(Alexander Pov)
It's been a while...
The silence of the void and not in the call of the seat of my office...
Far from the voices of the faithful, far from the paperwork that flowed in my desk by the minute...
Sometimes the burden of the imperial have bore upon me... Is exhausting.
Travelling alone is one way to cope.. I always did wondered... Had the Golden age of humanity never ended, had the war in heaven didn't erupted... What would Neoth did? What would he been up to?
I could imagine that he would be a travelling monk or just a giant man working in a office job somewhere near the Eldar empire...
I...felt lost.
Emptiness is filling my soul...
Unable to scream.
The years go by and it burden me slowly..
Guarding humanity... Growing the Imperium can take a toll on me...
The clicking and the beeping of the stealth ship brought me some sense of comfort.
It was a Automated Consular frigate, Charger c70 retrofit frigate. A small ship from star wars in comparison to the rest of the ships I wielded.
Hell, this is practically the first of its kind to be manufactured by the Mechanicum...
First...
I glanced around the control deck.
Only machines walked the hallways.
As it was a stealth operation, the ship focused more on speed and durability.
It was painted in chameleon paint that mimicked the surroundings.
We traveled via the the warp.
I didn't bring anyone.
Not even my honor guards.
Only cold steel machines that is made by my own hands....
Heh...since...when did I slowly lose my humanity? I smiled bitterly.
The price of immortality is insanity?
I shrugged as we exited the warp.
By the warp currents and the Chronometer... It is approximately a day earlier than expected.
A version of me still fighting the Kel-Morians...
The silent alarm was raised.
Of a intruder that somehow awaited at my transported location.
Many of the arms were raised at the location where the intruder is....
From the shadows stood upon a wounded Protoss.
"Zeratul... What are you doing on my ship?"
"Friend Alexander... I came to you... And bring tidings of doom." Zeratul didn't bother to state my position... Blue blood were leaking from his wounds.
"Medic tend to his wounds." I ordered a medical droid as it used a healing beam to heal the Protoss... I attended to the Protoss wounds... They were not made by bullets or Warp blades of the Taldarim... Zerg.
"Why did you came to me, instead of Raynor?" I spoke as I handed him healing salves to hasten the healing..
It was at this time that Zeratul would had went to Raynor ship and warned the incoming threat... But why did he came to me first...
"I will head to his location later... You two are important to the prophecy.... You must not let the Queen of Blades die..."
Zeratul handed me a crystal. My pupil shrank.
"I believed that you... Know how to use this yes?" The Protoss handed me the device.
"I know...thank...You Zeratul..." I turned to him and found that Zeratul left my ship before I could ask.
But seeing that he took time to warn me and let me heal his wounds... Time was running out.
I looked at the crystal that was handed to me.
This crystal is basically a memory Crystal for the Protoss, what he seen, is more important that he went to me instead of Raynor.. But now, I got to infiltrate the Mobius foundation defenses and I will see to this... Later.
I already kept it in my inventory and glance at the corner of my eyes.
(81% completion)
Theseus is constantly busy, fixing my body, rewiring the body and debugging it... Didn't even had time to talk to him.
Last time I fought with Kerrigan was just 21% during the brood wars, basically I got mauled by Raynor crazy, power addicted Zerg girlfriend.
Now? I can ran unscathed and be more of a prick.
I smiled as I prepare the infiltration.
I headed to the locker room of the ship and a suit and weapon was prepared for me.
It was a Ghost uniform, used by the UED ghost program as a foundation, a ghost uniform engineer to use the warp to hide their presence
It is a prototype from the Mechanicum using the data from the fallen regime.
This was improved and now I can literally kill someone using the warp and my presence and the allowed me to cloak the people closest to me..
Though they removed the sleeves of my outfit and show my... Biceps.
And the weapon is just basically a Ghost rifle
C-10 rifle, a upscale size of it. Now it shoots 35mm anti-personnel bullets and have a benefit that teleport bullets in the warp for a short time and hit the target I chosen.
The Mechanicum sure like to make me a test subject even though I am pretty much their boss...
The defense fleet of the tyrador system didn't noticed my arrival. I used a medivac that harbor in the ship hangar and program it to land just a few kliks away from the facilities.
