StarCraft 1. The Ultimate Price?

**Author's Note: With so many people asking me to continue from "Let Her Go", here's the final part of my trilogy! Thanks for the support of my work guys, it means a lot to me and keeps me going!**

**A generous tip of the hat to Blackhole1, PastPotatoes, and Ragnarok666, whose stories were an excellent guide in writing this trilogy!**

******Something to note for later: When I originally played _HoTS_, I started on Kaldir, then went to Zerus. That is the order of events in this reality. Also, the same plot paths that are canon in _WoL_ are canon here.**

**A quick side note: if you listen to music while reading like I do, I'll provide a couple cues here and there. They are pretty much from games though.**

* * *

**First Spawning Pool, Zerus**

Sarah slowly approached the edge of the pool, dreading what was to come. It wasn't being killed during the process that worried her any more. It was the process itself, and whether Jim would approve retrospectively of it.

She had him back, if only for a week, but despite the destruction and chaos she had to cause during that time to reach Mengsk, it had been one of the happiest times of her life. Now, she wasn't sure what his approval meant that day. Did it mean he was at last fulfilling his promise to end her? Or did he truly want her to re-infest herself, even if it was for the right reasons?

Sarah didn't doubt she could weather the process. Zurvan had explained before his death that surviving it required mostly mental strength, and if she could survive four years of being imprisoned and tortured within her own psyche, she could survive this. But could she live in the aftermath?

Steeling herself, Sarah stepped into the pool and approached the center. She _had_ to do this. It was too late to turn back now. The ground shook and the Chrysalis enveloped her.

Immediately Sarah noticed something was different. When the Swarm infested her, the infestation started from the outside. But now...now it felt as though she were changing from within.

_"Jim..."_ Sarah slipped into unconciousness as the chrysalis continued its work.

* * *

It was barely a half hour before the transformation was complete, but Sarah didn't take time to revel in her new body.

She felt stronger than she ever had, both physically and mentally. She could feel herself radiating power. And she hated every second of it. She felt like she was wearing a disgusting costume that she couldn't take off.

It was only made worse by the fact that whatever processes that changed her body had left her mind alone. Seeing her Zerg form on her again was not a welcome sense of _deja vu_.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sarah called down an Overlord and ordered the Swarm to prepare to move out. The sooner Amon was dealt with, the sooner she could get out of this horrible Zerg carapace.

If only it would be that simple...

* * *

**Unknown Location, some time later (music - _Ace Combat 4:_ Mission 15 "Emancipation")**

They had done it. Amon was no more. And with Sarah's hand in his death, the Protoss had, by and large, been willing to give her another chance to prove herself.

Jim walked up to Sarah, who hadn't moved since she had struck Amon down. Zeratul watched them both closely.

"You did it, Sarah..."

"Just charge that artifact and get me out of this damn skin."

Jim took a step back upon hearing the hostile tone of her voice. Sarah turned, wearing and apologetic expression, but they got no further before a deep voice interrupted them, speaking in the mind of every individual present.

_"Foolish children, do not think you can so easily defy your fathers."_ **(music - _Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X_ Boss Appearance)**

To everyone's surprise, the eyes of Amon's corpse ignited and glowed with the brightness of a supernova.

_"Made of my Swarm. Made of our essence. Mine to control."_

"Oh no..." Sarah gasped and collapsed, clutching her head. "Agh! Get...out..."

Jim stepped back. He wished nothing more than to be able to help her, but he knew he would be useless. All he could do was try to distance himself from any fallout.

* * *

Sarah cried out again and her body writhed on the ground as she struggled with the xel'naga for control of herself. But it was a losing battle. Her mental fortifications were crumbling. She couldn't hope to resist Amon's influence much longer.

As Amon made another attempt to possess her, she could no longer resist and she felt the xel'naga's influence overwhelming her mind. Her screams died in her throat as Amon assumed control of her.

Once more, she was trapped in her own mind.

* * *

**(music - Breispower: X vs Zero)**

Jim watched in horror as the being that had once been his love stood, supporting herself with her wings. When she turned, he saw into his worst nightmare. Her eyes radiated a demonic and harsh crimison rather than the intense but soft violet he had become accustomed to.

"Kill them all." It wasn't Sarah's voice, or even the echoing tones she had as the Queen of Blades. It was Amon's. Jim shuddered as he watched the xel'naga speak through his love's mouth.

Immediately, the Zerg in the vicinity turned on their surprised allies. Thankfully, with his attention divided, Amon wasn't able to completely usurp Zagara's control, and the broodmother was able to restore order to the Swarm not within the immediate area and send reinforcements to the retreating Protoss and Terrans.

The possessed Queen lunged at Jim, who rolled out of the way. Utilizing the distraction, Zeratul sliced her right wing off and blinked away just before the other ripped through his location.

_"Dammit, I'm getting too old for this,"_ Jim grumbled as the Queen of Blades lunged at him again. Jim sidestepped to the right, but as he raised his HEV rifle, he hesitated. Even if it was Amon in control, he still couldn't just shoot her.

Sensing his hesitation, Zeratul spoke. "James Raynor...!" He got no further in his warning before the Queen turned on him and unleashed a powerful psionic blast. The Nerazim was hurled backwards and hit the ground hard.

_"Foolish Terran, your kind could not even stand against my Swarm. What chance did you think you had against me?"_ The Queen of Blades sliced down with her claws, barely missing Jim's power armor, but immediately kicked him hard enough to send him sprawling.

