I will not accept the fate of being just another low level voyager when I can become something so much better.¡±

    Ivan frowned. He had an opportunity to a quick salvation: Find a chance to get away from the Sanitation Team, get down to the deepest end of the Hive, and use the lack of defenses to take out the two leaders of Umbrella Corporation. The Red Queen was powerful, but Ivan was confident that with enough caution he could survive whatever trick the AI had. Kill the two owners of Umbrella, and his mission would technically be done. Likely he would be teleported back to the Hub, where he could live another two months in complete safety.

    But then what? Like the Asian girl said, a quick end meant he would fail to get a potentially mind blowing reward. He would continue living off his life as a voyager near the bottom of the food chain, always afraid of being killed in the next mission. He didn¡¯t want that. It was simple. He wanted to live. But staying here meant more risk. The reward wouldn¡¯t help if he was straight up killed in this mission.

    Jean noticed Ivan¡¯s hesitation. Turning to Xia, she wondered what the girl would say next as a final push.

    The girl didn¡¯t disappoint her. ¡°One of the products in the Merchandise Division is Grace.¡± She stared at the struggling man. ¡°Angelic grace.¡±

    Both Jean and Ivan stared at Xia in shock.

    ¡°This means¡­¡± Jean trailed off as Ivan held his fist tight.

    ¡°This means there will be supernatural missions in which neither bullets nor physical strength can keep you safe.¡± Xia voiced what Jean was thinking. ¡°You will need new upgrades, which means you will need more crystals.¡±

    ¡°F**k it! Let¡¯s do this!¡± Ivan slammed his fists together heavily, causing the mercenaries to jump a little. Ignoring Shade¡¯s angry gaze, Ivan seemed like a cornered beast. He had no choice but to accept Xia¡¯s proposal and take his chances with the undead. It bothered him slightly, but everything the girl said was completely true.

    ¡°I understood every word you said, but I don¡¯t recognize them as a sentence.¡± Beside the three voyagers, recruit Carl interrupted. Unlike Aidan, he didn¡¯t enjoy being left out and completely in the dark.

    Ivan ignored him and instead he focused on Xia and Jean. Tapping his watch, he opened the Team Making tab and sent a team request to both girls.

    Jean sighed as her watch buzzed and turned to a confused and, frankly speaking, slightly pissed Carl. ¡°We get crystals as rewards after each mission. Crystals can buy almost anything, including all kinds of powers.¡±

    Carl nodded but quickly realized a hole in Jean¡¯s explanation. His mind turning quickly now that he had basically recovered from the shock of the new environment. ¡°The amount of reward depends on a certain factor, right? Because if it¡¯s the same across the board then we wouldn¡¯t be having this conversation. What is it based on? It can¡¯t be based on how quickly the mission is completed. Is it based on secondary missions? How much you stick to the original history? It¡¯s interesting I didn¡¯t receive any information about this extra reward. This seems to be a voyager thing.¡±

    This time Jean was seriously impressed. This teenager was able to guess ninety percent of their situation just based on two sentences she told him. He had some potential. Yet Jean didn¡¯t answer. She had some concerns, and apparently Xia didn¡¯t share her concerns.

    ¡°It is based on the amount of undead we kill.¡± Xia said quietly as she looked down on her watch.

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Carl took a few seconds to truly understand what Xia meant. ¡°You will not be putting down the t-virus outbreak. If anything you¡¯ll be helping to spread it.¡± He looked at Jean in disbelief. ¡°You want to allow t-virus to spread so you have more undead to kill and so called crystals to earn.¡±

    ¡°Millions will die.¡± He said hollowly.

    ¡°Around7 billion people will die.¡± Xia counted coldly, not showing a single sign of guilt. ¡°That means 7 billion undead to kill. I don¡¯t know what is the rate of exchange between undead and red crystals, but the numbers are there. Even if we only kill one out of every ten thousand undead, we will return to the Hub as victors.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡± Carl exclaimed, discreetly gesturing for the mercenaries. ¡°Those are living, breathing people out there!¡±

    ¡°Those are NPCs. Their sole purpose in life is to die and become an undead.¡± Xia retaliated with a cold look. ¡°I am not going to argue with you, but us three have joined a team.¡± She tapped her watch with her short fingernails.

    What was on her watch was something Carl couldn¡¯t see, but when he looked at Jean, the blonde gave her a silent nod.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been to the Hub before, Carl, which means you don¡¯t know how valuable crystals are. I don¡¯t enjoy this, but I will not allow it to impair my judgement.¡± She explained apologizingly.

    ¡°If you want, you can try to stop us, and you will die.¡± Unlike Jean, Xia didn¡¯t bother playing nice with the completely unupgraded one hundred percent organic Carl. She could kill him in two seconds. If she didn¡¯t have a tiny bit of respect toward life, life of real human beings, not NPC, left within her she would¡¯ve killed Carl and the other recruit, what was his name again, right here right now to make sure nothing out of her control would happen. They couldn¡¯t help her, which meant the only thing they could bring was trouble. Neither Jean nor Ivan would be angry at her if she really killed them. Neither voyagers would risk losing another important fighter.

    Ivan stretched his arms threateningly and was about to come up with another threat to back Xia up. He didn¡¯t really consider the natives as NPCs, but that didn¡¯t stop him from valuing his own life above that of the locals. That was when the train came to a screeching halt. The mercenaries were the first to jump off the train. Xia and Ivan left without a word. Jean looked at Carl before tapping his shoulder apologizingly and then left.

    Under the dim light, Carl had a struggling look.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 9: New guy on the move

    The voyagers remained quiet as they continued moving. Mercenaries held their weapons up as they swiftly moved through the floor.

    Carl was desperate. He didn¡¯t know why the voyagers, even the girl that seemed so nice, would agree on letting t-virus spread across the world. From the memory he received, most of mankind would be gone in a few years. Governments toppled. Civilizations wiped out. Old people would be slaughtered while the few children that survived would be turned into soldiers fighting for their lives. What kind of ¡°reward¡± was tempting enough to make someone agree to this?

    Carl didn¡¯t know, and he didn¡¯t want to. He just wanted it to stop. The memory told him the penalty for failure was death, but what type of person would he be if his survival was based on the suffering of 7 billion?

    But there was nothing he could do to stop it. Any one of the three voyagers could kill him almost instantly. He had firearms, but he doubted someone as inexperienced as he could take down a dozen trained killers. He glanced at the girl that came up with the brutal idea and realized she wasn¡¯t even looking at him. Either she was stupid or she was confident he wouldn¡¯t be a threat. Carl thought it was the second reason. His steps turned rapid and scrambled as he looked around, searched throughout his memory, and tried to come up with a way to get by his ¡°comrades¡± and prevent the t-virus from reaching the outside world.

    The team reached a sealed door with an Umbrella symbol on it. As his men went through the door, Shade told the rest of the group why they were really here. The AI controlling the compound, the Red Queen, suddenly turned loose and killed everyone. The team was sent down there to turn her off. The voyagers pretended to be shocked as they shouldn¡¯t have known this information.

    The door fell quickly, and the group found themselves walking into a place labeled as Dining Area B. Unlike a normal dining area, it was filled with large sealed cases with tubes connected to the ground. Only fools think it was a place for eating. Then again it was never stated that it was a dining area for human beings¡­or that those being dined on were not.

    Looking at the containers filled with lickers, Carl toyed with the idea of warning the Sanitation Team about them, but Shade didn¡¯t care at all about whatever secret Umbrella had down here. As a mercenary who had seen the darkest side of mankind, he knew sometimes curiosity not only kill cats but human as well. A facility as important and secret as The Hive likely held important information, information Umbrella wanted to keep as a secret. Know too much, and the leaders of the Corporation might decide only the dead could forever remain quiet. He merely waved his hand and ignored the strange looking containers.

    ¡°JD. You and Rain keep the prisoner here and secure the exit.¡± Rain was the female mercenary that cuffed Matt Addison. JD was a mercenary who was flirting with Rain. The two nodded. ¡°There may be survivors. Rest of you form a search line and keep it tight.¡±

    ¡°Xia, stay with them. Keep this place secured.¡± The acting captain, Ivan, ordered. They wanted to spread the infection, not become a part of it. The exit was one of the most important positions. Hold it, and they could escape whenever they needed to. Voyagers weren¡¯t afraid of a few hundred undead, but the tricky part was they needed to stay alive and keep most of the undead alive. Massacre the undead here, and Umbrella might just contain the infection. That would be helping their enemy.

    Shade glanced at Ivan but didn¡¯t object. The Sanitation Team and the Hound squad were two separate forces. Shade didn¡¯t know why, but he imagined there to be a reason for the five men and women to be here. A secret mission, perhaps, and more importantly it was a mission Shade had no intention of knowing. That was why he didn¡¯t do anything or suspect anything when the voyagers sat by and had their own conversations. He didn¡¯t want to get himself in trouble by knowing too much.

    Walking across the container dotted room, Jean discreetly tapped the lickers with her xel¡¯naga celestial energy. Xel¡¯naga created both the protoss and the zerg. Their power contained not only destructive potential but also creative possibilities as well. Jean¡¯s eyes flickered as information about the licker flowed back to her.

    The lickers were created by further experiments on basic undead zombies. With enhanced speed, strength, regeneration, and a tongue that could act as a ranged weapon, lickers were much more effective than their zombie counterparts. Still, a single sentinel could kill it with a few slashes. Even a few zerglings in the Starcraft world could rip it apart. Nevertheless, it was important to know that a few zerglings could also massacre the entire Sanitation Team with ease. Their weapons couldn¡¯t even break through the zerg carapace. The lickers were by no means fragile. With the element of surprise, they could effectively break through an army. Pulling her energy back, she casually walked away.

    In front of another container, Carl didn¡¯t share Jean¡¯s optimism. Jean could crush the creature like crushing an ant, but the same could be said for Carl and the licker. Looking down on his rifle, the young man wondered what it could do against the foul creature. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Suddenly Carl heard someone approaching from beside. He jumped slightly. It had been a few nervous hours. But his alert fell when he saw who it was.

    ¡°A¡­¡± He caught himself, realizing Alice was still suffering from amnesia. She didn¡¯t even know who herself was, which meant she definitely didn¡¯t tell him her name. ¡°...Ahhh...Hey.¡±

    ¡°Hey.¡± Alice subconsciously replied, her eyes still on the dormant licker. ¡°What is this?¡±

    Carl didn¡¯t reply. Instead, looking at Alice, he saw a possible ally. Alice had more than enough hatred for Umbrella to want to destroy it. In the future, she would become extremely powerful with the power of t-virus. Even now she could slaughter quite a few zombies with her training as the head of security of The Hive. She could be a useful friend, especially when his voyager comrades were being more than useless.

    But before he could say anything, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He jumped a little as he turned.

    ¡°Keep moving,¡± Ivan warned with his deep voice. His cold tone suggested Carl not to do anything stupid.

    Carl nodded slowly and left the container¡¯s side, not wanting to get into a fight with Ivan now.

    Now smaller by four people, the 12 men squad kept on moving and found themselves standing before a metal door. Looking through the glass window of the door, Carl could see a hallway covered with glass on both sides. The target of the Sanitation Team, the Red Queen, was on the other side of this pathway. As far as the mercenaries knew, the only thing protecting the AI was the metal door.

    Carl knew better. He knew the innocent hallway would turn into a deadly trap at the AI¡¯s command. Lasers would cut any intruder to pieces, literally. It was this trap that costed the lives of four mercenaries, including Shade himself.

    The tech guy, Kaplan, took out his computer and started to hack into the Red Queen¡¯s defenses. A few seconds later, the metal door snapped open.

    As the captain of the Sanitation Team, Shade was trusted by his men, and there was a reason for that. For example, in this case, when the hallway wasn¡¯t completely secured, Shade was the first to enter. Unlike some leaders(Jean), he had no intention of using his underlings as cannon fodders. He was cold blooded to more people, but this was nowhere to be seen toward his brothers in arm.

    As Shade entered the room, the lights suddenly turned on. Shade froze. ¡°Kaplan?¡±

    ¡°Automatic lights.¡± The man replied.

    Shade nodded and turned to the rest of his team, including two other mercenaries and one medic, and ordered them to enter. The two mercenaries carried a large case as they entered. The case held a device that could turn off the Red Queen.

    In the original history as soon as the four mercenaries entered the hallway the door would close, cutting off their retreat. When Kaplan managed to open the door again, all four would be in pieces.

    Jean and Ivan had no intention of saving the mercenaries. The mercenaries proved no worth to their cause.

    Carl had a slightly different idea.

    This trap, to a certain point, contributed to the spread of t-virus infection. When the Red Queen was eventually turned off and the undead was unleashed, the Sanitation Team was caught by surprise. But even with their reduced numbers, they were able to take down a number of zombies and just lose one man, JD, and that was because he was completely caught by surprise. If four more elite soldiers, armed and trained, could join the battle...the Sanitation Team might be able to push the zombies back with their superior firepower and gun down any zombie before they could get close enough to attack. With reduced numbers, the zombies might not be able to break through the Umbrella forces at the entrance of the mansion. Even if the voyagers didn¡¯t do anything, just the mercenaries might be enough to contain the infection.

    So he did something he thought was clever but was actually really stupid.

    ¡°The Red Queen is highly intelligent. I doubt there is no protection for her at all.¡± He walked up and said, interrupting the mercenaries¡¯ movement.

    Shade frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He sounded a bit offended.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Red Queen is truly hacked.¡± Carl continued frankly, not seeing Shade¡¯s darkening expression.

    Jean frowned. This is not going to turn out well.

    Shade glared at Ivan. ¡°What is this?¡± He wasn¡¯t grateful at Carl¡¯s warning at all. The Sanitation Team and the Hound squadron were two parties with, as far as he knew, separate missions. Shade had never interfered with the voyagers¡¯ missions and the voyagers had stayed clear of the mercenaries¡¯ path. But now a member of the Hound squadron was suddenly questioning the decision made by the captain of the Sanitation Team. This was simply offensive.

    Ivan shrugged apologizingly. ¡°Sorry. He¡¯s new.¡± Shade thought he was referring Carl was new as a mercenary. The voyagers knew what he truly meant.

    ¡°Keep your men in check. This is not a drill.¡± Shade replied harshly and turned to Kaplan. Carl¡¯s warning, despite being dismissed, planted a tiny seed of doubt in Shade¡¯s mind. But the confident nod his teammate gave him wiped that seed out. He would choose his own team over a random noob anytime. As he nodded at his fellow team, the three mercenaries continued to walk into the hallway of death, ignoring Carl¡¯s warning.

    Carl opened his mouth, but no word came out. What could he say? How could he save someone that didn¡¯t trust him at all? Suddenly he felt so alone. Everything he tried had failed, and he had no idea what to do. There was nothing he could do as the four mercenaries walked into a trap that can and will kill them.

    Fate was continuing down a road Carl did not like.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 10: Belief

    Just like Carl predicted, the metal door slammed shut when the last mercenary, the medic, entered the hallway.

    ¡°Kaplan!¡±

    ¡°Must have been some sort of dormant defense mechanism. We must¡¯ve tripped it when we opened the door.¡±

    ¡°Put it back to sleep!¡± Shade was shocked but not scared.

    Suddenly a siren rang. Carl could see a line on a computer screen that said ¡°Level 5 weapon activated.¡± This was not good.

    ¡°Hold your positions. Everyone stay calm.¡± Shade ordered while looking around alertly, trying to detect any danger before it actually appears.

    ¡°You can¡¯t open that door in time.¡± Carl realized and turned to Ivan and Jean. ¡°We need to open that door!¡± The two didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°We can use four extra guns!¡± He pleaded.

    Ivan shrugged. Most voyagers that were this emotional and naive would die in their first few missions. Those that lived learned to be cold calculating and to keep their eyes on the prize. Only noobs would waste resources on something/someone that couldn¡¯t help their mission.

    Jean didn¡¯t give a damn about the mercenaries either. She had, directly or indirectly, slaughtered billions. But she realized something. Carl was a fool, but he was compassionate. This type of people tends to trust people easily, which made him the prime choice for her cover. If she could gain his trust, make him the team leader, and then hide under his command, he would never suspect any foul play from her. She could easily manipulate him and use him as a shield to fend off suspecting views from potential enemies. The Supreme One was powerful, but he was not all-knowing. He had surveillance on voyagers, but this surveillance was limited and required resources. This meant he could only choose a few targets to focus on. Who would attract more attention? A general who commanded an entire army or a random soldier in that army? Jean wanted to be the insignificant soldier and Carl to be the attractive general.

    Jean didn¡¯t care whether the four men lived or died, but she did see a chance to make Carl a hero and possibly a leader. Of course, not immediately, but she could make Carl more and more significant in this mission. She was confident she could make him a leader without attracting too much attention to herself.

    That was why she tossed something to Carl. The recruit caught it and gave Jean a questioning glance.

    ¡°Charger.¡± Jean said one word.

    Carl nodded thankfully and ran to the metal door. ¡°Stay clear!¡± He yelled as he tried to attach the explosive on the door. It stuck immediately and started beeping. Those on the outside backed off.

    ¡°It¡¯s not going to work! This door is impenetrable! It is designed to withstand¡­¡± Shade¡¯s doubt was immediately cleared when the sound of an explosive pierced the room. When the smoke cleared, a two meter tall, one meter wide hole was opened up in the metal, ¡®impenetrable¡¯ door.

    Even Ivan was impressed by the effect. ¡°You wasted something this powerful on four mercenaries? It can take down a tank.¡± A slight annoyance was in his voice. Carl might thank Jean, but he just thought it was a waste of resources.

    Jean shrugged. ¡°A friend is always better than an enemy.¡± The explosive she gave Carl was a breaching charge from the starcraft universe. Designed to take down doors decades more advanced than this one, the charge easily completed its mission.

    The door was opened, but the Red Queen had no intention of allowing the intruders to just leave like this. A blue line formed at the end of the tunnel and approached the mercenaries, quickly.

    ¡°Behind you!¡± Carl screamed as all the mercenaries were looking at the opened door, not able to see the incoming danger.

    Jean shook her head deep down. Carl was still inexperienced. If it was her she would¡¯ve yelled ¡®get down¡¯. Normal people, when hearing ¡®behind you¡¯, would turn and look...and probably die.

    Shade was talented and clever. Instead of turning around, he knelt down on the ground and kept his head low, pushing two of the three mercenaries, who were about to turn around, down with him as well.

    But the medic wasn¡¯t so lucky. Shade only had two hands, and the woman was too far away for him to reach.

    Carl watched in horror as the blue light beam swept through the medic¡¯s neck. At first nothing happened, but the next second the medic¡¯s head simply fell off. There was no blood as the heat from the laser beam burnt all the blood vessels close. The body collapsed the next second.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    One life. Gone.

    ¡°Go go go!¡± Shade yelled as the rest were still shocked by the death of their comrade. The man knew there was no time to waste. The two mercenaries recovered as well. The first ran past the beheaded body and jumped out of the hallway. The next one did the same thing. When Shade was about to leave, the light beam appeared again. The speed it approached was enough to make most freeze in fear.

    But Shade was calm. He quickly calculated the distance he was away from the door and the speed and distance of the laser...and then casually walked out of the hallway. The laser reached the end of the hallway two seconds later.

    One second after Shade left the hallway, the metal door swung open.

    The scene was quiet for a while. Kaplan laid back on his seat, covered in sweat. A guilted look was in his eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for Carl he would¡¯ve caused the death of four of his brothers in arm. Even with the man¡¯s help, he had lost a comrade. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had seen a dead man, but the thought of people dying due to his mistake still weighed heavily on his chest.

    Ivan kept his cold looking mask on. He was neither happy nor sad at the turn of event. Jean tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

    Shade walked to Carl, who was staring blankly at the beheaded medic.

    ¡°My men and I owe you one.¡± He said quietly. ¡°You saved our lives.¡±

    ¡°Not all of you,¡± Carl replied solemnly. His eyes still at the tunnel.

    Usually, Shade would just back off and ignore the man, but this man had saved him and his men while others did nothing. This was enough to earn some patience and respect.

    The captain sighed and stood next to Carl. ¡°Things like this are unfortunate, but they happen.¡± The mercenary reasoned. ¡°It is my duty as a leader to do my best to protect my men¡­¡± He paused for a minute. ¡°and when they die, the only thing I can do is mourn their death and...and just move on. Sometimes losses can be painful, but you have no choice but to hide your pain and keep going. If you want to be a mercenary, you will need to learn how to manage this.¡± He patted Carl and walked to Kaplan. Anyone could sense an oncoming storm.

    Carl nodded quietly. He had tried everything. Everything. And still a woman died. He didn¡¯t know the medic personally, but it wasn¡¯t her death itself that hurt him. It was the realization that there was very little he could actually do. So what if he knew what would happen in the future? So what if he had help? A life just perished in front of him and there was nothing he could change.

    The sound of footsteps woke him from his thoughts. Jean stood next to him.

    ¡°You did well.¡± Jean put on her benevolent mask. She could sense the man¡¯s frustration and disappointment toward himself, and she knew someone needed to direct his emotions toward the helpful direction. Someone this innocent and stupid wasn¡¯t common in the voyager ranks, and she would hate to lose him to a confidence crisis.

    ¡°Did I?¡± Carl smirked, but it was more to himself than to anyone else. ¡°What have I truly done? The only reason I saved the three men was because of the explosive you gave me. Just by myself, I couldn¡¯t do a damn thing.¡±

    Jean licked her lips. ¡°Do you know what I did in the first combat situation in my first mission?¡±

    Carl¡¯s attention was diverted. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I was sitting in a giant spaceship, watching soldiers on a planet below get chopped into pieces by a giant alien creature through a hologram. I threw up.¡± Only a small portion of that was correct, but the sad look in Jean¡¯s eyes made it seem true.

    ¡°Point being?¡±

    ¡°Point being it is normal for recruits to fail in their first missions.¡± Jean replied. ¡°Why? Because we were weak. We were powerless. There was nothing we could do to reach our goals.¡± Her voice turned very emotional. ¡°I don¡¯t know about others, but when I heard the screams of the men and women on the planet below, I learned something. I learned how important power is. In this world, strength is the only thing that matters. Whatever opinion you have, whatever decision you make, whatever belief you hold, its success depends on your strength.¡°

    ¡°In this world, only the strongest can get what they desire.¡°

    ¡°Is that why you were ok with condemning seven billion people to death?¡± Carl asked suddenly.

    Jean shrugged and answered the question directly. ¡°Yes.¡± She looked into Carl¡¯s eyes. ¡°And if you want to stop us, if you want to save all these people, fine. Show me you have the power to back it up. If you can defeat us,¡± Jean threw her hands up. ¡°we will submit. We will slaughter every single undead here and eliminate any sign of t-virus in this world. But if you don¡¯t have the power to back up your decision...well...no one cares what you think.¡±

    Carl kept his head low. Jean could sense he was thinking.

    Jean stood up and retreated. She had accomplished what she came for. She had planted a seed in Carl¡¯s heart, and one day that seed would grow into a tree of success.

    You want to save everyone? Fine. Show me the power you have. You are not strong enough? Get out of here before I break your neck. You are a close match to all of us combined? Sit down and I¡¯m sure we can reach an agreement. You are more powerful than all of us combined? Please, you have my blade. I will do whatever you demand. I can even spend my entire life in charity if that¡¯s what you want.

    If everything went according to her plan, Carl would one day become a leader that would both care about the innocent and have more than enough motivation to get stronger. Normally motivation was not enough to make someone successful, but the secret help of a xel¡¯naga almost ensured success.

    And when Carl eventually becomes a powerful and capable leader, Jean could comfortably hide behind the curtain and pull the threads.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 11: Unleash the undead

    After five more checks, Kaplan finally announced the Red Queen was truly down.

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Alice asked suspiciously. An obviously awkward look was on Kaplan¡¯s face. Shade sighed. He was angry at Kaplan. The man almost got him killed, but he knew if he continued to blame Kaplan the man would either be pissed or disappointed at himself. Either case would be bad for the completion of this mission. So the captain did what was best for his team. He picked up the black container and started walking into the hallway again, showing his trust toward Kaplan with his actions. Plus, he could always just escape now that the door was broken through.

    Apparently, failure could improve a person¡¯s computer skills because Shade reached the other end in one piece. The rest of the team passed as well.

    With the team inside the control room, the Red Queen was now completely defenseless.

    The Sanitation Team worked expertly. Upon reaching their target, they pulled out the cylinder-shaped mainframe of the Red Queen and attached the electromagnetic pulse generator on the device.

    A hologram projection appeared in the room. It was a red colored girl. She seemed cute, but none of the men present were convinced by the look of their enemies. Even Carl kept a straight face on at the hologram.

    ¡°Get out. You can¡¯t be here.¡± The Red Queen urged.

    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her. She¡¯s a holographic representation of the Red Queen.¡±

    ¡°You have to get out.¡±

    The team didn¡¯t say anything as they continued working.

    ¡°I won¡¯t advise this. Disabling me will result in loss of primary power.¡± The Red Queen¡¯s tone showed no emotion, even though she was able to get knocked out.

    ¡°She¡¯ll say anything to stop us from shutting her down.¡± Shade reassured.

    Alice walked by the Red Queen¡¯s side. Carl suddenly noticed how similar Alice, in her red dress, and the Red Queen, in her red projection, were. It was not that surprising that they turned out to be one person.

    ¡°I implore you.¡± The Red Queen continued with a cold tone as the EMP was put in place. ¡°Please?¡±

    Shade, EMP controller in hand, looked at the Red Queen once again. As he pressed the controller and just before the AI was turned off, the girl looked at the team.

    ¡°You¡¯re all going to die here.¡± It wasn¡¯t a provoking threat. It wasn¡¯t a dying scream. It was a simple statement.

    The next second the entire room went dark. The voyagers knew that meant the entire facility was shut down. All across the Hive doors were opened, releasing the previously concealed dead into the world of the living.

    At Dining Hall B, the lights went dark. JD and Rain frowned, but Xia merely grinned and gripped tightly to her rifle.

    Carl bit his lips. He had considered stopping the mercenaries from turning the Red Queen off and thus end the infection from the very start, but he doubted the Sanitation Team would give up their mission just because a random recruit told them so, even if this recruit saved their lives. Plus, the voyagers would probably kill him before he could say the next sentence.

    When Shade knelt down and started to take out the Red Queen¡¯s hard drive, the four men and women at Dining Hall B were met with a rather hostile, and hungry, figure.

    The sound of something moving brought the two mercenaries and the one voyager to their feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Xia said concisely as she strapped her sniper rifle to her back and took out two pistols from her belt. In a close quarter combat against a large number of fragile enemies, a one shot one kill rifle was much less effective than two rapid firing pistols. Then again, if the rifle was so bad against the zombies, why did she carry it around in her hands before? Was it for the undead, or was it for someone else?

    Nevertheless, Xia had walked by several blocks when she encountered a certain knelt figure. She was wearing a white suit. Her face was unclear to Xia.

    Xia drew her pistols on the zombie.

    ¡°Wait!¡± A loud cry came from behind. Xia turned and found an angry Rain coming up. Her rifle pointing at Xia. ¡°Drop your gun!¡± She demanded. ¡°Drop it!¡±

    ¡°I am not your enemy.¡± Xia replied concisely, not putting down her weapon.

    ¡°She¡¯s a survivor and you want to kill her. Why?¡± Rain didn¡¯t really care about a random survivor, but she didn¡¯t know why the voyagers were here, and it bugged her. Her instincts told her to find it out. Shade was slightly more clever and knew when to be quiet, but Rain had slightly fewer concerns. She lacked the foresight that made Shade the captain.

    ¡°It¡¯s my mission, now lay down your weapon before I put you down.¡± Xia turned around at Rain and ordered. The coldness in her eyes showed the mercenary she was serious. An NPC was threatening her, and it was more insulting than dangerous. Xia was a voyager. She had gone through hell, and she was proud of who she was. If Rain didn¡¯t put down her weapon Xia would have no trouble in gunning her and, if needed, every member of the Sanitation Team, down. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    As the two were arguing, the zombie was slowly crawling toward the two. When Rain turned and saw the decaying teeth in the zombie¡¯s mouth, it was already too late.

    The zombie leaped forward. Its eyes were filled with the desire for human flesh. Its rotting limbs reached forward. Rain tried to raise her gun, but it was too late. She watched in fear as the foul creature got closer to closer...and then the zombie¡¯s head fell off. Its body twisted slightly as it collapsed, but remained still very soon.

    Behind the zombie, Xia flipped her now stained dagger. Her pistols were in her belt. She was going to use them, but the zombie went for Rain and left its back open to her and allowed a chance for melee. If Jean was here she would¡¯ve gunned down the zombie nonetheless, but Xia could never resist sliding her blade across the thin little neck of her target and watch blood pour out. In this case, there wasn¡¯t much blood, but it was still quite satisfying.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Rain was unable to speak as she looked down on the body.

    ¡°Based on the level of decay, she has been dead for a while.¡± Xia, strangely, explained. A slight smile was around her lips as if she just got a treat. ¡°Something is off. We need to fall back and regroup.¡± There was no fear or surprise in her tone, but Rain was too shocked to notice that.

    When the two returned to where Addison and JD were, they realized the rest of the team was present as well.

    Rain scanned the team before looking at Shade in slight shock. She realized there was one less of them than before. Shade shook his head, and Rain sighed.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Carl pointed at Xia¡¯s bloody dagger. He wanted to make the mercenaries aware of the situation they were facing as soon as possible. The sooner they realize who they were facing, the better they could respond and put down the infection.

    Xia glanced at him, noticing his intentions but not caring. ¡°Rain and I encountered a corpse. A living, moving corpse. She tried to bite Rain¡¯s head off. I killed her.¡±

    Before the rest of the mercenaries could raise another question, the sound of metal sliding on the floor attracted their attention.

    The team turned and realized dozens of figures, all obviously dead but still moving, were walking through the columns formed by the licker containers.

    ¡°Hold it right there!¡± Shade ordered loudly. Xia told him they were hostile, but he wanted to make sure. What happened next proved Xia correct.

    The dead growled and made a move. A zombie with half its head gone lead the charge. As if a signal was given, the entire zombie horde charged at their food sources.

    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded.¡± Jean commented, raising her rifle.

    ¡°Open fire! Take them out!¡± Despite being completely confused about what just happened, Shade finally gave the order, and then all hell went loose.

    Mercenaries showed the zombies why they were chosen to handle the Red Queen incident. With incredible skills, they were more than capable of gunning down slow zombies that were completely in the open. Bullets were fired in short, concise bursts rather than long, continuous firing to preserve ammo.

    ¡°Aim for the head.¡± Carl added as he saw a few mercenaries were wasting bullets on the zombie¡¯s limbs and body.

    Xia gave a questioning look at Ivan. The mercenaries were doing well. Too well. With their increased number they were taking down zombies before they could get close enough to even pose a threat. The mercenaries carried enough ammunition for a frontal assault. Maybe they couldn¡¯t slaughter all the zombies in the facility, but they might be able to reduce the zombie count to a number low enough so the Umbrella reinforcements could put down the infection. This would be great for the world, but not for the voyagers.

    Jean fired a single bullet into the skull of a zombie and looked at her mission tab.

    Name: Jean Turner

    Current Dimension: Resident Evil

    Current location: Racoon City, America.

    Mission: Terminate Umbrella Corporation.

    Reward: 1500 red crystals

    Optional mission: Terminate virus infected creatures. Reward will be based on the type of creature.

    --- 1 zombie(0.1 red crystal)

    Follower: (0/2)

    The single zombie brought her 0.1 red crystal. Ten zombies would be 1. A hundred would be 10. The girl did the math, thought about it for a second, and typed something on her watch. The two fellow voyagers glanced at the message on their watch and looked up at her, slightly impressed. Jean gave them a firm nod.

    Ivan turned and fired his Gatling gun, but not at the zombies. Instead, the majority of his bullets hit the licker containment cells.

    Jean typed one word on her watch. Tank.

    In the chaos of battle, the mercenaries didn¡¯t have the luxury to see where the bullets landed. Even if they did they would just think Ivan missed. But Carl, who had been paying attention to Ivan and Xia the entire time, noticed what the man did.

    ¡°Be careful of the tanks!¡± He yelled while sending a death glare at Ivan. He realized what he was planning on doing. The licker tanks were unstable, and firing on it would cause it to explode. If the explosion wouldn¡¯t kill the mercenaries, it would open up an opportunity for the zombies to get closer and use their teeth on the ranged soldiers. Carl was one hundred and two percent certain the voyagers would stand by and watch as the Sanitation Team die. Carl had tried so hard to get into this nice position, and he would not let a greedy bastard ruin it. How could the man even think of using the tanks? He had no idea Jean was the one that came up with the idea. That was exactly what Jean wanted.

    Ivan looked at Carl, ignored him, and continued to fire on the containers. It took two more seconds for the tank to reach its limit. The warning light that showed ¡°unstable¡± was suddenly consumed by an explosion that engulfed not only the container and the licker inside but also knocked the rest of the team off their feet.

    Carl felt his head banging on the metal floor. He groaned and stood up, only to see a burning zombie crawling toward him. Its legs were gone, along with half of its left arm, but its right arm was still reaching out to him. Its entire body was on fire, and a disgusting smell of burnt flesh made Carl want to vomit. Suppressing that urge, he reached down into his belt, pulled out a spare pistol, and blew the zombie¡¯s head off close quarter.

    He immediately realized it was a mistake when he tasted something salty in his mouth.

    ¡°Get up!¡± Shade groaned and stood back up. Using the tempory firing vacuum, the zombies had gotten much closer. Unlike the human beings, zombies didn¡¯t get affected by the explosion. They could still move and fight when they were literally being roasted while just the sound of the explosion made it difficult for the mercenaries to balance themselves.

    Glancing through the team, Shade realized three of the four Hound Squadron mercenaries were gone. He didn¡¯t know what happened to them, and he didn¡¯t really care. They could be dead, dying, or on a stealth mission, but all Shade wanted now was to get out of this place. Grabbing Carl and a few other mercenaries to their feet with one hand and laying down suppressing fire with his other hand, Shade gradually retreated.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 12: Retreat

    A distance away, Jean, Xia, and Ivan stood and listened to the gradually decreasing gunshot sound.

    ¡°We should go. Get to the entrance via the train and break through the Umbrella forces on the ground. Take cover until the infection spreads. When that happens, it will be harvest time.¡± Ivan suggested, basically condemning Carl, Alice, Addison, Spence, and the entire Sanitation Team to die. That was who he was. He could send the whole world to die as long as he could live.

    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Jean turned back toward the direction they came from. ¡±You two go first. I¡¯ll join you later.¡±

    Ivan and Xia exchanged a confused look. Neither believed Jean was going to do something for their benefit. ¡°Why?¡± Xia questioned.