As I arrived at the orbit I watched the lull of the people that walked past the streets of this city, unaware of the war that is about to devour them.
I ran across the rooftops of every buildings.
And the dominion security is based on CCTV or automated defenses.
I glad that I am practically Invincible to digital observation.
As I jumped to the roof that was next to the Mobius foundation building that held the Data core.
The city went into alert.
The klaxon sounded across the city and the people panicked. The Zerg was here long before the Domion decided to inform the public...
"Shit... Have to hurry up."
As I remember there were five of these facilities and I reached the first one that was closest to the Zerg.
The building was bigger than the screen I remembered...
In the lounges were artifacts of Xenos origins..
Sad that it would just be destroyed... Until I noticed a familiar fellow that was busy as well... His metallic hands grab as much artifacts as possible in a sack that is filled of ancient relics...
"Trazyn? How the hell you are doing here?" I spoke.
He didn't even call or even inform his location...
"Hmmm, who are you?" The familiar Necron spoke. Confused why a man before him spoke with such familiarity.
"Enough with the joke Trazyn, it's me Alexander Solair, where did you been? How did you ended up here?"
"I've.. Been busy. I found some interesting ruins of the Protoss and these.. human captured me and place me in this planet. They called themselves Mobius foundation and I... Was occupied for a short time. And found some time enlightening with their appreciation of our history.."
So in short, the Mobius foundation caught Trazyn and now he is in this place?
"Alright let's get all the relics, the Zerg is coming here and they would destroyed all the artifacts."
"A shame really, Always a man of your word... You have a subspace for holding this artifacts?" Trazyn faced formed a grin.
"Yes, grab all of them for your gallery... I fear we may no longer return to this place." I sighed.
Both of us clean the lobby and all the books in the first building. And now I face the first foundation Data cores. It held the biggest part of the facility.
I prepare the cyberdeck and plugged into the system core... Why in every galaxy, there is always a USB port?!
The data was immense, petrabytes of data flowed into my cyber deck.
I scanned all of their data.
Data charts, financial reports.... There it is... Xenoarcheology.
Just petrabyte long but is it a fragment... Now we faced the imminent threat of the Zerg at our door.
Both of us escape and headed to the next facility.
"It's been a while since we both had adventures together." Trazyn chuckles as we hopped over the rooftops.
And there was a strong cable that linked to the next facility.
I used the rifle stock as a grappling hook as Trazyn used his staff to joined me in our escapade.
The second facility was ransacked by both of us. Leaving a shell of itself. Trazyn got the artifact and I obtained another part of the fragment.
But the third facility, the Dominion garrisons
Is already fighting the swarm of the Zerglings.
"Shit... We are definitely blocked." I checked my gun and it was enough for the horde, but it would alert the Dominion to our presence.
"Allow me." Trazyn spoke as he moved forward and smack one of the Zergling with his Empathetic obliterator and they all died instantaneously as their DNA is linked to each other.
The defenders were confused. They faced monsters and now they simply fell down and died?
Not knowing both of us is heading to the third facility..
Now the facility surroundings were alerted either by the Zerg or our little incursion.
But since they used technology instead of regular eyes, we are basically ghost in their eyes.
It was hilarious that Trazyn placed a Santa hat on a unsuspecting Dominion marine. As his other hand is grabbing the artifact next to the soldier.
I grabbed the third core data and pierced something... The financial report doesn't make any sense.
And why is it that there been incursion to my territory? And Duran is the head of it.
I glance at the Necron archivist next to me. It was stated that he was captured by the Mobius archeologist team in the planet near Zerus... But Narud wasn't a part of it as he took his leave... Now I am glad though as I hope my mechanical friend is not compromised.
But another piece of the puzzle is pieced together..., what is Valerian up to? Or what Acturus up to?
The fourth one is literally fortified, that we unable to enter the front door. We took the vents that produce superheated steam. The suit was enough to survive the superheated vents and we enter the facility and began ransacking everything.
One of the tables in a office rooms that was connected to the relic rooms, show a cup that said, "Best dad Ever"... I wonder where is the office worker now?
While Trazyn was busy taking all the artifacts, I entered the Data core. It held a more encrypted files, but facing a denizen from Cyberpunk... It was easy...