_"I need to distract him or slow him down..."_ Jim pulled his last chrono-rift charge out and trapped the Queen within it. She roared in anger as the rift sucked her in and immobilized her. Zeratul took the opportunity to slice her other wing off before slashing downwards. To his surprise his psi-blade deflected off a psionic barrier. The time rift was waning, and the Queen was now free and as enraged as ever. Raising her hands, she charged psionic energy and tossed both Jim and Zeratul away like rag dolls, buying her time to regenerate her severed wings.

Trying to keep her down, Jim fired three shots from his plasma gun. But the Queen had already recovered. The first shot knocked her to the ground, but the other two were deflected off a psionic barrier. She laughed. "Go on, fight me with your pathetic weaponry!"

Jim waited until she had closed most of the distance before using his last plasma gun shot. The miniature nuclear blast stopped the Queen mid-charge and threw her spectacularly into a wall. But within seconds her primal strength allowed her to recover and she began hurling the debris on top of her at Jim. He dodged most of it, but one piece struck his armor square on, tearing through the metal and knocking him to the ground.

He just hoped Sarah was still fighting inside, or this would truly be for naught...

* * *

Sarah screamed in despair as she watched her body attack Jim from within her prison. At hearing Jim's thoughts she redoubled her efforts to break free. She couldn't let him die now.

With mild annoyance, Amon easily reasserted control. It was a shame that he could only channel her psionics occassionally due to her interference. That concession should have been reason enough for her to shut up. But the imprisoned girl would not be silenced.

The need to suppress Sarah, however, left her captor unable to continue the fight temporarily, and in that moment Zeratul had managed to close the distance for a psi-blade strike.

Amon reluctantly weakened his grip on her and turned his focus back to the battle.

* * *

The Queen grabbed Zeratul with her mind and used the momentum of his own rush to throw him into the far wall. Now, for the Terran.

Jim raised his HEV rifle as the Queen dashed towards him and managed to summon the willpower to squeeze the trigger. But the high-powered slug flattened on a psionic barrier. Zeratul managed to stand, though he was too far away to be of help.

At seeing Zeratul's state, a contingent of Protoss troops fighting the possessed Zerg broke off to assist their hero.

"No, my brethren!" Zeratul implored, but it was too late. The Queen cast her hands out and they glowed with power. A massive psionic explosion engulfed the approaching Protoss, leaving only charred bodies and shattered metalwork in its wake.

The Queen turned as a shot from Jim's rifle grazed her. She laughed with Amon's voice.

"You Terrans have never been able to see beneath the surface of things! Your kind have always been blinded by your sentiment and pride! I need not fight you; you are your own worst enemies!" the xel'naga mocked.

Jim pulled a grenade and threw it. The Queen was knocked backward by the grenade and the shrapnel dug into her carapace, but she shrugged off the damage and had managed to remain on her feet.

"Matt, is the artifact charged? We need it _now!_"

"Nearly, sir. We're showing a 90% charge reading. Just a little bit longer."

"We don't have that time...!" Jim cut off as the Queen lunged at him again. This time he fired without hesitation. Just a little bit longer and this would be over...

The penetrator round struck the Queen's abdomen and tore through the hardened carapace before exiting out of her back. She looked down in annoyance at the hole in her stomach, which was already closing.

Roaring in anger, she blasted him into a wall with a psionic blast. Jim hit the wall so hard that several pieces of debris fell from it and buried him.

* * *

_"No!" _Sarah screamed at seeing Jim fall.

"Foolish Terran; you may be stronger than the rest, but you were naive in thinking you could stand up to me!" The words were directed at both Jim and Sarah. With both Zeratul and Jim incapacitated there was no need to remain particularly vigilant.

_"I can't let him win!" _Realizing that Amon could soon divert his entire attention to keeping her in check, Sarah mustered all of her will one last time to try and break free.

_"What is this?!" _The ferocity of the counterattack surprised the xel'naga, but he quickly recovered. To his surprise, Sarah did not budge an inch, matching his will in intensity.

Amon focused his energies on her, but she still didn't yield. While this was the limit of his powers, he knew she had to be pushing herself far beyond her own and that a simple battle of atrition would inevitably end with his victory. He had no cause to be concerned.

* * *

"Pull back!" The order was hardly necessary as the possessed Zerg were all dead and the Protoss and Swarm had already evacuated the area. But Matt wanted to make sure. At this key moment, a single life lost at the wrong hands could shatter the fragile alliance, and though the Protoss had demonstrated they could survive the original pulse if they were strong enough, now that the artifact was in its true form there was no telling what it would do.

Matt watched the charge meter as it slowly filled. It would only be a few more seconds. He just hoped that Jim was still alive.

"What about Zeratul?" asked Artanis. Matt cursed.

"Squads three and four, get Zeratul out of there!" Two contingents of Marines, along with Marauder, Ghost, and Spectre support, raced towards the spot where the Nerazim leader lay.

It only took a few minutes to get Zeratul to the _Shield of Aiur_, the only Protoss ship left within the artifact's radius, and a few more for it to escape the artifact's range. But to Horner and every other sentinent member of the alliance, it seemed an eternity.

Finally, the all-clear was given.

With a blinding flash, the xel'naga artifact was unleashed.

* * *

The energy pulse left the Raiders and Jim alone, but Sarah and Amon both felt its full magnitude.

Both of them screamed within Sarah's mind, but unlike Amon, she kept fighting. With the help of the artifact, she threw off his dissolving influence at last.