    ¡°There is a possibility something is different from the original history. Maybe Umbrella responded quicker. Maybe the zombies decided to stay here. Relying on previous knowledge might be unsuccessful. How about this: You two go to Racoon City and kill every Umbrella guard on the ground and buy as much time as possible for me to lure the undead to the mansion.¡±

    ¡°That is very risky.¡± Ivan frowned. He didn¡¯t want to take the extra risk when he could take the easy way. ¡°We might get shot. You might get surrounded.¡±

    ¡°But it is a necessary risk. Jean is right. Relying on others is never a plan. We don¡¯t know what the undead will do. As far as we know, they might overrun the mercenaries and no longer have the incentive to go to the surface. Keep in mind in the original history Alice and Addison escaped here. Maybe their scent drew the zombies to the surface. Anyways, I agree with Jean.¡± Xia held a different idea.

    Ivan seemed to have struggled a bit but then nodded. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± The two departed quickly. As they left, Jean turned and walked in the opposite direction of the exit.

    Carl touched his lips with the back of his hand. There was nothing. It was as if the feeling he had was just a hallucination, but he couldn¡¯t help but think about the way those zombies looked. All the rotting flesh and peeling skin...he would rather die than be turned into one of them.

    Carl knew Alice was immune, having merged with t-virus on a cellular level, but if something as resourceful as Umbrella couldn¡¯t find a way to use her to make cures for the infection, how could he? There was a box of antidote on the train, but Carl doubted he could get there in time, if at all. In the original history, Rain didn¡¯t, and it cost her her life. There was an antidote in the Hive, but¡­he couldn¡¯t get it in time.

    ¡°Concentrate!¡± Beside, Shade grabbed onto Carl¡¯s shoulder, waking him up from his brainstorm. All around the zombies have been closing the distance, and the mercenaries were firing and retreating at the same time. Already two of the soldiers have run out of rifle bullets and have switched to pistols. This was not a good sign. Shade also noticed Alice and Addison were gone as well, adding to the three voyagers that have already disappeared.

    ¡°We need to regroup! Get back to the control room!¡± Carl advised. This was not going to end well.  They were literally trading bullets for zombies. The minute they run out of ammo would be the minute they die. Melee with zombies was never a good idea for ordinary human beings.

    Shade nodded. It seemed to be the best course of action. He screamed an order, and the Sanitation Team started to fall back. Two of the mercenaries kept on lying down suppressing fire while their comrades moved a few steps back, and then it was their time to turn and run. The teammates they just covered were now returning the favor. With impervious collaboration, the Sanitation Team retreated safely into the Red Queen control room without losing a single man.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, Ivan and Xia were making their way toward the train they arrived on. None of the zombies could even delay them. Compared to the direness of the Sanitation Team, the two voyagers seemed to be taking a casual walk.

    ¡°What do you think about Jean?¡± Ivan suddenly asked as he slammed a zombie in the head with his giant weapon. Even t-virus couldn¡¯t save the creature when its head was literally bashed in.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xia¡¯s pistols dropped zombies with every shot. None of the bullets missed, and no zombie needed a second bullet.

    ¡°You know what I mean. She is trying to be all tough, and she is, toward the natives, but she is showing some interest toward that newbie. Carl.¡± The road was clear for a few seconds, and Ivan used this chance to tap his watch and grin as he saw the number of zombies killed in his personal interface. ¡°She gave him a grenade that saved three natives. So what? They¡¯re going to die anyway. It¡¯s just a waste of resources. That grenade could¡¯ve killed at least a dozen zombies. Jean knows it as well, but she still gave Carl what he wanted. Normal voyagers are not this generous to recruits.¡±

    ¡°I think, whatever happens, it is going to end badly. Either Carl will distract Jean from her mission and get her killed or Jean will have to learn to control her emotions and abandon him. Affection is a luxury we can not afford.¡± Xia said surely. ¡°I have learned that the hard way, which is why I¡¯m keeping my eyes on the mission and only the mission.¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s got a story. Mind sharing it?¡± Ivan whispered casually. Big mistake.

    The next thing he knew, a pistol was next to his skull. Another was on his right arm that held his gun. The girl moved faster than he could possibly react. The coldness of her weapons was next to skin before he even understood what happened.

    ¡°Curiosity killed the cat. Cat had nine lives.¡± Xia whispered her threat quietly, but Ivan could see the fire in her eyes that told him she wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°Tell me: How many lives do you have?¡±

    Ivan held his hands up, yielding. Xia took a few steps back and returned her pistols to the holsters. ¡°We should keep moving. Whether or not Jean really went back to lure the undead here, taking down the Umbrella defenders is always good for spreading the infection.¡±

    She moved first. Ivan touched his head where the pistol was, sighed, and followed.

    <hr>

    Jean¡¯s eyes were closed as she walked. A pistol in her right hand. The celestial energy spread out and scanned anything within a twenty meter radius. It didn¡¯t take her long to hear the snarl of a beast.

    Turning around, she noticed a rather ugly creature charging toward her. It was a dog. A dead dog. A moving dog. Its skin was peeled away, revealing red rotting flesh. Celestial energy swept through the creature and told Jean the dog was completely infected by t-virus.

    The monster licked its teeth with its rotting tongue and launched itself at Jean. If it was slightly more intelligent it would¡¯ve realized a normal target would¡¯ve either turned and ran or screamed. Jean did neither. But its burnt brain wasn¡¯t exactly clever. The leap was welcomed by a bullet to the head and an instant death.

    Almost right after the gunshot, footsteps came from beside. Jean knew who they were, but she still raised her weapon at the incoming with alert. She put them down when she saw it was Addison and Alice.

    ¡°Run! They¡¯re behind us!¡± A desperate look was on Alice¡¯s face as she screamed and ran. Jean frowned before seeing the small horde of zombies behind them. Putting on a frightened look, she turned and joined the two on a run for their lives. As she moved, she made sure to return a few random bullets to cut down any zombie that was too close. If she was surrounded, the situation would be really awkward. Being surrounded by a bunch of zombies and still not have a scratch was quite far from the power she was supposed to have.

    The three were incredibly lucky because they, accidental or intended, were running toward the Hive control room, which was where the Sanitation Team fell back to as well. Running through the disabled laser hallway and past the still beheaded medic, the three ran head-on into the control room.

    Jean was the last person. As she entered, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed onto her shoulder. Frowning, she twisted the limb and ripped it off before slamming the gate on the broken arm of the zombie.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 13: Shade

    ¡±You came back.¡± Carl whispered as Jean walked to her. ¡°Why? You have already got out.¡± He looked to make sure there wasn¡¯t anyone else coming. ¡°Where is everyone else?¡±

    Jean shrugged. ¡°They left. As for me...do you believe me if I say I came here to save everyone here?¡± She joked.

    Carl smiled. It had been a while since he did that. ¡°Yes.¡± He looked into Jean¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re a good person, Jean. You just try to look mean, but deep down...¡± He trailed off.

    Jean grinned. Her previous actions have paid off. Whether it was by explaining what was happening to Carl, by giving him an explosive to save the mercenaries, or by returning here when she had already got away, Jean perfectly portrayed a voyager that was trying to be cold hearted to survive but couldn¡¯t truly manage it. This allowed her to have some freedom but still be forgiven and trusted.

    While they were talking, the rest of the team went through how they would be buried alive in The Hive if they couldn¡¯t escape in time. Alice came up with the idea of restarting the Red Queen and get information from her about what truly happened down here. Carl and Jean went with the flow.

    Her life under duress, the Red Queen told the team everything. What the T-virus did. How to kill the undead. And...

    ¡°...One scratch from the creature is sufficient to infect a person¡­¡±

    Carl touched his lips. If one scratch could infect a person, what could a drop of blood do? The other mercenaries looked at each other as well. One of them, JD, was bitten in the arm. Another mercenary, Warner, was scratched on the neck. It took all the friendship and trust between the mercenaries to keep them from abandoning each other, especially since they didn¡¯t know there was a way to withstand the infection.

    ¡°How do we get out?¡± Jean finally stepped up and asked the most important question.

    The Red Queen looked at her. ¡°All the entrances are under siege, but the sewers are clear.¡±

    The team looked at each other. They didn¡¯t trust the Red Queen, but they didn¡¯t have a choice. Between staying here to die and taking their chances by trusting the Red Queen, the team knew what to choose.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± Jean warned before opening a patch that led to the sewers. She frowned at the stink, but she jumped down nonetheless. The ten others followed. In the face of death by chewing, the stinking sewage was not that bad.

    They barely reached ten steps when twenty zombies floded the route.

    ¡°That bitch.¡± Carl cursed, knowing that the Red Queen betrayed them and gave them false information. He raised his rifle desperately. The other members of the team did a similar thing, but they knew their chances were low. The narrow hallway made it difficult for them to concentrate fire on the zombies, and trading with an army of the dead was never a good idea. But before any of them could fire, Jean walked before them and stopped them.

    ¡°Don¡¯t waste your ammo. I¡¯ll clear a path,¡± She pulled out a syringe, turned to Carl, and smiled. ¡°Just don¡¯t leave me behind after that.¡± The other members looked at her in confusion. Jean answered the doubt with her action as she stabbed the syringe into her arm and pushed the liquid into her bloodstream. ¡°Adrenalin.¡± She explained and dropped the syringe, replacing it with two pistols.

    Before anyone could raise a question, Jean moved forward.

    And for the next ten seconds the whole team stared in awe as Jean fought.

    Moving forward, Jean dropped four zombies with four quick shots to the head. Both the zombies and Jean were moving, but that didn¡¯t stop the girl from landing the shots in where she wanted them. The next second she charged into the zombie horde, positioning her pistols and firing at a rate and direction just enough to stop the zombies from reaching her. The deadly zombies seemed so slow when facing Jean¡¯s slant figure. The girl moved around like a bird in a forest, easily dodging the corroding limbs of the dead. None of the limbs could reach her form.

    A zombie grabbed onto Jean¡¯s arm, and the next second its head was literally smashed into its body. Jean turned around and jammed her pistol into the open mouth of another zombie and fired. The bullet entered the zombie¡¯s mouth, went through the neck, came out the other side, and hit a second zombie in the skull. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Two clips were gone almost instantly, but there were still eight zombies left. Rotating her pistols, she grabbed onto the gun barrels and aimed the handle part at the zombies. She clicked a button, and two silver blades popped out of the handles.

    Four stabs to the brain in two seconds sent the four zombies onto the ground.

    ¡°Wow.¡± Carl¡¯s jaws dropped. One girl and twenty zombies. Who would win? But before he could say anything, Jean collapsed to the ground, shaking in pain.

    ¡°Something this effective has its price.¡± Shade was the first to recover. His assumption was logical. Jean just took some drug and killed twenty zombies in ten seconds. For ten whole seconds Jean was literally nonhuman. If that could really go without any consequences, then Umbrella wouldn¡¯t be researching t-virus. They would be developing adrenalin. He even suspected whether or not Jean could recover at all, but that was not a question for now. ¡°Bring her. We need to go now!¡± They weren¡¯t going to waste the chance Jean bought with potentially her life be wasted because they were amazed.

    Rain wanted to carry Jean, but Carl beat her to that. As difficult as it was due to Jean¡¯s weight, he held her up carefully. Looking at her pained expression, he understood what Jean meant by him needing power to protect those that he cared about.

    In Carl¡¯s arms, Jean was satisfied by how this turned out. The adrenalin was not exactly a lie. It was a stim pack from the Starcraft universe. Of course, the consequence was a lie. She could literally take a mountain of stim pack for fun and still be fine.

    The result was satisfying. She ¡°risked her own life¡± to save the rest, and thus established a close relationship with Carl. As long as she played it carefully, this could make Carl trust her until the very end. Likewise, with this as support, Carl¡¯s desire for strength would multiply. Jean simply laid down in Carl¡¯s arms with her eyes closed and scanned the surrounding.

    The team moved on. Most of the zombies already in the sewers were slaughtered, and the few zombies attracted by the smell of the living were picked off as soon as they appeared. They could never get into a number large enough to threaten the team that was much larger than it was in the original history.

    The situation was fine until the team reached a pipe. It was hanging above several dozen zombies. The hands of the dead reached out, desperately wanting human flesh.

    Everyone eyed the fragile pipe. No one knew when it would fall apart, and the later the person crosses the more likely he/she wouldn¡¯t make it. They all turned to Shade for guidance.

    ¡°Move over one by one.¡± Shade knew in this situation chaos could only mean more danger. The mercenaries went by first. Addison and Spence followed. At last, only Jean, Carl, and Shade were still left on the wrong side.

    ¡°Go.¡± Shade pointed his rifle at the zombies below. ¡°I¡¯ll cover you.¡±

    Carl nodded in gratitude. He knew the captain was taking quite the chances by wanting him to go first. Jean was knocked out, and judging from her constant shaking of pain she wouldn¡¯t be in a walking state soon, which meant he needed to carry her over. The weight of two was more than that of one. Holding to Jean tightly, he navigated across the pipe.

    The first step brought a series of cracking sound through the air. Carl froze, feeling the sweat on his back.

    The man licked his lips. It was dry.

    Jean twisted her body.

    Carl¡¯s eyes laid on Jean. He wouldn¡¯t let the girl get hurt. She had risked her life protecting them, and now he would risk his life protecting her. He made another step.

    The cracking increased, but the pipe simply refused to fall. In the end, Carl and Jean reached the other side intact. Whether it was due to luck or some other force was a great question.

    Now only Shade was on the dangerous side. The pipe was much weaker, but it was still intact. The mercenary captain was no ordinary man. Remaining calm and watching his steps, he slowly moved across. The dozens of arms reaching out to him didn¡¯t raise a ripple in his mind.

    That was when a piece of brick broke off from the ceiling above and smashed Shade in the head.

    The rest of the team had no chance to respond as the man collapsed off the pipe and into a pool of zombies. Unfortunately, Shade was neither a xel¡¯naga nor someone who a xel¡¯naga needed, so he was immediately attacked. The team acted as soon as they could. Rain unloaded an entire clip into the horde, but bullets couldn¡¯t stop the undead¡¯s infinite desire for human flesh. A few zombies who have lost an arm or a leg were still biting.

    Shade barely even screamed. The brick had already knocked him out or even killed him. He was defenseless as his body was reduced to small bits and pieces of flesh and bone.

    ¡°No!¡± Carl screamed. He had known the captain for just a few hours, but the man had already earned his respect. This was a rather painful loss. He emptied a clip of bullets into the horde and killed four zombies, but that hardly changed anything.

    Alice signed and grabbed onto Carl¡¯s arm. ¡°We need to move.¡± She didn¡¯t have the attachment to Shade that the mercenaries and Carl had.

    Carl nodded sadly and lead the way.

    In his arms, Jean slightly groaned. Shade¡¯s presence offered more harm than good to Carl¡¯s growth. Jean wanted to be a leader, and Shade¡¯s role was overlapping with that. As long as Shade was alive, Carl would always be a follower and not a leader.

    So Jean changed that.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 14: Hostage Jean

    The team reached an abandoned lab. The entire lab was flooded. Carl knew the Red Queen has used water to execute everyone in the lab. The door was opened when the AI was turned off, but the water level was still at the team¡¯s knees.

    Carl had more important things to worry about than some water. His entire body was starting to burn. He knew it was the virus affecting both his brain and his body. Yet he tried everything he could to take his attention away from himself. Laying the girl in her arms down on a dry table, he gently touched her face.

    Jean coughed softly. ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡± She somehow managed to act tough and weak at the same time.

    Carl smiled.

    Jean looked at the assembled team. ¡°You should go with them. After what happened to Shade¡­you are the best person to bring them to safety.¡± She gulped, exhausted. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine here.¡±

    Carl did what he was told. He nodded and walked to Alice and the mercenaries. As he arrived, he noticed Alice was staring blankly at the lab. It was as if she was realizing something.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Carl asked before suddenly realizing something. It was a tiny part of the memory he received. In fact, it was so insignificant that he almost forgot about it.

    At one point, Alice remembered everything she forgot before. She remembered who she was and how she was planning to work with outsiders to expose Umbrella¡¯s direct secrets. Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t the only person to recover the lost memories. Spence also did, and in the original history he would grab a gun and hold the rest of the team at gunpoint to escape.

    Carl relaxed a bit. In the original world there was a total of three people left, Alice, Addison, and Rain. If he tried to hold a gun now, against five mercenaries, Alice, Addison, Carl, and Jean... well, good luck on that.

    Unfortunately, he was still a bit too young and way too inexperienced. As someone who got into one of the top secret facilities of Umbrella, Spence was decisive and intelligent. As soon as he realized the situation, he knew he needed to get away quickly. Sooner or later Alice would realize he was the spy and, to a degree, the cause of everything. If that happened, he doubted the Umbrella Sanitation Team would just let him go.

    The man went over his options. He had a gun, but trying to use one gun to best nine...not the brightest idea. Luckily he didn¡¯t need to. All he needed was a hostage.

    The poor soul set his eyes on the weakest and most vulnerable target.

    Jean...

    When Carl turned, he saw something that he really didn¡¯t like. Spence has walked to Jean and was holding a pistol to her head. The girl was a mercenary capable of taking down zombies like they were flies, but the consequences of the drug she took made it impossible for her to fight back.

    The entire team immediately assembled around the new foe with their weapons raised.

    ¡°Step back.¡° Spence demanded as he dragged Jean back by her hair. His pistol rested on her head. ¡°Step you back, or I will put a bullet in her pretty face.¡±

    ¡°Let me go, you bastard.¡± Jean cursed futilely.

    ¡°Let her go.¡± Carl¡¯s voice was getting dangerously low. His gun steadily pointed at Spence. His finger trembled, but he couldn¡¯t confidently say he could fire and kill Spence without hitting Jean.

    ¡°You stay back! All of you!¡± Spence ordered, gradually retreating out a door. Jean yelped slightly as she was dragged across the water on the ground.

    Carl¡¯s hands gripped to the handle of his gun so tightly that it was leaving a mark on his hands, but he did nothing. He wasn¡¯t taking any risk. He merely watched as Spence dragged Jean out the door.

    ¡°Carl?¡± Rain looked at the recruit. ¡°Let¡¯s go waste that son of a bitch.¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Carl refused. He didn¡¯t want to put anyone else in danger. The sight of Shade being ripped to pieces just minutes ago returned to his mind.  ¡±You go. Find your way to the train we came here. I¡¯ll go find Jean and meet you at the train.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°You won¡¯t make it.¡± Alice declared. The idea of Carl navigating through a world of zombies and rescuing an almost disabled girl from a weapon wielding spy was simply crazy. The possibility of him taking her back was already low. Having to carry her back to the train was even tougher. His chances were as low as chances get.

    ¡°I will not leave her behind. Jean saved us. That¡¯s the only reason she is taken. If she didn¡¯t take the adrenalin she would be more than capable to defend herself.¡± Carl tapped his watch. ¡°If we don¡¯t reach the train in ten minutes, leave without us.¡± Not giving the rest of the team a chance to object, he turned and left.

    Jean didn¡¯t know what to say as Spence pushed her forward. His gun was constantly on her back. He had seen what she could do, and despite knowing that she was done, a tiny bit of him was still afraid of her suddenly turning around and snapping his neck. He was doubting whether taking Jean hostage was the best choice, but what¡¯s done is done, and he simply had to stick with the fact.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± He warned.

    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. My friends will come for me.¡± Jean replied, her eyes slightly shining.

    Spence smirked. ¡°Do you really think anyone will take the risk and come after you? Tell me. Do you really think someone is foolish enough to risk his life to save someone he barely knew?¡±

    Jean didn¡¯t respond, but deep down she knew the answer. Yes. There was someone was foolish enough to do exactly that.

    Suddenly, the two heard a growl. It was as if there was a beast of infinite terror lurking in the dark. Spence searched around with his weapon ready.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±

    His question was immediately answered. An abomination crawled into the open. Its entire body was covered in red flesh. Its tongue stuck out of its mouth. Its brain was sticking out of its skull and in the open. It didn¡¯t have eyes. Spence immediately felt his back covered in cold sweat. As soon as he saw the monster, he knew his pistol couldn¡¯t save him.

    It was a licker.

    The licker looked at the two for a second, as if it was examining the situation and identifying the easier target. Every hunter knew to pick on the softer target.

    Jean suddenly felt a push on her back and a pain in her left leg, and the next thing she knew she was staring down the eyeless face of a mutated undead.

    Behind her, Spence turned and ran. He knew he couldn¡¯t outrun the undead, so he chose an alternate way and try to outrun Jean instead. Just pushing her forward might not be enough, so he decided to send a pound of lead into her left leg, thus completely ending her ability to run.

    He reached ten meters when he ran into a rather pissed off Carl.

    The man had no hesitation as he smacked Spence in the head with the butt of his automatic rifle. He had never hurt any living human being before, but his anger was more than enough to persuade him to act without any doubt.

    The strike knocked Spence on his feet. His nose was broken, and his eyes were almost blinded. Carl put his gun on Spence¡¯s head, but instead of pulling the trigger, his logic overcame his anger. Turning his gun to Spence¡¯s legs, he pulled the trigger twice, completely maiming him. In this situation, maimed almost meant certain death, but to Carl it still made quite the difference.

    A scream came from beside, and Jean collapsed on her back. She had been holding the licker back with her arms, and by doing so she was able to save herself. The price was her arms. Both her arms were penetrated and pinned down by the licker¡¯s claws. Since the creature¡¯s claws were still in Jean, the entire weight of the beast brought quite the pain.

    His lips tight, Carl raised his weapon and started unloading on the licker. He was still worried he might hit Jean, but the situation didn¡¯t allow him to hesitate. Short, concise bursts of bullets flew by Jean and smashed into the beast. The licker pulled his claws out of Jean, earning a scream from the girl. Its muscles tensed up and projected its body toward Carl.

    Carl kept on firing while moving. The first few bullets hit the licker¡¯s body. To an undead, at least in most cases, hitting somewhere not the head meant missing. The undead could easily continue its attack with its lack of knowledge of pain and its rapid regeneration.

    Carl watched as the licker¡¯s figure got larger and larger as it got closer, yet he kept on moving back as fast as he could and pulling the trigger as hard as he could. His shots were no longer the precise, careful shots but were instead a continued volley.

    Theoretically speaking if it was allowed to continue, if Carl could keep firing and thus always maintain a difference between the melee licker and him with the stopping power of the bullets, he could eventually kill the licker. But fate was unpredictable.

    A quiet click sent shivers down Carl¡¯s spines. He was out of ammo, and in this case, he would never get a chance to reload. Without his gun, he couldn¡¯t melee a licker. In fact, he could barely last several seconds without the bullet to keep the licker back. Closing his eyes, he just hoped Jean could use the chance to escape. He was going to die anyway from the t-virus. He might as well die fighting,

    What seemed to be a decade passed, and Carl realized he wasn¡¯t in pieces. He opened his eyes and saw the licker laying on the ground. Random bullet wounds covered its body, but the killing blow was a hole in the head.

    A bullet found its way into the licker¡¯s brain.

    How? If lickers could be killed by random bullets, then Umbrella couldn¡¯t be treating it as a top biological weapon. True. A bullet in the brain could end the licker, but the speed and battle instinct of the licker was more than enough to make the seemingly easy process as difficult as possible.

    That was a good question, but Carl quickly realized this was neither the time nor the place to ask questions. He ran to Jean and found her in a pool of her own blood.

    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± He knelt down beside Jean. ¡°No no no no.¡± He whispered as he examined Jean.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 15: Escape

    Jean was not in the best form. Her black battle suit, the mercenary one, not the voyager one, was stained red, giving the entire suit a depressing dark red theme. Two large holes were opened up in both her suit and her arms, and there was nothing to keep the blood from spilling out onto her clothing. The bullet Spence put in her leg was slightly less damaging than the licker claws, but it was by no means a scratch wound either. It was just a small penetrating wound, but it was enough to stop her from walking for a while. In the given environment, it also meant certain death.

    Carl had no time to worry about the t-virus the licker certainly brought into Jean. He quickly laid Jean down and took out an army knife. Cutting off the random pieces of cloth around the wounds, he frowned at what was left of the exposed skin, the torn flesh, and the severe loss of blood.

    Jean coughed and opened her eyes. The twisted look on her face meant she wasn¡¯t exactly having fun.

    ¡°You ok?¡± Carl asked an obvious question, trying to distract Jean from her pain.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jean¡¯s words were quiet and forced as she kept her teeth tight.

    ¡°Spence pushed you to the licker. I knocked him out and killed the licker.¡± Carl briefly explained. ¡°But you...you¡¯re injured. Severely.¡±

    Jean coughed. ¡°Tell me about it.¡± She tried to grin but only managed half what she wanted. The result was a mixture between a smile and a scream. ¡°We need to leave now.¡± She tried to stand up, but her effort only resulted in a pained groan. Carl bit his lips as he knelt down and helped Jean up on one leg. He could see the pained look on Jean¡¯s face, but there was nothing he could do but try to make the process faster.

    Jean paused as she walked past Spence, who was still knocked out on the ground. Carl looked at her in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Kill him.¡± Jean said.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Carl frowned. He was fine with knocking him out and leaving him here to die, but killing him directly...

    ¡°He attacked us. He is our enemy.¡± Jean persisted. She didn''t want to babysit Carl all the time. ¡°Kill him.¡±

    ¡°He''s a human. He¡¯s unarmed and defenseless.¡± Carl tried to come up reasons to escape what had to be done.

    ¡°I was unarmed and defenseless, and that didn¡¯t stop him from taking me hostage. He is an enemy. If we let him go now, who knows what he will do in the future?¡± She saw Carl was still doubting, so she made a final push. ¡°Mercy to your enemies is cruelty to your friends. I would rather let my enemies die than let those I care about suffer. I hope you can make the same decision¡±

    Carl sighed and looked at the wounds on Jean¡¯s body. The girl was right. If Spence lived, there was no telling what he might do in the future. Jean was lucky enough to survive this time, but if he strikes again, the next friend under attack might not be so lucky. Carl didn¡¯t want to let someone he cares about die because he couldn¡¯t do what had to be done.

    He aimed his rifle at Spence¡¯s head, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. A bullet ripped the man¡¯s head open.

    Turning his gaze away from the mess that was once a living man, Carl knelt down and carried Jean in her arms. He knew Jean, on one leg, was too slow. Jean resisted a bit, but nevertheless gave in. Together, they moved toward where the train was.

    If some undead attacked at this point, then they would find an easy prey. Carl knew there was no way he could carry Jean and fight off the zombies at the same time, so he simply tried to walk faster.

    Usually, when someone was afraid of something, that exact thing tends to happen. This was precisely what was happening now as Carl heard growls from behind him.  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Hold on.¡± Carl gripped to Jean tightly and started running. He took a second to turn back and look, and realized zombies were pouring out of a hallway. It was just a couple zombies at first, but the sound of their growls attracted more and more zombies in just seconds. The second time Carl looked, the zombie count was in the dozens and growing.

    As he moved, Carl could feel his body aching. He wasn¡¯t an athlete before being a recruit, and all the running and fighting had made him way too tired to carry a sixteen year old girl while running. The growls got closer and closer. He knew it would be ten seconds tops before he was caught up and hunted down. There was no way he could fight dozens of undead by himself. He also knew he could last a few more seconds if he abandoned Jean.

    He looked at the girl in his arms, who was already unconscious. If he dropped her now, she would leave this world peacefully. Even if he could save her, she would be too wounded to contribute to or even survive the mission. In that case, why shouldn''t he leave her to buy himself some time? No one could blame him for trying to save himself. Carl''s eyes turned cold.

    And he kept on running...with a certain blonde in her arms.

    For some reason the zombies were never able to get close enough to reach him. Afterward, Carl concluded he must be running faster than he thought because of all the adrenaline and fear. The truth? No one knew.

    Turning around another corner, Carl saw the train. The rest of the team were already on the train. Carl could see Rain and Alice standing at the door, waiting for him. As soon as they saw him, they started firing on the horde of zombies in pursuit. Carl could feel the bullets fly by him and land in the undead behind, resulting in some extremely painful roars.

    Carl ignored the bullets. The distance from where he was to the train took three seconds. With one final leap, he landed in the train. He was about to fall over, but Alice lended him a hand and held him up.

    ¡°Get the train moving!¡± Carl didn¡¯t have time to thank the blonde. Zombies were swarming up, and two guns couldn¡¯t stop the fearless beasts from going after their food. The train needed to move now.

    Laying Jean on the floor of the train, he turned around and grabbed onto the rifle that was strapped to his belt and fired on the approaching zombies. Rain and Addison came to help as well, each carrying an automatic rifle. A storm of bullets washed over the incoming zombies and held them back for the time being. The gunshots attracted more zombies and even a few lickers, but they were too late. The train was already moving, and the zombies could only chase after the train as it gradually gained speed. As slow as the train seemed to be, it was much faster than the rotting legs of the zombies. The lickers could catch up to the train, but somehow they failed to do so.

    Killing one licker with random bullets is luck. Killing several is hinting of a conspiracy.

    As they got out of danger, the team immediately assembled around Jean. Even though they have just met for a few hours, the relationship between most of the team was close. The amount of trust fighting side by side could bring was impressive.

    ¡°What happened to her?¡± Alice asked, eyeing the menacing wounds and asking the question most of the team was wondering. Licker claws were different from zombie scratches and rifle wounds.

    ¡°Spence pushed her in front of a licker.¡± Carl checked Jean¡¯s wounds. They were still bleeding.

    ¡°That dick.¡± Rain cursed angrily. ¡°He¡¯d better not meet me.¡±

    ¡°I killed him.¡± Carl replied concisely, skipping over the event. ¡°We need to get her medical attention. In fact, we all need medical attention.¡± He looked at the wounds some of the team received from the undead. From the Red Queen they have learned that scratches from the infected could make them infected as well. The thought of turning into creatures with peeled flesh, rotting flesh, and cracking bone was enough to make the elite soldiers shiver.

    Alice suddenly remembered something. She turned and ran to a corner of the train and pulled out a briefcase. In it were several syringes containing green liquid. ¡°Anti-virus.¡± She explained shortly, handing the syringes to the infected. Two of the mercenaries took it without any hesitation. Alice took one for herself as well. A long scratch was on her arm. The road here for the team except Jean and Carl wasn¡¯t easy either.

    ¡°Is it going to work? We have been infected nearly an hour ago.¡± Carl asked doubtfully as he injected himself and Jean with the syringes. The green liquid brought some coolness into his burning body, but most of his body was still on fire. If there were results, it was limited.

    ¡°It needs to work.¡± Rain decided. Her friend JD was one of the infected mercenaries.

    Carl nodded, not wanting to argue, but deep down he wondered what would happen if the anti-virus failed. He didn¡¯t go through all this trouble to become a zombie.

    As the sound of the train running through the track continued, Carl was horrified to realize the heat within him remained. His mind was getting clouded. Every thought became so slow. His muscles started to ache. Both his mind and his body was failing.

    Carl didn¡¯t like where this was going.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 16: Massacre

    Twenty minutes ago. Outside the mansion connected to The Hive.

    Umbrella had no idea what was happening within the facility. In fact, without a mean to contact the Sanitation Team(for some reason), they even have reason to believe there was an entire army of enemies within the research facility ready to break out. With this in mind, the only exit of the Hive was tightly guarded.

    A twenty men division was put into a defensive formation in front of the exit of the mansion. Four snipers took four separate sniping positions that allowed them to see everything coming out of the house. The rest of the team was scattered around in groups of two, allowing them to have the maximum chance of surviving if they were attacked by weapons with area effect.

    The captain of the Umbrella forces suddenly twitched as he saw the door of the house open. Two people walked out. One was a giant man carrying a menacing Gatling gun. The second was an Asian woman. She wasn¡¯t carrying any firearm in her hands, but two pistols were in her belt and a giant rifle was on her back.

    The captain frowned. He recognized them. They were two of the mercenaries sent into the Hive to investigate and neutralize the threat. The question was why were they here. Where was the rest of the team? Did they neutralize the threat?

    ¡°Men, stay alert. Rick, go to them and ask what is happening.¡± The captain ordered as he himself remained behind the safe cover of a black SUV. The information he was given told him the two were friends, but a gut instinct told a completely different story. Soldiers like him trusted their instincts. Rick was one of his men closest to the mansion.

    The unfortunate soul stood up behind his cover and walked toward the two. He wasn¡¯t stupid. The fact that the rest of his team was behind some sort of cover with their weapons raised meant following orders might not be the best course of action for him. Still, orders were orders. Stand up and approach, and he might live. Refuse to obey a direct order, and he might as well be dead.

    Meanwhile, Ivan and Xia were having a nice, perfect, innocent conversation.

    ¡°Kill them all, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    When Rick walked to the two, both were silently reading their weapons. The man didn¡¯t need to use his brain to realize something was wrong, but his confidence in the sanity of the two people facing him still convinced him to hold his ground. No one would be foolish enough to attack in front of twenty men, right? They might just be readying their weapons because it was their habit to clean their arms after a battle...

    He immediately realized he was the foolish one when the woman pulled out a pistol and put it to his head.

    ¡°What are you doing? We are not your enemy¡­¡± A gunshot put an end to his confusion.

    The captain didn¡¯t bother to mourn the loss of one of his men. Unlike the Sanitation Team that had trained and fought together in many battles, this team had much fewer trust and friendship between its members.

    ¡°Take them alive!¡± The Umbrella commanders would want to know what happened in The Hive.

    One of the snipers grinned in bloodthirst. Alive didn¡¯t mean unharmed. In fact, it didn¡¯t even mean intact. He aimed his sniper rifle at the woman¡¯s leg. It would be a pity for someone with such a pretty face to lose a limb, not that he cared.

    The next second a gunshot pierced the air.

    The sniper collapsed on the ground. A bloody hole in his left eye. A bullet just went through the sight of his sniper rifle, into his left eye, went through the brain, and came out the other end.

    On the ground, Xia smirked. Trying to show off sniper skills against her...that man was very optimistic.

    Maybe the sniper was well hidden, but not well hidden enough to fool Xia¡¯s eyes.

    Xia¡¯s eyes were modified for combat.They seemed perfectly normal on the outside, but ithey were actually modified and armed with almost all the functions of the voyager goggle. For one thing, her eyes held an x-ray function that allowed her to spot all the enemies that considered themselves well covered. In fact, they were as obvious as a black circle on a white sheet of paper.

    This, paired up with her modified pistols that had cheating accuracy, allowed her to kill snipers like they were nothing.

    The sniper was just the first, but he would not be the last. As soon as the first shot was fired, the rest of the Umbrella forces opened fire. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Xia and Ivan immediately took cover behind several stone pillars. Bullets flew by their ears and clashed into obstacles all around them.

    Ivan licked his lips and heated up his Gatling gun. On the way here he had already inserted his voyager suit underneath his mercenary one. It made him seem larger, but its weight was nothing compared to his enhanced strength and the amount of defenses it could provide was well worth the cost. Of course, the suit protected his body, but not his head. As someone whose top priority was his own safety, there was no reason for Ivan to ignore such a glaring weakness. He put on a giant helmet which covered his entire head and left no opening for bullets to enter.