This time it gotten more... Darker.
The Mobius foundation managed to slipped one of the Amon hybrids that used human flesh away from the UED conflict with the Imperium.
They held my DNA... And it was at my weakest... A Frankenstein monster...
And Acturus... Signed the order to mass produced it, to fight the Imperium incursion...
My faith in the Wolf that devoured the Confederacy is lowered at most... Even lower than Erebus...
I fear the last one.
Now, the Mobius security was in full alert. Having four of their facility looted under their very eyes... And they even sent a Odin copy after us and a company of siege tanks in artillery mode...
I know it was not Tychus as he wanted more guns on his "Big Boi", this version is sleek and slender. As the internals is old... Confederacy made.
We simply just walked to the entrance.
"Halt, state your purpose?"
The guard that halted me believe that I was the local ghost that was station on the planet.
"I found this xenos the at Site 3 and hauled off the relics to a unknown location, and managed to apprehend him, I request we should placed him into containment at site 5 before we are overwhelmed." I lied smoothly.
And the Zerg already breached the Third facility defenses made the guard felt the pressure to ascertain our identity.
The foundation cores shown me the schematics of the last facility and there were indeed a holding cell for dangerous specimen.
To Trazyn, specimens means more for his collections...
He didn't mind the charade of me escorting to the facility.
As usual, we robbed the place so clean that even the office toilets were not safe.
I do kinda envy of these Porcelain toilets with Marble finish ... Valerian... Since when do you have marbled Sinks?
Trazyn briskly walked towards the holding pens while I finished the last core...
Time to find the truth.
The security was absurd, like playing a toxic relationship with a Ai.
It was more beefed up than expected and I found the data I suppose to need...
I found the remaining Supposed Xel naga artifact locations and assumed locations by the Mobius foundation database. The fragments show me a legacy...
It was a fragment showing of three races.
A Zerg, a Protoss and a Terran bearing a Halo fighting the inevitable darkness...
I know the old lore.... Purity of Essence for the Zerg, Purity of Form for Protoss... What is our purity?
Most of it was just under my jurisdiction and in the Dominion.
As I saw the Files...
I paled.
Bio weapons file is enormous...
And I found the video of a Amon Hybrid and Raynor escaping from the facility that it held...
Acturus believed he could controlled them using shock collars?
"Are you finish old friend?"
"Already done... Fascinating specimens..." Trazyn touched his noctis labyrinth that is filled with specimen I don't wish to know what he got.
"Make sure those specimens never get out. We don't want the Zerg in the heart of the Imperium
"Understood... Just don't give me a bell."
"That's on you... Let's get out of here!"
We heard the roars of the Zerg outside and we escape via the sewer system..
I prefer to hide at the moment...
The roars and the gunfire of the defenders are the sounds we both could hear.
As we exited we escape from the city sewers and found there was unexpected visitor.
Above where I was, is a group Minotaur Battlecruisers that floated in orbit, my helmet already managed to identify them as Raynor Raiders.
I saw their wraith fighters rained hell on the facility that held the Data cores.
"Did he managed to get all the artifacts?"
"Had the relics stayed in the facility..." Trazyn mumbled.
"At least we clean house, let's go"
As we arrived at their landing zones.
The remaining citizens are being boarded into the medivacs as the city is being overrun.
"Damm, we have a ghost here?" A gruff voice spoke.
"I am your boss... Tychus."
"Boss? How the hell that you are doing in this place? Didn't the news said that you were at the Kel-Morian space?"
"A long story... Let me speak to Raynor. Know why you are here?"
"Mmm, seemed like when we followed Raynor, we arrived at Tarsonis and found the Adjutant that we managed to unlock it and did our little expedition in Korhal, we had a blast."
"Wait... Did you got farmers?" I asked.
"Yeah, Lil' Jimmy and his big heart managed to get some dirt farmers from being consumed, and they supposed to go to Meinhoff in Kel-Morian space... But seeing that it was being capitulated by you, they decided to tag us around.
One of them, a Dr Hansen, sweet lil doc..." Tychus trail off.
A female doctor wearing glasses walked towards us.
"Hello, I saw that you are talking to Tychus over here... Who are you?"
"Well, I am just his boss." I shrugged.