_"Do not...think this...comes freely...Terran! You shall feel...the price of victory...forever...!"_ Amon warned as he was finished off.

Sarah dismissed it as an idle threat. She collapsed to the ground and blacked out after the pulse had gone, exhausted from her struggle with Amon and weakened severely by the artifact.

* * *

**Author's Note: First and foremost, the xel'naga artifact. It wasn't used as it was on Char, and the "original" role I had in mind for it was as a reset-type device for any failed xel'naga experiments so they wouldn't run rampant and harm their creators but still be able to be re-experimented on. Since Kerrigan's primal infestation isn't the work of the xel'naga but has some commonalities, I thought that the artifact would need the aid of other means of stopping or reversing infestation to complete its job. You'll see what I mean soon.**

**Speaking of that, I want to give Kerrigan a happier ending than what I predict _LoTV_ will bring because of the closer relationship prior to the parallel ending of _HoTS _in my own universe. My prediction is that the Protoss will likely execute her one way or another, so unfortunately I can't promise a happy ending as the title suggests.**


	2. All is Not Well

**Author's Note: So with the school year approaching, I have decided to break down the writing of "Star-Crossed Love" into chapters unlike the other two. I already had the material for this one finished before I made the split.**

** They won't be as long as the chapters from "Variable X" because they're mainly so I don't keep the whole story from you guys while I work on it; this one's pretty long. ****Rest assured, this doesn't change the storyline at all.**

**Ugh...that music idea is backfiring now with Fanfiction's link blocker. But anyhow, to use the link, go to the Youtube homepage then paste the link segment that's in the story after the URL.**

**Well, that's it from me, read on!**

* * *

Jim groaned as several marines hoisted debris from off of him and he regained conciousness. A medic helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright, commander?"

Jim affirmed that he was before opening his destroyed combat armor and running over to where Sarah lay on the ground. But he stopped short and the pain of his injuries suddenly seemed to double when he saw the same Zerg that had tried to kill him earlier.

_"No, she is not the same as before."_ Surprisingly, it was Zeratul who spoke in his mind.

The Dark Templar blinked into existance next to him. Looking carefully at Sarah's unconcious form, he continued, "I touched her mind during the battle. I sensed a great conflict within. She stood against the will of the gods themselves to save us all..."

Without another word, the Nerazim blinked away. Jim sighed and hoped that the Protoss would keep true to their promise. While he sensed Zeratul had been trying to assure him, that wasn't the reason he had frozen upon seeing Sarah still in her primal form.

When he'd seen the Zerg carapace still on her, he was back in the ruins of Mengsk's palace giving her his permission to infest herself to stop Amon. And there was nothing he regretted more at that moment. Suddenly he was reliving the doubts he'd had as he watched the Swarm left Korhal. And his promise from the Brood War pushed its way to the forefront of his mind and refused to leave.

His hand shaking uncontrollably, Jim drew his revolver and thumbed off the safety. He brought the beam of the laser sight to Sarah's head. He knew Zerg didn't age; if they couldn't be together, better that she die first. _"She's suffered enough in her life already. If we can't be together, at least I can spare her from the pain."_

Jim's aim wavered slightly as he began to slowly squeeze the trigger. But his finger stopped short of firing the weapon. This wasn't the Queen of Blades: this was Sarah Kerrigan he was about to kill.

Even though she was mostly wrong about the changes Zerus had wrought on her, Sarah was right about one thing: the person in control was still the ghost he had fallen in love with six years ago. She had visited him after the process was complete to assure him of that. And though the artifact hadn't restored her, Jim was confident Amon could no longer hold sway over her, one way or another. But regardless of whether she was influenced or not, if he killed Sarah there would be no telling what Zagara would do as leader of the Swarm. Things would probably return to all-out warfare.

Suddenly the reason the Protoss had agreed to let her have a second chance made sense: they must have known something like this would happen. Jim felt no anger towards them for trying to manipulate him, but he was enraged at himself. For not thinking about the Protoss's possible motives. For being so accepting of their cooperation with their mortal enemy. And for believing their damn predictions about Amon.

Inexplicably, the xel'naga's words came back to him. _"Your kind have always been blinded by your sentiment...I need not fight you; you are your own worst enemies!"_ He hated to admit it, but Amon was right. Sarah was the key to a lasting peace in the Korpulu Sector. Even if it meant they couldn't be together and would feel the pain of that for the rest of their lives, he had to let her live.

He'd always wanted to make something of himself ever since he enlisted in the Confederate Marine Corps during the Guild Wars. But now, for the first time, Jim truly understood why Sarah didn't want to be that special person. While it brought renown, it also brought danger, untold pain, and decisions. Decisions that made him weigh his own interests against those of others. If he were anyone else, Jim would have chosen to act in the interests of only him and Sarah and simply ended their relationship on as high a note as possible, even if by crude means. But by squeezing that trigger, he could make generations pay for mistakes they didn't deserve to inherit and emotions they never had. He had always dismissed notions that sentiment and politics couldn't mix, but in the last few weeks, that had made every decision so much harder and so much more heartbreaking...

Jim suddenly noticed most of the Raiders were watching the scene with ill-disguised relish. Doubtlessly the Protoss would be watching from afar with similar anticipation. Their hungry looks disgusted him, and he threw the revolver away.

He and Sarah couldn't be truly together. But as with every other roadblock to their relationship, he would do his best to make it happen regardless and knew he could count on her to do the same.