    The bullets stopped for a few seconds as the soldiers realized there was very few results. The stone pillars weren¡¯t thin enough to be taken down by a few bullets. They merely kept their weapons raised. The captain spoke an order, and two mercenaries left their cover and approached the stone pillars.

    Suddenly, a giant figure leaped out into the open. The Gatling gun in his hands was pointed at the two mercenaries approaching. The man had no hesitation as he unleashed hell.

    The two mercenaries barely had time to take cover before a storm of metal ripped them apart. Their kevlar did next to nothing in terms of protecting them. As soon as they were gone, the man didn¡¯t even pause as he turned to the rest of the mercenaries who were behind various covers and continued his firing.

    The mercenary captain responded quickly and tucked himself behind an SUV, which saved him from a sudden death like several of his men. The machine gun rounds washed over the defenses and took out whatever body part that wasn¡¯t covered by something solid. A few mercenaries risked their lives and fired on Ivan, but their bullets had no effect. Some bullets actually connected and were deflected, but in the chaos of the battlefield no one saw that. As far as the captain knew, all his men missed. The few brave men were immediately taken down.

    ¡°Sniper! Kill him!¡± The captain knew his men were already pinned down after losing the upper hand. Anyone that tried to poke his head out would be gunned down before they could fire. Snipers were completely different. There was no way the Gatling gun could reach them.

    The three snipers, previously four but lost one to Xia, focused on the giant man. One of them aimed at his head while the other two aimed at his chest. They were no longer trying to take the machine gun wearing manic alive. He had already killed several of their comrades. If they tried to take him alive only god knows how many more mercenaries would die. Umbrella high command would want to know what happened in The Hive, but their loyalty to Umbrella wasn¡¯t high enough to convince them to risk their lives.

    One of the snipers aiming at Ivan¡¯s chest pulled the trigger. His figure shook as the penetrating round flew toward Ivan. It reached its target in less than a second.

    But what the sniper expected to happen, a bloody hole in the man¡¯s chest, was nowhere to be seen. The man merely stumbled. His armor stopped the bullet and his enhanced strength protected his intestines from being ripped apart by the impact.

    All three snipers frowned. The sniper that fired reloaded and the two orders started putting pressure on their triggers. He could shrug off one bullet. Could he do the same to two? Four? Eight?

    They would never find out the answer.

    Suddenly, Xia poked her head out behind the cover. The pistols in her hands were replaced by a single sniper rifle. She positioned her rifle and barely aimed before firing. Three shots were done in two seconds.

    The mercenary captain smirked. Sniper rifles weren¡¯t used this way. Machine guns favored suppressing fire. Sniper rifles favored accuracy. Only fools would fire a sniper rifle like this. His smug immediately disappeared when a short groan came through the comm. He recognized it to be one of his snipers.

    ¡°Report. Report now!¡± He demanded futilely, but there was nothing from the snipers.

    ¡°What do we do, captain?¡± A soldier asked. The Gatling sound has quieted down, but none of the soldiers were naive enough to think they were safe.

    ¡°Call for reinforcements.¡± The captain commanded. The Umbrella commanders in Racoon City should¡¯ve heard of all the gunshots and stuff, but he wasn¡¯t taking any chances.

    The soldier beside him nodded and took out a phone. The comm of within the team was different from the comm with Umbrella commanders. Before he could press the buttons, his head suddenly exploded.

    The mercenary captain¡¯s face turned pale as the man beside him collapsed and fell. He had seen dead people before, but the surprise of a comrade suddenly dying terribly shocked him. More importantly, how did he die? He was behind the same cover the captain was behind. The captain looked at the SUV and realized a giant hole was in the vehicle.

    Xia smirked. The sniper rifle in her grip was her main weapon. Modified with nearly a hundred red crystals worth of enhancements and powered with red crystals, it could punch through a voyager battle suit with a few hits. An SUV was hardly an obstacle.

    With the help of her modified vision, she started picking off the mercenaries one by one. It was a waste to spend red crystals on these ordinary human beings, but this was a necessary cost for greater profit in the future.

    Sniper shots kept on echoing through the air. With every shot, one mercenary would collapse in a puddle of his own blood. Whether he was behind a stone pillar, a car, or anything else, the result would be the same. One shot. One kill. The mercenaries were dying by the seconds.

    ¡°It¡¯s a slaughter.¡± A man gripped his weapon tightly and said through the comm. The weapon could no longer provide him with the safety it usually did.

    ¡°We need to move! If we stay in this position, we will die before reinforcements come!¡± The captain realized. ¡°We move in three.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir! Ah!¡± The man went silent.

    ¡°Three, two, one, go!¡± All the mercenaries still alive jumped out of their cover. It was now or never.

    The sound of Gatling gun ranged, followed by the sound of desperate screams and bodies hitting the ground.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 17: Blood Transfer

    Ivan knelt down and stepped on the head of a mercenary that was lucky, or rather unlucky, enough to survive the previous onslaught. The man¡¯s eyes shined hope and plea for mercy, but Ivan ignored it. A bullet sent him to join his brothers.

    ¡°Jean should be here by now,¡± He moved his foot off the body. ¡°that is, if she¡¯s coming¡­¡± He trailed off but started again when Xia gave no response. ¡°As much as I trust her, there is a possibility she will not be joining us.¡±

    The woman stood still. Behind her, a man with one arm slowly pulled out a sidearm. A fragment of hope appeared in his eyes, but before he could pull the trigger Xia turned around with a pistol in her grip.

    Following the gunshot ranged, Xia finally came up with a response.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean? We need to bring t-virus to the outside world. As far as we know Jean might be helping Carl slaughter every undead in The Hive! Our entire plan may be lost because of the foolishness of one girl!¡± He said rather emotionally.

    Xia smirked and tapped her watch. Ivan would be a fool to think she really trusted someone else to complete a part this important. Immediately, a few zombie bodies appeared out of nowhere. As soon as they hit the ground, the t-virus they contained started to contaminate the dead mercenaries.

    ¡°As I said, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    <hr>

    Within the mansion.

    One of the infected, Warner, suddenly collapsed.

    The team has already left the train and was walking through the mansion. Out of the eight survivors, five were injured. This significantly slowed down their speed.

    Addison frowned and wanted to check on him, but Alice grabbed onto his arm and held him back. The man threw the blonde a questioning look before realizing Alice probably saved his life.

    The mercenary rose again, only not as a human being.

    ¡°The anti-virus didn¡¯t work.¡± Carl stated the painful fact. His gradually growing symptoms have suggested that a while ago, but he was subconsciously denying it. Yet the brutal truth simply smashed its way in front of Carl and laughed at his face.

    The newly turned zombie roared and charged at Alice. The latter expertly took out her pistol and shot the zombie in the head, killing it. They have encountered more than enough zombies in the past hours to be able to kill their kind with their eyes closed.

    The enemy was dead, but the scene was silent for a while. The corpse of the zombie was still warm, constantly reminding them of the terrible fate of half the team.  Rain silently held onto JD¡¯s hand, offering some comfort. Even soldiers as experienced with battle as they were were afraid of dying. Soldiers were human too. It was only common nature for human beings to fear death.

    Carl stood silently. He hadn¡¯t been himself ever since he took the anti-virus and nothing changed. The fact that he knew he was going to die was enough to crush his spirit. After all, a few hours ago he was still a college student. What happened in that several hours changed him a lot, but it wasn''t enough to make him someone that could face death with a smile. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Alice touched the wound on her arm. It still stung, but stinging was all it did. There was no burning feeling. There was no dizziness. There was nothing but the pain the wound itself brought.

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling anything wrong.¡± She suddenly said.

    ¡°What?¡± Rain looked at Alice. The strong woman was clearly hurt, but she was trying to cover it. Rain wasn¡¯t the type that would turn and cry when she was sad. She would start cursing and fighting until the end.

    ¡°I am not experiencing any symptoms.¡± Alice repeated. ¡°Everyone else scratched is getting all tired and slow, but I am not feeling any of that. In fact, I feel better than ever.¡±

    The rest of the team looked at her, confused. What was special was Alice that made her impervious to this virus deadly to everyone else?

    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± Alice scanned the rest of the team person to person. ¡°It means this virus is not affecting me, at least not negatively. It¡¯s like my body has somehow adapted the virus.¡±

    Addison frowned. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but...¡±

    ¡°But what?¡± Rain asked impatiently.

    ¡°But we don¡¯t know if we can use it to our advantage.¡± Carl voiced out the concern. There was no hope at all in his eyes as Alice informed the team of her discovery. He knew Umbrella has spent all its resources trying to find a way to combine human body and t-virus with Alice, but all the attempts have failed. There was no way a couple soldiers on a tight schedule could accomplish what armies of scientists with the most advanced gadgets couldn¡¯t achieve in years. They were already doomed.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re trying it.¡± Rain decided. It wasn¡¯t her personality to just give up and let her friends die. The medic was the first casualty, but the rest of the team have taken her equipment. Among the equipment were devices for a certain purpose. She took out a few syringes and needles.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Transferring blood. Hopefully whatever in it can...fuck the science!¡± Rain cursed and walked to Alice. Everyone knew she was getting desperate over an impossible plan. There was no scientific proof that this plan even had a fragment of a chance of working. However, they also knew Rain needed something to hang on to. If she tried to help and JD died anyways, at least she could tell herself she tried.

    The blonde held her arm out and didn¡¯t falter as the female mercenary took some blood from her and injected it into JD. Jean stood up and did a similar thing. A syringe full of Alice¡¯s blood, she returned to Carl and held her hand out. Her arms were wounded before, but they were treated and wrapped up on the train ride here. The bleeding has stopped.

    ¡°Give me your arm.¡± She demanded.

    Carl smirked. ¡°We both know it won¡¯t work. If some blood from Alice can revert the virus then she would¡¯ve used it multiple times in the original history. That didn¡¯t happen, which means it will not work here either. I am a dead man.¡± He just looked at Jean¡¯s arms and realized she was infected as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    That was when Jean snapped. Out of nowhere, the girl that was so nice and strong snapped.

    ¡°Carl¡­¡± She paused when she realized she didn¡¯t know Carl¡¯s last name. Doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°What the hell is wrong with you?¡± She looked at Carl. The man turned away in shame. ¡°The Carl I knew took down an armed thug and a licker to save a friend. He saved three lives even when everyone else stood by and watched. That Carl, the Carl I know, is too strong to be defeated by a little virus.¡± She handed him the syringe in her hand.

    ¡°And even if there is no more hope, that Carl will fight a way out or die trying.¡±

    Carl smiled weakly before taking the syringe and stabbing it into his left arm. Pushing the blood inside, he couldn¡¯t deny that he had a fraction of a fragment of hope within him. However, before the blood could come into effect, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him. He knew his time was up. He was a dead man. Collapsing on the ground, he closed his eyes, tired but satisfied.

    At least he tried. He failed and the result was the same, but at least he tried. That¡¯s all that mattered.

    Normally speaking the blood transfer would accomplish absolutely nothing and both JD and Carl would die in pain, but this was not a normal situation. It was never a normal situation when someone had a guardian angel, devil, watching over him.

    This was why, a few hours later, Carl woke up and found himself still human.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 18: Xias warning

    A few hours ago.

    Jean injected herself with Alice¡¯s blood before turning around and realizing Carl was on the ground.

    She would carry him, but immediately she realized she was supposed to be heavily wounded. Almost desperate, she threw a look at Alice for help.

    Alice sighed. She was immune to t-virus, which meant even if Carl turned into a zombie she would be safe. As someone that killed dozens of zombies, she was more than capable of fending for herself. She walked to Carl and carried him between her arms.

    The team walked for a few more steps before JD suddenly collapsed. Rain bit her lips, but the mercenary part of her knew there was nothing she could do. Just like she imagined, JD rose again as an undead.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Rain bit her lips so hard she tasted blood.

    Jean put a bullet in the zombie¡¯s head and remained quiet as the body fell. Everyone knew what this meant.

    ¡°My blood didn¡¯t work.¡± Alice whispered.

    ¡°Just because it didn¡¯t work with JD doesn¡¯t mean it will not work with me and Carl.¡± Jean insisted. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The survivors, Alice, Addison, Rain, Kaplan, and Vance, followed her out of the mansion.

    <hr>

    ¡°What the hell happened when we were gone?¡±

    Walking out of the mansion, most of the team thought they would be leaving the world of the dead and into that of the living. After all, the t-virus outbreak was just within The Hive. All the death and destruction it brought would remain in that facility. Outside, law and order still prevailed. Right?

    Looking at an undead with one arm missing, they knew they couldn¡¯t be more wrong.

    ¡°He was an Umbrella soldier.¡± Rain observed the zombie just before he was taken out. His black battle suit and tactical gadgets told her of his former identity.

    ¡°How...how did this happen?¡± Addison¡¯s mouth was wide open.

    ¡°Something happened here when we were in The Hive. Somehow the virus got out into the open.¡± Jean stared into a distance. She could hear the sound of undead roaring and firearms firing. Whoever spread the virus, they moved quickly. Already she could sense hundreds of infected within Racoon City, and that number was growing exponentially.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Rain no longer had an idea. Before this point her only objective was to get out of The Hive and report back to Umbrella about what happened. Despite knowing Umbrella was creating bioweapons and personally suffering the destruction these bioweapons brought, the Sanitation Team was still under Umbrella. Like it or not, the mercenaries still had a company to fall back to. Maybe they would retire/quit afterward, but the thought of escaping to safety always remained in their minds.

    Now that the entire city was under attack from the undead and there was no telling what happened to Umbrella, she had no idea what to do. There was no escaping when the world was burning. The same could be said for the rest of the mercenaries as they stood around with a haunted look.

    ¡°We need to find a place to regroup and come up with a plan,¡± Jean turned around and looked at Carl. ¡°and to treat the wounded.¡± Her tone was determined, and the group obeyed her since there was no plan B.

    The team found their way into an abandoned house. The three mercenaries left secured the house while Alice laid Carl down in a bedroom.

    Jean walked to Carl and touched his arm. She remained in that position for nearly a minute before a few clicks caught her attention.

    ¡°The house owners are infected.¡± Rain said loudly from upstairs. What she did to them didn¡¯t need to be said.

    ¡°Copy that.¡± Jean replied as random gunshots came from outside the house. She turned around and walked out of the bedroom. ¡°I will clear the perimeter. If I¡¯m not back in ten minutes, send help.¡± She said loudly and left before anyone could question it.

    Walking out of the front door, she circled around the house. Two zombies were in her way...briefly. Suddenly, she stopped still.

    A figure emerged behind her.

    ¡°This was not the plan.¡± Jean said without turning.

    ¡°Plan?¡± The figure smirked. ¡°Which part of the plan included saving the natives?¡± She focused on the word plan. ¡°You were supposed to lead some zombies here. Instead, you decided to scratch that plan without contacting us and bring human beings out instead. Any reasons?¡± If she didn¡¯t have a habit of not fully trusting others, their plan of harvesting resources would be wasted. In fact, her life would be on the stake as without the zombies Umbrella would be a formidable enemy. The might of half the planet wasn¡¯t something a few voyagers could challenge.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    Jean turned around and faced Xia. A small hesitation was on her face before being replaced by a look of determination. ¡°I don¡¯t answer to you.¡± She replied coldly.

    Xia was still in her black mercenary suit, but a small part of it was stained red. Two pistols were strapped to her belt. Jean noticed Xia¡¯s hands were not far away from her weapons.

    ¡°Well, in that case,¡± She smirked and tapped something on her watch. Jean felt a buzz and realized she was kicked out of the team she, Xia, and Ivan formed. In a temporary team, as long as the majority of the team, or the team leader, which is not decided in this case, agreed to kick a member out, that voyager would be exiled from the team. The team mechanism was how Xia told Jean to meet her here.

    The two remained silent for a few seconds.

    ¡°How did you get your wounds?¡± Xia suddenly started after seeing the opening on three of Jean¡¯s four limbs. Her tone was getting slightly softer.

    Jean looked down on her treated wounds and didn¡¯t answer. The injuries were treated, but in order to pretend to be normal she didn¡¯t heal them instantly. There was some blood, and she never had the chance to change.

    ¡°You are a voyager, Jean, a voyager! How in the world did you get injured by a couple zombies? The lickers shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Even if you can¡¯t win, you have no problem escaping intact!¡± Jean was still silent, but Xia saw something from her expression. ¡°Carl, isn¡¯t it? He made you soft. He distracted you.¡± For some reason, she sounded more feeling sorry than being angry. As for why she knew it was Carl, it was obvious Jean didn¡¯t give a damn about the natives like the mercenaries or Alice. If she did she wouldn¡¯t be agreeing on unleashing the undead. Thus the only reason Jean changed her mind would be the recruit. ¡°You were a perfect voyager with a great chance of surviving the mission, and he distracted you so much that you got hurt by a few zombies.¡± She said with disdain.

    ¡°Like I said before, I don¡¯t answer to you.¡± Jean persisted. ¡°Now, if you have nothing else to speak to me, I will be leaving. Our deal is done.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± Xia stopped Jean. The blonde silently rested her hands on the pistols on her belt. Luckily, Xia didn¡¯t have any hostile intentions. ¡°Just a word of advice.¡±

    Jean¡¯s hands left her weapons, showing her willingness to listen. Xia sighed deeply and continued.

    ¡°We live in a cruel world, Jean.¡± She whispered. ¡°The day we became a voyager is the day our lives were completely changed. Since that day, if we want to survive, we need to learn to give up certain things. For example, love.¡± She looked into Jean¡¯s eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t suffer much in your first mission, did you?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡± Jean replied. Maybe a tiny bit of that might be, to a degree, true.

    ¡°Well, I did.¡± Xia smiled, but deep down she had a haunted look. ¡°I can still remember that day. The day when me, and a few other recruits, arrived into that world. One of the recruits was a man.¡± Her voice became even quieter. ¡°He was the perfect person. Handsome. Honest. Caring. Brave.¡± Xia seemed to be adding every single complement she could think of onto that man. ¡°Lovely.¡±

    ¡°He betrayed you.¡± Jean skipped to the most important part. She knew where this was going.

    ¡°All five of us fought side by side. In the end, only two of us survived. He and I. In the end, we both received a precious gadget.¡± She continued, sinking too deep into her memory to mind what Jean was saying. ¡°Apparently he thought two were better than one.¡±

    Jean¡¯s mouth hung open, but no words came out. She didn¡¯t really know what to say.

    Xia lifted up her battle suit and revealed a large piece of skin on her abdomen. Right in the middle was an angry red scar that ran deep across.

    ¡°He stabbed me in the back and killed me,¡± She looked at the mark and explained blankly. ¡°but that bastard had no idea every voyager had a chance to be brought back upon death. I have already given up, but then I was saved and completely healed.¡± She grinned mockingly. ¡°I wonder what the look on his face was when he learned that news.¡±

    ¡°Then how come you still have that mark?¡± Jean questioned. ¡°You were completely healed.¡±

    ¡°Oh this?¡± Xia shrugged and ran her finger across the scar. ¡°I carved it on myself. It reminds me of the lesson that man taught me.¡± A look of sickness was on her face. A girl needed to be really mentally ill to hurt herself like this.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what happened to you,¡± Jean said slowly. ¡°but I don¡¯t see how that has anything to do with me.¡±

    ¡°It has everything to do with you. Can¡¯t you see? You are in the same position as I was in. You are passionate and trusting. You are sacrificing your potential power and risking your life to help others. It will not end well.¡± Xia outbursted. ¡°When I was betrayed, I didn¡¯t die instantly. In fact, it took me at least an hour to fully die. Do you know what I was doing in that hour?¡±

    Jean remained silent.

    ¡°I was thinking, and it didn¡¯t take me long to come to a conclusion. For people like us, love doesn¡¯t matter. Sympathy doesn¡¯t matter. The only thing that matters is the power we hold. Our power is the only thing that means anything to us. With sufficient power, we can get anything we want. Without enough power, we are nothing. This is why it is so stupid to sacrifice power for the faint feeling you call love. Anything that stands in the way of power is an obstacle and needs to be removed.¡±

    If Jean wasn¡¯t emotionless she would be laughing at the irony. Just hours ago she was telling Carl how important power is. Now the role was reversed. However, this conversation wasn¡¯t meaningless. At least she gained key information about a fellow voyager. This might be important some day.

    ¡°Again, I apologize for what happened to you, but I am different, and so is Carl.¡± Despite what Jean really thought inside, the character she was trying to portray in front of the voyagers was a voyager who was somewhat determined but still naive inside. This was the only way she could get close enough and get the trust of Carl. Someone of her profile shouldn¡¯t be convinced by a few words.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Xia didn¡¯t insist any further. The only reason she was having this conversation with Jean was because she saw the older version of her in this blonde. Whether or not Jean believed in her didn¡¯t matter. The Asian turned around and left, but not before giving a final warning.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t meet again, but if we do, don¡¯t get in my way.¡±

    "You have already threatened my cause once. This time I will let it go. You will not have the same luxury the next time."

    When Xia was gone, Jean silently walked back into the house.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 19: Breaking out

    The first thing Carl saw was a certain blonde looking down on her. Immediately he looked at his hands and was more than relieved to realize it wasn¡¯t rotting.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Jean smiled.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Carl replied. ¡°How long was I out?¡±

    ¡°About an hour.¡± she answered. ¡°We were lucky. Alice¡¯s blood worked on us.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°The same can¡¯t be said for JD.¡±

    Carl closed his eyes for a few seconds before standing up from the bed. A few gunshots from outside suddenly caught his attention. This was not exactly what he imagined to hear in the outside world. ¡°What was that?¡±

    Jean¡¯s mouth hung open for a second before telling the truth. ¡°Somehow the infection was spread into the outside world.¡± She saw an angry look on Carl and immediately explained. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. It was Xia and Ivan. They must¡¯ve brought zombie bodies to the outside world.¡± In fact Jean knew they did. After all, she saw Xia collecting infected bodies, but Carl didn¡¯t need to know that. It was for his own safety.

    Carl groaned and slammed his fist onto a stand. In his anger, he didn¡¯t see the mark his fist left on the desk. Standing up, he demanded. ¡°Where are we?¡±

    ¡°We are in a house in Racoon City, but we need to move quickly.¡± They both knew a nuke would be coming this way in no time.

    Carl walked out of the bedroom and met up with the rest of what was left of the team. They entered the Hive with twelve men, fifteen including Alice, Addison, and Spence. Just a few hours later there were only seven of them left. The medic died at the laser hallway. JD and Warner died by t-virus. Xia and Ivan left. Shade died via chewing. Spence got shot in the head. Carl felt something was wrong and he counted the names again, but nothing special came out. Shrugging, he classified that feeling as being too tired.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± The mercenaries looked at Carl as Rain asked. Usually decisions in the Sanitation Team were made by Shade. The rest of the team simply complied. Now that Shade was gone, what was left of the team subconsciously looked for a substitute leader. In this case, it was Carl.

    ¡°We need to warn the rest of the world about this.¡± Addison suggested. He was always against Umbrella and wanted to expose its secrets to the world. This case was no different. Rain looked at him but didn¡¯t say anything. Her loyalty to Umbrella was no longer enough to convince her to turn on someone that fought with her side by side. Plus, even her thought t-virus was too much. It was already ending the world, and as its cause Umbrella was completely responsible.

    Jean pointed at outside. Her power told her the infected count have already grown to thousands. ¡°Oh I¡¯m certain something like this can¡¯t be covered up. I think our top priority is to get out of here. The police are gradually overrun. If we want to escape, we need to do it quickly.¡±

    Carl nodded. ¡°Map?¡±

    Kaplan pulled out a map of Racoon City on his computer. A red line representing the Umbrella barricade surrounded the city. ¡°The only way out is Raven Gate Bridge, and that is heavily guarded by Umbrella forces. They are scanning the civilians and letting them through one by one. It¡¯s going slowly.¡±

    ¡°We will never make it through the gate in time. Everyone in the city is going there.¡± Alice reasoned. Jean and Carl didn¡¯t need to use logic to know the gate was a bad idea. Their memory was enough to tell them Umbrella would close the gate quickly, sealing everyone still left in the city to death by zombies.

    ¡°We¡¯re in a giant city. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s only one way out.¡± Jean pointed at several other points. ¡°This is the closest spot.¡± She looked at Carl meaningfully. ¡±So what do you say? Do we leave as soon as possible or...¡±

    Carl frowned. He knew what Jean meant. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± He looked at his watch, not for voyager purposes but for the watch itself. ¡°We move in ten minutes. Get ready.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Jean answered rather formerly. The rest of the team departed, getting ready for the next fight.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, at the Umbrella barricade at Raven Gate Bridge, two figures stood among the crowd of civilians. They weren¡¯t carrying any obvious weapons, but a cold look in their eyes differentiate them from the frightened men and women around them.

    Among the civilians, a man suddenly collapsed on the ground, coughing. The civilians had no idea what was happening, but both the Umbrella commanding officer and the two voyagers knew what this meant.

    ¡°They¡¯re going to close the gate.¡± Xia tapped on her watch. If the gate was closed, then they might be stuck in the city. As strong as they were, it¡¯s not like they could just jump over the wall. Eventually, as soon as the important personnel were evacuated, Umbrella High Command would launch a nuclear missile at the city. Even voyager battle suits couldn¡¯t stand against a direct blast of a nuclear explosion. If they wanted to move, they needed to do it now. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    A pair of black pistols solidified in her hands. The few civilians that saw her weapons turned and fled, not that she killed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ivan saw a person on the wall talking to an Umbrella soldier beside him. Wasting no time, he wiped his hand on his watch and dropped two grenades on the ground. Immediately, a thick layer of smoke covered the crowd.

    Racoon City civilians were already on high alert. Being woken up in the middle of the night by screams from outside and running miles only to get blocked by armed forces, they were already an explosive waiting to be lit. The smoke was the last spark. As smoke covered the field, screams and complaints soon followed. People started to run around like headless chicken.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±  Major Timothy Cain, commander of the Umbrella forces in the city, frowned at the chaos below. He knew there should be some chaos when he closed the gate and condemned those below to death, but that didn¡¯t explain the smoke. Doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Close the gate.¡± He repeated.

    ¡°But our men are still down there!¡± A captain said with disbelief. Sending civilians to die was bad enough, but that should be fine against an iron first. The unarmed people could only yield and comply against an army of soldiers, but if Cain was to send a part of the soldiers to die...there was no telling what the rest of the soldiers would do. The single order might do more damage than a small horde of zombies.

    Cain had other concerns. There were mercenaries all over the planet, and Umbrella had enough money to buy an army. A few soldiers could be replaced, but if the infection was spread into the outside world...the best case he would be replaced and sent to a lower position. Worst case? He would be used as a lab rat. Knowing Wesker, Major Cain knew he could do such a thing.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± The captain finally obeyed. Cain made the decision, which meant he would hold the responsibility. He was just obeying orders.

    The metal gate was lowering. At first Umbrella soldiers within the wall were being all nice and cocky and business doing against the crying civilians. They were fine with sending the civilians to die, but the entire time they thought themselves would be evacuated first. That was why they were completely taken by surprise when the door closed and they were still on the wrong side of the wall, stuck with the civilians they were just pushing back.

    Two soldiers closest to the door acted before they could think, and that probably saved their lives. They quickly slipped through the door and to the safe side of the gate. The rest of the men weren¡¯t so fortunate. They could only stare at the closed gate and swear desperately in the comm.

    Ignoring the angry voices in the chat, the captain turned around and was about to leave when he felt a sudden pain in the back of his head. That was the last thing he knew.

    Using the chaos created by shutting off the gate, Xia¡¯s pistols singed without being noticed. The captain was on the wall, but to Xia on the wall was the same as within five feet. The man was the first, but he was not the last. Before the Umbrella forces could even see where the shot came from(Xia¡¯s pistols had silencers and the smoke covered her), several other Umbrella soldiers were dropped. The black helmets were ripped open by flying bullets. Bodies fell down from the wall and were transformed into bags of flesh.

    Major Cain was on the ground as soon as the first shot came out. He wasn¡¯t a combatant, so he wasn¡¯t the first priority.

    ¡°Fight back!¡± The man yelled while backing up. This wall could not fall. Wesker would have his head, certainly figuratively and maybe even literally. ¡°Take them out!¡±

    The sound of automatic rifles firing echoed through the scene as soldiers retaliated. Since the smoke grenades were launched, most of the civilians have turned back and fled into the city. The few police officers joined them. Umbrella troopers did their best to fire into the smoke, but how were they supposed to kill the enemy if they couldn¡¯t even see them?

    Umbrella troopers fired into the cloud, but there was no proof that they hit anything. Theoretically speaking the visual block worked both ways, but...looking at another two comrades being shot in the head, the rest of the soldiers wondered what type of monster they were facing.

    To be fair, there was a lot of Umbrella soldiers at the gate. However, major Cain decided to send most of them to be models under the wall to show the world the might of Umbrella. As soon as they were abandoned and shots were fired, they practically turned and ran into the city. Why would they risk their lives for a cause that abandoned them already? Most of what was left of the defenders were in an Umbrella base way behind the wall. They were ready to leave, and calling them back here would take them. Just the two dozen soldiers on the wall were pinned down by the insanely accurate gunner. Anyone that poked his head out would be taken out almost immediately.

    The only thing going well was that the attackers didn¡¯t have a mean to go through the gate. No matter how accurate a pistol was, it couldn¡¯t go through a one meter thick metal gate.

    Major Cain wanted to swear when a rocket slammed into the gate. Immediately, the giant impact of the explosion pushed the gate back. Cain and the rest of the soldiers shook as the wall took the heat.

    When the cloud cleared, one third of the gate was gone. Cain barely had time to take a breath of relief when the second rocket came, and then the third, and then the fourth.

    When the eighth rocket hit, Cain came to a conclusion. ¡°We can¡¯t hold this!¡± He had no idea what sort of madman brought rocket launchers with them, but he did know he didn¡¯t have the men to stop the attackers. If he stood and fought, he might die right here right now. Fail the mission, and he might survive and have a chance to make up for this failure. ¡°Fall back! Retreat!¡± He was the first to flee. The rest of the men abandoned their position as well. Their commander left. Why should they remain?

    When the gate fell and the smoke cleared, Xia and Ivan casually walked through the half destroyed wall.

    Unknown to Carl, someone just opened up a path for human beings to flee the city that would soon be nuked. Then again, this path wasn¡¯t necessarily made for human beings.

    The infected now have a way to leave Racoon City whenever they wanted to.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 20: Jill Valentine

    Former STARS(Special Tactics And Rescue Squad) police officer Jill Valentine put another bullet into the brain of a female undead. The once pretty face that could inspire the desire of most men exploded into a mess no one would ever find attractive¡­ or at least no one should ever find attractive.

    It had been around ten minutes since two maniacs hit the Umbrella checkpoint. As soon as gunshots were fired, the civilians fled into the city. The few police officers that stood their post followed them into the city, doing whatever they could to protect the armed innocent.

    Their actions were noble, but if Jean was the judge she would decide it was stupid. These officers were surrounded and hopeless. Undead were charging at them in every direction. Screams and growls were constant themes. Take out one zombie, and ten more would take its place. The small pistols and light caliber rifles were not even close to enough to counter the undead¡¯s infinite desire for flesh. Even an entire truck of STARS reinforcements couldn¡¯t change the tide of battle. Several helicopters of Umbrella reinforcements didn¡¯t help much either.

    But they were still holding. It was their duty to fight until their last bullet. Those that were still here were the most determined of the city. The lesser were gone already.

    Beside Jill, a fellow police officer was pushed onto the ground by a zombie. Jill turned her pistol and blasted that zombie¡¯s head open. Zombie blood washed over the man¡¯s face, but it was better than death by teeth. However. as soon as she turned back, one half of a head was in front of her, along with two lines of bloody teeth.

    Jill was completely taken by surprise. Not even going through her mind, she stumbled back as fast as she could, but the zombie wasn¡¯t going to stand by and watch its prey flee. It roared and moved forward, and, facing the stinking breath of the beast, Jill closed her eyes in desperation. She didn¡¯t bother screaming.

    That was when the zombie¡¯s neck was ripped open. Spinal cord shattered, the zombie collapsed. Its head was still moving, still biting and spitting and drooling, but the rest of the body was silent.

    Jill ended the zombie¡¯s miserable life with a bullet. She looked at the one that saved her. It was a man carrying an automatic rifle walking down an alleyway. He wore a black mercenary suit that made him seem elite. He continued to fire at the zombies, dropping them like flies. The quick infected were like defenseless lambs as they were put down one by one.

    He wasn¡¯t alone. Six more figures emerged from behind. All of them wore black battle suits just like the first man. Random blood spots only enhanced their menacing look. All of them carried automatic weapons. The quiet sound of silenced guns was quickly followed by the death of the first line of zombies.

    As the battle continued, a beast lurked in the dark. Its long tongue stuck out of its mouth. Its round brain got past the protection of the skull. It looked at the man and, without any warning, jumped out with a speed that could make ordinary zombies turn away in shame.

    ¡°Licker behind you!¡± As he put down two more zombies, Carl suddenly heard a desperate warning from Jean. Having learned a few lessons from his experience in the past hours, he leaped forward without any hesitation or thinking.

    The licker was quick, but Carl was quicker. He escaped where he was before with a speed that shocked even himself.

    Not having time to wonder why he was so fast, the man turned around, dropped the now emptied automatic rifle, and replaced it with an SMG he kept on his belt. The gun¡¯s muzzle jumped, and the licker¡¯s exposed brain exploded. Moving swiftly, Carl got away just in time to dodge the licker¡¯s body as it fell. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    However, instead of a proud smile, a confused look appeared on Carl¡¯s face. Unlike his accident kill in the Hive, this time he knew he killed the licker because he actively took aim and pulled the trigger. It was as if his reflexes were enhanced. The licker¡¯s speed was one of its most important skills as it was what allowed them to take down enemies with the element of surprise. Normally he couldn¡¯t even follow it with his eyes, much less take aim and fire.

    All around him, the rest of the team was expertly massacring the zombies. They were already well trained, and their time in the Hive brought them precious experience. On the way here, they came across a gun store and emptied it, which meant they weren¡¯t running out of ammunition anytime soon. The team was at its peak, and a couple dozen zombies couldn¡¯t stop them.

    ¡°The first wave is done, but more are coming.¡± Rain took down the last zombie and reported.

    This was no place to meditate. Carl nodded at the woman and walked to the police officers.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± A woman in red dress demanded, but her weapon was already lowered.

    ¡°Mercenaries. My name is Carl.¡± Carl replied shortly. ¡°We need to get these people out of here.¡±

    ¡°Jill. Jill Valentine.¡± The woman held her hand out. Carl shook it.

    Jill¡¯s party trusted Carl. The fact that Carl saved their lives was enough to gain trust. The situation was not a place for details either. The first wave of zombies was down, but more were converging toward where the group was. Both the gunshots from the police and the sea of flesh proved to be highly attractive to the infected. Jean and Rain were gunning down zombies as they got close, but it wasn''t a long term solution. They needed to move.