"From the imperium?" She asked.
"Yes, and who are you?"
"Oh, forgive me for my late introduction... My name is Dr Ariel hanson, I am their head of their medical staff."
"I thought they have a more better staff?"
She sighed.
"Well, the medical facility is up to medieval age... Though, our journey we are running out of medical staff, so it's up to me to handle it."
"I really need to talk to Raynor about letting in unsanctioned staff." I sighed.
I glance at her internals and her body is a wreck. She may fool Raynor, but her body is wrecked by extreme pain. A Zerg Virus was inserted into her. Subtle from ordinary scanners...
I wonder... If Kerrigan deliberately infected the sweet doctor to check if Raynor is not cheating on her?
Raynor approached me, tired and seemingly sober.
"Ah, Alexander... What ya doing in the place like this."
"We need to talk. Alone." I glance at Dr. Hanson, and Raynor nodded.
We arrived at the office of what was Acturus office.
Raynor never even used it. Hence it was the better way to discuss.
"You just appeared out of nowhere and now you are here?" Raynor helped himself of Mengsk old scotch.
"Have you met Zeratul?" I bluntly spoke.
His hand stiffen as he held a glass of scotch.
"I...did. it was same as my dreams huh?"
"So do I... Zeratul was injured beyond repair... I managed to patch him up before he headed your way.."
"Thanks... Partner." Raynor handed me a glass.
"Heh, so you are thinking yourself as a equal huh?" I took a sip.
"When in the end of the galaxy... Titles mean nothing. Thanks for saving Tychus."
I am confused why he said that.
"If... You didn't bail us out during the bank robbery and taken us in... Tychus would be in New Folsom long ago and be under Acturus payroll... I would have put a bullet in his skull."
"That... Huh? I see the hero in both of you that's all..." I smiled. To others they would considered them lowlifes but had I didn't intervene... I closed my eyes to imagine what happens to his mental state...
"Hero huh, for guys like us?" Raynor smiled.
Ironic there was someone that called him a hero...
"For guys like you are needed by the galaxy."
"Now... To the issue, how far did you get?
"Well, by following what happen we gotten, we saved the farmers, Tosh and did his terrazin, Busted New Folsom, gather the artifacts..."
"You know what's going to happen if she stayed at New Haven right?"
"I know..." Raynor sighed.
I understand his position, he knows partial of his future, or more like the choices players had made.
Even I would burn down New Haven as it was impossible to remove the Zerg virus.
It was like the mini flood virus, constantly change the DNA and genetic makeup of the people infected it.
Tyranid infested humans can be cured at the first stages, but Zerg? It like playing a 5 billion blocks of Rubik cube that is constantly changing and Stukov that supposed reported to be cleansed of Zerg infestation is relapsing and currently kept in Skygeir Station.
And by Raynor accounts, they are the late stages of the infestation.
As Dr. Hanson kept some of the more advanced stages in the stockade.
"Do you have the technology to... Reverse the Zerg virus?"Raynor spoke hopefully.
"I can't... she's took far gone." I shook my head.
There were things that is beyond my control... And saving Hanson is one of them... What she hears is relayed back to Kerrigan. And if she hears that I have the capacity to cure the Zerg virus. She would make a more virulent and potent variant that even the Golden Age medical technology would be more like a stopgap measure...
Raynor looked conflicted. But as I talked to him about the implications...
A couple hundred colonies to be infested that he knows or a galaxy infested humans that had nothing to do with the war... Which one is morally right?
As we both left, we heard the news that we dread the most.
The fate of the poor doctor is sealed. Without our intervention... That is without our intervention... I realized something... If Kerrigan was a spiteful bitch of blade... I going to be more petty than her.
"Raynor, let me use the Communication console.... I going to make a few phone calls..." I smiled as I rang up the phone.
"You..." Raynor eyes widen... Did he realized that I rescinded my choice...
"Let's save the good doctor then. At least you don't have the burden of killing her..."
(A/n): sorry for the delays.
I just having financial difficulties lately.
I got sued for even helping someone from being rammed by a truck. Took a bite out of my savings.
Note: don't help others in China, unless if they are either related to you or the problem is something that is beyond your power. Like participating a Gang war. Our empathy is being drained in the megacities.