A few minutes later, he was back inside his damaged CMC-400 suit. He suddenly noticed the artifact hadn't failed completely in de-infesting her: the wings and chitin heels were gone, and the skin on her face had returned to its human tone. So too were her claws; her fingers were human but her hand was still covered in carapace. She looked like a human encased in a Zerg body suit. He shook the observations out of his head. Now wasn't the time.

He looked down at her peaceful expression and sighed, wondering if she would ever be able to be at peace again.

* * *

Sarah couldn't tell where she was. For that matter, she couldn't perceive anything. Had the artifact left her blind and deaf? Was she alive at all?

She was aware of one thing though: Amon was gone for good. She couldn't feel his presence or influence anywhere in her mind.

As she looked around she could see things materializing and coming into focus. She was in the room where Amon had taken control of her, but...not from her perspective. She was watching as someone lifted a gun and aimed it at her body, but she couldn't make out details beyond that.

She recognized the weapon. It was Jim's revolver, the same one she'd given to him when she rescued him from the _Moros_. Then that was..._Jim?_

She tried to look away, to ignore what she was seeing. This had to be some horrible nightmare. This couldn't be happening. But she couldn't look away as the figure slowly tightened his finger on the trigger.

Her vision focused completely and she saw ranks of human soldiers, along with Protoss warriors, watching with eager anticipation. But somehow, she still couldn't see her own body or what she presumed was Jim clearly.

The gunshot echoed loudly throughout the chamber, and after a few seconds of silence cheers had broken out at the wretched Queen of Blades' death.

Sarah could hear other voices in her mind, and suddenly her perspective changed. She was now watching over the plain that the three races had set their bases up on.

_"The Terrans have murdered our Queen! We must avenge this vile act!"_

_"Maybe it is in the better interests of us all for her to die, Zagara. That will satisfy the Protoss enough to keep them away from us. Giving some and losing some is the essence of diplomacy."_

_"Queen's death unimportant given replacement leader. However, recommend retribution. Swarm must remind foes of power."_

_"No! Don't harm_ _them!" _Sarah shouted, but the voices obviously ignored her.

**(music - _Mega Man X:_ Sigma Rebirth)**

_"Re-establish our hive clusters! They will be expecting a counterattack. Focus on the Terran James Raynor and his group. The Queen's orders to leave them unmolested are invalid in the wake of her death."_

**(music - _Mega Man X: _Wolf Sigma)**

_"Zagara, listen!"_ Sarah pleaded, even though she knew her efforts were in vain. She watched with horror as the Protoss and Terrans once more took up the line against the Swarm and slowly begin to fold. Overlords, flying in the clouds to hide from Phoenixes and Vikings, were dropping Banelings into the Protoss lines, while Roaches popped up left and right and dissolved Dominion Marines with their acid saliva before promptly burrowing again.

She heard a frantic transmission from Warfield. "Raynor, get you and your men out of here! We'll hold the Zerg off!" Seconds later, she heard the general scream over the net, along with dozens of other men, as several of the Baneling-carrying Overlords discharged their deadly cargo on the Dominion lines. Sarah felt a pang of guilt. She'd spared Warfield only to have him meet an even more gruesome death...and at still at the hands of the same Swarm no less.

The sky lit up with a brilliant burst of cyan as the _Shield of Aiur_ fried a hive cluster with its Planetary Cracker, but flocks of Mutalisks were moving in to ensure that the victory would be short-lived. Urun and Nahaan's Phoenix and Scout squadrons slashed through their lines, but the massed Glave Wurm attacks were wreaking havoc despite the fighters' advanced shielding, and Corrupters were moving in. Sarah watched in horror as the elegant Protoss craft were uncerimoniously shot down until only the Admiral and Praetor were left.

"Urun! Make haste in your escape! I shall stand against them!"

"Nahaan, is your lust for battle blinding you? There are hundreds of them!"

"Then see to it my sacrifice is not in vain, Urun! For Aiur!" The Scout's weapons blazed at the oncoming Mutalisks, but there were simply too many. A Corruptor dove on the Praetor's fighter and used its horrible mouth to crush the craft's engines. Without power, the Scout plummeted into the ground and exploded.

_"A betrayal worthy of the Queen herself..." _Sarah heard as Nahaan met his demise. She winced as the fighter exploded; Nahaan had been her most bitter opponent within the Hierarchy, and remained so to the end. Nonetheless, Sarah pitied him as his death was out of his hands.

"Urun, flee now! You cannot hope to survive against so many! I will deploy a Vortex to ensure your escape!" Artanis did not wait for a response before doing so, but a single Corrupter circumvented the distortion and its parasite spores tore into the fighter. Urun shot it down with his cannons, but the creature's last spore pierced the cockpit of the Phoenix.

_"The fallen one was right..." _Urun's Phoenix, graceful even in death, curved over to the left and dove into the ground. The sight sickened Sarah.

Even worse was the situation on the Terran front. The _Hyperion_'s hull was smoking and breached in places where Overlords had dropped Banelings onto it, and a flock of Mutalisks were swooping around the grounded battlecruiser, easily dodging its laser battery fire. Thors and Vikings equipped with special Ripwave missiles were attempting to shoot down the flyers, but there were simply too many and Zagara was wise enough to split the flock up into small groups to minimize the effectiveness of the Terran counterfire. Warfield's remaining men were desperately trying to hold off the ground forces, but they couldn't last long.