    ¡°How many of you are there?¡± The leader continued. Jill turned and went through the crowd, counting.

    Valentine had quite a reputation in STARS, and it didn¡¯t take her long to come back with the result. When she returned, two men were with her.

    ¡°Captain Jack Hansen of STARS.¡± In the original history the man was killed along with his men when they were overrun. This time what happened was slightly better. ¡°I have 12 men under my command.¡± He had 12.

    ¡°I¡¯m Carlos Olivera of Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service.¡± A man wearing an obvious Umbrella symbol explained. ¡°There are 8 of us left.¡±

    ¡°There are still 9 of us.¡± Jill represented the police forces. Most of the protectors were overran and joined the army of the dead. Most of what were left fled. Those that remained at their post and survived were here. ¡°25 civilians.¡± Jill said darkly. The city held tens of thousands of people.

    Carl nodded at Kaplan, who showed a map on his wrist computer. Carl pointed at a spot. ¡°There should be an exit here. Umbrella sealed it off, but¡­¡± But that was their only chance.

    Jill bit her lips. ¡°We could¡¯ve gotten through the main gate at Raven Gate Bridge, but two idiots attacked that spot and Umbrella closed the gate.¡± She didn¡¯t know major Cain ordered to shut the door because someone in the crowd was infected. As far as she knew, someone attacked the Umbrella forces, causing the commanding officer to close the gate to survival for the civilians. Those two indirectly killed all those people.

    Carl had a brief idea who those two idiots were, but he remained quiet.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move. Armed men stay on the outside. Civilians get in the middle. If we can work together, we can get out of here alive.¡± He said some encouraging words, but the men merely shrugged and smiled weakly.

    As Hansen, Carlos, and Valentine rallied their men, Jean silently approached Carl from behind.

    ¡°We can¡¯t save all of them.¡± She said softly.

    ¡°No, but we can save whatever we can.¡± Carl eyed a ten year old girl. She was gripping tightly to her mother¡¯s arm. Somehow, he could hear their conversation. Normally he would be curious, but the content of the conversation he overheard crushed that curiosity.

    ¡°Mommy, where¡¯s daddy?¡±

    The mother¡¯s face went pale. Her husband was infected while protecting her and her daughter, but what could she say? Tell a ten year old daughter her father was turned into a flesh seeking monster? There was nothing she could do but stay quiet.

    The girl realized something and went quiet as well.

    Carl remained silent as the team started moving.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 21: Ambush

    A small group of people walked by the cold dead street. Bodies barely recognizable covered the field. The bodies still intact were turned into zombies. Those still left were so battered that even t-virus couldn¡¯t reanimate them.

    The combined forces of STARS, police, mercenaries, and Umbrella carefully navigated their way. Men and women with guns formed a circle and protected the civilians within. Their gazes were alert. Their weapon¡¯s safeties were off.

    ¡°How much longer?¡± Carl whispered as he walked.

    ¡°At this pace, less than ten minutes.¡± Kaplan checked the map again.

    Suddenly, a wave of noise appeared from the second half of the group. The advancement came to a sudden halt. Soldiers and civilians alike turned around in confusion.

    ¡°Stay here.¡± Carl told Rain and Alice before turning and walking to the back. Jean followed him. The soldiers from the first half of the group scanned the surrounding with weapons raised.

    At the back, the mother and daughter Carl just saw were at the center of the heat. The mother was on the ground, coughing. Her daughter knelt beside her, tears on her cheek. A ring of soldiers pointed their weapons at the woman on the ground.

    They were way too aware of what was happening. That same thing has happened countless times in front of them and have turned countless innocent into mindless beasts.

    The woman must have been bitten before, and now she was turning into a zombie.

    Carl immediately grabbed onto the girl and ripped her away from her infected mother. This was brutal, but it was better than risking the daughter being bit by her own mother. The girl cried and screamed and kicked, but Carl held a straight face. Passing the girl to Jean, Carl knelt down beside the woman. His pistol was in his grip and pointing at the woman.

    He knew Alice¡¯s blood could counter the infection, but for some reason, it only worked on him and Jean. He had tried giving the same treatment to other infected, but they always ended up dying and turning. He decided that was because voyagers were special. Alice didn¡¯t have enough blood to give every single wounded person a dose of blood. Carl had no idea what to do with the infected woman.

    The woman knew her fate. She has seen her own husband go through the same process, and she knew she was going to die. The only thing she couldn¡¯t lay down was her daughter. She was so young. She was so innocent. There was no way she could live through this hell.

    Her gaze rested on the man standing above her.

    ¡°Please...save her¡­¡± She begged, still coughing.

    Carl silently nodded. A look of relief appeared in the woman¡¯s eyes. She closed her eyes and finished her last breath. Carl remained in his position for a second, knowing what would come.

    That was when the mother growled and stood up. Jean didn¡¯t cover the girl¡¯s eyes as Carl put a bullet in her mother¡¯s face.

    The entire group, now one woman less, continued to move.

    <hr>

    Carl held his fist up and halted the group¡¯s movement. Jean, Alice, and Kaplan gathered around him.

    Carlos and Valentine walked up after realizing the team stopped. ¡°Why are we stopping.¡± Valentine asked with a slight urgency. Every second wasted would be more people lost to the infected.

    ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± Carl explained, glancing through the houses on both sides. They were on a street. Something was screaming trouble, but he just couldn¡¯t come to grip what that was.

    Alice¡¯s mind turned faster than ever. Suddenly, she realized what the problem was.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Where are the undead?¡± Ever since the group was on the move they have been continuously harassed by random zombies jumping out from all directions, whether it was from the streets, from the houses, or from the roofs. Of course, they were easily spotted and gunned down, but for the last minute, there wasn¡¯t a single zombie from any direction. ¡°Where are the undead?¡± She repeated.

    Normally not having any stinking zombie was a good thing, but this was not normal. There should be zombies here, and the fact that they weren¡¯t jumping out into the open meant they were already dealt with. The question was by who.

    In one of the houses, a man in black battle suit frowned as the team they were sent to ambush came to a sudden stop. It was as if they realized something was wrong. Then again, even if they realized it was a trap, it was too late. Their entire force was already in the trap. He turned to a fellow soldier and nodded.

    Behind them, two headless zombies laid lifelessly on the ground.

    On the street, four metal orbs suddenly fell down from above and landed among the group. Carl subconsciously caught one of the orbs like catching a tin of coke¡­

    ...and realized it was a grenade with its safety clip off.

    Carl didn¡¯t even bother going through his mind as he threw the grenade into the air and leaped back, covering his head with his arms to minimize the damage done.

    ¡°Grenade!¡± His desperate warning was instantly overpowered by the loud explosion of the four grenades. Carl felt himself being tossed back and crashing into the ground. A burning pain was inside his body, hinting some internal damage. His ears buzzed, rendering him temporarily deaf. Something salty was in his mouth.

    Blood.

    ¡°Incoming!¡± Carlos screamed, but whoever the attackers were they were planned. Following the four grenades, dozens of gun barrels poked out of the multiple houses on the two sides and started spitting fire. Glass was shattered. Building walls were penetrated. Men were killed.

    The combined force fought back. Bullets were exchanged and there were losses on both sides, but the first four grenades landed in the center mass. The four explosions killed over ten men and wounded twice that number. More importantly, it created chaos. Civilians started to scream and run around blindly, and the only thing they accomplished was mess up the defensive formation of their protectors. That didn¡¯t save their lives either as they were gunned down mercilessly by the attackers. Armed soldiers fired back, but they have lost the upper hand. Sometimes in battle, the upper hand was everything.

    Carl groaned on his back and turned around before seeing a bloody face. It was captain Hansen. Just like Carl, a grenade landed just beside him. Unlike Carl, he wasn¡¯t lucky enough to have the time to throw the grenade away. The explosion happened in his face and killed the experienced soldier instantly.

    Carl couldn¡¯t understand who would want to do such a thing. They were merely protecting civilians and guiding them to safety. Why would someone want to ambush and massacre them?

    His recovered hearing and the loud gunshots all around him told Carl this was no place to think. Crouching behind an abandoned vehicle and taking out a SMG from his watch, he pointed the weapon at a window of the second floor of a house. A gun barallel was poking out of the window. The attacker had no idea he was being spotted.

    The muzzle jumped, and a man in black suit collapsed out of the window and fell onto the street. His Umbrella symbol showed who his loyalty belonged to.

    Not having time to wonder why Umbrella wanted them dead, Carl continued to ravage through the attackers. He took down several man, but the strength of one man couldn¡¯t change the tide of battle. All around him police and soldiers were dying. Civilians were pretty much gone. Automatic weapons of the Umbrella attackers, with the advantage of the high ground, tore their way through kevlar vests and human flesh. The ground was covered by blood. It was a massacre.

    Jill rolled beside Carl. ¡°We need to fall back! We¡¯re pinned down here!¡± If the soldiers could pull back, then they might live through this. Even if the attackers came after them they could still fight back with a lesser disadvantage.

    Carl agreed as he put down another attacker. ¡°Retreat! Fall back!¡± The few survivors that heard her turned and retreated orderly. Carl, Jill, Carlos, and Alice poked their head out of their cover and opened fire.

    An Umbrella soldier popped out of a window with a rocket launcher in his arm. He aimed at the defenders with a bloodthirsty grin, but the next second a hole appeared in his forehead. Carl pulled the trigger.

    The man fell out of the window and was reduced to a bag of flesh. However, as he fell, his finger was still on the trigger of his weapon. At the same time as he made contact with the ground, he unintentionally pulled the trigger.

    A projectile, followed by a trail of smoke, smashed into a house from beside. The flame consumed four Umbrella soldiers within the house and provided sufficient cover.

    When the smoke cleared, Carl and his team were nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Sir, should we go after them?¡± A soldier asked.

    ¡°No,¡± The captain denied as his eyes landed on a captured girl. ¡°we have got what we came for.¡±

    <hr>

    Running past two more streets, Carl finally had a chance to count the losses. That was when he realized¡­

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jean?¡±

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 22: The man

    What does a person need to become a hero?

    A guide. A cause. A villain.

    A guide to introduce the person to a new world and give him some protection or aid.

    A cause to fight for and to support the person through all the hardship.

    A villain to hate, to fight, and eventually to kill.

    Jean wanted to make Carl a hero. She was already his guide. For the last day she had already provided him with most of the help he would need to win. He was merged with t-virus on a cellular level, thus giving him a number of power including rapid healing and superhuman reflexes. He had a group of loyal followers around him, like Alice and Rain. He was pretty much adapted to the new world. As far as she knew there wasn¡¯t any extremely overpowered enemy around him. If he still died, well, it¡¯s time to find another voyager. Jean needed someone like Carl, but that person didn¡¯t necessarily have to be Carl.

    Now she just needed to leave and let Carl work alone, both to improve his judgment and so Jean could get more profit elsewhere. The attack gave her a perfect chance to get away. Jean casually got taken down by a tranquilizer dart in the neck after placing a small trick on Carl to keep a tab on him.

    At the same time, the attack also served as a cause. Carl¡¯s best friend was just captured by Umbrella. Shouldn¡¯t he be pissed off and see taking down Umbrella and saving her as his ultimate goal? This cause should be enough to get him through most obstacles and mental blocks. One shot, two kills. Whoever ordered the hit just did her a great favor.

    Now she just needs to thank him or her personally.

    Jean felt herself being carried by two soldiers. Even though her eyes were shut and she was technically knocked out, she could still sense everything going on around her. Everything was perfectly under control. She was brought into a tent that seemed like a temporary base. She knew she was still in Racoon City and she was attacked by Umbrella soldiers, so she should be in the Umbrella base outside the city.

    ¡°We will leave her restrained in the tent.¡± Out of nowhere, both guards suddenly whispered. What the hell?

    The two guards left laid Jean down next to a metal pole. Two pairs of handcuffs attached her arms to the pole. As it was done, they silently walked away.

    This was odd. As far as Jean knew, the tent was empty. Whoever ordered the attack was still not present. The strange words of the guards were also odd. Not having something better to do, Jean laid in where she was and pretended to be knocked out.

    ¡°You can stop acting now. We both know you¡¯re awake.¡± A mocking voice suddenly came from within the tent that should be empty. Jean quickly scanned every inch of the tent again, much more carefully than before. This time she, barely, saw a man. He wore a grey jacket and a cold smirk. Jean could sense a dangerous feeling from the man. This was no pretense. With the full might of her power, she actually felt threatened.

    Seeing no response, the man smirked again. ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡± Jean suddenly felt a burning pain in her head. She uncontrollably screamed and stood up. The metal cuff was unintentionally ripped apart. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The man frowned. He had complete confidence in his strength. That attack wasn¡¯t exactly his full power, but it wasn¡¯t a fake one either. As powerful as he was psychically, the hit should¡¯ve maimed, if not killed, the girl. A short scream wasn¡¯t exactly what he had in mind. The fact that the metal handcuffs broke with little difficulty also hinted the girl was not just a random voyager who got lucky and got by her first mission. She certainly had some talents. The man suddenly felt like he kidnapped the wrong person.

    Instantly, ignoring the pain in her head, Jean leaped toward the man. Not every psychic was also a warrior. In fact, most psychic were extremely vulnerable physically. Very few upgrades improved both the mind and the body. If she could get on top of him, he would quickly transform from the hunter to the hunted.

    The man was certainly experienced in terms of combat. He stepped back quickly, shocked but not frightened, to maintain a relatively safe distance. Using the time he brought by backing up, the man sent psychic power strong enough to make someone mad into Jean¡¯s mind.

    The man was clever. This girl that seemed so vulnerable the entire time in the Hive and in Racoon City was certainly putting up an act. From what he just saw in the last several second there was no way she could be wounded by a licker. He didn¡¯t know why she did that, not that it mattered. He also didn¡¯t know if his psychic power could kill Jean instantly. He only had one chance. If he missed or failed the girl would rip him apart, so he tried something smarter. He tried to create a hallucination field in Jean¡¯s mind, trapping her in a world he crafted. The fact that someone was psychically strong didn¡¯t mean they were mentally strong as well. Once he had met a formidable foe who also withstood his psychic power, but the man fell almost instantly when he was placed in a hallucination field. Reliving his worst moment in life over and over again crushed his spirit and made him completely defenseless against outside attacks. A bullet in the head ended his life. The man got quite the looting from that enemy, so he remembered that encounter quite well.

    Immediately, Jean stood still. Her gaze turned dull. Xel¡¯naga were powerful in all fronts, but whoever this man was he was good. Really good. Even her celestial power couldn¡¯t completely stop his attack. Jean suspected even the queen of blades would be killed instantly by the man.

    Yet the man¡¯s origin and power was the least of Jean¡¯s concern. Immediately, she found herself no longer in the tent but instead in a familiar white room.

    She knew this place to well.

    Every lurker did.

    In the physical world, the man grinned, tired but satisfied. Trapping Jean wasn¡¯t easy, the action costed most of his energy and was still continuously draining his energy to maintain the hallucination, but it was paying off. The girl was completely defenseless.

    The man took out a pistol from a holster on his belt. He wanted to capture Jean not only because she was a voyager but also because of another reason, but the recent change of event was enough to make him abandon the previous plan and end the girl right here right now. He knew she couldn¡¯t be controlled or captured. Perhaps the most decisive and experienced voyager Jean has ever met, he acted without hesitation or remorse and did what had to be done.

    Pointing the bullet at the girl¡¯s smooth forehead, the man pulled the trigger until he emptied clip. The girl¡¯s carefully crafted face brought no sympathy in the man¡¯s thoughts. The sound of bullets clashing with human flesh brought a satisfied grin to the man¡¯s face.

    So what if she kept well hidden and tricked even him? So what if she held against his psychic attack? So what if she almost killed him? In the end, she was the killed and he was the killer. Like always, he ended up victorious.

    The biggest difference between a winner and a loser was that winners enjoy the victory after killing his enemy. Losers enjoy their victory before the enemy was truly down. The man considered himself a winner.

    And then he realized the girl¡¯s forehead was not even grazed. A mountain of bullets covered the floor. The bronze colored shell mocked his ignorance.

    The man¡¯s expression turned very sad.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 23: Origin

    In the hallucination field she was put under, Jean carefully scanned the surrounding, not missing a single inch.

    She didn¡¯t know what the man did to her, but she knew one hundred percent there was no way she was actually back in this room. Most likely, it was a hallucination. She was still in that tent outside Racoon City. The man¡¯s psychic power probably scanned her mind and sent her into a memory where she was the most vulnerable.

    Logically speaking, hallucinations were put in place to either make people extremely happy or extremely sad. It should either make the victim so happy she wouldn¡¯t want to leave the hallucination or so sad she completely went mad. Of course, making the victim forget who she truly was was even better, but her xel¡¯naga power was more than enough to prevent that from happening. In this case, judging from the surrounding and Jean¡¯s knowledge of what would happen, it was trying to make her mad.

    Jean had no idea how to break out of this place. She tried to summon her celestial power, but nothing happened. It was as if all her powers were stripped away. She was trapped within her own brain.

    Faced with no way out, Jean simply sat back and watched the event unfold. Something this powerful must have a limitation. If the man could use this ability without any concern, he wouldn¡¯t need to psychically manipulate the Umbrella forces in Racoon City. He would be going after whatever he wanted and crushing whoever stood in his path. If she could drag this out, eventually the man would be too worn out to maintain the hallucination. If there was another choice Jean would choose that, as she didn¡¯t find it safe to leave her physical body unattended, but she had no other choice. Luckily, there was very little thing in this dimension that could kill her xel¡¯naga body.

    Jean was in a white room. It was empty at first, but the detailed structures and furniture in the room started to pop up as time passed and the hallucination got more complete. Finally, as the changes stopped, Jean found herself in a lab. A man in a lab coat was in the room. However, instead of the normal white color, the lab coat was scarlet colored. In front of him were hundreds of concealed chambers. Jean knew from memory there was 200 of them. A computer AI controlled the entire room.

    ¡°AI.¡± The man in lab coat wore a pair of glasses. He seemed to be Asian, judging from his brown eyes and black hair. His voice was cold and calculating. Instead of giving his AI same fancy name, he referred to it as what it was. An Artifical Intelligence.

    As soon as the man appeared, Jean knelt down with her right fist in front of her heart. It didn¡¯t matter the man was merely a projection of her memory. It didn¡¯t matter that Jean knew she could kill the man in less than half of a second. Every cell within her body demanded her to kneel and do everything the man orders, whatever it may lead to.

    ¡°Jacob.¡± The computer¡¯s AI replied with no address. Just like its master, it referred to the man merely by his name.

    ¡°Report on the progress of the lurker experiment.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. The first group, 200 subjects, have already been created. More are on the way. Among the 200, all of them have been modified according to your criteria, including sex, look, intelligence, reflexes, and pain tolerance, and so on. All of them have received memories they might need in their missions, including melee combat, ranged weapons, hacking skills, and 20 other categories. For maximum cover, the memories are put under a light seal. They will not have access to the memories immediately, but they can learn the memories quickly.¡±

    ¡°Are they all suitable for interdimensional travel?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative. The unsuitable units have been picked out before other enhancements.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Commence emotion wipes. I need every single one of them to be as efficient as possible. They will be facing an enemy that can hardly be defeated. They can not be made weak by something like emotion.¡± A sense of hatred was in his tone.

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    Jean watched the conversation silently. She knew what was happening here. After all, this hallucination was constructed by contents from her own memories.

    This was where her life began. Lurkers were biologically engineered. They had no family. They had no friend. All they had was a purpose. Everything about them was designed for that purpose, and the man in scarlet coat was their creator.

    Normally this was the part where the biological weapons yearned to get revenge on the crazy scientist that created them, but not this case. Every lurker was programmed to obey every order from their creator. Even if the man told them to kill themselves, they would do it like it was their own decisions.

    Frankly speaking, Jean didn¡¯t really understand why the hallucination sent her here. Did it really think she would be broken after realizing she was a living weapon? She had no idea the hallucination¡¯s mechanism got messed up. It was supposed to find a hole in the person¡¯s mind, a vulnerable opportunity to use, but Jean¡¯s armor was simply impenetrable. Thus the hallucination brought up a piece of memory that should inspire the most fear.

    It didn¡¯t work. The only thing it accomplished was to give Jean a chance to relive the day she was born.

    In the chambers, two hundred figures shook violently as if they were in pain. The shaking continued for five minutes before simultaneously stopping. When the motion stopped, the girls weren¡¯t who they were a few minutes before.

    ¡°Emotion wipe complete. All preparations are complete. All units are ready for the mission.¡±

    ¡°Bring them out.¡±

    The chambers opened, and two hundred lurkers walked out. A mechanical arm extended down from the ceiling for every lurker and handed them a scarlet suit. They quickly put them on. The tight material showed their wearer¡¯s slant curves. The lurkers walked into a platform in the room, forming a 10 by 20 rectangle.

    All of them were female. All of them were pretty and slant. All of them had a cold look in their eyes and a blank expression on their face. Their moves were short and concise. Every action had a purpose. They were the best soldiers.

    All of the lurkers wore a badge. It had three horizontal lines with a vertical line crossing through all three lines in the center. The three horizontal lines were getting shorter as it went from top to bottom. This was their symbol. One cross three. This was the symbol of the lurkers.

    ¡°Creator.¡± They knelt down and said simultaneously. Their voices were like canaries singing, but the coldness and emptiness lessened the attractiveness.

    The man, Jacob, nodded as the lurkers stood back up. He didn¡¯t say any encouraging word. Having created this army himself, he knew what they were capable of. Instead, he went down to the practical information.

    ¡°You will be sent into a place known as The Hub. It is created by a group that called themselves the Supreme One. You will be known as voyagers, and you will be sent across different dimensions to complete missions. Your goal is to pretend to be a normal voyager and do everything you can to gain power and influence behind the curtain. During the process, do everything you can to lay low. Don¡¯t engage the Supreme One directly.¡°

    ¡°When the time comes, I will launch a signal. You will sense it, and as soon as you do, come together and take over The Hub. When the signal is given, I will destroy all seals to maximize your power and establish a psychic channel between all lurker units. Abandon your cover, obey the strongest, and execute everyone in your way.¡±

    ¡°There is a pocket dimension linked to your conscious. In it will be a set of lurker gadgets. They are similar to the voyager gadgets, which you will eventually see, but they are much stronger. Use them only when necessary.¡±

    ¡°The Hub is a dangerous place. You will be defenseless for a period of time. The information in your minds cannot be known by others, so I will be sealing off that information. As far as you will know for your first few missions, you are just an unlucky girl who got chosen by some mysterious power. The seal will automatically collapse when you hold enough power to be able to defend yourself.¡±

    ¡°Clear?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Creator.¡± The voices were as empty as ever.

    Before Jean could see anything else, the surrounding started to crumble. The girl knew this was because the psychic, for some reason, pulled back his power. The next second, she was back in the tent.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 24: Cannon fodder

    Thirty seconds ago, the man in grey wanted to shoot himself. His power was exhausted every second to maintain the hallucination field. In a few more minutes he would be just another normal human being. A while ago the man decided that spreading his resources across all the categories was less efficient than focusing those crystals on a certain power. On the positive side, the man¡¯s psychic power was almost invincible. On the negative side, once his psychic power was down, he was just another normal human being.

    As decisive as he was, the man knew he needed to get away right now. Wasting no time, he turned and walked out of the tent. The two Umbrella guards at the gate ignored him. It was as if they have never seen him before.

    Still maintaining the hallucination field, the man walked quickly. Sweat began to appear on his forehead, but he ignored them. He walked across armies of Umbrella soldiers, but neither of them saw him.

    Suddenly, he paused in front of an officer.

    Major Timothy Cain was casually taking a stroll. He has just sent away the last of the important Umbrella scientists. His commander told him Umbrella would be wiping the city with a nuclear missile. He was just preparing to leave when a thought suddenly entered his mind.

    The thought was odd, but it was firmly planted in his mind.

    ¡°Attention all Umbrella units. This is Major Cain. A prisoner has escaped. All units converge on location B and execute the prisoner at all cost. Use all weapons.¡± Cain didn¡¯t even know there was a prisoner a minute ago, but the random idea completely occupied his mind. It overpowered whatever hesitation he might have. He was usually a coward, no, a leader, but now he was drawing his pistol and leading the charge. Maybe a small bit of him knew something was wrong, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to escape the influence.

    As someone who almost killed Jean with his mind, the man had no trouble dealing with a normal organic unenhanced human being.

    As the Umbrella officer bravely charged toward what was likely a certain death, the man turned and ran the other direction. Using his own power as a reference, the entire army of heavily armed Umbrella units could at most stall Jean. Feeling his power even more exhausted, the man dropped the hallucination field and ran even faster.

    His eyes lit up when he saw two helicopters on an open field.

    <hr>

    Jean¡¯s eyes snapped open. She quickly scanned the tent, and realized the man was nowhere to be seen. Reasonable. The man wasted all that power to delay her. There was no reason for him to waste that precious time. She walked out of the tent.

    The two guards were taken by surprise, but their training and experience meant they responded quickly. Both raised their MP5 SMGs at Jean with their fingers on the trigger.

    Jean didn¡¯t want to use any power too special in this world, at least not now, but even so she was still a good fighter. Immediately, she grabbed onto the gun barrels and pushed them into the air. The pressure on the weapons caused both men to accidentally pull the trigger, and, following the two strings of silent clicks, two lines of bullets darted over the sky.

    Exerting some strength, Jean ripped both SMGs away from the men¡¯s grips. With the weapons in hand, Jean used the firearms as hammers and slammed both soldiers on the head. The men were taken by surprise by Jean¡¯s strength and failed to protect themselves quick enough, not that they ever had any chance. Powered by her enhanced muscles, the two stacks of metal broke two holes in the men¡¯s skulls, killing them instantly. Both men fell as a puddle of blood formed below him. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    The process seemed to have taken a long time, but it was actually over in two seconds. However, the two guards were merely the beginning. She was in an Umbrella base, and random Umbrella soldiers in black suits started to move toward her with their weapons firing.

    Jean flipped the SMGs over and, facing the dozens of enemies, fearlessly pulled the trigger.

    It was one woman against an army. It was also an extremely unfair duel.

    Random bullets hit Jean and ripped open her suit, but she merely shrugged it off. Just because she wasn¡¯t using her celestial power didn¡¯t mean her xel¡¯naga level body didn¡¯t exist. Bullets bounce off her at best. On the other hand, Jean¡¯s bullets weren¡¯t as ineffective. The soldiers fell one by one, but they kept on coming. With impressive courage and a large number, the Umbrella forces held their ground.

    One of the Umbrella soldiers, a sniper, got into position on a watchtower and aimed his Barrett M82 sniper rifle at Jean¡¯s chest and pulled the trigger. A single bullet slammed into its target. Through the sight, the soldier almost cheered when he saw something hitting the woman in the chest.

    His cheer died in his mouth as he realized the girl didn¡¯t even stumble. The immense impact the round carried was simply absorbed by the woman¡¯s fragile body. It was a Barrett. A Barrett! It could rip someone¡¯s head off with one shot! Who the hell were they fighting?

    He would never get the answer as an SMG bullet somehow got into his eye. The bullet with an effective range of 200m somehow found its way all the way to where the sniper was hiding. How that happened was another question the sniper could never answer.

    As one third of the Umbrella soldiers were on the ground, the rest were faltering.

    True, they were elite soldiers. True, they were highly paid by the Umbrella Corporation. True, fleeing now might end up with the execution of both them and their families. But even so they were still backing up. They were soldiers, not zealots. They wouldn¡¯t stand and fight when it was obviously the enemy couldn¡¯t be defeated. Those willing to die so their families could live with a handsome payment from Umbrella were gone already. Most of the survivors looked at their major for instruction. Those were the relatively loyal ones. The not so loyal ones were already nowhere to be seen.

    ¡°Major?¡± Cain was still hesitating. The thought the man planted in his mind forced him to continue attacking, but his self preservation was gradually taking over. The man was in a hurry, and he was already exhausted when he met Cain. His influence over Cain was just a simple trick with very little psychic energy involved, and it was wearing off.

    As Cain was hesitating, a soldier ran up with a bazooka in his arms. He got into range, was somehow still alive, knelt down, and fired. With a long trail of smoke, a rocket flew toward Jean with incredible speed.

    The projectile accurately hit its target, but none of the soldiers took a sigh of relief. Instead, they kept their eyes open and stared at where the girl was, wondering if that shot killed the seemingly invincible girl.

    It didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Fall back.¡± As the man with the bazooka collapsed with a hole in his heart, Cain finally made up his decision. This was not his fault. The enemy was simply invincible. As soon as the words were spoken, the rest of the soldiers fled twice as fast as the speed they charged. They were more than ready to run. All they needed was an order from their commanding officer. In that case, if they were asked of why they fled, they could always say they were just following orders.

    Major Timothy Cain gave one last look at the girl. Her clothes were battered and revealed large pieces of bare skin, but instead of feeling lucky, the major felt frightened. The revealed skin wasn¡¯t even wounded in the slightest degree. Two soldiers who were slower than the others were, and they paid the price with their lives. The last effect of the trick disappeared, and the high ranking Umbrella commander turned and fled.

    Jean didn¡¯t go after the soldiers. They were just cannon fodder. The man knew it. Jean knew it. Even if Jean just walked by them and allowed them to fire on her with everything they¡¯ve got, she would still be perfectly fine. The only mission these elite soldiers served was to stall Jean as long as possible. Now that they were gone, it was time for Jean to go after the head.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 25: Run

    ¡±I want to get in my chopper and fly away from the city.¡± A helicopter pilot said blankly as he stared off into a distance. He got into the vessel that he thought was empty and started the engine. The helicopter¡¯s propellers started to turn.

    An officer yelled a warning in the pilot¡¯s headset, but the man ignored his supervisor. Without any hesitation, he got the chopper into the air and flew away. He knew his action might lead to his execution, but the random urge was just too strong.

    In the seats behind the pilot, the man in grey took a sigh of relief. The woman was good, but there was no way she could catch up to him. First of all, there was no way she could fly without using powers strange to this world. There were two choppers in the camp, and the other was dealt with. He also knew about the warning not to use powers that were obviously not of the world the voyagers were in, and he doubted the woman would take the risk, assuming she could even fly by herself. Second, as long as he could get away far enough, she could never find him. Jean could find him only if she was specifically looking, and that was an impossible thing to do over an entire planet.

    Suddenly, with the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure jumping into the air. It was the exact person he was fleeing from. Still, a casual smirk, instead of a troubled frown, covered his face. According to the trail of projection, there was no way she could reach the helicopter.

    Jean reached a point where the sheer power of her jump was gone, and the next second she would be falling. At the exact second, she raised her right hand. A strange looking weapon was in her grip. It was a gun, but instead of bullets, it launched a hook into the air. The hook accurately grabbed onto one of the supports of the helicopter. A string connected the hook to the gun, which was then grabbed onto by Jean¡¯s hand. With a new source of force, Jean flipped herself into the air. This time, she was in front of the helicopter, and she was going both down and forward.

    Something like this was near impossible for normal human beings, but compared to just flying into the air, this was much more normal. At least it was based on science and tools and not some random alien power.

    The pilot¡¯s face turned white. He had no idea what was happening. He suddenly decided to go for a tour with his company¡¯s armed helicopter. So what? Why is there a flying maniac attacking his chopper?

    His face was still pale when Jean smashed through the bulletproof and tossed him out of the cockpit. At this height, he wouldn¡¯t end in one piece.

    Taking control of the helicopter, Jean turned around and faced the man. She expected a defeated on his knees begging for mercy, but instead she was met with a cold smirk.

    ¡°You idiot.¡± The man said, not worried that he was already a prisoner.

    Jean realized something. She wiped her hand over the man¡¯s body, and it went by without slowing down the tiniest bit.

    She was fooled. It was a hallucination.

    ¡°Fun fact. Just because this chopper was leaving when you arrived doesn¡¯t mean this was the only chopper. I suspected you have something like that up your sleeve, so I did something really simple but really effective.¡± Maybe thinking he was safe, the man started talking. ¡°Nice jump, by the way. I¡¯d give you a 6 out of 10.¡± He commented casually. ¡°By the way you need to change. Your suit is turning into a bikini.¡± He was all over the place as he tried to provoke Jean. Jean¡¯s suit was pretty battered by the bullets the Umbrella soldiers fired. The bazooka especially so. She used her body to deflect the attacks, but her clothing didn¡¯t share the same strength. They were just normal mercenary suits, and they were pretty much gone.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Jean knew the man was trying to make her angry. From what she saw, he was extremely skilled and experienced. Someone like that wouldn¡¯t just say things because he saw some naked skin. Frowning, she took out a jacket from her watch and put it on before crushing the hallucination.

    Still expressionless, Jean jumped out of the helicopter. She went through the cold air for a few seconds before crashing into the ground. When the smoke cleared, she straightened her body. But instead of doing anything, she stood still for a few seconds to make up her mind. When the decision was finally made, she knelt down on the ground and put her hand on the ground.

    It was dangerous to use celestial power in the Resident Evil world. She used the psychic power before, but that was just inside her mind. Given that there were psychic power in this world, like Alice and Whisker, that was not exactly rule breaking. Using celestial power like what she was planning on doing was completely different. A large scale usage like that would certainly go against the law of this universe. There was no telling what was going to happen.

    But the man was a greater threat. He had seen what she was capable of. His power was enough to threaten her life, and more importantly, he could use that power efficiently. If he was allowed to escape, then likely she would never have a chance to find him again. This time he was discovered because he underestimated Jean¡¯s power and brought her to him. The same thing wouldn¡¯t happen again. Them never meeting was the best scenario. In the worst case, the man might lurk in the dark and wait for an opportunity to take her by surprise and ambush her. If he could escape, she would always need to sleep with one eye open.

    Making up her mind, Jean¡¯s eyes turned completely gold. The celestial power in her body was activated. Energy strong enough to wipe out a city swept through everything within a 10 km radius of the camp. With the enormous amount of energy as backup, nothing could hide from the xel¡¯naga¡¯s golden gaze.

    The next second, Jean¡¯s body disappeared.

    <hr>

    In another helicopter, the man smirked as his hallucination was destroyed. He made up his mind of where he was going. He would go to the Umbrella headquarter at Japan, and he would control Whisker and thus the entire Umbrella Corporation. The girl was almost invincible, but how many nukes could she survive?

    Suddenly, he frowned. Out of nowhere and as far as he could see for no reason at all, he had a strange feeling that he was being watched, but that was impossible. There was no way Jean could find him all the way from where the last chopper was.

    The next second the impossible thing happened. He felt a warm body right next to him. A soft hand carefully found its way onto his shoulder, checking the solidness of his body. This should be a pleasure, but the man¡¯s hands turned cold. He turned with a difficult smile.

    ¡°Hey...¡± He slowly turned to the jacket wearing woman. ¡°Is it too late to say sorry?¡±

    <hr>

    On a tree 50 km outside Racoon City, ten crows suddenly howled painfully. Out of nowhere, yellow energy entered their bodies and transformed their very being. The soft wings were turned strong enough to cut through steel like they were paper. The beaks could punch a hole through a tank. The eyes shined the light of wisdom.