A blue flash lit up the sky, and thousands of Zerg were fried as xel'naga artifact was unleashed from within the _Hyperion_. Given the desperate nature of their situation, Sarah couldn't blame them for forgetting about the Protoss. The pulse only stopped the Swarm for a few seconds, however that was enough time for the battlecruiser's engines to fire. Another series of blinding explosions erupted from the entrance to the remains of the Terran base as Dominion Ghosts set off nuclear bombs to stave off the advancing Swarm.

Dropships quickly fanned out from the _Hyperion_ to evacuate the remaining Terran soldiers. Sarah wanted to shout for Jim to drop the heroic routine and just save himself, but she knew he couldn't hear her. The dropships surprisingly survived the gauntlet of Hydralisks and flyers for the most part, but Sarah realized it was only because Zagara wanted them all where she could kill them in one fell swoop as her Leviathan ascended to meet the remains of the Terran fleet.

As one, the battlecruisers unleashed their Yamato Cannons, but the devastating barrage was mostly absorbed by the hordes of Scourges now rushing towards them, and the Leviathan shrugged off the few hits lucky enough to strike their target. Opening its mouth, the monstrosity spat a huge ball of bio-plasmid discharge at the _Hyperion_.

Miraculously, one of the Dominion's Gorgon-class battlecruisers took the hit instead, but the ship that Sarah had once found completely invincible on Char shook violently and massive pieces of its outer hull dissolved as the destructive compound worked its vile magic. The cruiser turned and limped away, badly wounded, but was quickly consumed by a cloud of Scourges. The dreadnought's fusion core overloaded in a brillant burst of light, vaporizing most of the advancing flyers and buying enough time for the Terran fleet to escape.

Unfortunately, they had a massive orbital battle to break through, and though the Protoss fleet was winning, it was only by the smallest of margins. On cue, a black-and-gold Void Ray crashed to the ground near her, its hull sparking and its armor shredded.

_"How...could we have been so foolish..."_ Mohandar's voice trailed off and Sarah knew with a depressing finality that the Prelate was dead.

_"Stop it!"_ she cried. Mohander's list of reasons to hate her was matched in length only by Zeratul's, yet he had never once displayed it openly and always remained polite, if cold at times, towards her. Among Protoss, she hadn't found anyone who would even give her that, making his actions all the more meaningful.

Yet the terrible vision continued. Her perspective now shifted to the bridge of the _Bucephalus_ as the Terrans attempted to break through the battle. Another bio-plasmid discharge from the Leviathan pursuing the group shot past the bridge window as the battlecruiser maneuvered clumsily to avoid it.

The Zerg fleet in orbit began to divert their attacks towards the Terrans as their primary objective drew closer. Sarah watched in horror as two battlecruisers were torn in half by bio-plasmid discharges and their shattered remains promptly began to fall back towards the surface.

As the fleet closed on the battle, the Protoss Motherships suddenly engaged their mass recalls, evacuting the remainder of their allies from the surface. Unfortunately even the arrival of reinforcements weren't enough to distract the Zerg, and as another blast from the pursuing Leviathan struck the _Bucephalus_ from behind, a bio-plasmid discharge from one of Kilysa's Leviathans crashed into the _Hyperion_.

* * *

**(music - ****_Nezha Conquers the Dragon King_****: Death of NeZha (here's a link to spare you guys the trouble (from 40:57-42:55): wauenpjkvW8?t=40m57s)**

_"Dammit, I did it for her own sake..."_ Sarah sensed Jim's final thoughts as the mighty warship shattered under the terrible blow.

The debris field scattered in slow motion, giving her time to see its crew scattered into space and slaughtered by the Zerg. Time she didn't want. But by now, it was obvious that who or whatever was controlling her presence wouldn't listen to her whims in the slightest.

She knew what he meant, and that made seeing his death all the more painful. If she could scream, she would have screamed her vocal cords hoarse. If she could cry, she would have cried her tear ducts dry. But she couldn't do either, and that was the worst part. Now Amon's mockery of Jim made sense to her as she watched the _Hyperion_'s wreckage burn up.

She could almost hear the xel'naga laughing from the beyond as Zagara did his work for him.

Whatever form she had simply drifted in space as Zerg drove their stunned opponents away or massacred them on the spot; she had no idea how long. With nowhere to escape from within her, the anguish and despair slowly gnawed away at her links with sanity. If she was stuck with these for all eternity, then she wanted to stop feeling at all. She didn't want to live, but by now she knew the universe was too cruel to grant her that request. That damn xel'naga was alway right...

Without any will to contain her mind, it began to take its own course. Random memories and visions flashed in front of her as she drifted through space. But they no longer meant anything to her. She didn't care about what had happened, or what was happening. She just wanted to die, and the fact that she could not was too much for her.

It wasn't as though she couldn't bear that burden; if she could survive witnessing four years of infested imprisonment then she could endure this. It was that she did not want to. Having thrown in everything to see Amon vanquished and bring a lasting peace to the war-torn sector, she had hoped that afterwards she could finally have a quiet life with Jim. But it was clear now that her hopes had been premature as she saw her sacrifices undone within seconds. Giving her all, only to see that it wasn't nearly enough, and the fact that she was destined to be separated from Jim for the remainder of their days one way or another, simply crushed her will to continue.

She drifted near a planet, recognizing it as Antiga Prime. The Swarm was busy ravaging the defenseless colony, but she paid them no mind. Neither did she pay any attention to the formerly happy memories that had taken place here, recalled from the depths of her shattered mind by familiar terms.