    As the change was completed, all ten crows jumped off the three branches and flew toward Racoon City with lightning speed.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 26: Attack

    Jean didn¡¯t know she was about to be attacked. Right now she was busy dealing with the man in front of her.

    With supernatural speed, Jean put her hand next to the man¡¯s stomach. A small surge of golden energy appeared, and immediately the man felt something foreign inside him.

    ¡°What have you done?¡± He demanded with a scent a fear. The comfortable smile was nowhere to be seen. He tried to remain calm, but it wasn¡¯t like he was a biologically engineered killing machine who got her emotions wiped. As much as he tried, he couldn¡¯t really stop the fear from creeping into his heart.

    ¡°I just placed a¡­¡± Jean carried the same smirk the man in grey had the entire time. It was the ultimate mocking. ¡°a bug inside you. The only thing is, this bug can explode.¡± She held her hands out and made an explosion gesture.

    The man frowned, compromising. Whatever Jean did to him was beyond his understanding. Logic told him it was better to do whatever Jean wanted, for now. ¡°What do you want?¡±

    ¡°First, get this chopper on the ground,¡± Jean demanded. The man nodded slowly, and the pilot, who somehow didn¡¯t know there were two people in the back seat, suddenly decided to land. The chopper quickly landed at a field a distance away from Racoon City. Now that his purpose was fulfilled, Jean put a bullet in his head.

    ¡°Now, tell me all about you.¡± Returning the pistol to her watch, Jean crossed her legs and laid back in the leather seat, completely relaxed. She was in a completely dominating position. A psychic without energy was basically a normal human being

    The man sighed. He knew the only thing he could do now was try to survive. As long as he could get past this, he might be able to find a way to fight back. But before he could come up with a carefully crafted lie, Jean spoke again.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±

    The man smirked inside. This wasn¡¯t the first time he was stuck in an awkward situation, and everytime the interrogator would warn him not to lie. He lied anyways. If this woman thought he was completely broken by whatever trick she put inside him, she was wrong. At his caliber, every voyager was a battle hardened survivor. The weaklings were already gone.

    Plus, it wasn¡¯t like he was completely lying. Most of the times, 90% truth and 10% lie was much smarter than lying all the way.

    ¡°Let me introduce myself again.¡± The man tried to make himself seem more likable with a smile. ¡°Aidan. 5 missions.¡± He had a proud tone when he mentioned the number of missions he got through. He had a reason to. Very few voyagers could live through five missions.

    Jean frowned and came to a sudden realization. The name was oddly familiar. It didn¡¯t take her long to remember where she heard that name before. ¡°You were with us upon arrival! Carl even introduced you to me, but somehow we forgot about you. All of us!¡± She exclaimed and waited for an explanation.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°It¡¯s a psychic trick. I first changed the color of my watch and made you think I was a recruit. Judging from experience, no one would pay attention to a recruit, and I managed to lower my presence more and more until everyone simply forgot about me.¡±

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    The man knew a straightforward answer was suspicious, so he put on a hesitating face. He thought Jean would push with more words, but the girl didn¡¯t share his patience. Suddenly, Aidan felt a pain in his stomach that made his knees buckle. It was as if something was in his body and was chewing on his intestines. There was nothing he could do but holdhis teeth tight and wait for the torture to end. He bet Jean wouldn¡¯t kill him because he hesitated a bit.

    The torture ended in two minutes. As the pain faded away, Aidan collapsed on the ground and coughed, silently cursing the girl¡¯s ruthlessness.

    ¡°Don¡¯t make me ask again.¡± The beautiful girl repeated.

    ¡°Because I have a different target!¡± Aidan answered loudly. His coat stained wet. ¡°I want something. I want a way to merge with t-virus.¡± Jean sat back as he explained. The man got back onto the seat, regained some strength, and continued. ¡°Look, all my crystals, they have been poured into my psychic power. Otherwise how in the world did I become so powerful in five missions?¡± He suddenly realized even with his strongest category he still couldn¡¯t defeat Jean. This brought his spirit down, but he immediately overcame it. Now was not the time to question himself. ¡±Point is, my physical body is completely human. A single bullet can kill me, but if I can have the benefits of t-virus...I can have both a powerful body and a powerful mind.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you kidnapped me?¡±

    ¡°Yes...I know you and Carl, somehow, used Alice¡¯s blood to merge with t-virus. I didn¡¯t know why or how, so I ordered an Umbrella strike team to go after you and Carl.¡± He suddenly realized something. ¡°It was you, isn¡¯t it? In the original history Alice¡¯s blood didn¡¯t have the same effect. Why did you do that?¡±

    Jean¡¯s eyes turned colder. The man knew too much. Aidan must have seen that as well, because he desperately tried to buy some hope for himself. ¡°Look, I can help you. Whatever you want, I can help you get it. My power can turn most of the natives into puppets. Letting me live provides much more value than killing me!¡± He said quickly, knowing Jean might kill him to tie up all loose ends. He should¡¯ve played dumb, but it was too late now. The mistake was already made. Now he needed to make it more appealing for Jean to let him live. Her mercy was his only hope.

    Jean considered her options before suddenly smiling. Aidan took a breath of relief. He was defenseless. If the girl wanted him dead she wouldn¡¯t need to use pretense to lower his guards.

    ¡°I want you to return to the Umbrella headquarters and keep sending armed forces toward Carl¡¯s party.¡± She suddenly grabbed onto Aidan¡¯s face. Her fingernails digging into his chin. ¡°But keep in mind, psychic, you can hurt Carl however you want, but if you kill him¡­¡± She got very close to Aidan. Her breath on his ear. ¡°There will be a very muffled explosion, and you will not enjoy seeing it.¡± She added Aidan on her watch. ¡°Remain in contact.¡±

    Jean got offAidan and left the chopper without turning. Behind her,Aidan''s expression quickly turned from a weak smile to a cold frown.

    <hr>

    On the other side, as Jean was walking, she suddenly sensed something was wrong. A dangerous feeling covered her. Immediately she tilted her head, and ten whooshes of something piercing the wind made her head hurt. What also hurt her was a sudden pain on her chin.

    Behind her, ten crows shining in yellow energy circled around. Their speed made them the perfect assassins. If Jean had reacted a second later than she did, her head would literally be gone.

    Jean touched her face and felt blood.

    Xel¡¯naga blood.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 27: Crows

    The wound on Jean¡¯s face instantly healed, but Jean¡¯s body remained tense.

    Ever since she defeated Amon, the enemies she faced were much weaker than she was. The undead was more of a time killer. Aidan was good, but he was running most of the time after his most powerful attack earned no more than a scream from Jean. These ten crows, on the other hand¡­

    Xel¡¯naga weren¡¯t known for body strength and Jean didn¡¯t have her defenses up when the crows hit, but just the fact that the crows took her by surprise said something. Even when she didn¡¯t mean to, Jean¡¯s xel¡¯naga power granted her control over a several kilometer radii, and the crows got to her in seconds. With their speed and burst damage, the crows might be the most formidable enemy Jean had ever met. Just individually they were slightly below Amon¡¯s caliber, but there were ten of them. If Jean didn¡¯t take it seriously, she might, ironically, be dissected by a few birds and allow them to accomplish what gods and fleets failed to do.

    Where did they come from? In the original history there was nothing even close to the crows¡¯ caliber, otherwise even just one of the crows could end the story.

    The crows turned around for another charge. Their eyes were set on Jean and Jean alone. Ever since the start of their memories, which was a few minutes ago, they sensed a hostile scent from a distance away. They didn¡¯t know who the scent belonged to, but they did know they hated the owner of the scent with all their heart. As soon as they could move, they flew toward the source and wanted to do everything they could to destroy it.

    Jean took her mind off thinking about where the crows came from and toward how to live through their onslaught. She wiped her hand on the watch, and two psionic blade generators appeared in her grip. The last time they shined was when Jean took on the dark god, in which their punching power impressed Jean. Since then they were never needed.

    This was about to change.

    The crows moved forward with no tactic or formation. Even the upgrades they received weren¡¯t enough to enhance their intelligence. They knew they hated the blonde on the ground and wanted her in pieces, but they didn¡¯t have any cooperation or plan of engagement. They dove down on Jean like normal birds going after a bug.

    The golden blades shined through the field. The first crow charged down straight into the celestial energy powered weapon. As soon as the two made contact, Jean pushed. Strength enough to punch a hole through a battlecruiser propelled the celestial blade forward, causing it to crash into the first crow with immense impact.

    The first crow was forced back. A wound was opened up down its sharp beak, and yellow blood spilled out. Jean¡¯s eyes twitched at the color of the blood. Her eyes also twitched when the crow stood back up, still alive. An attack enough to rip open the armor of a capital ship did some damage to that tiny animal, but not at a critical amount. Jean added cellular strength to the list of the crow¡¯s powers.

    The first crow was down for the time being, but its nine comrades continued its footsteps fearlessly. Jean wielded her weapon expertly, but the first five crows simply smashed into the golden energy, each knocking the weapon further away from where Jean wanted it. When the fifth made contact, the blade was out of position, and Jean was exposed. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The sixth crow dove down on an open Jean, but she was well prepared, and the beast was welcomed with an energy blast to the face. The four others suffered a similar fate as they were pushed back by the golden energy as well. The first round was deflected with relative ease.

    However, before Jean could take a breath, the first crow got back up and continued its hunt. It appeared like as long as Jean was alive, they would never rest.

    Jean¡¯s mind turned as she felt the crows literally offering themselves onto her weapon, burning more and more of her energy with every contact. During the entire first round, apart from simply holding the assaults, her xel¡¯naga side was already analyzing the crows.

    The crows used to be normal, until something completely changed that. Their bodies were transformed by some sort of yellow energy. This energy enhanced their neural reflex and cellular strength, making them super soldiers. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have anything like her celestial power, celestial blade, and judging from the fact that the first crow¡¯s wound didn¡¯t heal, rapid regeneration. The one thing they had was their numbers. Last time Jean checked, ten was greater than one.

    Jean could easily overwhelm the crows if she would unleash her purifier fleet. Thousands of ships could obliterate the puny birds, but Jean knew that would only make things worse.

    Jean had a suspicion of where the crows came from. Likely, they were results of her reckless usage of foreign power. There was a reason why the crows arrived just after she used her power to find Aidan. She had expected trouble, but nothing of this caliber.

    Whoever turned the crows from bug hunters to xel¡¯naga predators, they were punishing her for using power alien of this world. Using more power alien to this world won¡¯t help. Frankly speaking, Jean wasn¡¯t sure whether or not using more xel¡¯naga power would attract more hostiles, but the fact that she wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by a flock of crows meant she was on the right side of history. An entire fleet of alien robots, on the other hand...Jean wouldn¡¯t use them unless she absolutely needed to.

    That being said, Jean had another overwhelming advantage.

    She was clever, and when two sides were of a similar caliber, the clever one usually wins.

    The first crow hit Jean¡¯s weapon again. The girl keenly noticed the energy within the beast was decreasing. It was as if the crow was a vehicle that was rapidly burning gasoline. Every move meant one step closer to depletion. Once the crow¡¯s energy was drained, its survival was a problem, much less its ability to keep fighting.

    At this point Jean could just drag this fight out and see who would collapse first, but another thing changed her mind.

    The yellow energy from the crows gave Jean a similar feeling to that of a red crystal. It was...it was as if they held the same energy. Jean¡¯s mind flowed to the introduction the Butler gave her. There were seven types of crystals. Red was the most basic. Every crystal of a superior color held ten times the energy of the lower color. There were yellow crystals, and they were two steps above their red counterparts, which meant 100 times the power. It was likely these yellow energies were what made up the yellow crystals.

    This was important to know. If the yellow energy was what Jean thought it was, then she could absorb it. The crows didn¡¯t absorb the energy completely. They were using it more like batteries than currencies. It was possible for her to kill the crows and take the remaining energy they couldn¡¯t use up. The yellow energies literally made ten birds as powerful as gods. There was no doubt they could significantly help her.

    Sure, there were risks, but her mission was always above her life, and her mission required more power.

    It didn¡¯t take Jean long to make up her mind.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 28: Kill

    The jacket on Jean was immediately replaced by a much more beneficial ghost hostile environment suit that allowed her maximum speed. Returning the two broken psi blades back to her watch and replacing them with two new ones, Jean turned and ran.

    In terms of sheer speed, the crows were more than capable of chasing Jean down, but the xel¡¯naga had much more tricks than the birds. Her celestial power fanned back and kept every motion of the animals under control. Everytime the crows would take a dive, Jean would disappear and reappear somewhere where the crows needed to turn back to reach. Everytime the crows would charge with all their momentum, and it would take them a while to recover.

    At this pace all Jean needed to do was stay alive for at most a day, and the crows would be reduced to their previous form, but that was not what Jean wanted.

    Reappearing right next to a crow, Jean threw something at the yellow eyed beast before disappearing again. The next second an explosion of temporal energy happened, and everything within a several meter radius was severely slowed down. It was a trick Jean developed via protoss technology. It was powered by celestial energy but acted similarly to a minimized time warp from motherships.

    The crow¡¯s speed suddenly turned from that of a sniper rifle bullet to that of a turtle. The trap cracked as the supernatural strength of the flyer tried to break free, but it was nonetheless sufficient to delay the crow for a few seconds.

    Jean didn¡¯t use the opening to strike the defenseless crow down. She needed all the strength she could get to get by the crow¡¯s skin, and doing that meant going defenseless against the other nine foes. Even a xel¡¯naga couldn¡¯t take the chances. Instead, she just turned and blinked away, leaving the bird gowling slowly.

    If the other crows were something more intelligent they would wait for their trapped comrade to join them before continuing their pursuit, but the beasts were programmed to kill Jean. The urge to rip their target to pieces overwhelmed whatever logic the crows had, not that they had much intelligence to start with in the first place. The nine crows charged at Jean, leaving their trapped brother behind.

    That was a bad move. As Jean continued doing the exact thing, six more crows were temporarily trapped. There was no way for them to escape from Jean¡¯s filthy combo. Blink. Trick. Blink. All they could do was to try to break out as quickly as possible. Usually they could break out in just a few seconds, but at this caliber a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

    Since seven of the crows were somewhat delayed and the rest simply ignored their comrades and chased after Jean, now only three crows were right behind their target. The others were a distance away. That was the opportunity Jean needed. In a straight up fight three crows could have a fair fight with Jean, but when did Jean ever fight fair?

    With another blink, Jean appeared right on top of one of the crows. Instead of attacking or blinking again, she simply grabbed onto the crow¡¯s beak to prevent it from attacking and sat on the bird. Her weight pushed down on the bird¡¯s seemingly fragile but actual formidable body. Above her, another crow charged down on Jean with all the strength its body held.

    It was like a lightening, and it was penetrating everything in its way. Everything.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    The crow¡¯s eyes turned bright yellow as it dove. Jean wasn¡¯t looking at it, and it naively thought the element of surprise was on its side. It would be on Jean in half a second.

    And then Jean disappeared.

    Anyone with some logic could sense it was a trap, but crows weren¡¯t among that category.

    Now without a target, the crow tried to stop itself, but the momentum was too strong. All the first crow felt was its sharp beak smashing into something hard before rolling forward with one of its comrades. It tasted blood in its beak, and that blood didn¡¯t belong to a xel¡¯naga.

    Below the crow, another crow was critically wounded. Its body was almost ripped into two, and yellow energy was flowing out of its wound like a river. One of the wings was just gone. Growling, both crows fell from the sky. One of them was able to come back up. The other one was not as lucky.

    Now there was only one crow after Jean, and Jean had no trouble dealing with it.

    The xel¡¯naga blinked in front of the crow, immediately drawing its attention. The dozens of times of being fooled by an immediate teleportation didn¡¯t teach the bird a lesson. The crow simply launched itself at Jean, unaware that the situation was changed. The hunter had become the hunted, and the new hunter was looking at its fresh prey with a weapon in her grip.

    Jean swung her right hand out, and a golden blade appeared in her grip. She instantly made the calculation, located where the crow would arrive in, and correctly positioned the weapon. It was done in less than a second, and before the crow knew, it was smashing into a weapon held in place by the full strength of a god.

    The crow didn¡¯t stop. It couldn¡¯t stop.

    Inertia was a dangerous thing. At the speed the crow was at, the momentum it carried could either save it or destroy it. When it was making a charge, the inertia could make it much faster and much stronger than it already was. However, in this case, the inertia also meant the crow couldn¡¯t stop when it needed to.

    Just like the crow that smashed into its fellow brother, this crow smashed into something as well. Only difference was, in this case, it smashed into something much more deadly.

    Jean felt her arm being pushed back, but just briefly. Celestial energy acted on her arm and, along with Jean¡¯s enhanced muscle, held the limb and thus the weapon in place. That was when Jean suddenly sensed a smooth feeling as if her weapon went through something.

    Beneath her fried blade, two pieces of bird slid down the weapon. Yellow energy left the corpses and formed a cloud in the air. As the energy left, the two fragments melted into dust. The sudden power came with a price. By giving the crows strength enough to kill a god, the yellow energy sucked away whatever life the crows originally had. The only thing keeping them alive was the yellow energy. Even if Jean didn¡¯t kill the crow, it would die eventually when the energy was exhausted. Jean merely sped up the process.

    Showing no sign of being satisfied at the victory, Jean ignored the dead crows and held her hand out. The ownerless yellow energy had no problem with joining a new home. The new surge of strength made Jean want to moan, but she had no time to enjoy that. Immediately, she disappeared and reappeared on the ground. There, a one winged crow was struggling on the ground.

    It was alive, but just barely. The yellow energy was flowing out of its wound and disappearing into thin air every second. Its days, no, its hours were numbered. Jean turned the hours to milliseconds by snapping its neck.

    Just like the first dead crow, this one turned into dust as well. However, Jean keenly noticed the amount of energy she absorbed from this crow was much less than that of the first.

    The sound of something piercing through the wind came from above, and Jean ignited her new weapon. The old one was destroyed in the previous fight. Normal psionic blade generators had trouble holding celestial energy.

    Ten crows couldn¡¯t stop her. Could eight?

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 29: Explosion

    Ten minutes later, Jean stood tall. Two crows faced her. They were the only survivors left from the small flock that was present half an hour ago.

    A puddle of blood was on the ground. One of the crows left a mark on Jean just before being dissected. The wound healed quickly, but the blood Jean lost didn¡¯t mysteriously flow back. Still, compared to the eight completely dusted crows, she had the upper hand.

    80% casualty rate was enough to turn most army in this world back, but not the crows. Even though the chance of victory was next to none, the crows weren¡¯t looking at the odds. Mindless pawns had their own advantages. Anyone smarter would¡¯ve turned and fled and waited for a chance to regroup, but not them. The two crows merely charged toward Jean with no thoughts of self-preservation.

    Jean dropped her seventh psi blade and pulled out an eighth. Just like so many times before, the golden blade made her face glow. It was as if victory was at hand. She could end the crows like their predecessors.

    Jean¡¯s eyes twitched as the crows suddenly turned yellow inside out. Energy not only poured out of every opening in the bird but also created more holes as they simply went through the birds¡¯ body. The beasts screamed in obvious pain, but they still charged at Jean. They didn¡¯t even know who the blonde was, but they were willing to spend their last breath on the way to killing the blonde. The yellow energy not only changed their bodies but also altered their minds.

    Without being burdened or slowed down by emotions like fear and anxiety, Jean responded in the best way possible. A golden energy shield formed in front of the crows. It popped like a bubble in literally two seconds, but their goal was achieved. Jean¡¯s body was already fading away.

    It would take at least one more second for the crows to reach Jean. It would take half a second for Jean to disappear.

    And then the crows imploded into two balls of destructive yellow energy before reaching Jean. The thing was, explosion traveled faster than objects.

    Jean watched as the yellow energy fanned out, destroying everything in its radii. A part of the energy reached her as well. She felt her suit and then her skin melt. The energy was no longer the sweet treat she could easily absorb and turn into her own power. Its destructive potential was fully unleashed, and no xel¡¯naga power could save her from an explosion this powerful. She felt like she was reduced to a normal human body. Her skin disappeared first. Her flesh started to melt. She would be dead in two seconds, and that was still partially due to her distance away from the heart of the explosion. If she didn¡¯t use the shields to stall the crows and the explosion happened in her face, her story would end right here right now.

    Facing almost certain death, Jean¡¯s eyes were ice cold.

    The next second the explosion swept through the field and reduced everything in a one kilometer radius into ashes.

    <hr>

    Meanwhile, in the Umbrella camp outside Racoon City.

    A black suit guard patrolled the area. Underneath the pitch black helmet was a satisfied smirk.

    These days, the Umbrella camp wasn¡¯t exactly the safest place to be. At first, two maniacs made a frontal assault on the heavily defended Raven Gate Bridge. Dozens of comrades were trapped within the now monster filled city and left to die. Countless more were slaughtered on the spot. In the end the two madmen destroyed the gate and escaped the city. The few survivors were overrun by the undead that were attracted by the gunshots and followed the two maniacs through the gate. Luckily half the Umbrella forces on site were deployed to hold that gap. Reinforcements helped as well as they rushed to push the undead back. With the advantage of the wall and the chokepoint, the undead were pushed back into the city. Even now the sound of endless gunshots could still be heard from the wall. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    That wasn¡¯t the end. The nearly emptied Umbrella camp was assaulted by someone from the inside. A prisoner the major kept went rogue and started going all Rambo in the camp. Half the camp was empty, and most of the guards that rushed to stop her were slaughtered. The rest fled. Two helicopters were hijacked. How one prisoner took hold of two helicopters was unknown, but as a guard the man didn¡¯t care. All he knew was that he was still alive, and that was all that mattered.

    Now, the forces that held the gate managed to implant a substitute roadblock that kept the undead back and gave the defenders a chance to escape. Using that opportunity, the forces have returned to the camp and were about to be evacuated through several newly arrived transports. At this point the defenses of the camp was at its peak. If someone assaulted this camp now, they wouldn¡¯t share the success of their predecessors.

    His smirk disappeared when he felt something hard on the back of his neck.

    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± A cold voice made him freeze. The series of muffled footsteps from behind made him abandon any plan of making a fight for it.

    His loyalty to Umbrella yielded to his self preservation.

    <hr>

    In his tent, major Cain gathered what was left of his belongings. He would be gone from this godforsaken city in a minimal of ten minutes. After that, he would live a comfortable life in an underground base as a high ranking Umbrella official. The world would burn and he wouldn¡¯t care. If he was a sentimental person, he wouldn¡¯t have made it to the place of Umbrella commander of Racoon City.

    Suddenly, a series of gunshots came from outside. Cain was starting to hate that sound. Usually he enjoyed hearing gunshots because he was always on the right side of the barrels. When the situation was changed and he was on the much more dangerous side, his enjoyment quickly evaporated.

    Cain dropped his bags without any hesitation. Wealth could be regained. Items could be repurchased. But lives couldn¡¯t be regenerated. Grabbing his pistol, he left the tent.

    Outside, the Umbrella forces were stuck in a painful situation. The intruders got past most of the sentries without firing a shot, and they were only scouted when they were literally on the base. As soon as they encountered each other, the Umbrella soldiers were confused while the intruders opened fire without hesitation. Their shots were accurate and merciless, and a large portion of the defenders fell within the first few seconds.

    The rest struggled to use vehicles and other structures in the tent as cover and fire back. As elite Umbrella soldiers, they believed their skills could save them from defeat, but they soon realized their enemies weren¡¯t weak either. In fact, they were almost as skilled as the Umbrella soldiers themselves.

    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± Major Cain knelt down behind cover. His pistol was ready, but he had no intention of using it. He was a commander for god¡¯s sake. Which type of commanders would charge into the frontline?

    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re under attack from unknown enemy forces. They have surrounded the camp and are moving on our position!¡± A soldier replied. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many of them there are. In this situation, we can¡¯t do a counterattack.¡±

    All Cain wanted to do was retreat. He made up his mind once he returned to safety he would never act as a field commander ever. This was simply too dangerous. ¡°Fall back to the transports!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The order was passed down through the comm. A team of the Umbrella soldiers kept on laying down suppressing fire while the others retreated.

    Cain was among the first to run.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 30: On the move

    Two transports were in a field on the northern side of the camp. They were the best hope to ferry the nearly fifty Umbrella forces left outside the city to safety.

    Cain and nearly thirty men rushed to the transports. At least twenty men were left behind. They thought they would be covered by their comrades, but it turned out their comrades valued their own lives above those of their brothers. As the firing from the attackers turned more frequent, the orderly retreat turned into an uncontrollable defeat. The few that wanted to do something were insignificant when everyone around them wanted nothing but escape. Plus, even their commander was leaving. Why would they remain?

    As they got closer to the field, Cain realized something was off. It was too quiet. The transports were protected by at least a dozen men. Some of them were summoned to the front when the situation was dire, but there should still be some guards. Yet no one was coming to greet them.

    ¡°Now!¡± A cry came from among the transports, and under the cover of the night at least twenty gun barrels poked out of all directions. Some were from the transports. Some were from behind buildings. All of them were scattered across the field so they could survive longer.

    The Umbrella forces, on the other hand, were clumped up in a tight formation. A few swipes from the automatic rifles could mow them down with ease.

    It was a slaughter.

    The attackers acted with no remorse. In fact, it was as if they were taking pleasure in massacring the Umbrella soldiers. Bullets cut through the black suited soldiers. Their normal human being bodies were no match for the storm of steel. Half a dozen Umbrella soldiers were down in the first few seconds.

    The survivors got down and fired back as much as they could, but the attackers came prepared. Their guns were equipped with silencers, which covered the fire from their guns. The Umbrella forces, on the other hand, weren¡¯t prepared for fighting. Their glaring gun barrels were as obvious as possible in the dark. The only thing their bullets did was tell the attackers where they were.

    The Umbrella soldiers outnumbered the attackers, but their number was decreasing by the seconds and, as far as they could see, the attackers were ungrazed.

    Eventually, the Umbrella soldiers have had enough. They were paid by Umbrella, but no amount of money could buy absolute loyalty. Money wouldn¡¯t matter to the dead.

    ¡°Don¡¯t shoot! I surrender!¡± One of the men yelled. Several men around him stopped firing as well. As if a signal was given, the entire battlefield went silence. The few absolute loyalists were stopped by their comrades.

    ¡°Keep shooting!¡± Cain ordered loudly, pointing his pistol threateningly. If they surrendered, the foot soldiers may be released, but as the commanding officer he wouldn¡¯t get away easily.

    The soldiers ignored him.

    Cain groaned and pointed at a soldier close to him. The man has dropped his rifle. ¡°Pick up your weapon and open fire on the enemies.¡± If the soldiers surrendered, there was no way he could get out all by himself. ¡°Now!¡±

    The soldier looked at him before slowly picking up the rifle. Cain slightly grinned, but then the man turned the rifle and smacked him in the face. The major fell on the ground. His firearm left his grip.

    <hr>

    Turned out the twenty or so men Cain abandoned surrendered quickly. Their commander left them. Why would they give their lives to buy time for someone that left them to die?

    With a bruise on his face, Timothy Cain looked at the attackers that crushed his elite Umbrella forces. He was slightly surprised to find out they were from multiple origins. Some of them were wearing STARS uniforms. Some were mercenaries. Some were SWAT. Some were police officers. Some were even in civilian clothing.

    The only thing common was the way they looked at him. It was a look of ultimate disdain, like the way people look at someone who committed mass murder.

    Two attackers yanked Cain forward and pushed him on the ground. As Cain looked up, he was faced with a rather pissed off man.

    The man got right to the point. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°A few hours ago an Umbrella strike team was deployed to attack a group of survivors in Racoon City. They abducted a girl.¡± Carl said as calmly as possible. ¡°Where is she?¡±

    Unseen by the mortals, Aidan sat on a box of ammunition thoughtfully. For a moment he considered completely betraying Jean and tell Carl who Jean truly was via Cain¡¯s lips, but the girl would not be satisfied. The pain in his stomach warned him to think before acting.

    Finally, Aidan made up his mind.

    A look of struggle appeared on Cain¡¯s face, but it quickly disappeared. ¡°I shipped her to the headquarter in Japan for dissection.¡± He said provokingly and in a highly unusual manner. ¡°You¡¯ll never find her! Even if you do, the only thing you will see will be pieces of her body put in lab containers.¡± That was a lie to cover Jean¡¯s escape. Something like this was obviously Aidan¡¯s work. At the same time, the psychic also changed the memories of the Umbrella survivors to match Cain¡¯s story. A captured girl shouldn¡¯t have massacred her way through a heavily defended camp.

    Carl pulled a pistol out of his holster and put it to the man¡¯s face. He hesitated for a second, but the thought of Jean be experimented on was more than enough to make him pull the trigger.

    A gunshot echoed through the field. The Umbrella commander collapsed with a hole in his head. His last thought was a confused one. Why would he do something so stupid?

    Carl sighed and looked away.

    Ever since Jean was captured, Carl sought to take her back. It was this thought that encouraged him to form what was practically an army. The few survivors from the previous attack joined together again. The new team, under Carl¡¯s command, advanced through the city, taking out zombies and rallying fresh reinforcements. Under this circumstance, everyone Carl met, armed or not, joined his obviously more armed forces.

    In the end, there were more than 50 armed men and women and over a hundred civilians. During the raid on the gunshop, the mercenaries only took a small number of weapons, and, discreetly and under Jean¡¯s suggestion, Carl put the rest of the weapons into his watch. Now these weapons were used to arm over 30 civilians, making the number of armed men 80.

    Supposedly, this was still insufficient to take on the Umbrella forces. Most of Carl¡¯s men were not professional soldiers whereas all of the Umbrella troopers were trained to kill. This forced Carl to use some tricks.

    First, Carl explained to his men what Umbrella did. The knowledge that all this hell and horror was caused by a decision by the Umbrella High Command was enough to inspire some hatred and therefore increase the morale. Most of the men were ready to rip the Umbrella soldiers to pieces.

    Just morale couldn¡¯t make a group of civilians soldiers, so Carl used tactics to make up for the lack of strength. Abusing the silencers and the element of surprise, he positioned most of the civilians turned soldiers and a small portion of the elite soldiers at the southern side of the camp. When bullets were flying, gunshots from every direction could cover up the lack of accuracy and make the defenders believe they were outnumbered.

    In this case, a counterattack would be pointless. They were planning to leave anyways, so why would they risk their lives attacking into the defenders? Before the attack, Carl spotted two large transport planes parked in the northern side of the camp. Using the cover of the frontal assault, Carl, Alice, Jill, Rain, and the most elite of the team sneaking into the field. The few guards were gunned down before they could get a signal out. The few pilots were executed as well. When the situation was under control, the attackers took positions around the field and got ready. All they needed was the prey to walk right into the trap.

    And the prey did.

    Yet all this careful planning didn¡¯t get Carl the result he wanted. Jean was transported to what might be the most heavily defended Umbrella base. Just Whisker could slaughter an army, nevermind all the soldiers and traps the base might hold. He had a couple dozen men. There was no way he could break into the base.

    ¡°Carl?¡± Alice asked with concern. She knew how much Jean meant to him.

    Carl¡¯s eyes shined determination as he forced his thoughts away from a dissected Jean. ¡°How was the fight?¡±

    ¡°12 killed. 34 captured. We lost 4 men. Both transports are safe.¡± Rain reported. ¡°What should we do with the captives?¡±

    It took a moment for Carl to realize he was in control of 34 lives. He could decide whether those 34 men live or die with a single word. If he decided to execute them, the soldiers below him would have no problem carrying out the order. If he decided to let them live, they would probably escape the fate of certain death. They may still die, but they would live for now.

    He remained silent for a while. A part of him wanted to kill every men and women that worked for Umbrella. Even if he couldn¡¯t save Jean, he could avenge her.

    ¡°Carl?¡± Rain continued. Time was a luxury they could barely afford.

    ¡°K¡­¡± Carl caught himself. The soldiers were defenseless. Killing them couldn¡¯t accomplish anything. In fact, he doubted if he would feel better with 34 deaths on his hand. After all, those men were just following orders. It was the Umbrella commanders that were letting innocent die for their own gains. They were those that deserved to die.

    ¡°Strip their weapons, tell them what Umbrella did, and let them go. They can join us if they want.¡±

    Rain nodded.

    Carl turned around. ¡°Find four pilots and get the transports ready. We¡¯re leaving this place.¡±

    The others went to work, and Carl stared into a distance.

    ¡°Wait for me, Jean¡­¡±

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 31: An educated guess

    In a city fifty miles away from Racoon City.

    The chaos from Racoon City hadn¡¯t reached here...yet. In the middle of the night, most of the residents were asleep. They were completely unaware of their terrible fate.

    In one of the houses, a figure appeared. As soon as she arrived, her body hit the ground, staining the grey carpet red with blood.

    The last blink saved Jean¡¯s life. At that time, her ghost suit was completely gone. Her skin was nearly peeled off. Her celestial energy collapsed in the face of the overwhelming yellow explosions. Death was like a tidal wave that she couldn¡¯t escape. Luckily, she was gone half a second before the explosion did critical damage. No explosion could hurt her if she was no longer in range.

    Now Jean seemed battered, but her body was already mending. Burnt flesh fell off and were replaced by new ones. Her skin grew back. When her body was healed, a black suit appeared in Jean¡¯s hands. Her watch wasn¡¯t even grazed from the explosion. Whatever it was made of, it was much stronger than everything Jean had.

    After Jean put the suit on, she looked over the gains from the last fight.

    The crows might have been the most dangerous enemy she faced, but with great risk came great reward.

    Assuming the energy in a red crystal was 1 unit of energy, Jean estimated her original power level to be around 120. This was 20% more than the power a yellow crystal held.

    The crows were around 100 units of energy, but that count was constantly lowered as time passed. When Jean killed the first crow, the energy the bird held was around 60. A portion of the energy evaporated before Jean could absorb them. In the end, Jean got around 30 units of energy.

    The second gave Jean around 15. Its wound sped up the process. The six more crows gave an average of 20.

    The last two crows ignited their energies before they died, not leaving Jean with any reward.

    At this point, Jean¡¯s power level was around 265. This was more than twice as powerful as she was when she started this mission. The seemingly endless power flow within her confirmed that.

    But the more than doubled power didn¡¯t make Jean satisfied. In fact, the more powerful she became, the more she understood how weak and insignificant she truly was. This was the constant theme of her life ever since she woke up in the haul of the Hyperion. Neither her transformation to zerg, nor her transformation to xel¡¯naga, made her invincible. They merely meant a step closer to the final goal.

    Moreover, with the information she gained from the fight, Jean was starting to have a guess on why the Supreme Ones sent the voyagers to different worlds.

    If this world was the computer, then Jean was the virus. The Supreme One was the hacker that inserted the virus. Jean suspected just the presence of the voyagers opened up a chance for the Supreme One to get inside the worlds...and steal from them.

    Every time upon completing a mission, the voyagers would receive a certain amount of crystals as a reward. Where did the crystals come from? It was unlikely that the Supreme One would give out resources this important for nothing. Thus, the Supreme One must receive some gain by having the voyagers do their missions. This gain was likely crystal energy.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Jean didn¡¯t know what type or what caliber of technology could allow an organization to steal from individual worlds, but she had a guess of why someone would want to do that. Crystal energy could accomplish almost anything. It could strength her celestial power. It could power weapons. It could enhance bodies. At this point Jean couldn¡¯t even find something crystal energy couldn¡¯t do. There was no wonder someone wanted to get more crystals.

    Of course, the intention of the Supreme One was way above her level. All she could do with this information was consider how she could use this new knowledge to strengthen herself. Her destination was far away, and she needed everything she could to get there.

    First of all, by using foreign power, Jean was exposing herself to the world. As a virus, she was sending out a signal to the computer. Jean suspected the ten crows were some sort of antivirus program. They were powered by the same energy that was in the crystals and were deployed to terminate the virus. The resource that powered the program was, in this case, the yellow energy. This was dangerous because this meant the world itself had some sort of self-examining system. It could actively sense Jean¡¯s foreign presence and deploy countermeasures strong enough to kill her. This time the countermeasure was slightly too weak to get the job done, but the same might not be able to be said if the same thing was to happen again.

    Now, on the positive side, when Jean took out the crows, she had an opportunity to directly absorb the yellow energy. The energies evaporated quickly, but if Jean acted quick enough she could still grab some before the world could recycle it. From a certain point of view, she was also stealing energy from this world. And, instead of helping the Supreme One commit the theft and get a share afterward, she was doing it herself, thus gaining the maximum reward.

    This was more than beneficial to her. Just look at her now doubled power level. If she could keep doing what she did, her power might grow exponentially. Also, this was a method no other voyager realized, probably because no other voyager lived through the antivirus. If she could pass this news to her fellow sisters, then the lurkers could easily overpower the voyagers when the time comes.

    There would be casualties, but the trade would be a worthy one. Ten zealots could never match one Kerrigan.

    As for now, as long as she could take calculated risks, she should be fine. The computer/world could only sense her presence when she used power significantly different from this world. That included massive use of celestial energy and probably the purifier and Warden units in her watch but did not include super strength, rapid healing, super reflexes, and psychic power, likely because they were a norm in the Resident Evil universe. As long as she could deal with her enemies with ordinary methods like a normal human being, she should be safe.

    Jean wasn¡¯t further punished by using celestial energy and foreign objects in her fight against the crows, but that was likely because she was already being punished. There was no reason of using celestial energy and risking being discovered unless she absolutely needed to.

    Making up her mind, Jean casually took out two pistols. Firearms were her primary armament. Combined with her powerful body, the guns should deal with most enemies. If they failed, then her telekinesis psychic power would come into action. Only when she was in a life or death situation would she turn to celestial energy and her fleets.

    A sudden growl came from the upper floors. Jean scanned the entire house as soon as she arrived, and she came to the conclusion that the family of four wouldn¡¯t be a threat.

    The growl was a familiar one. Jean didn¡¯t know t-virus could be passed on by means other than the teeth of an undead, but what the hell. She was just attacked by ten crows that could destroy the world. It was not surprising the t-virus evolved a bit.

    Horrified screams followed the growl. Jean had a guess of what happened, but she merely stood by and did nothing. If she got up there and killed the zombie, she would get 0.1 worth of energy. If she waited a few minutes, she would likely get 0.4

    Suddenly, she frowned. A wave of flames swept through the second floor. There was neither gunshots nor explosion.

    The flames weren¡¯t a result of anything normal.

    Jean drew her pistols and ran up the stairs.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 32: Mutated

    On the second floor, a family of four laid in two rooms. The parents slept in the main chamber. The two kids, an older brother and a younger sister, stayed in two separate rooms.

    In the main chamber, the mother suddenly felt very warm. This should be normal. She was having a cold for the past week and her health wasn¡¯t exactly at its peak. Groaning, she kicked open the cover and laid in her pajamas, trying to cool down.

    However, the heat didn¡¯t disappear. Instead, it turned warmer and warmer. The mother suddenly realized something was very off. She coughed and tried to sit up, but her body turned very heavy. Her eyes started to lose contrast. She reached out to her husband, asking for help, but the man was too asleep to be woken up by a simple tap. He merely snored as her wife lost any sign of life.

    He was still snoring when his wife¡¯s eyes snapped open again...

    In the secondary bedroom, sixteen year old Alia O¡¯Neal slept in her bed. Suddenly, a desperate scream woke her up. She immediately recognized the sharp voice belonging to a man. She didn¡¯t know who the scream belonged to, but she did know whoever it was something bad happened.

    The door was opened, and Alia, still in sleepy eyes, jumped in fear. She calmed down when she recognized the door opener to be her older sibling brother.

    ¡°Paul, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Alia asked, slightly calmer than before. Despite being the same age, Paul was always the big brother.

    ¡°Something¡¯s off.¡± Paul locked the door and grabbed a stool as weapon. There was a gun in their house, but it was locked away in his parent¡¯s room. ¡°The scream...it came from mom and dad¡¯s place. Get your phone and call 911.¡±

    ¡°On it.¡± The girl swallowed and nodded quickly. She reached for her phone and quickly tapped the three numbers that usually meant safety, but the result was unfortunate. No one was there to answer. ¡°No one¡¯s answering! What do we do now?¡±

    The male teenager suddenly felt something slamming on the door. The door was locked, but then again whoever, or whatever, was on the other side, it didn¡¯t know how to turn a door knob. Instead, it was constantly hitting the door was brute force.

    He shook slightly as the door was continuously battered. Whoever the intruder was, it was more beast than man. Sweat covered his back, and he grabbed onto the stool with all his strength. A determined look was in his eyes.

    He didn¡¯t know what was on the other side, but he did know, unless a superhero miraculously descended from the sky, he was the only hope to saving his sister and himself.

    All of a sudden, with another hit, the door collapsed, and both Paul and Alia were horrified to realize it was their parents at the door...only they were no longer the kind loving men and women they knew. Instead, they were something much more...menacing.

    The blood and flesh on their mother¡¯s lips and in her teeth, along with the hole in the father¡¯s neck, showed the sequence of infection.

    Both zombies looked at their former children. They showed no recognition of their own blood. This wasn¡¯t a kid¡¯s show. Love couldn¡¯t get by the difference between life and death and human and undead and somehow make the zombies remember who they were and back off. The only emotion the zombies felt toward the kids was the desire to eat.

    ¡°Mom? Dad? What the...what are you doing? This is not funny!¡± The girl asked. Her voice shaking from fear. In a time period where internet was everywhere, she had more than enough hints from science fiction and horror movies to know something was incredibly wrong, but it was one thing to know something logically and it was another to deal with it when it became a reality. Anyone could joke about how they could take down a family turned zombie with a logical and decisive strike to the head, but when a zombie was truly in front of her, the only thing she could do was close her eyes and pray everything was a joke. Maybe the next moment everyone else would burst out into laughers and say something funny.

    Well, it wasn¡¯t something funny, at least not for her. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The girl was responded with a growl. The two zombies charged without hesitation.

    Paul subconsciously raised his stool, but the weapon, in the hand of Jean could kill the zombies in a hundred different ways, was simply knocked out of his hands. Even if fear was not a factor, a zombie was much stronger than a sixteen year old teenager. Paul was not the strongest among his age group either.

    Before he could do anything, the father zombie jumped on him and held him down. His claws moved, and a sudden pain dragged down Paul¡¯s shoulder and left a trail of red fractured flesh. Almost instantly, the zombie bit down on Paul.

    The teenager used all his strength to hold the teeth apart. His eyelids were sticking as a wave of fatigue washed over him. The pain on his shoulder was only enhanced by his extensive use of his muscles. For a moment he wanted to give up and let his father¡¯s teeth go through him. What happened in the last three minutes was more than what an ordinary teenager like him could handle. Pain. Fear. Anger. Concern. Everything washed over his mind and broke his spirit.

    A female cry came from beside. Paul¡¯s heart sank and suddenly felt another surge of strength within his body. His sister...If he died, his sister would die as well. His parents were already gone. He wouldn¡¯t allow his sister to suffer the same fate. She still had a great life in front of her...she didn¡¯t deserve to die like this.

    Paul screamed and pulled the zombie¡¯s teeth apart. His fingers burned as the t-virus on the zombie¡¯s teeth entered his body through fractured wounds. But before he could do anything else, a torching wave of flame washed over everything in a ten meter perimeter. Paul screamed as his clothing were ignited, bringing his skin and his flesh with it. The zombie above him burned as well, along with everything on the second layer of the house. A sickening smell of burnt flesh was covered by the overwhelming pain on his body.

    Beside him, Alia was screaming as well. However, his scream was not due to pain. It was due to something else.

    Everything around her was burning, but she wasn¡¯t. It was as if the flame that came out of nowhere had a conscious and was actively dodging the girl.

    The fire finally went out after rampaging for half a minute. When the smoke cleared, both zombies were on the ground. They were immune to the pain the flame brought, but even zombies couldn¡¯t keep on moving when their flesh were literally melting into liquid form.

    As soon as Alia realized what happened, she turned to her brother in horror. In the heat of the moment, she completely forgot about her sibling.

    She was horrified to realize her brother wasn¡¯t miraculously spared. He was below one of the burnt zombies that was formerly her father. The smell of barbeque made Alia turned and want to throw up.

    No one could survive that heat...

    ¡°He¡¯s not dead.¡± A female voice attracted Alia¡¯s attention. The girl frowned and turned to find a blonde at the door. Her eyes went down to the two pistols in her grip, but her mind turned on what she said.

    ¡°What...what do you mean?¡± Alia asked, not even caring who the blonde was. ¡°I...I killed him!¡±

    Jean gestured at the body on the ground. She could see the body repairing itself. It was almost like what she was doing a few minutes ago, only it was much slower.

    Alia saw Jean¡¯s gaze. She turned and was more than shocked to realize her brother¡¯s eyes just snapped open. His body was rapidly healing. There were still wounds, but they were getting better and better.

    ¡°How¡­¡± She ran to her brother and blushed slightly when she realized his clothes were gone. She ran back to her shelf and grabbed a set of suit for man. Why a girl would have clothes of a man in her bedroom was not the concern of the moment.

    Paul quickly dressed and sat up. Jean realized he subconsciously stood in front of his sister. ¡°Who are you?¡± He glanced at the zombies with fear in his eyes. ¡°What is happening?¡± Something about the girl, who was just several years older than him, suggested that she had information he didn¡¯t have. Maybe it was the way she acted. She seemed so calm, even after seeing the burnt zombies.

    Jean¡¯s mind was turning like the engine of a car that was at 200 mph. From what she just saw, her actions left a quite severe mark on this world. Virus has a tendency of messing up their hosts. In this case, as a result of her reckless use of celestial energy, the systems of this world was starting to fall apart. The very rule of this dimension was becoming blurry. These two were examples.

    In the original history, they should be dead and then brought back as zombies. Instead, in this version of life, they became mutated and possessed some sort of power. This could be due to multiple reasons, but it was likely because Jean screwed up the original course of this world. As a result, the mechanism of this exact world was breaking apart.

    Jean sensed a familiar feeling from the two. It was the feeling of crystal energies. It appeared like the world was leaking energy, and certain individuals were, accidentally, absorbing those exact energy. By doing so, they have received certain powers.

    They have become mutated.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 33: Followers

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Jean demanded.

    Paul frowned. ¡°Tell me what¡¯s going on first.¡± He didn¡¯t know what the girl wanted, but it felt really bad to be the ignorant one.

    ¡°A zombie apocolypse.¡± Jean was concise.

    ¡°What¡­how...why¡­¡± Alia had no idea what question to ask first. Her mouth hung open but no word came out.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the right question. The right question is, what is happening to you two.¡± Jean scanned the two quickly. ¡°You have been infected by t-virus, but for some reason instead of dying and turning to one of those zombies, you have gained certain powers. You,¡± She looked at Alia. ¡°You have gained the power of controlling fire. You,¡± Paul. ¡°you have received the power of rapid regeneration. Basically, you¡¯re Wolverine without his claws.¡±

    That was only partially a lie. They were enhanced by crystal energy, not t-virus, but neither of the siblings needs to know that.

    The two exchanged a look. The screams from outside, along with what they just experienced, confirmed Jean¡¯s story. This brought some trust to the blonde¡¯s story. ¡°I¡¯m Paul O''Neal. She¡¯s my sister. Alia. Who are you?¡±

    ¡°You can call me Jean. I am...you can say I am a woman on a mission.¡± Jean flipped her pistols expertly, applying some pressure. ¡°I want to make you two a deal.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°You two obey me and do my bidding, and as long as you two are with me, I will keep both of you safe.¡± Jean proposed.

    Since a while ago, Jean realized she needed some underlings. It was not necessary for additional strength. The siblings were at most around two to three red crystals. In a fight to the death, a single legionnaire could slay either of them, and a single Warden ghost could kill them both in seconds. She needed them majorly because they could move freely in the worlds she traveled to.

    One of the functions of Jean¡¯s identity as a voyager was the follower mechanism. As someone who completed one mission, Jean could bring two followers with her. Followers could, no, followers must follow their leader to whichever dimension they go to. The reward for the kills they did was delivered to the voyagers. The Supreme One would cover the presence of the followers as well, which meant as long as they didn¡¯t extensively use foreign power they wouldn¡¯t be targeted by the worlds. Usually, followers were meant to help the voyagers to complete their missions.

    In this case, the siblings were excellent choices to be her followers. They loved each other, which meant as long as she could get hold of one of them, the other would likely remain loyal. They were around sixteen. This was a perfect age. Anyone older would be too logical and be harder to manipulate. Anyone younger would be too immature and would take too long to really help. Stolen story; please report.

    When her purifier and Warden forces and her overpowering nature couldn¡¯t be revealed, she needed someone to help.

    Paul and Alia looked at each other. As someone in the 21st century, the idea of giving their loyalty to someone else was not just foreign but even stupid, but the time has changed. The faint smell of bbq in the air kept on reminding them that.

    They no longer had their parents to lean on. They no longer had a home. They no longer had a society governed by law. They did have some power, but the exhausted feeling all over Alia¡¯s body and the starving sensation in Paul¡¯s stomach reminded them mutation didn¡¯t mean invincibility. Powers had their limits, and when their powers were exhausted, they were just ordinary sixteen year old human beings.

    But Paul wasn¡¯t so easily convinced. He had watched way too much apocalypse movies and tv shows to understand how little trust meant in a lawless society. They knew nothing about this Jean.

    ¡°First of all, how can I know you are trustworthy? Second, what makes you think you can protect us?¡± He bargained.

    Jean responded with action. She drew her pistol and continuously fired at a wall. Ten bullets were unleashed in seven seconds. When the smoke cleared, there was only one bullet hole in the wall.

    All ten bullets landed on the exact same spot. Factor in the recoil and everything, this was nearly impossible for someone ordinary. The fact that Jean did it with, according to her careless moves, little effort, said something.

    ¡°Because I can kill both of you if I want. That, and you will never live through armies of undead by yourself.¡±

    The siblings finally nodded.

    <hr>

    Half the house was burned down in Alia¡¯s fiery outburst. The trio walked down to the first floor via the half torched staircase.

    As soon as they got to the bottom, Paul jumped to the kitchen and started snacking.

    Alia frowned and cracked a smile. This was something hard to do after her parents were turned into zombies and then a pile of burnt flesh. ¡°Now is not the best time to eat.¡±

    Paul shrugged and didn¡¯t stop eating. Alia looked at Jean, worried.

    ¡°His power healed the wounds, but the mending required energy. In his case, this energy came from the food he ate. That¡¯s why he desperately needs the nutrient intake.¡± Jean explained. ¡°He should be fine, but it is best for him to carry some high nutrient food along the way.¡±

    Paul emptied half the refrigerator before standing back up. He wiped his mouth and grinned, slightly embarrassed.

    ¡°My father has a pistol in his locker.¡± He suggested, trying to make some input. ¡°I can grab it if you want. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s still there after the fire but¡­¡±

    Jean grinned and shook her head. She wiped her hand on her watch, and two automatic rifles and two pistols appeared on a table next to her. She was showing off her watch on purpose. If the two were to follow her through countless dimensions, it would be best for them to know about where she came from and what she was capable of doing.

    Alia faltered as the metal hit the table. Paul stared in awe.

    ¡°What was that?¡± He asked with his eyes wide open.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a secret.¡± Secrets make people too scared to make a betrayal. ¡°Now, let¡¯s move.¡±

    The two each picked up a rifle and a pistol. The three slowly advanced out the door.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 34: Situation

    In the street, a woman screamed and ran. She made it two steps before a zombie landed on her back. Sharp teeth ripped through human flesh. Blood was spilled on the not so quite street.

    She wasn¡¯t the only victim. All over the city, all over the world, men and women were dying from the zombie onslaught. The infection, which should have been a result of the incident in Racoon City, somehow reached all over the planet in just hours. Every country was hit almost simultaneously, giving no time for the governments to react.

    None of the voyagers knew this, but their presence in Racoon City and what they did to the Umbrella outpost outside the city was reported to the Umbrella High Command. As someone who wanted to manually create an apocalypse, Wesker would do anything to make sure things won¡¯t go wrong because of a few mercenaries.

    He was a loyal follower of Doctor Isaacs, and he needed the apocalypse to go on according to the plan. If this plan worked, he would be the right hand man of the most powerful figure on the planet. If the plan failed, he would be punished for what he did. Conspiring to end the world was enough to get him a one way ticket to hell. Best case scenario, he would be forced into hiding. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose this.

    Sending mercenaries, including the Sanitation Team and the Hound mercenary corps, to Hive was just a part of the cover story Umbrella had in mind. Not every member of Umbrella was a determined loyalist who was ok with exterminating most of the population. Most of them were just ordinary human beings. They could be gradually changed and convinced to join Umbrella, eventually, but if he was to tell them what his plan really was, there would be resentment.

    What the Umbrella High Command had in mind was to tell the survivors this story: Umbrella was developing Bioweapons. Fine. So what? Did Browning get punished for developing machine guns? The only one responsible for all the deaths the zombie outbreak lead to was the spy who infiltrated the Hive and broke the first syringe of t-virus. Granted, Spence was hired by Umbrella High Command, even though he himself didn¡¯t know it, but the general employees didn¡¯t need to know that.

    This story didn¡¯t really clear Umbrella of its sins, but at least the common people could tell themselves a story that they were on the good, innocent side. Even if just half of the employees believed the story, it was enough to maintain the authority of the Umbrella High Command. When the only power left in this world was Umbrella, desertion and rebellion didn¡¯t seem so tempting.

    That was not a bad plan, but the plan went wrong when Major Cain of Racoon City reported losing contact with one of the teams deployed at the entrance to the Hive. If the zombies got them, thenWesker wouldn¡¯t mind, but reports said two of the mercenaries exited the facility and started slaughtering the guards. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    This was bad. The fact that the mercenaries went out of control meant they might have went to the government already. In fact, the US government might be sending a team to the Umbrella Headquarter already. Umbrella was powerful and t-virus was menacing, but if the entire country reacted and cut the infection off from the root...zombies were powerful in great numbers. A couple dozen undead stood no chance against the government machine.

    Wesker acted quickly. The best defense was a good offense. Within a single order, all the Umbrella bases around the world were tasked with retreating into the underground base and deploying t-virus onto the world above.

    Few hesitated. The leaders of the bases were absolutely loyal to the cause, and the men they sent the deliver the virus were the most determined.

    This sped up the infection, especially when most of the major military bases were targeted. Umbrella utilized spies they inserted into the bases and spread t-virus in their water sources. Not all of the spies was successful, but most were. When the undead started growling, the military struggled in protecting themselves. The thought of sending forces to protect the civilians was...optimistic.

    The city Jean was in was a city of 200,000. Just like every other city in the world, they were unprepared when the undead made their move. The police forces included around 1500 men. That seemed a lot, but only half that number were combatants. The couple hundred men simply couldn¡¯t protect a thousand times that number of civilians. In fact, they could barely even protect themselves. Whenever someone fired a gun and killed a zombie, every zombie wandering around in a two hundred meter radius would make their charge toward the sound. At first the police didn¡¯t know zombies were sensitive to sound, and the rapid gunshots successfully brought an army of zombies toward their location.

    As more and more of the city fell, more civilians were turned to zombies. As the fighting continued and the ammo count fell, the zombie count only increased. At first the police formed a defensive position in front of the police station with police cars and barricades and held their ground. Several hundred guns sealed the roads shut and temporarily protected the innocents that were lucky enough to get behind the defense lines in time. Yet that changed quickly when a higher power joined the battlefield.

    Ten lickers ravaged through the men with a speed ordinary human beings couldn¡¯t even see, much less fire upon. They got behind the defensive barricades and started plowing through the ranged units with incredible accuracy. In most universes, whether it was Starcraft or Resident Evil, ranged human units weren¡¯t the best at melee. With pistols and rifles and Kevlar suits, the police department was slaughtered at the claws and tongues of the lickers.

    More importantly, the lickers attracted all the firing and allowed the slower, more vulnerable zombies to pour over the barricades. Completely surrounded and overran, both the police and the civilians had no way out. Some fought back while others fled, but in the end, they all met the same fate.

    When the gunshots and the screams died, several hundred more undead in police uniform joined the army of the dead.

    In the blood stained police station, the 911 cell kept on ringing.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 35: Outburst

    A zombie stumbled along the dark alleyway.

    The quiet tick of a silenced rifle rang, and a bullet flew toward its target with all its momentum.

    The zombie was still walking forward.

    Alia turned away in slight shame as she saw a bullet hole on the wall behind the zombie. It was worth noting that the bullet hole was at least one meter away from its meant target. It was also worth noting that the zombie was fifteen meters within Alia.

    ¡°Try again.¡± Behind her, Paul pushed as he discreetly eyed Jean. The older woman showed no opinion toward the failure as she put down two more zombies that moved toward them in an easy manner.

    It had been twenty minutes since the three left the burnt house. Fifteen minutes ago a loud noise appeared from the police department of the city. Alia wanted to go there, but both Paul and Jean stopped her. If they could hear the shots, then so could the infected. Just like they expected, the noise ended five minutes ago. Since then, they have been trying to move out of the city where there should be less people and therefore less zombies.

    At this point Jean was in an awkward position. Everything she could do without attracting unwanted attention couldn¡¯t really increase her power. She couldn¡¯t kill thousands of zombies because it would be suspicious, but killing several hundred zombies and earning a couple dozen red crystals was not as tempting as it may seem to other voyagers. 20 red crystals didn¡¯t mean 2 orange crystals or 0.2 yellow crystals. At Jean¡¯s level, absorbing red crystals could barely help her. It was better than nothing, but...Orange crystals were slightly better, and only crystals of yellow or above could truly improve Jean. This was nearly impossible in this world without taking a stupid amount of risk. Jean wasn¡¯t afraid of dying, but a pointless death was simply stupid.

    This was why the only thing Jean could do here was try to complete the mission while gaining as much as resources as she could. The two followers, for instance, would be helpful if she could make them into her asset. The same could be said for Carl. She wanted to take down Umbrella, but she didn¡¯t need to rush it.

    This was why she was wasting time on two teenagers when she could complete the mission with ease. Rushing was risky to her covert nature and was bad for the growth of others. Basically everyone else needed Umbrella as an punching dummy to improve.

    Alia bit her lips and raised her weapon again. The recoil of the gun bashed in on her soft shoulder, and she yelped slightly. To the dismay of both her and her brother, the bullet missed again.

    The disappointment on Paul¡¯s shoulder was unmistakable. ¡°Try again.¡± He repeated.

    Alia didn¡¯t know his concern. The girl was too naive to realize how much danger they were in.

    First of all, the apocalypse. In just one night, all hints of law and order were gone. Government and police were collapsing. Even if they survived, the law nations would be too worn out to keep control over its territory and its people.

    In this situation, two teenagers were like sheep in a slaughterhouse. They didn¡¯t have experience in combat. They were barely armed. Even armed, they could barely hit a stable target within fifteen feet. If a few zombies, or even just a few human beings, suddenly jumped on them...they would be defenseless.

    In a lawless world, when there was no punishment for crimes, people have a tendency of corrupting and becoming criminals. If someone decided they wanted to let off some steam and also decided that her sister was cute¡­if what he was afraid of was true, then zombies might not be the most of his concerns. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    This blonde that just came to them, for example, was more than suspicious. The deal she made pretty much forced him and his sister to be her servant in exchange for protection. Even worse, she basically forced them to agree. The way she toyed with her weapons back in the house...it was not random. It was a threat.

    Sure, as for now the girl only had good intentions. She not only didn¡¯t want anything from the siblings but also protected them, but that only made him more hesitant. This was a world full of trades and values. Even before the apocalypse people worked together and made deals because they needed each other. Someone that offered only benefits and no demands didn¡¯t do so because he or she was nice and felt like doing charity. They did it because they wanted something deeper and darker, and every cent they spent would be returned with ten times the worth.

    The girl, Jean, wanted something from them. He knew it. He didn¡¯t know what she wanted, but he would certainly keep an eye on her.

    This was also why he so desperately wanted his sister to deal with this seriously and at least have some way to defend herself. This was a dangerous world, and he wouldn¡¯t always be there. He didn¡¯t want Alia to suffer in the future because she was lazy in the present.

    Paul¡¯s mind, after recovering from the trauma he just witnessed, was turning quicker than ever. He needed to. He could feel the pressure weighing down on him. His parents were dead. Not only so, they will revived and killed again. On one hand this was painful. On the other hand it brought the even more painful reality that their usual protector was gone. Now, they were alone, and as the older brother he needed to do all the thinking and planning.

    This hurt, but he had to deal with it, for no one else would.

    ¡°Why?¡± Alia suddenly snapped and threw her rifle on the ground. Her shoulder hurt. Back in the good old days, yesterday, the most physically challenging thing she did was carrying her backpack. Now she was holding an automatic rifle and firing at a rotting, walking corpse. The change was difficult. ¡°You have a gun as well! She promised to protect us! I am not a freaking soldier!¡± Tears were in her eyes. This was more than what she could handle. She was just a normal teenage girl. Why was she forced to do this?

    Jean watched silently at the outburst. Her eyes flickered slightly when she looked behind Alia.

    Paul was about to offer some words of comfort when his eyes suddenly went wide open. Alia was about to ask what was wrong when she felt a stinking breath coming from behind her. The zombie! In the anger of the moment she completely forgot about the beast. She turned around, only to get pushed on the ground by the foul creature.

    She screamed as the zombie bit down on her arms.

    Paul raised his weapon, but the zombie was on top of his sister. Both were moving, and as an amateur, he had no confidence in hitting the right target.

    He turned his gaze toward the professional.

    ¡°You promised to protect us.¡± He demanded. As suspicious as he was of Jean¡¯s intentions, he needed her.

    Jean smirked and did nothing.

    Paul¡¯s eyes flared in anger, but he knew now was not the time to raise questions. He dropped his rifle and replaced it with a large kitchen knife he snatched from the house. Moving forward, he quickly stabbed the zombie on the back of his head.

    Alia felt a wave of disgust reach her mouth as the already bloody zombie head was punched through by a blade. The white and red on her clothes, and some on her face, made she turn and vomit as soon as she got back up.

    The zombie was disposed of, but the tension remained. Paul silently rested his hand on the pistol on his belt.

    ¡°We had a deal.¡± He said quietly, barely able to conceal his anger.

    Jean smirked again. ¡°Keep in mind, both of you,¡± She looked at Alia, who was recovering and was realizing the odd atmosphere. ¡°I am not your mother. I am not your girlfriend. I have no obligation to save you, especially when your own stupidity is the reason why you¡¯re in trouble.¡±

    Her words were harsh, and both siblings felt the weight. However, they responded differently. Paul stood thoughtfully, realizing his mistake. Alia, however, had much more fire in her.

    ¡°Fine!¡± She decided. ¡°You know what? I don¡¯t need you to protect me! I¡¯m done with this!¡± She turned and burst off.

    Jean didn¡¯t stop her. Instead, she turned to Paul, waiting for his decision.

    Paul looked between her sister and Jean. He knew what his sister did was a bad idea, but he couldn¡¯t just let her go. ¡°I can¡¯t leave her.¡± He finally said apologizing and ran toward where her sister went.

    Looking at the two, Jean¡¯s eyes shined slightly.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 36: The naive girl

    Alia didn¡¯t know where she was going. All she wanted was to get away.

    She knew this was a bad idea. Charging through a city full of flesh seeking zombies with just a small pistol was plain dumb, but for some reason she didn¡¯t care.

    Everything that happened, going from her parents to all the deaths she witnessed on the way to missing all the shots to being pushed down by a zombie to being splattered with zombie blood to being lashed out by Jean, was much more than what she could handle. Her mind was empty. She just kept on running and running, refusing to acknowledge what happened.

    Suddenly, Alia found herself in the middle of an abandoned street. The cold wind calmed the fire in her mind. When the emotions were gone, she immediately realized how stupid she was, especially when she saw a mountain of undead at the next corner.

    ¡°S**t!¡± Left with no time to wonder why she was so irrational, Alia cursed and took out her firearm with a shaking hand. The zombies heard her as well as they ran at her.

    Alia fired at the zombies, but the recoil of the weapon, even though it was smaller than that of a rifle, was still too much for a normal non-xel¡¯naga girl to handle. Not every girl was called Jean Turner. Almost all the bullets missed. Alia¡¯s eyes widened slightly when she saw a couple bursts of blood on the first few zombies, but her hope died when the zombies kept on moving.

    Alia gulped as the zombies got even closer. She dropped the rifle back in the alley in her wave of anger, and now her only weapon left was just deemed useless. Luckily, she remembered the firearm wasn¡¯t her only weapon.

    Returning her pistol into her belt, she tried to channel her inner mutant power. At first nothing happened, but when the zombies got closer, Alia suddenly felt a surge of fear from her heart. As if a switch was turned on, a wall of flame formed between Alia and the zombies.

    She didn¡¯t even need to move the wall because the zombies, without their pain sensation or fear of heat, continued to move toward the closest source of flesh even if it meant walking through the flame. As if they were lambs volunteeringly walking into the slaughterhouse, the zombies offered themselves to the wall of destruction.

    The smell of barbecue, the second time in less than an hour, made Alia sick, but she was glad to see none of the zombies made it past the wall.

    When her power ran out twenty seconds later, all that was left of the zombies was a pile of black remains.

    Now safe, Alia took a deep breath and sat down on the ground. She was wondering why her brother was¡¯t here already. Knowing him, there was no way he would leave her for that blonde bitch. She merely had a ten second or so head start. He should be here a while ago. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    The sound of engines roaring brought her back to reality. She looked at the street and was more than excited to see it was a small military convey. Three SUVs with camouflage painting stopped in front of her. Men in military uniforms walked down with their weapons ready.

    A zombie attracted by the motor sound made a move. One of the soldiers raised his weapon and fired a single round, and the zombie collapsed with a splatter of blood in its head. Alia felt some excitement. These men were professionals, and more importantly, they were soldiers. Soldiers tend to protect civilians.

    One of the soldiers walked to Alia. The girl put on a sweet smile and relaxed.

    ¡°Did you do that?¡± The soldier asked with a meaningful look in his eyes. If it was her brother here his hand would be on his holster and his eyes would be looking for a mean of escape, but Alia, as inexperienced and naive as she was, failed to see it.

    ¡°Yes.¡± She exclaimed proudly.

    ¡°Good.¡± The soldier nodded at someone behind Alia. A frown barely took place on Alia¡¯s face before she felt an electrical pain on her neck. She lost consciousness before she could do something resembling resistance.

    The soldier tapped his comm. ¡°Sir, we have located another mutant. Delivering her to base now.¡±

    The soldiers retreated to their SUVs and departed. Unknown to them, behind another corner, a young man stood in horror.

    <hr>

    Jean was alone in the alleyway.

    She saw potential in this Paul. He was clever and decisive. A few hours ago he was still a normal teenager. Now he could melee a zombie. Unlike his less intelligent sister, he was fully aware of the situation. His weapon never left his side, and Jean felt his alert eyes on her. It couldn¡¯t really achieve anything, but Jean nonetheless appreciated the effort. Everything he did showed how intelligent he was.

    His cleverness was only one of the reasons Jean desired him so much. There were a lot of clever people in this world, but someone both clever and controllable was rarer. The man¡¯s got a heart, judging from how he took care of his sister. Even though he had no real need to protect her and she had been nothing but trouble, he nonetheless did what most people would consider stupid.

    This was a good thing. As a heartless person herself, Jean was fully aware of the danger of a clever person that was willing to do anything to reach his/her goal. If Paul was even half as cold as lurkers were, he would be dead already. She had no intention of giving him all the trust and power just so he could betray her and use the resources against her. Jean enjoyed betraying others, but the same couldn¡¯t be said of being betrayed.

    Jean spent quite the effort to make Paul her underling. First, she needed him to owe her and thank her with all his heart. The best way to do that was save the person who he cared about the most. Otherwise why in the world would a teenage girl run into a city full of zombies all by herself? Alia was stupid, but she wasn¡¯t that stupid. To make her vulnerable, Jean gave a slight push.

    A few psychic tricks were more than enough to make the ordinary human being forget about the consequences of her actions.

    The military convoy was slightly unexpected, but Jean let it go when she realized the girl was of no real danger. Even better, the soldiers were an enemy Paul couldn¡¯t defeat by himself. As clever as he was, he would seek help from the only person who could and would save Alia.

    Jean¡¯s eyes snapped open when she saw the young man stumbling down the alley.

    ¡°I need your help¡­¡±

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 37: General Howe

    ¡±Why should I help you?¡± Jean sat back and relaxed. She wasn¡¯t the one on a tight schedule.

    The one with a tight schedule frowned. Jean was right. He just told her who took Alia away. Why would she take on what might be an army and risk her own life for some random girl that just stormed off? ¡°What do you want?¡±

    Jean looked at him and remained silent. Paul suddenly grew very impatient. ¡°I know you came to us for a reason. Tell me, what do you want from us?¡± The soldiers took Alia because of her power. As far as he knew, they might be dissecting her right now. He couldn¡¯t afford to play riddles.

    ¡°Fine.¡± Jean stood back up and walked closer to Paul. The man suddenly felt threatened, as if he would be cut into a million pieces the next second. It took all his might to stand his ground. Jean was satisfied at his reaction. Normal human beings would be peeing their pants against the scent she released. ¡°Let me be straightforward. I came for you.¡±

    ¡°For me?¡± Paul rose his eyebrows.

    ¡°Like I said before, I am a woman on a mission,¡± Jean told a portion of the truth. ¡°and I need help on that mission. I need someone clever. Someone determined. Someone...loyal.¡± She got dangerously close, so close that Paul could see every inch of her beautiful eye, but the man only felt infinite coldness on his back. ¡°Let¡¯s make another deal. I save your sister, and you swear your allegiance to me.¡± She concluded. ¡°No self preservation or anything like that. You remain completely loyal to me.