Whoever was controlling her path sent her then to Mar Sara. Sarah had so looked forward to the life Jim had promised they could have together here, but that dream had died with him. She once would have given anything for that life, but here she was, having given it all up, watching the Swarm destroy the mining world. The bitter irony wasn't lost on her, but Sarah couldn't care less.

Korhal followed soon. She watched as a black cloud enveloped the brightly-lit planet, then as its lights went out for good while the Swarm massacred the population below. Only weeks before the planet had been a similar position, but the civilians lived that time. Now they knew what a true Swarm invasion was like...

Shakuras was next. The Protoss used the same artifact that they had driven the Swarm back after the Overmind's death, but it only staved off the inevitable. The remnants of the once-mighty golden fleets valiantly defended their home, but the Swarm prevailed and the Protoss were no more.

With the sector devoid of competition, the Swarm moved on to seek new foes and new essence, leaving Sarah drifting, very much alone, in a ravaged and barren Korpulu Sector.

The faces of those who died during Zagara's onslaught seemed to be etched in the stars. She watched without caring as the oldest casualties faded and were replaced by new faces as the Swarm continued its path of destruction elsewhere.

She no longer cared that they died unnecessarily, nor that Zagara's actions undid every sacrifice she had made for universal peace. _"Hell,"_ Sarah thought, _"I don't even care that Jim died any more. I just want to fekking die myself...is that too much to ask..."_

_"Then you know what you must do."_ Sarah looked around, startled after being alone for so long. She knew that voice. It had last spoken to her the first time she went to Zerus.

_"Now you see it. If you fall, the galaxy, including Jim, will burn. You can't have your happy ending, or it will only bring you more pain."_

Sarah didn't want to hear it, but something within the fragments of her psyche knew the voice was right. The prophecy was only another milestone in history. Things would eventually return to how they were originally if she wasn't there to stop that from happening; if not by Zagara's hand then by her successor's.

She'd never wanted to be special. She never wanted psionics. She never wanted to be infested. She never wanted to be a leader. She certainly didn't want to have to play peacekeeper for eternity. Above all, she wanted to be able to act for herself and only herself just once. But Sarah knew she didn't have a choice, and that she couldn't. She might be a human, but her place was with the Swarm. When Jim had acted selfishly (or at least, for only the two of them) the entire sector paid in blood.

She found herself back in the now-deserted cavern, looking clearly upon her body at last. For the first time, she noticed she _wasn't_ human. At least...not completely. Her hands and face looked like their human selves, and some of her Zerg form had burned away. But the carapace still enclosed most her body. At any other time, Sarah would have called it unfair. But she was grateful for the incomplete reversal now. She wasn't meant to be among Terrans anymore, so she shouldn't be one physically. Her body was not so much a reminder of the price she'd paid so far as a reminder of what still needed to be done.

She pondered how much of this...dream was real, but eventually dismissed it as irrelevant. No matter what her form Jim would always love her just the same.

Jim...she felt guilty for subconsciously making him do what he did, even though she could guess it probably hadn't happened. But that wouldn't matter now. She wouldn't let everything she'd sacrificed so far be in vain, assuming she was still alive...

* * *

**A/N: With regards to Kerrigan's nightmare, I'm sorry if it seems far-fetched or overly cruel, but I couldn't think of any other way to completely convince of her what needed to be done besides a display of the worst-case scenario.**

**I also changed the story name from "Compromise" to "Star-Crossed Love" because I felt that it didn't reflect where I wanted to head with this story. **

**A special thanks to izwan for bringing both matters to my attention, and to Simon 22 for inspiring the name change.**


	3. Reunion

**Author's Note: So I had a flight a few days ago that gave me a lot of time to work on this. Unfortunately I can't guarentee too much progress on either this or "Variable X" once the school year starts after Labor Day until my applications are done.**

* * *

**Medbay, ****_Hyperion_, Haven orbit**** (music - _Mega Man X: _Dr. Light Capsules)**

Jim sighed and stood from his chair next to Sarah's bed, pacing across the ward. It had been two weeks since he'd carried her back to the _Hyperion_ after the artifact had hit her, and still there was nothing more than feeble, though steady, life readings.

Ariel Hanson stood nearby, watching the commander with a worried expression. "She'll be _fine_, Jim. Killing yourself over it won't help her."

"I trust your word Doc, but that's not it."

"If this is about her infestation, I had that covered already. You must have known that otherwise you wouldn't come straight here."

"Are you _sure_ about that, Doc?" Jim asked anxiously. "Sarah told me her primal infestation was completely different from the Swarm's."

"It's still Zerg mutagens in her body. Besides, what we've been giving her isn't so much a direct cure for infestation. It's more of..." Ariel struggled for a minute to find the right description. "...a means to help her body reconstruct itself."

Off Jim's gesture to explain, she continued, "As you know, the infestation process is conducted by a virus. The virus works like any other in terms of infection, but it uses infected cells to produce Zerg tissue instead and causes moderate to severe damage to the original body; the specific Zerg DNA that said tissue comes from varies by unknown causes. The human DNA isn't overwritten, but normal cell replication is inhibited in certain parts of the body. It's not completely stopped, so normal cells can still be produced, but certain cells in Zerg have the ability to hunt down, as your scientist Stetmann discovered, any human cells not produced to replace dying ones. Said cells also destroy the body's natural immune system and take over to ensure that the Zerg tissue isn't attacked from within, which is why infested people stay infested." She raised her holopad and showed him a graphic of a cell being infested to make sure he understood.