    Paul bit his lips. ¡°How can I know you will keep up to your end of the deal?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s your choice.¡± Jean was not urgent at all. If Paul agreed, fine. If he didn¡¯t, she could always silence him, and probably silence Alia as well, and then go find other followers. She wouldn¡¯t leave any loose ends.

    Paul had no idea how dangerous he was, but he did know he couldn¡¯t save his sister by himself. It was his freedom versus his sister¡¯s life. He finally made up his mind.

    ¡°I want to add another thing. You must ensure my sister lives.¡±

    ¡°As long as she doesn¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±

    ¡°Deal.¡±

    <hr>

    In what might be the last standing military base on the continent, a forty year old general in a straight army uniform stood in silence.

    As the head of The Fortitude, a military base that held over three thousand soldiers, General Howe was a proud commander. He was frequently frowned upon by his colleagues because of his careful yet ambitious nature.

    However, when trouble arrived, Howe was proven to be worthy of his pride. When all other bases fell at the hand of the tyrant virus, he alone stood tall.

    The Fortitude was literally turned into a fortress. It was heavily defended against both outside and inside threats. First of all, the entire compound was put under 24/7 surveillance. Fully armed guards loyal to the commander himself patrolled the major positions. Levels of clearances were assigned to every individual in the base, and anyone in a position without the corresponding clearance would be arrested on site. If there were resistance, kill shots were authorized.

    On the outside, guard towers, each occupied by three men, surrounded the entire place. Roadblocks made sure no enemy vehicle could force their way into the base. Armed helicopters could get into the air and unleash hell onto the attackers at a moment¡¯s notice. Soldiers within the base were constantly alert. Even though, as a military base within American soil, The Fortitude was impossible to be attacked, every soldier could be mobilized within ten minutes after the order was delivered. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    This was impressive, but if all the defenders were turned into zombies, then all the effort would be wasted. However, the heavy defenses paid off when the Umbrella spy was caught near the water supply system by a squad of three guards.

    The highly skilled spy took down all three guards before they could pass a message out, but they didn¡¯t need to. Howe ordered all guard squads to report in to a computerized central command every ten minutes. This was just a matter of a single tap on a phone, but the benefit was that it was covert. Those that weren¡¯t guards weren¡¯t aware of this mechanism, and the spy was, unfortunately, not a guard.

    When the spy was jumped on by twenty fully armed security guards, the t-virus syringe was still in his bag.

    Howe recognized the situation quickly. As ambitious as he was, he also recognized an opportunity. Without informing his commanders, Howe assembled a group of men ultimately loyal to him and interrogated the spy. With the help of certain drugs, Howe was able to learn about crucial parts of Umbrella¡¯s plan. Those he didn''t learn were being deductedwith relative ease.

    At this point if he informed the commanders and a warning was sent to all the military bases over the world, then Umbrella¡¯s manufactured apocalypse might as well end right here right now. As intimidating as the company seemed, the paramilitary forces they had stood no chance against the might of the US Army. Their influence would die down as well once what they did was announced to the world.

    But Howe kept quiet.

    Everyone had an ambition. Howe was especially so. If he saved the world, he might be rewarded for his deeds. In fact he might even earn a medal and be moved up a few ranks. So what? He would still be just another tiny part of this country. He would still have to submit to the world.

    But if he could keep his forces alive while the rest of the world died...he knew his men would remain loyal to him. There might be some that upheld the constitutional values, but he could manage to thin them down. His MP forces weren¡¯t for show either. If he and Umbrella were the only forces alive and he could somehow take down Umbrella...he could rule the world as a king.

    What was better? A king or a general?

    And so Howe kept his mouth shut. A while ago, most of the contacts to the other military bases were lost. The few news that did arrive were mainly consisted of desperate cries for help which were quickly overran by the growing undead forces. Before the lower soldiers could respond, most of the armed forces were down, and, now left defenseless, most of the cities were being slaughtered.

    This was when Howe took over complete command. Contact to the White House was lost, and as the officer with the highest rank Howe had absolute command over the fortress.

    The first order Howe gave was to keep the entire fortress shut. Some pleas for reinforcement arrived, but the general ignored them. The few voices that advocated moving against the infected were shut down.

    This changed slightly when one incident happened. A soldier suddenly showed the ability to control electricity.

    Unlike the common awe of the lower soldiers, Howe immediately recognized it as a threat. Before the mutated individuals, mutants, appeared, he held absolute domination over the base. With an army as backup, he would be unstoppable in the zombie ridden world. Neither Umbrella nor undead could withstand the helicopters, armored vehicles, and missiles within The Fortitude.

    Now, as individuals suddenly received special powers, Howe felt threatened. People tend to follow the strongest. For now he could maintain his authority with his military position and an iron fist, but if he was compared to someone who could breathe fire or read mind...Instead of relying on hoping he would eventually gain a power as well, he approached this method a more dominant way.

    On one hand he rewarded the mutant soldier and rose her rank in an attempt to gain her loyalty. On the other hand he sent out smaller armed convoys into the cities. They had two missions: Gather resources and capture mutants.

    Howe knew he needed to experiment on the mutants to find out how they gained their power. He also knew there would be a riot if he used his own men as lab rats. He needed outside mutants.

    The result had been nice. Freshly turned mutants have trouble controlling their power. All the squads needed to do was look for random explosions of flames or electricities or something else and they could usually find an exhausted mutated human. The captures were easy as well. Even if the mutants weren¡¯t worn out, they were fooled by the army uniforms. Without their powers, the mutants were completely vulnerable. A single tranquilizer could take them down.

    Over ten mutants have already been captured. That count was increasing. Just a while ago one of the military convoys just arrived into the base with a female prisoner with the power of controlling fire.

    He had no idea what that girl meant.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 38: Convoy

    ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re going in the right direction?¡±

    A man and a woman were driving on an abandoned road. Ahead of them, abandoned vehicles were pushed aside even before they arrived, leaving an open path for vehicles to path through. It was a courtesy of the armed convoy. Blood was all over cars. When the undead hit, a traffic jam that blocked the entire road made the vehicle drivers buffet for the zombies. The glass of the cars offered no protection, and the drivers had no way to run.

    It had been six hours since the two made the second deal. After that, they started to move out of the city and toward where Jean claimed Alia was. Paul didn¡¯t know why Jean was so confident, but he had no choice but to trust her. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find a car with its key still inside. The car itself was still clean. Likely the driver got out of his car before either making it out alive or dying a terrible death. The latter was much more likely.

    Paul¡¯s patience started to dry up when he saw Jean typing on her watch next to him. She wasn¡¯t even looking at the road as he drove.

    ¡°Trust me.¡± The girl reassured without even looking up.

    Paul wanted to say something but nonetheless remained silent. He trusted Jean before. No reason to doubt her now.

    Meanwhile, Jean was having a meaningful conversation with a certain psychic.

    ¡°Hello, Aidan.¡± She typed in her watch. A greeting could never hurt. ¡°How¡¯s Japan?¡±

    In Japan, Aidan frowned at the text. He never told Jean where he was. Jean was showing her hand by straight up telling him she knew where he was, which meant she kept some sort of surveillance on him. This was a warning telling him not to do anything stupid.

    ¡°Gorgeous.¡± His fingers didn¡¯t slow down as his mind turned. ¡°I have arrived at the Umbrella headquarter in Japan. Old man Wesker is just beside me.¡± He glanced at one of the main antagonists in this universe. The man, in a pair of sunglasses and a black suit and dominating over everyone else, had no idea someone was right beside him making a snarky comment. He wasn¡¯t mutated, at least not yet. Maybe he could see through Aidan¡¯s psychic power with t-virus enhancements, but not before that.

    ¡°Hmm. Sounds fun. Now, tell me about Carl.¡±

    ¡°He and his forces are on two transport planes approaching the North American Umbrella headquarter.¡± He said with absolute confidence, hinting of a reliable source of information. ¡°I think they are planning for an assault on the compound.¡±

    ¡°Will they be successful?¡±

    ¡°They have the element of surprise, but Umbrella security forces aren¡¯t for show either. It is risky.¡± Aidan considered all the possibilities. ¡°What do you want me to do? I can lower the defenses significantly if you want.¡±

    ¡°No. Keep me informed on how the event turned out but do not change what is happening.¡± Jean denied after a brief consideration.

    ¡°Copy that.¡± Aidan nodded.

    Jean looked up from her watch and told Paul to turn right at an intersection. Since she first met the siblings, she implanted a small parasite on both of them. It was so small that it couldn¡¯t even attract any retaliation from the world. The parasite was just a small pest, but it allowed Jean to know where the siblings were whenever she wanted. She planted a similar thing on Aidan when they fought. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    The vehicle traveled for nearly twenty more miles before Jean suddenly held her right hand up. Paul slammed on the brake.

    The two got out of the car and sneaked forward.

    In front of them was a gas station. Three SUVs, in camouflage as well, were parked near the station. They were guarding a large gasoline truck that was extracting oil from the storage of the station.

    ¡°They¡¯re the men that took my sister.¡± Paul exclaimed. ¡°They have the same coloring.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they are the same convoy. These men are on a retrieval mission, but they should be from the same origin. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a ton of military bases still alive.¡± Jean reasoned. ¡°Nonetheless, they may be our ticket to your sister. Follow me.¡±

    The two got closer to the gas station under the cover of abandoned vehicles. Paul saw at least ten men in the open, with god knew how much hidden in the dark.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Paul asked. ¡°This is a gas station. If we use firearms we will blow everybody up.¡± As satisfying as blowing ten or more enemies up may be, it would be of no help to their case.

    Instead of a response, Paul heard a sickening sound of bones snapping. He turned and was slightly horrified to realize Jean was holding a dead soldier in her arms. The soft hands turned into deadly tools as they snapped the man¡¯s neck with absolute ease.

    Jean dropped the body of the dead guard. These soldiers were experienced. They were well aware of the danger of getting stuck in a gas station by enemy firing. Even though they didn¡¯t think there would be anyone gunning for them, they posted a scout just in case. Usually, the scout could spot the enemy before they spot him and warn the convoy in time. Unfortunately, the scouts were sensed and taken down without even knowing who was the attacker.

    ¡°Use your mind.¡± Jean casually wiped her hands as she spoke. ¡°You will be of no use to me if all you can do is ask me questions.¡± Her tone seemed ice cold. She wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose, but from Paul¡¯s point of view, it was especially menacing since he just saw her end a life as if it was nothing.

    Still, the man recovered quickly. ¡°We need to melee them.¡± He said dryly.

    ¡°There are two of us and a dozen of them. How should we do that?¡± Jean was testing Paul.

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    <hr>

    Captain Courtney Riley stood and watched as the gasoline in the station were moved to the transport vehicle.

    There was quite the gasoline storage in The Fortitude, but most of the important gears in the army literally burned gasoline to function. Without armored vehicles as support, foot soldiers would get easily overrun by the endless undead. The storage could support a few convoys, but it wasn¡¯t enough for an all out drawn out battle.

    Thus, multiple convoys were sent out toward different gas stations close to the base with the mission of bringing back as much gas as possible. Captain Riley led one of them.

    Suddenly, a gunshot came from outside the station. The elite soldiers immediately knelt down and took cover. Courtney quickly glanced at the transport and was satisfied to see it wasn¡¯t targeted. If the tons of gas exploded...it would be a flashy end.

    ¡°Miles, what happened?¡± She attempted to contact the guard on the outside, but there was no response. She frowned and turned to a fellow man. ¡°KJ, take three men and examine the situation.¡± A large man nodded and picked three fellow soldiers and sneaked forward from the side. ¡°The rest of you keep your guards up. How long until the tank is full?¡±

    ¡°Eight minutes top.¡±

    ¡°Keep working. We should be fine. It¡¯s likely a survivor.¡±

    The captain didn¡¯t necessarily make a wrong decision. From her perspective, most of the world was gone. There should be no human forces left strong enough to overwhelm four highly trained soldiers. Even if there were two dozen survivors, all armed, the soldiers had an overwhelming advantage. Their skills meant they could effectively hold the attackers back long enough for help to arrive. Miles was taken down easily, but maybe he was slacking on the job and was sneaked up or overwhelmed by the attackers. Four highly vigilant men wouldn¡¯t suffer the same fate.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 39: Tricks

    The four men approached where the gunshot came from in a scattered line that made sure they wouldn¡¯t be mowed down in a single swipe of bullets. The safeties of their weapons were off. They were glancing around in full readiness. Bullets would be flying at the first sight of enemy. With every step they moved they made sure to stay close to a vehicle so they could get to cover as soon as they needed to.

    Suddenly, they saw a body on the ground right next to a broken vehicle. The uniform on its body told the four men it was once a fellow comrade.

    KJ made a sign, and one of the men approached to check the body out while the other three knelt down in caution.

    The body was facing the ground. The man frowned and put his rifle aside and replaced it with a pistol in case the body was actually an enemy in pretense. He carefully turned the body over with his pistol pointing at the body.

    Instead of the enemy he expected, the man slightly relaxed when he saw the familiar face of a fallen comrade. However, as he looked down, he was horrified to see something strapped to the man¡¯s body.

    ¡°Take cover¡­¡± Before the warning could come out, the man felt a burning pain all over his body. That was the last thing he knew.

    An explosion ripped his body open and killed him instantly. The distance between the man and the grenade was so close that no amount of experience could save him. The shards of the fragmentation grenade punched through his body like it was paper. Even the kevlar vest failed to save him.

    The rest of the men took cover without hesitation. This saved their lives as the projectiles created by the explosion were deflected by the vehicles covers, but before they could get back on their feet, another dark object fell on the ground beside one of the men.

    It was another grenade.

    A normal person would be paralyzed by fear and thus miss the best opportunity to respond. This soldier was different. He acted without wasting a single second as he leaped out into the open, grabbed onto the grenade, and wanted to throw it to a safe distance away.

    It might be dangerous if the attacker held the grenade in his hands for a few seconds before tossing it out, which meant the weapon might explode in his face, but the man¡¯s mind turned quickly. It took a lot of experience with firearms to know how to ¡°cook¡± a grenade, and the chances that the attackers were professional soldiers was low. An amateur wouldn¡¯t take the risk.

    The grenade was about to leave his grip when something hit the man in his chest. It was just a handgun, and the bullet proof vest saved his life, but the impact made the man fall on the ground. Usually this was a good thing as he was returned to cover, but with a grenade about to go off dropped on the ground next to the soldier, this wasn¡¯t as nice.

    The man¡¯s eyes went wide open as he realized what the situation was and he scrambled back. He made it half a meter when the explosion occurred.

    The flying shrapnel took half his head off. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    KJ unleashed a string of bullets at where the grenade came from, but all they hit were metal. The attacker already moved away.

    ¡°KJ, report! What happened?¡± The voice of his captain didn¡¯t help either.

    ¡°We¡¯re down two man.¡± As painful as it was to admit, KJ told the truth.

    ¡°And the attackers?¡±

    ¡°I...we have no idea.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Riley yelled loudly. Her anger was obvious through the comm. ¡°You lost two men and you didn¡¯t even see the enemy?¡±

    ¡°They used traps against us. They have never shown their face. We have no idea how many of them there are or where they are. We need reinforcement now!¡± KJ demanded quickly.

    ¡°Copy that. Maintain your position and wait for help.¡± Riley closed the comm and turned to the rest of the soldiers. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± She said nothing about helping her trapped comrades.

    ¡°But¡­¡± A man frowned. Abandoning two brothers in arms was just cruel. More importantly, today it was KJ that was abandoned. Tomorrow it might be them.

    ¡°You heard the order. Our mission is to retrieve gasoline. We can¡¯t afford to risk our mission and waste time on an unknown enemy of unknown power.¡± Riley said coldly.

    She was cold and order following, and there was a reason for it. Ever since General Howe rose to power, he had been actively replacing emotional and caring officers with cold and emotionless ones. They were the ones that could abandon democracy and be the stepping stones of a new dictatorship as long as they could benefit from it.

    Courtney Riley was one of the said officers.

    ¡°But they are our brothers¡­¡± The question was quickly ended with a pistol put to his head. He immediately went silent. Satisfied, Riley loweredher weapon and moved toward one of the SUVs. The fellow soldiers signed and exchanged frustrated looks, but then again orders were orders.

    One by one they entered the SUVs. Less than a minute later, the convoy started moving away from the station.

    <hr>

    Back in the roads, KJ and the other man remained silent. It had been quite a while since he asked for help. They weren¡¯t that far from the station. Reinforcements should be here by now, assuming there were reinforcements at all.

    KJ asked himself if he was in Riley¡¯s position whether or not he would send help. The answer was yes. He would never leave a brother in arm to die. Riley, on the other hand¡­

    The other man knew the same thing as he looked to KJ. Fear was in his eyes. Highly trained didn¡¯t mean fearless. In fact, almost every human being was scared of death. Exceptions were rare.

    KJ kept his mind cool. That was the only way to get out of this alive. Now that he thought about it, the attacker were likely in small numbers. Otherwise they would just wipe the two men out. All the attackers had was the element of surprise. If they could act simultaneously, they might be able to locate the enemies and eradicate them. If they hesitated any more, they would be shaved off one by one.

    Plans were passed on, and ten seconds later both men got up with their rifles ready. As soon as they got out of their cover, bullets started firing, and one of the man¡¯s head exploded. The helmet he wore did very little. Even if the bullet was stopped, the kinetic energy the round brought was enough to turn the brain organs into a bowl of soup.

    KJ glanced at the way the other soldier fell and instantly realized where the bullet came from. The attacker used a silencer, but it wasn¡¯t enough to fool him. He raised his rifle and fired short, concise bursts of bullets.

    He heard a pained groan.

    Not being overconfident, KJ emptied his magazines, reloaded, and slowly approached the vehicle. His sweaty finger was tightly put on the trigger. Any movement would result in more bullets in the air in half a second.

    His heart went cold when he felt his legs tripping over something.

    The next second an explosion consumed him.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 40: Infiltration

    Paul started walking toward the gas station. A spot of blood was on his right shoulder, the last mark of an honorable soldier. He was hurt but victorious. The slight smile on his face showed the mood he was in. He was satisfied, and he had a reason to be. He, a teenager with no experience in combat, just took down four highly trained soldiers.

    Paul knew he, weapon or not, couldn¡¯t take on the one dozen or so enemies in the gas station. Jean could, but she told him a while ago she wanted to see him fight by himself to prove his worth to her. She need a reliable underling, not a useless liability. If he wanted to make a deal with her, he needed to prove his worth.

    That was why he fired a shot on purpose to attract the attention of the soldiers.

    The soldiers, obviously, couldn¡¯t just ignore someone that just took down their guard and might launch an attack on the forces. They would send someone to investigate. They couldn¡¯t send too many men either because it would leave the gas station vulnerable. Likely they would just send a small squad, a couple men.

    This opened up a chance for him to pick them off one by one.

    Sure, in a fair fight the result of 1 vs 4 may not be that different from that of 1vs 12, but Paul wasn¡¯t into fighting fair.

    First, before firing the warning shot, he rigged up the body of the guard Jean slaughtered. A grenade was positioned so that it would explode as soon as it was moved.

    He didn¡¯t have that knowledge before, but Google was a powerful tool. Even the apocalypse didn¡¯t fully destroy the internet It didn¡¯t take him very long to find out how to make the trap. He was sweating the entire time, but the result meant that he was successful.

    Logically speaking, the soldiers wouldn¡¯t just ignore the body of a fallen comrade. They would certainly check it out. Granted they would do it carefully, but they couldn¡¯t just escape the impact of a grenade with caution.

    Just like he expected, the trap took down one men, reducing the enemy count to three. Later, with the element of surprise, he tossed a grenade to one of the enemies. Frankly speaking he thought the projectile would kill that man, and he was quite shocked to see the man trying to toss that soon to explode grenade back to him. However, he didn¡¯t let his shock slow him down. As the man reached out in a throwing gesture, Paul fired his pistol multiple times. Most of them missed, but one of them hit and knocked the man off his feet, sealing off his fate.

    As the explosion pierced the air, he knew he took another life.

    He waited patiently for the rest of the squad to make a mistake. He was also prepared for reinforcements, but for some reason help never came.

    When the two men made their last stand, Paul unleashed his entire clip on one of the men. One of the bullets reached his head. What he didn¡¯t expect was to see the last survivor firing at where he was. His pistol had a silencer on and the flame was covered, so Paul was fairly confident he would always have the element of surprise the entire time. He underestimated the skill of the soldier. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    A string of bullets hit his cover. He groaned slightly when he felt something going into his shoulder. He knew it was a bullet. At that point he thought he was a dead man. He could barely hold on to his weapon while a fully armed professional soldier was approaching slowly but steadily.

    He was surprised, in a good way, when he heard another explosion.

    Paul made a lot of preparations for this ambush. His position was carefully crafted. Booby traps were all around the place. Maybe the professional soldiers could see the traps if they were careful enough, but that was a difficult thing to accomplish when the soldier¡¯s attention was fully occupied with Paul himself. He should¡¯ve been aware of every single part of the surrounding, but it wasn¡¯t exactly realistic.

    At this point all four men were gone. There were still twice that number in the gas station, but the already healed wound on his shoulder told him it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult. With a few tricks and his mutated mending power, he should be able to take down the eight or so men.

    He was slightly surprised to see the gas station was already empty.

    A slight footstep sound came from beside. Paul turned around with his pistol ready and relaxed when he saw it was Jean.

    ¡°Nice job back there.¡± Jean complemented, wiping something red off her hands.

    ¡°I thought I¡¯m supposed to deal with the soldiers.¡± Paul frowned.

    ¡°Yes, but they are leaving this place, so I had to put them down.¡± Jean replied and turned around. ¡°Follow me.¡±

    The two walked along the road for a minute until they encountered the convoy. The only thing was that the convoy was completely down. Nine bodies laid around in the field. All of them fell from a fatal wound. Empty bullet cases covered the ground. Paul peaked at Jean and realized her clothes were slightly grazed.

    A slight cough told Paul they weren¡¯t alone. He turned and was slightly alert to see that a woman in army uniform was lying next to one of the abandoned SUVs. She was still alive...for now.

    Her eyes shined with horror as she saw Jean. She and her men fired enough ammo to rip open an SUV at the girl, but all it destroyed was her modesty. The pieces of flesh revealed by the torn clothes were as smooth as ever. It was as if she wasn¡¯t wounded at all.

    It was a very unfair fight because on the other hand the girl could punch a hole through everything the soldiers had to offer. Literally everything. One of the SUVs cut in half proved that.

    ¡°You left a survivor?¡± Paul asked curiously, knowing Jean wouldn¡¯t do something without a reason.

    ¡°For now.¡± Jean knelt down beside captain Courtney Riley and put her right hand on her forehead. The captain groaned in pain as Jean brutally ravaged through her mind with her psychic power, absorbing every piece of information she might need for what she was about to do.

    When the absorption was done, Jean didn¡¯t hesitate to snap the poor woman¡¯s neck.

    Standing back up, Jean processed what she just received. The captain¡¯s memory was passed onto her like she was watching a movie. Instantly she knew everything about the woman from who she had sex with to what she had for dinner. She had more than enough to turn into the captain herself.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Paul asked, slightly taken back by the brutal murder, but when he looked at Jean again he found himself looking at a completely different woman. Jean looked exactly like the woman dead on the ground.

    ¡°I just put a hallucination field around both of us. Look down.¡± Paul looked down and found himself in an army uniform. ¡°This will make the soldiers think we are one of them.¡± She walked to one of the SUVs she left intact on purpose and dragged a body with its head chopped open out of the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Come on.¡±

    Paul gave one last look at the dead woman before getting on the vehicle.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 41: Doctor Hans

    Alia O¡¯Neal opened her eyes. Her mind was a mess. She could barely comprehend what just happened.

    Her vision was fuzzy at first, but she eventually managed to see what was around her.

    She was in an empty white room. As far as she could see there wasn¡¯t any furniture. She looked down and saw an orange prison suit on her. A stinging feeling was still on the back of her neck, reminding her of the last thing she saw before she was knocked out.

    She met a group of soldiers. The next thing she knew she was in this room. Likely she was attacked by someone. Maybe it was some sort of specialized undead...she knew it was unlikely considering she was still alive, but she subconsciously believed it because the alternative was so terrible.

    What she saw next crushed the last fragment of hope.

    A device popped out of the ceiling and projected a screen onto one of the white walls. In it was a man in a white scientist lab coat. Two soldiers in army uniform were standing next to him.

    ¡°What¡­¡± Alia stumbled as she scanned the three figures, trying to get as much information as possible. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Who are you?¡±

    The man had a blank face on and ignored the question. Instead, he was all businesslike. ¡°Explain your power.¡± He said explicitly.

    Alia wasn¡¯t paying attention to the scientist. She felt her arm stung slightly, looked down, and found her right arm was covered with needle marks. She felt a sense of dizziness that was likely a result of the loss of blood. All of a sudden everything made sense.

    The soldiers weren¡¯t the saviors they pretended to be. The pain in the back of her neck wasn¡¯t a result of some sort of undead. It came from a weapon of one of the soldiers behind her. She was knocked out and taken into some sort of lab likely by people who wanted to learn more about her power.

    This was one of the most common cliches in superhero movies.

    A part of Alia knew this the moment she woke up, but she had always been refusing to believe it. It might be the truth, but it was a terrible one. It meant that the military, built to protect the people, has turned to an evil fraction only seen in films. To a girl like her who believed in goodness in the world and the righteousness of the government, this was like pouring salt on the wound. She stared blankly on her arms, not answering the questions.

    The scientist frowned in dissatisfaction and nodded at someone next to him. The next second Alia screamed as she felt something on her neck delivering electricity surges into her body. She touched it and realized it was some sort of collar. The soldiers must have put it on her when she was down.

    That was sick on more than one level.

    She tried to take it off, but the pain made her collapse to her knees. She had neither the strength nor the will to remove it with force.

    The electricity ended in ten seconds, but it seemed like a decade to Alia. The mental and physical pain she received was unbearable. When the collar halted, she was on the ground with her suit stained in cold sweat.

    ¡°Explain your power.¡± The scientist repeated, showing no guilt of torturing an innocent young woman. It wasn¡¯t like this was the first time he did something like this. It was a bit rough at first, but eventually, he got used to it. If anything he was starting to enjoy seeing others scream at his single command. This gave him a sense of power.

    ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± Alia struggled back up and swore like she never did before. She was always a good girl, but what happened was enough to make her use a few words she would usually frown upon.

    The scientist nodded at his coworker again, and ten seconds later Alia was again on the ground.

    ¡°Explain your power.¡± The scientist¡¯s tone didn¡¯t change in the slightest bit. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Alia held her teeth tight. She groaned and held her hands out, attempting to channel the power within her to not only protect herself, but also to hurt the man in white. At first she felt something and tiny dots of flame started to form in the room, but her plan was quickly stopped by another surge of electric currents. The excruciating pain was more than the girl could handle. Only the best voyagers could perform spells when they were under severe pain, and Alia was not one of them.

    ¡°Explain your power. This is your last chance. Refuse, and you will be executed.¡° The fourth warning was also the final one.

    Alia complied. Her hatred at the soldiers was at its peak, but she knew she would be dead if she refused to answer. She didn¡¯t want to die, at least not yet. She still had a family. Even if he wasn¡¯t there when she was taken, he was surely on the way here. Plus, she trusted these soldiers and was betrayed, and she wanted to make them pay.

    The thirty seconds of electricity changed something in the girl¡¯s heart. She would never be the same girl back in the roads welcoming the soldiers with open arms.

    ¡°I can control fire.¡± She explained in a tone as calm as she could manage, trying to conceal her hatred. Now was not the time.

    The scientist silently took a few notes. ¡°Describe the process. How do you control fire?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just can. It¡¯s like breathing or eating. It¡¯s an instinct.¡±

    If the scientist was unsatisfied, he didn¡¯t show it. ¡°Use your power on the wall to your right.¡±

    Alia turned and, without any movement, a fireball formed in front of her. She toyed with the idea of smashing it at the projector or at the wall, but she knew it would be pointless.

    The fireball touched the designated wall and exploded. As soon as it did, the scientist turned to a screen that showed everything he needed to know about the girl¡¯s power, including the explosion radius and the temperature of the attack.

    Alia could see the scientist taking a few notes before the projection suddenly went dark. Before she could see or know anything, a familiar pain hit her in the neck, again. Once again she collapsed and lost consciousness.

    On the other side, the scientist looked at the notes and tapped his face in frustration. He didn¡¯t even notice when a man walked up to him.

    ¡°Doctor Hans.¡± The man said quietly.

    The scientist immediately replaced the blank look with a smile. He could ignore what most people thought about him, whether they were the lab rats or the fellow workers, but the man in front of him might be the only person whose opinion he couldn¡¯t ignore. ¡°General.¡±

    ¡°What is the status of the mutant experiment?¡± General Howe said quietly as the two guards saluted. Their black guard armbands showed their ultimate loyalty to their commander.

    ¡°Not well.¡± Hans knew telling the truth, no matter how bad it was, was always better than telling a lie. ¡°I have taken samples off these mutants and did examinations, but everything about their cell is perfectly normal. Without labels I can¡¯t even tell the sample of a mutant from that of myself.¡±

    ¡°And¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, that means however these mutants gained their power, it is beyond our understanding.¡± Hans said slowly. ¡°If I can¡¯t detect the cause, I can¡¯t duplicate it.¡±

    Howe didn¡¯t show any expression, but his cold tone made the scientist freeze a little.

    ¡°Doctor Hans.¡± He whispered. ¡°I remember you were just a medic before all of this, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, general.¡±

    ¡°And now, now you are the leading scientist in this facility. You have authority over almost everyone in this place. You have achieved a level of power you could only dream of in the past.¡±

    ¡°Yes, general.¡± Hans repeated, slightly understanding what Howe was trying to say.

    ¡°But don¡¯t forget how you got into this place, doctor. I made you who you are today, and I can also destroy you.¡± Howe threatened. ¡°You don¡¯t want to suffer the same fate your predecessor did.¡±

    Hans gulped. He was only a low level medic before the apocalypse. His predecessor, a much more skilled scientist than Hans ever was, was the primary choice of leading this operation. Unfortunately, he decided this type of experimentation was too cruel. Let¡¯s just say the man didn¡¯t meet a peaceful end.

    Hans didn¡¯t know what exactly happened to that man, but he didn¡¯t want to find out.

    As his mind was turning, the general was continuing. ¡°Keep working, doctor, and for your sake I hope you will be successful.¡± He turned and left the lab without waiting for a further answer from the scientist.

    The workers in the lab looked at their superior in silence, but none of them comforted him. Doctor Hans wasn¡¯t exactly the most respected scientist. Not everyone could sit tight while innocents screamed, which made the only one in the room who could do that an outcast. Plus, Hans didn¡¯t shy away from taking advantage of the general¡¯s trust toward him.

    ¡°Bring up prisoner number 5 and prepare a dissection.¡± The doctor finally said. If he wanted to live, he would need to take more drastic measures to have any hope of getting some desired results, and he certainly wanted to live.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 42: Infiltrating the compound

    Doctor Hans laid down the bloody scalpel he was holding the entire time on a stand beside him. Looking at the open body in front of him, he frowned and waved his hand, and a guard pushed the bed that held what was left of the lab rat out of the room.

    The doctor sighed, not because he just ended a life but because his life was endangered. After four dead mutants and nearly two hours, he was starting to doubt whether or not he could truly accomplish what the good general wanted him to achieve.

    Whatever the source of power was for these mutants, they weren¡¯t merely dormant when they were separated from their host, which was what he thought when the samples turned out to be normal. The truth was, even when he directly examined the living samples, he couldn¡¯t find anything special. He found that out the hard way.

    The man smashed his fist into the stand angrily. He knew there was nothing he could do. The mutant power came from a god, and a mere mortal like him had no chance of deciphering it, but he also knew what would happen if he told the general he couldn¡¯t do it. The man could make him. He could also destroy him.

    ¡°Bring me another.¡± He said coldly into his Bluetooth as he did for the past several times.

    A minute later a guard pushed a completely restrained mutant inside.

    It was Alia.

    The girl was held tightly to the bed via several leather restraints. She was struggling, but she couldn¡¯t break free. The guard stepped out of the room.

    Hans washed the scalpel over a fountain. Red blood mixed with the transparent water, formed a pink liquid, and slid down the sink. He was doing the process slowly, thinking about anything that could help him in the process. This only made the other participant of the experiment as nervous as possible. It was one thing to die quickly. It was another to look at your killer slowly ready the instrument of your demise.

    Alia was beyond desperate. She scanned the room. There were three people in the lab. The doctor. A young man in his twenties in a white coat that seemed like the doctor¡¯s assistant. An armed guard. She tried to contact the power within her, but as soon as the first spark appeared the guard saw it. He pressed a button on his watch without any hesitation, and Alia was left shaking in pain. It took all her might to stop herself from screaming.

    The guard seemed delighted to see Alia¡¯s pained expression. He didn¡¯t stop until the doctor finished cleaning his tool and walked to the lab rat. When the electrocution stopped, Alia was once again soaked wet.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± She whispered as Hans stood next to her with a scalpel in his hand.

    Doctor Hans smirked. ¡°The last person that said that to me died screaming. It wasn¡¯t a pretty sight.¡± He was already pretty pissed off by the lack of progress on the experiments, and he had to let off some steam. He smirked in bloodthirst as he moved forward with the sharp tool and put it on Alia¡¯s chest. He had done this countless times before, and he wasn¡¯t afraid to admit he was starting to enjoy it. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    He was about to push the knife down when an explosion suddenly came off in the compound. All three men shook drastically. Hans had to hold onto the bed Alia was on to keep himself from falling.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± He pulled his scalpel back.

    <hr>

    One and a half hour ago.

    A bloodstained SUV reached the gate of the compound. Under the order of General Howe, the compound was put under maximum security. The gate was especially so. Fifty men were positioned at the gate alone. Four machine gun posts oversaw everything and everyone that went in or out. A roadblock capable of stopping anything that wasn¡¯t a tank blocked the path.

    Jean stopped the SUV in front of the roadblock. A man walked up to her while dozens of his comrades stood back with their weapons ready to fire. The occupant of the vehicle gunning their way through the guards with the element of surprise and a few automatic weapons was a scene only seen in movies. Anyone that tried a similar thing in reality would find themselves ravaged by a tidal wave of ammunition.

    ¡°Please show your credentials, madam.¡±  The man was a guard, judging from the black armband. Jean learned from Courtney¡¯s memory that the guards were the elite forces that backed General Howe up. They were the sword of the general and were willing to put down any opposition for him, whether they were from outside or from within. As a result, they had more rights than the ordinary soldiers. The fact that they were the ones patrolling the gate was interesting.

    Jean didn¡¯t let her thoughts slow down her action. She held her hand out. In reality, it was empty, but from the point of view of both the guard and Paul she was holding a license.

    ¡°Welcome back, lieutenant.¡± The guard checked the credential and decided it was decent. Captain Riley was a lieutenant. This was a familiar title to Jean.

    ¡°Thank you, sergeant.¡± Jean was as polite as ever.

    The guard sergeant waved his hand, and the rest of the guards moved theroadblockk aside. Jean brought the SUV into the base and toward the parking lot. As she was doing so, she spoke to the man beside him.

    ¡°You know the drill. You have to do this alone.¡± Jean saw the anger on Paul¡¯s face. ¡±Of course, I will make sure your sister lives. After all, I stay true to my deal. I just want to see what you¡¯re capable of. Even if you fail I will save both of you, but it will be to your best interest if you do the best you can.¡±

    ¡°And you?¡±

    ¡°Well, I will play the part of lieutenant Courtney Riley until your mission is complete. As soon as your mission is complete, or if you mission failed, all you have to do is give me a call, and I will come in and save the day.¡± Jean explained as she parked the SUV. ¡°Good luck.¡± She tapped Paul¡¯s forehead with her index finger before leaving the vehicle and walking toward the command center of the compound.

    Paul laid back in the leather seat for a few seconds. A foreign wave of information was just passed into his head. It was everything he would need to know about the compound to complete an infiltration mission.

    At her power level, Jean could do some memory insertion with her xel¡¯naga power. However, it was in no way similar to the memory insertion the Supreme One did to voyagers. For one thing, voyagers weren¡¯t defenseless teenagers. They were highly enhanced, battle hardened combatants. Even so, the Supreme One could add things into their minds whenever they needed to without the voyager¡¯s approval. Furthermore, the best Jean could do was pass some basic memories. If she tried to give Paul the memory of the entire life of a person, like what she received when she worked with the female captain, the teenager¡¯s mind wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the new info. The most likely case would be that he would go mad. In comparison, the Supreme One, with technology enough to insert memory into a normal human being and leave no negative impact at all, was much more superior.

    After processing the memory, Paul quietly checked his weaponry before leaving the SUV.

    He had a girl to save.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 43: When infiltration failed...

    In The Fortitude, hundreds of soldiers were walking through the hallway. However, one of them wasn¡¯t who he seemed to be.

    Paul was nervous at first. He wasn¡¯t a real soldier, and all the memory he received from Jean were those of the general structure of the fortress. He didn¡¯t even know the name of the soldier he impersonated. If he somehow ran into someone who was familiar with the face he was wearing...he would be exposed in the first five lines of conversation.

    The man knew the mutant prison and lab was on the eighth floor of the fortress. This posed a problem. He was a soldier, and only guards were allowed on the upper floors. Paul knew this meant the general had little trust of the ordinary soldiers, and there might be dissent among the ranks, but this information couldn¡¯t really help him in his cause.

    However, he did know what could help his cause. With the corner of his eyes, Paul saw one of the armband wearing guard entering the bathroom. He quickly followed.

    Inside the bathroom, the guard glanced at Paul, but the latter¡¯s uniform was enough to cover his true identity for the time being. When the guard looked away, Paul, after realizing they were the only two people in this room, took out a dagger from his belt.

    The guard was unaware of the situation as he looked down on a sink. That changed when he felt something cold next to his throat. His eyes widened and his arms moved up to deflect those of his opponent, but it was too late. Before he could do anything, he felt the dagger moving and felt an abrupt pain in his neck. A suffocating feeling overwhelmed him.

    As the guard choked to death in his arms, Paul acted calmly. He first covered the blood from the wound with his arm and pulled the dying guard into one of the toilet compartments. Once the man was away from potential public eyes, Paul ended his life with two bullets to the head.

    Two minutes later, Paul walked out in a guard uniform. He closed the door, washed his hands, and walked out of the bathroom.

    Thanks to his newly gained guard uniform and ID badge, Paul got to the eighth floor without any obstacle. The soldiers that came across looked at him with frowning eyes. The few guards were comforted by his uniform. Even among the several hundred guards, not everyone knew the face of everyone else, and it wasn¡¯t like guards would confirm each other¡¯s identity everytime they met a comrade. If they did that, safety would be the least of their concerns. Lack of efficiency would be the first.

    It was when he tried to enter the mutant prison in which he was stopped.

    ¡°State your name, soldier.¡± Ten guards stood at the gate of the lab. One of them asked the question while the others looked at Paul with an alert gaze. Even guards couldn¡¯t get into the top secret facility without the needed level of authorization. He needed to check if the man in front of him had the authority.

    ¡°Uhhh...Nate.¡± Paul responded based on the name tag on the suit he took. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The guard took out his phone and typed in the name before looking up. ¡°You are not authorized in this area, soldier. Leave now or you will be detained.¡±

    Paul sighed. He was hoping for more, but he knew if some random guard could get into the most protected place in the fortress, he wouldn¡¯t be entering a military base. He nodded and turned around to leave.

    The men let their guards down. Maybe it was just a guard recruit that stumbled into the wrong place. It wasn¡¯t exactly normal, but it was possible. Guards are human beings, and human beings make mistakes.

    That was when Paul turned back around with two silenced pistols in both his hands. Without a single sense of hesitation, he pulled the triggers.

    The guards were caught by surprise. The guard that asked the questions was closer to Paul than his comrades, and he paid the price as he was shot in the face and killed instantly. Four other men fell on the ground, shot, wounded, but alive. However, all nine guards fought back immediately. SMGs starting singing.

    Normally this would be a problem. He could barely take down the nine guards left while reinforcement would be arriving in just minutes. After all, this was a military base. He had his power, but he would eventually be overwhelmed.

    ¡°Time for plan B.¡± The man moved behind a wall and took out his phone. He pressed a button, and the next second an explosion ripped through the fortress.

    After entering The Fortitude, he didn¡¯t go to take down the guard and try to sneak into the prison immediately. Instead, he made a few explosives that could be triggered via the press of a single button for situations like the one he was in. He took his time to hide them in several corners of the fortress.

    Paul was ready for the explosion, but the nine guards weren¡¯t. They shook and collapsed on the ground, and Paul used the opportunity to move forward with his guns firing.

    Three guards fell immediately, dead or disabled. One of the guards used Paul¡¯s exposure to fire at him. The SMG bullets went through his camouflage suit and hit the Kevlar vest. A normal person would be wounded. Even if the bullet itself was stopped, the impact it carried could cause internal damage.

    Paul merely stumbled before returning to shooting position. In just a few seconds, he emptied his clip and was on top of the guards.

    At this point most of the guards were dead or down. Only four men were in combat status. This might seem to be an advantage of the guards, but the situation was deceiving. Bullets could do very little to the bulletproof vest wearing, self-mending Paul while they could take down the guards in a few shots if they landed in the wrong place and just one shot if they landed in the right place. The six to zero casualty ratio told the same story.

    Firing their last bullets, the four guards replaced their weapons with army knives. In the distance they were in, they didn¡¯t have the time to reload. Plus, bullets did very little to the attacker. On the other hand, if they could melee him and slit his throat...even if the man was a mutant and could heal, it would still take him a while. There was no way someone unprofessional, even a mutant, could melee four soldiers and win. They growled and launched themselves forward, ready for a melee fight.

    Paul tossed his pistols aside and moved forward, flexing his arms as he moved as if he was ready for a fight. However, just before the melee guards could reach him, he knelt down and picked up the SMG of the first guard he killed.

    The man fell first, so his SMG magazine was still full. Paul grabbed onto the weapon, turned off the safety, and looked at the two guards who had knives in their grips.

    ¡°Did you think this is a street fight?¡± He said with a smirk.

    The guards realized the situation as well, but even before they could throw their hands up to surrender, the sound of SMG firing ended the last hope they had.

    There were no survivors.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 44: Jail breaking

    General Howe was sitting in his office. It was one of the most comfortable, and one of the most secure, places in the fortress. As the practical dictator of the several thousand people, he had quite the resources to spare.

    At this point, he was listening to the report of a certain lieutenant.

    ¡°We were attacked by a group of survivors. I think they knew what we did, because they attacked without even attempting to communicate with us. Normal civilians would at least try to talk with us. The guard on the perimeter was sniped before he could give a warning. I sent a squad out to investigate. When they reported of being ambushed, I ordered the rest of my men to get on the vehicles and start heading back to the base with whatever gas we got. We were ambushed on the way. Dave and I were the only survivors.¡± Jean carefully played the part of a loyal lieutenant. It wasn¡¯t a difficult thing with Courtney¡¯s memory. She knew what Courtney did hundreds of times. It wasn¡¯t tough to mimic her.

    What she said was mainly true, not that Howe would send a team to investigate. As Jean was speaking, she already put the entire compound under surveillance. She saw everything Paul did, and she had to admit, while it wasn¡¯t the cleanest infiltration, it was not bad considering the number of resources Paul had in his disposal.

    Howe nodded and was about to say something when an explosion came off. He was on his chair, but Jean fell on the ground as if she was completely unprepared with what just happened.

    Having things much more important to do than dealing with a convoy being attacked, Howe ignored Jean and turned to the two guards that rushed into the office.

    ¡°Order all military personnel to return to the dining hall. Send reinforcements to the armory and the mutant prison. Secure the exits. Order the remaining guards to do a complete sweep of the compound.¡± The man was slightly shocked at the sudden turn of event, but he nonetheless acted calmly and expertly.

    The first order was because there was a great possibility the explosion was done by someone within the army. After all, everyone in the compound, except the prisoners, was a military personnel. Plus, with his semi-dictatorship and orders to hold back and defend instead of go out and save the civilians, Howe wasn¡¯t exactly the most favored person in the base. A significant portion of the men, possibly with connections in the ordinary world, maybe families or friends but couldn¡¯t save them due to Howe¡¯s orders, would be more than happy to set off a bomb to show their anger. Thus, all soldiers, except the guards, were told to go to the dining hall and away from the heat of the event. If the attackers weren¡¯t found on the spot, he might be forced to do an internal inspection.

    Reinforcements were sent to key positions because rebels might attack those positions. The armory held most of the weapons the rebels may need to stage a coup d''etat. Mutant prisoners were a force the rebels could get. Taken under Howe¡¯s orders, they had both the incentive and the power to fight back. The exits were secured to keep the rebels from fleeing.

    When all of the potential targets were secured, the guards, the men that Howe trusted with his life, would sweep the compound and find out the rebels. Lured to serve him by promises of power and wealth in the new world, and a status above the ordinary foot soldiers, these men and women wouldn¡¯t hesitate to execute their own brethren.

    ¡°I will retreat to the dining hall, general.¡± Jean said. She was technically a soldier as well, but Howe stopped her. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°I know I can trust you, lieutenant.¡± Jean took half a second to search her memory and realized Riley was one of the officers Howe trusted. This was also why she was made lieutenant and sent out as the captain of the convoy. The woman had sworn her loyalty to Howe a while ago.

    Jean nodded and remained. She honestly didn¡¯t care where she was or whether the general trusted her. The only reason the general was still alive was because she didn¡¯t want an assassination to help Paul and make it easier on him. Only a tough fight could unveil his true potentials.

    <hr>

    In the mutant prison, Paul entered the door and met four guards head on. Both sides of the previous engagement had silencers on their weapons. Paul did because he was on an infiltration mission. The guards did this because there were cases when they needed to fire their weapons and didn¡¯t want the entire base to know they did so. For example, if they wanted to gun down a mutant child that wanted to escape, they didn¡¯t want all several thousand men and women to know that. It was the explosion that caught the attention of the guards.

    ¡°What happened?¡± One of the guards asked. Paul was still in a guard uniform, which made the guards subconsciously trust him.

    ¡°A group of soldiers attacked us. We need help now!¡±

    The guards didn¡¯t have time to wonder why the guards didn¡¯t call for help via the radio but instead sent a man to deliver the news. They readied their weapons and moved past Paul, ready for action.

    They never saw it.

    Four short shots ended four lives. In a distance this close and without the people shot at realizing they were in danger, there was very little possibility Paul would miss.

    Ignoring the dead bodies, Paul walked further into the prison. As he walked around a corner, he found himself in an aisle. Cells, separated by metal bars, lined along the hall. Each cell held a man or woman who wore a collar on his or her neck. Almost all of the prisoners were unconscious.

    A guard was walking along the aisle. A bloodthirsty smile was on his face. He held a phone in his hand as he walked around and scanned the mutants from top to bottom.

    Paul saw a female mutant waking up, only to get tased unconscious as the guard clicked a single button on his phone. Paul could see the satisfied look on the guard¡¯s face. It was as if he was enjoying the process.

    Paul shot him in the chest, knocked him over, and walked over to him put two more bullets into his brain without uttering a single word. A bastard like him wasn¡¯t worth his precious time.

    ¡°Alia! Alia!¡± After taking out the cameras, the man went through the cells one by one, looking for her sister, but the familiar figure didn¡¯t appear in his sight.

    ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± A male voice came from beside. Paul turned and found a mutant who just woke up.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m looking for my sister. Her name¡¯s Alia. Five foot three. Dark hair. Have you seen her?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t, but some of us have been taken to experiments.¡± He paused. ¡°As far as I know four of us have been taken in the past hours. None of those taken ever came back. If your sister is not here...¡± What¡¯s left didn¡¯t need to be said.

    Paul slammed his fist into the wall and didn¡¯t falter when he heard the sound of bones cracking. That was when he realized something. Jean promised him she would keep his sister alive. Likely she would keep her promise, and since she didn¡¯t intervene, her sister was likely still alive. All he need to do was get her. ¡°Where is the lab?¡±

    The mutant didn¡¯t have the same knowledge Paul did. He merely thought Paul was merely rejecting reality. ¡°I don¡¯t know. No one knows. Maybe the guards know, but...¡±

    Paul nodded. He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly remembered something. Returning to the cell, he took the time to kneel down beside the dead guard and pick up his phone. WIth a few clicks, the metal doors of the cells snapped open. A second series of clicks woke the unconscious mutants up with some electrical method.

    When the mutants got out of their cells, their savior was nowhere to be seen.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 45: More jail breaking

    In front of the mutant prison, a trail of bodies covered the floor.

    The last survivor of the reinforcing guards crawled on the ground with his batter body, painting a trail of blood on the shiny floor.

    He knew his chance of surviving was low, but logic wasn¡¯t exactly in his mind right now.

    A minutes ago, when all twenty guards, armed and ready, reached the gate of the mutant prison, they were expecting to see some comrades.

    And they did. Sure, they only saw one man and there were supposed to be ten men at the door, but likely the rest of the guards retreated into the prison, leaving just the one guard as a sentry. It was the standard protocol.

    That was when the lone sentry at the door suddenly knelt down behind a cover and took out his phone.

    The guards didn¡¯t know what the sentry did, but they did know half a dozen explosions came off at the gate of the prison. Some of them came from next to the walls and others came down from the ceiling. Immediately, shrapnels started flying. The guard squad was ripped apart. Bodies were tossed into the air, and when they came down they were no longer breathing. Screams covered the field as flesh and bones were ripped apart. Men crawled and died.

    After waking up the mutant prisoners, Paul knew, according to standard protocol, the commander would send reinforcements here. He could just leave, but on one hand, if he fled, the mutant prisoners he just freed would be put back into their cells, if they were lucky. If they were unlucky, they might be executed on the spot. Not every mutant could fend for themselves, and most of them couldn¡¯t withstand bullets. They wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against the highly trained guards determined to kill. On the other hand, he would need a source of information to tell him where the mutant lab was.

    Whether it was on purpose or not, the memory Jean gave Paul didn¡¯t include the location of the mutant lab. It was as if she knew he would need that information, and she wanted to see how he would find that out.

    Shaking the thought aside, Paul did what he had been doing all along. A trail of explosives was set in corners around the exit. When reinforcements arrived, Paul sprung the trap.

    Not all of the guards were dead. In fact, only eight were killed on the spot. Seven were heavily wounded and five were lightly wounded. Using the opportunity when the guards that survived were still on the ground, recovering from the shock, Paul acted. He held two SMGs that he took from dead guards. Bullets started flying, and generally speaking they were only going one direction.

    When the muffled gunshots stopped, all five lightly wounded guards were executed. Four guards too injured to speak were massacred as well, leaving just three captives wounded enough so they couldn¡¯t resist but could answer Paul¡¯s question.

    ¡°Where is the mutant lab?¡± Reloading his weapons, Paul walked to the first of the three still alive.

    The guard looked at him with his teeth locked, not answering.

    Paul put a bullet in his head and turned to the second survivor. In the heat of the battle(onslaught), he suddenly realized alive didn¡¯t mean unharmed. Jean promised his sister would be alive, but as far as he knew his sister might be dissected right now, and Jean wouldn¡¯t step in until the last fatal cut. It was unlikely, but nonetheless, he wanted to get to his sister as soon as possible. Some drastic action was necessary.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Plus, after he saw how the guards were treating captured civilians, including putting them into cells and electrocuting them unconscious when they didn¡¯t need the mutants, was enough to erase his pity on these men.

    Now that he thought about it, this decisiveness and recklessness was exactly what Jean wanted to see from him.

    The second hesitated for a second, and the next second her head exploded.

    Instead of killing the third captive, Paul looked expressionlessly as the man crawled for three meters before walking up to him and putting his gun next to the man¡¯s head.

    ¡°Where?¡±

    The wounded man gulped. ¡°Please, I have a daughter¡­¡±

    ¡°Where?¡± Paul¡¯s tone was ice cold.

    The man told Paul the answer.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Paul nodded and stood up. Just when the man thought he would be the sole survivor, a silenced gunshot ended his life.

    <hr>

    On the other side, Dr.Hans exchanged a look with the guard within the room, the captain. Before they could say anything, several more guards rushed in.

    ¡°Doctor, reinforcement is on the way here. All we need to do is hold our ground for a few minutes.¡± The captain touched his earpiece and announced.

    Hans nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the protocol?¡±

    ¡°Lock the door. You two, get out there and keep your eyes peeled. The rest of you, keep your weapons loaded and be ready to fight.¡± The captain looked at the restrained Alia. ¡°What should we do with her?¡±

    Hans looked down on the angry eyes of the girl. ¡°Keep her alive for now, but if she tries something, electrocute her.¡± Mutant lab rats were precious as there wasn¡¯t exactly a stable source of income. He knew it might be risky if someone attacked from the outside, but he also knew the explosion likely came from some random rebels. It was unlikely they have the manpower or the firepower to take spend on the lab.

    ¡°Yes sir.¡± The guard captain tossed a fellow guard the switch. The man sat down beside Alia, scanning her from top to bottom and carefully looking around for any signal of her using her power.

    The rest of the guards sat around the lab but had their weapons ready. They didn¡¯t think there would be anyone attacking, but it was always better to be careful.

    Alia bit her lips and held her fist tight, but everytime she tried to channel her power her concentration would be shattered by a wave of electricity.

    The silence continued for a few minutes.

    Suddenly, two gunshots came from outside the lab. The guards immediately stood up and took aim at the door. Two sentries were left outside the room. Their only job was to give a warning to their brothers if they were attacked. It appeared like they accomplished that quite nicely.

    ¡°Report.¡± The guard captain kept his pistol pinned at the door while touching his earpiece.

    ¡°Ahhh...please¡­no!¡± He recognized the voice to belong to one of the sentries. The voice was ended by a gunshot.

    The guard captain¡¯s heart sank. The dying sentry wasn¡¯t speaking to him. He was speaking to the attacker, whoever it was. Immediately every single armed person in the room started sweating.

    The guard guarding Alia pulled out his gun as well. Instead of watching the girl on the bed. Whoever was outside the door, they were much more menacing than a young mutant tied to a bed.

    He was wrong...

    Paul put a bullet into the sentry on the ground before walking to the locked door. The door was sealed and, likely, an army was on the other side, but he wouldn¡¯t let that stop him. Taking out a charger, he was about to put it on the door when he suddenly heard a wave of horrified screams from the other side of the door.

    The next thing he knew, the sealed door was pushed outwards and slammed into him. The metal was hot. Really hot. He found that out when his clothes started to catch fire as soon as it made contact with the door. His skin was immediately burnt.

    Pushing the door aside and putting out the fire, Paul charged into the room as fast as he could manage.

    What he saw was...hell.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 46: A Dangerous Slope

    The room was literally melting. The smell of barbeque made the Paul now, after all the pain and suffering and death he went through, want to vomit. This wasn¡¯t because he was soft or something. This was simply because as a human being the thought of their own kind being turned to something delicious was disgusting.

    A couple bodies collapsed on the ground. Paul could see they used to be guards, but not from their completely destroyed facial structures or anything like that. He knew it because he knew there were guards in this room and, as far as he could, there were only the bodies and his sister left. If he relied on the look of the bodies...he couldn¡¯t even tell if they were male or female.

    His sister. Paul found his sister strapped to a bed. She killed all the guards around her and rendered the electrical collar useless, but that didn¡¯t mean she was safe. In fact, she was in more danger than before.

    Alia could control fire, but that was it. In the moment of her fear and anger, she used every strand of power within her to create a fire as large as possible. Without being limited by its creator, the fire ravaged endlessly and killed almost everyone in the room. Unfortunately, Fire needed oxygen to burn. Coincidently, Alia also needs oxygen to breathe. Trapped in a concealed room with just a few small openings for air movement, Alia was already fainting from a lack of oxygen. Even though the fire died out as its controller fell, the air it consumed didn¡¯t magically reappear. If Paul wasn¡¯t here and wasn¡¯t able to open the door and allow fresh air inside at the last moment, the girl would die of suffocation.

    Luckily, that was nothing but an ¡°if¡±.

    A few gunshots broke the restrains. Paul knelt down and carried Alia between his arms. Just as he was about to leave the room, he heard a pained groan.

    Looking down, he saw a man crawling on the ground. Every inch of skin on his body was melted. The only difference was the degree of the burn. A desperate voice came from what was left of his mouth.

    The man was in pain. The feeling of briefly touching a lit stove could make most people scream. Multiply that feeling by god knew how many times and continuously put it on a single person was cruel beyond words.

    Paul bit his lips. He could see the plea in the man¡¯s eyes. The man wanted him to do something. He didn¡¯t want Paul to save him. Instead, he was begging Paul to kill him and end his misery. He was already in hell, and death was an escape.

    Paul drew his weapon and aimed at the man¡¯s head. Just as the man¡¯s eyes shined thankfulness, a weak voice suddenly stopped Paul¡¯s action.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±

    Paul realized it was from the girl in his arms. Ignoring the noise from the maimed man and wasting not even a single second to end his pain, Paul returned Alia to her feet. ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± Alia looked at the man on the ground. Paul swore he saw a sense of satisfaction in her eyes, but he wasn¡¯t sure because Alia quickly turned back to him. ¡°You came back.¡± She said with somewhat excitement. She never doubted whether or not her brother would come for her, but she was doubtful of if Paul could make it.

    He did.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Paul shrugged, barely able to hide his smile. ¡°Now is not a place for words. We need to move now.¡± He raised his gun at the man once again, and once again his sister stopped him. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°Putting him out of his misery. You can turn around if you want.¡± Paul thought her sister couldn¡¯t bear looking at the man she maimed and tortured. ¡°Look, he is going to die anyway. I just want him to die painlessly¡­¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s the problem,¡± Alia said, to her brother¡¯s full surprise. ¡°Do you know what he did to me?¡±

    Paul frowned. He didn¡¯t like where this was going.

    Alia grabbed onto the specialized collar on her neck and pulled it apart with incredible strength. Beneath the metal device was a ring of burnt flesh.

    The girl touched the wound. It stung, but she kept her hand there.

    ¡°He hurt me. He experimented on me and wanted to dissect me...and now I¡¯m going to hurt him...by keeping him alive.¡± Alia licked her lips as she saw the fear in the man¡¯s eyes. ¡°An eye for an eye.¡±

    What she just went through was more than enough to generate some mental problems in the little girl¡¯s fragile brain. PTSD was a deadly tool. Alia was betrayed by the people she once trusted with all her heart, and the more trust she had for the military, the more hatred she now holds. Just look at the guards. She lit the guards on fire and watched them scream and burn without a sense of regret.

    Alia was always weak minded. The only difference was that in the past she covered up her weakness by being normal and trusting others to protect her. Now, she covered her pain by retaliating those that wounded her with everything she had.

    ¡°That¡¯s enough! You don¡¯t even know that¡¯s the person that hurt you! Even if he is, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Vengeance is never the solution!¡± Paul didn¡¯t know, and didn¡¯t care, what the man did to Alia, or even if the man was the person that hurt Alia because everything that distinguished the man from other bodies was burnt beyond recognition, but he knew if he allowed Alia to do things her way today, then he would lose her. Today she could torture a wounded man, then tomorrow she could kill someone because she didn¡¯t like the way they spoke, and the day after that she could be killing someone because she was bored or in a bad mood. Violence was a dangerous slope, and once she had her hands stained, life would be the cheapest thing in the world.

    Paul already knew what it was like to take lives, and now that he was a distance away from combat and life and death situations and that he saw his sister was safe, he was starting to think logically. As he went back on what he did, he was horrified by his own actions.

    The last guard told him what he wanted to know, and still he killed him. Now that he thought about it, he made a daughter lose her father and made a wife lose her husband for no reason at all.

    The man was defenseless, and Paul still killed him

    This was beyond what had to be done. This was simply cruelty.

    This was bad enough, and Paul would do everything he could to keep his precious sibling from falling down the same cliff.

    Suddenly, his mind went to the woman behind everything. Jean Turner. She was at most a year older than they were, but it was as if she had everything under control. He wondered if this was part of her plan as well. Maybe turning both him and his sister into brutal killers that could slaughter anyone that stood in her path without a sense of regret was what Jean wanted.

    Paul frowned. He couldn¡¯t allow that. He could allow himself to be turned into a monster for the sake of his sister, but he would never allow little Alia to be a killing machine of Jean as well.

    After all, she was the last of his family, and he loved her with all his heart.

    With renewed determination, Paul turned and, with lightning speed, pumped a single bullet into the man¡¯s head, ending the poor soul¡¯s misery.

    ¡°Paul!¡± The man expected retaliation, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be this significant. Instantly, he felt himself pushed back by a wave of heat. Luckily, Alia pulled back her power before any harm could be done, and the slight burn on Paul was healed almost instantly by his power.

    The two stayed silent for a while as Paul got back on his feet.

    Finally, the man spoke quietly.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The two walked out of the hell without another word.

 Season 2: A Whole New World---Chapter 47: Call for help

    General Howe felt like he was in a nightmare.

    At first he thought everything was under control. All the military personnel were assembled in the dining area under the watchful eye of hundreds of guards, and the large scale mutiny he was afraid of didn¡¯t happen.

    That was when bad news started to come in.

    ¡°General, the guards at the mutant laboratory didn''t report in.¡± An officer in the office said loudly. She was calling the major positions one by one, and captain Gregor of the mutant lab didn¡¯t answer. It was part of the protocol, and the fact that he didn¡¯t answer likely meant something was incredibly wrong.

    Howe frowned. The mutant lab was important. It not only held the major information about the mutant experiments but also held the terrible secret of what he was doing to the mutated. If the rebels got there and showed the entire army what he was doing...not all soldiers were fine with his rule. For now he could enforce his authority by using lies to cover his true nature to make sure most of the soldiers follow him and use an iron fist to crush those too clever to be fooled. However, if solid proof was delivered, the guards by themselves couldn¡¯t take on enemies ten times their number with equal training and equipment. Bottom line, the lab was too important to fall.

    ¡°Send a squad there to investigate. Order them to report in as soon as they enter. If they don¡¯t answer, send in all available guards.¡±

    Before the order could be passed down, another officer stood up.

    ¡°General, a guard patrol is attacked by a group of mutant prisoners. They are requesting reinforcement right now!¡±

    A group of guards patrolling level four heard the explosions created when Paul ambushed the reinforcing guards. They moved to investigate and were unfortunate enough to run into a dozen men and women in orange prisoner suits.

    Both sides were taken by surprise. The only difference was the guards tried to take the mutants alive by yelling for them to get on the ground while the mutants didn¡¯t waste any time doing a similar thing. They had more than sufficient hatred for the soldiers to act without mercy. Instantly, the guards found themselves attacked by all sorts of powers, including fire, ice, lightning, energy blasts. The couple survivors only managed to scream a few words into the radio before being ripped apart by a mutant with enhanced strength.

    Without overwhelming firepower or overwhelming number, ordinary soldiers struggled against mutants.

    ¡°What¡­Deploy half the available guards toward level four.¡±

    The officers looked at each other, not moving. At their level, they had some right to give advice.

    ¡°General, we don¡¯t have the men.¡± One of them finally spoke.

    Howe went silent. Before everything happened, there were around five hundred guards. This was around one tenth of the entire army and was enough to make Howe the most important man in the fortress. Since the explosions went off, the guards were put in the frontier and were continuously assaulted. He knew for sure that the guards at the mutant prison and the mutant lab were down. Reinforcement to both places didn¡¯t answer as well. As far as he knew, at least fifty men were dead.

    Those fifty men were incredibly precious. His control of the compound fell with every guard down.

    There were around 450 men left, but at least 250 were needed around the military personnel. The 1:20 ratio was already risky. 50 men were positioned at the command center. An absolute minimum of 50 was needed to secure the gate and maintain the armory. In that case, only 100 men were available. If he wanted to divide that into two and send them to two different places...they might be picked apart one by one. Even now he had no idea who the attackers were and how many of them there were. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Suddenly, behind him, a certain lieutenant walked up.

    ¡°General, may I suggest we try something else?¡±

    Howe looked at one of his trusted underlings.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°We can go to the soldiers and tell them the situation and order them to join the fight.¡± Jean suggested.

    Howe frowned. He was excited for a moment, but his hope died down when he heard what Jean said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I am only using guards. Whoever the attacker is, he might be one of the soldiers. If I send soldiers against soldiers¡­I believe they will fight. The only difference is for whom.¡± Everyone in this room was on Howe¡¯s side, so he could speak freely.

    Jean took a step forward. ¡°With all due respect, general, you should have some trust in your men. Plus, a group of guards enforcing your command will shut down any sign of mutiny before it can spread.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°This can also be a chance to root out potential traitors. If we keep this up, then the guards will only be taken down one by one while the potential rebels are unharmed. Even if this rebellion is put down, the guards left will be too weak to do anything.¡±

    ¡°If we order the attack, those that hesitated are traitors, and they can be identified and executed.¡±

    Howe nodded. The woman had a point. He would need to use the soldiers eventually. It was better to pick out the potential traitors now when he could kill them rather than wait until later. This might be risky, but he immediately decided it was worth the risk.

    Jean¡¯s eyes returned from a shade of gold to her normal form. A fragment of her psychic power was needed to convince the general.

    A few seconds ago, she sensed Paul and Alia making it out of the lab and toward the exit. She had to admit she was impressed by what Paul did, but then again the difficulty was severely lowered by Howe¡¯s distrust of his men. According to Jean¡¯s plan, Paul should fight well, get to Alia, and get stopped on the way out. In the moment of absolute desperation, he should call for her help. As a result, he would owe her his life. In the end, Paul saves his sister and Jean gets a loyal follower. Everything would go according to her plan.

    Paul and his sister making it out with ease wasn¡¯t part of her plan.

    She decided to turn the difficulty up a notch.

    <hr>

    Things went just like Jean promised. The soldiers were told there was a group of rebels ravaging through the base. They were ordered to shoot on sight. Some had questions, but orders were orders.

    And things turned very tough for the siblings as they were intercepted on the way to the exit.

    Dodging behind a cover and taking off the head of yet another guard, Paul reloaded his SMG for the fourth time.

    The guards kept on coming. His power was helpful, but it couldn¡¯t do area damage in a short period of time. His guns weren¡¯t enough by themselves. The guards weren¡¯t for show either. Their training and equipment meant Paul couldn¡¯t plow through them like they were crop waiting for harvest.

    The more and more reinforcements didn¡¯t help as guards and soldiers alike rushed into the field.

    ¡°Let me burn them!¡± Alia yelled. If things went with her way, all the resistance would be ashes on the ground and the two would be gone by now. But her brother, because of some stupid concern, stopped her.

    ¡°No!¡± Paul denied without turning as he dropped another soldier with a shot to the leg. He watched as several fellow soldiers pulled the wounded behind cover.

    ¡°We will never make it out! We are literally in the middle of an enemy fortress!¡±

    Paul bit his lips as he sent out a couple bullets at the incoming enemy. He was very aware of the situation, but he also knew, as long as he had another way out, he wouldn¡¯t allow his sister to burn everyone in her way.

    His thought halted when something hit him in the chest and knocked him over. He groaned. The familiar feeling told him he was shot.

    The bullet didn¡¯t hit anything critical and he could get back on his feet in at most twenty seconds, but that was all the soldiers needed. As soon as the bullets stopped, the experienced men and women moved out of cover and toward the other side.

    When Paul got back up, he was looking at twenty gun barrels.

    He was captured, but he wasn¡¯t worried about himself. Instead, his eyes went to his sister, and he was horrified to see a spark being ignited.

    Wasting no time, he screamed for help.

    ¡°Jean!¡±

 Important Notification

    I am not afraid to admit season 2 of the Voyager was an absolute disaster.

    First of all, the introduction of the second MC, Carl, drove a large portion of the readers away. By bringing in an emotional character, I was destroying the fundamental ways of this fiction(an emotionless and efficient MC) Second, the Resident Evil universe was also too weak in terms of power scale to provide a challenge for the first MC, Jean. The plot was boring and expected. As a result, readers were practically leaving with every chapter published.

    A while ago, I was looking back at chapters of Season 1, and I was actually attracted by the story. I wanted to see what happened in the next chapter even though I wrote the chapters myself. Unfortunately, when I tried the same thing on chapters in Season 2, I wanted to delete the chapter.

    From the perspective of an author, I think season 2 has failed season 1. The decreasing readers also proved that. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    As a result, I am planning on doing a remastered version of this fiction, starting from the first chapter in season 1. I will both fix the problems many readers complained about in reviews and comments and change things that I think are potential death traps for the future of this fiction. The contents and the world of season 2 will be changed as well.

    If that happens, I will open up another fiction by the name of The Voyager: Remastered, which should be able to be found under my author page.

    Of course, that is just a thought. Let me know through the poll or through the comments what you think.

    I will check the polls again after 24 hours, but I should be checking the comments every ten minutes so feel free to contact me through that.

    Again, the fact that you are reading this chapter means you must be very attracted to this story. I thank you for your perseverance and trust in me and I hope I can deliver more qualified content.

 The Voyager: Remastered

    A few hours ago, The Voyager Remastered has successfully been opened up. Readers can find it in my author''s page or through this link:

    The Voyager: Remastered</a>The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    This new fiction is technically a rewrite of the current one, but aside from fewer vocab errors and grammar mistakes, it also features more graphic, and potentially gruesome, battle scenes, more character interaction and development, and a more realistic plot.

    Be sure to check it out. Hit the follow button if you still find it interesting or worth a read.