"Basically, that carapace is still living tissue, but the only thing it shares with the remainder of a victim's original form is their body's circulatory and nervous systems. There's a quirk with infestation in that virus production stops once the subject is infested, but the existing Zerg cells replicate to replace dying ones. That means if the Zerg carapace is cut off from the infested person's circulatory system, it will decay and be able to be removed painlessly."

"Hold on, Doc. What about what infestation does to a person's mind?"

"That's the part that I've been grappling with. When a person is infested the brain grows additional cells that allow for telepathic communication through the hive mind. The problem is that any attempts to remove them so far have ended with permanent and severe brain damage. Fortunately for Sarah, the primal infestation doesn't affect the mind."

"So it was removed the first time? How come she could still control the Zerg?"

Ariel answered patiently, "It wasn't. But it's different in Sarah's case, probably because the Overmind gave her, or at least the Queen of Blades, free will unlike any other Terrans the Swarm infested. I'm not completely sure, but I think the subjects were driven insane by surgical treatment of the mind because of the shock of reverting to their own control immediately. They can't be completely removed by any existing forms of combating cancer or my cure. The cure destroys enough of the tumor to cut off communication with the hive mind over time, but the former infested are "

Jim let that sink in. "So your cure..."

"The 'cure' that I discovered was based partially on Stetmann's studies. It's a complicated mixture, but there's only three functions I had to develop completely new compounds for: stimulate the body to 'cut off' the Zerg carapace from the circulatory system, suppress hunter cell production and help rebuild the body's own immune system, and kill off as much of the Zerg brain tumor as I dared. The rest is a regeneration drug similar to what you and the Dominion use for Medic medipacks, but enhanced based on research into Zerg regeneration, courtesy partially of your man but mostly from my work. I predicted it will take almost a year to finish the treatment on account of the brain treatment, but I removed that component for the medicine I administered to Sarah, so I expect that the treatment will be complete in fully in a few weeks since the parts work relatively quickly."

"That's all fine and dandy, Doc, but how can you be sure this permanently works? The Zerg are known for their rapid evolution to combat things like this."

"The mutagens in an infested's body are what is mostly responsible for this. They're independent cells present in an infested's bloodstream and are basically dormant until needed, and that's when they turn into gene factories, spinning large amounts of DNA. I'm not sure why, but most of it is discarded once they mutagens cease activity again, which suggests that once they find a gene sequence that suits whatever they were awakened for they go dormant again. There are a large number of existing compounds that are capable of destroying DNA with ease, and mutagens don't reproduce by themselves; other Zerg cells have to build them. Since mutagens are cells in themselves once their DNA is corrupted they cease production of DNA to prevent the remainder of the infested from being corrupted."

"So other than the mind part she'll have no Zerg?"

"No. I didn't want to risk destroying the body's own DNA with higher concentrations of compound than absolutely necessary, so a large number of mutagens will persist. They aren't of any harm, and can actually accelerate healing and increase physical strength in short order if awakened repeatedly."

"So you're saying that the remaining Zerg can't harm her, only help her?"

"Correct. It won't re-infest her either, since the mutagens can only produce DNA off of an available base, whether that's human or Zerg. Since it's human, it will only augment her original DNA rather than overwrite it with Zerg genes."

Jim sighed with relief on multiple accounts and turned to the still-sleeping figure on the bed. He felt his heart throb with longing; he wanted Sarah back so badly. They hadn't been separated for very long, but unlike the four years she'd been infested the first time, Sarah had made no secret of her own love for him before they parted ways, and that fact made any obstacle seem doubly painful and insurmountable.

Mindful of his thoughts, Ariel dropped any pretense of continuing the conversation and quietly left the ward after checking with a nurse about the medicine stock. Jim slowly shifted Sarah to one side so he could sit on the bed next to her, taking one of her hands in his.

Jim slowly played out every happy memory they had shared since he and Sarah first met in his head, rubbing her hand gently in his fingers. He looked over at her human face and reached his other hand out, gently stroking her cheek a few times before running his hand slowly through her dreadlocks. He didn't mind them even if they were of Zerg origin; though he preferred Sarah's original red hair he thought her new look didn't detract from her beauty at all. Besides, he'd seen more than enough of the Swarm to learn that they weren't nearly all the Terrans took them to be.

Jim lowered Sarah's hand and was immediately poked by one of the organic edges on her arm. He checked the spot and didn't find any physical injury. Regardless, Zerg still hurt...a little.

**(music - ****_Mega Man X: _****Cast Roll)**

A low groan suddenly escaped Sarah's lips and she stirred for the first time since the artifact had hit her. Jim felt his heart jump to his throat and took her hand in his once more, squeezing it gently. Sarah instinctively snuggled closer to him and opened her eyes.

When he saw those emerald irises again, all other thoughts were pushed from his mind. Finally, he had Sarah completely back. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled the love of his life close to him.

But he could sense something was wrong. She didn't return the embrace and gently tried to break free.

Jim let her go after another second, and his face fell slightly upon seeing Sarah's pained expression. He instinctively reached out to comfort her, but she pushed him away, careful not to hurt him with the various spikes on her body but adamant in her refusal.

"Sarah, what's wrong...?"

"Jim...did you...did you try to kill me?"

Jim was caught off guard by the question. He was torn over whether to answer. Though he knew Sarah could read the answer if she really wanted to, he also knew she didn't want it and didn't want to hurt her. He knew she was also implicitly asking why, which opened up another wormhole of matters.

"Jim, please don't make me..." she begged. "I...I just want to know."

He felt as though he were breaking both of their hearts by answering, but he nodded slowly and subtlely. Sarah gently squeezed his hand to show that she understood why he had considered it.

"That's not it..." Jim sighed as he noticed her expression hadn't changed.

"How long was I out?" she asked, trying to figure out how to explain her vision.

"Two weeks." The answer was flat and emotionless. Changing the subject, he continued, "I understand if you want to hide things from me..."

"No! That wasn't what I was trying to do! I..." Sarah cried desperately at hearing Jim's bitterly sarcastic tone. "I...had a..." she couldn't continue. She didn't want to relive everything her two-week dream had shown her, but the recollection of those horrific scenes was too much in themselves and she felt tears burning in her eyes. She reached out for Jim and was relieved as he took her in his arms and gently caressed her dreadlocks and body until her tears stopped.

"You don't have to show me everything now or ever, darlin'. But if you feel like you have to, I'll be there fore you," Jim promised, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm here when you're ready."

No sooner had the offer left his mouth than Sarah suddenly pulled him into a kiss, intertwining their fingers and connecting her mind with Jim's as she did so.

Immediately Jim began to see dozens of snapshots of death and destruction, courtesy of a Swarm without Sarah's guidance. He saw the _Hyperion_ destroyed and felt what it had done to Sarah as a helpless spectator. He witnessed the Swarm ravage other worlds after purging the Korpulu Secotr of their rivals. Worst of all, he felt the cooped up anguish within her slowly consume her until only one concious thought remained, weakening her physical links with life. But through it all, the sensation of Sarah's lips against his never diminished in the slightest, the touch of her hands remained humanly soft, and her love for him never left the forefront of her mind, becoming the last stand of her sanity. It was because of Jim that she still found the will to continue after a life so filled with sadness and death. From anyone else, it would have gratified Jim beyond measure, but hearing this from Sarah...he couldn't find the words to describe it.

While Jim saw what she had seen, Sarah lived through his memories of the past weeks. She felt his desperation as he fought to stall her possessed body without fatally harming her as the xel'naga artifact charged. She watched as he struggled with whether or not to give her the release she deserved after all her ordeals. She shared his disgust at seeing the sadistic anticipation of his allies and his elation at seeing that her infestation was partially removed and could be reveresed wholly. She felt a most welcome rush of _deja vu_ when he saw him carrying her back to the _Hyperion_. And lastly, she read Jim's rush of compassion and love as he processed what she was showing him. Jim's lips never left hers, his hands never let go, and she could sense his passion, defiant in the face of the horrors he was confronted with, now and then. It didn't matter that the road ahead was far from ideal and that they would likely be separated for eternity: At that moment, Sarah Kerrigan was the happiest woman in the Korpulu Sector.

* * *

**(music - ****_StarCraft II Wings of_** **_Liberty _****Soundtrack: Firstborn)**

Zeratul slipped undetected through the _Hyperion_'s hallways. Though he doubted any of Raynor's men would react hostilely to him, they weren't his concern. It was reaching Kerrigan undetected that was, and the chance that any of them might inform their commander of his presence was too high.

The Protoss had been willing to give Kerrigan and the Zerg another chance because they knew what would happen and their predictions of what it would force her to do. Unfortunately, their gauge of the Queen's character had been completely incorrect again. But this time, there wouldn't be a chance for her to exploit it. The settling of the Protoss's most bitter grudge would spark war with the Zerg, a perfect excuse to wipe the wretched aliens out.

With the largest score to settle with Sarah and the most amnicable relationship with Jim, the Nerazim had volunteered to strike on the Daaleam's behalf. There would never be a better time: Aiur had just been completely reclaimed, the threat from beyond was gone, and the Queen was once more weakened, if not completely human.

_"At long last, Fenix, Razsagal, Aladris, and all others who fell before her shall be avenged."_

* * *

Jim smiled as he watched Sarah drift back into sleep under his touch. There wasn't much time for them together, but he'd insisted that she rest. He didn't have to be a doctor or have medical equipment to know that showing him all that was a severe drain on her, emotionally if not physically.

Suddenly, one of the lights on the opposite side of the medbay flickered off, followed by another. Jim tensed and tightened his grip around Sarah with one arm and slowly drew his revolver with the other.

Sarah sensed something was amiss too. Her eyes opened immediately and she sat up, trying to probe her surroundings for intruders. She found only one, but his presence still frightened her; for there could be only one reason for him to be here...

"Z...Zeratul..." she stammered.

Jim's eyes narrowed as Sarah betrayed the intruder's identity. "Show yourself, Zeratul. I won't let you harm her."

"James Raynor, I will not this once. I ask of you to stand down and leave her to me."

"Dammit, Zeratul, you guys promised you would give her a chance to prove herself!"

"And remember what happened the last time we did! Not just to us, but to your kind as well!"

"Have you considered things from her perspective? Imprisoned in her own mind for four years! Forced to give up everything she cares about for the sake of a race that she has every right to hate but doesn't by choice! And she wants to live to keep the Zerg away from you, even though that means she loses everything she cares about!"

"James Raynor, I command you to stand down or, on behalf of the Daaleam Protoss, I will forcibly take her from you!" Calming himself, the still-invisible Nerazim continued; "Regardless of whether she was free during her time as the Queen of Blades, Kerrigan has commited crimes against the Protoss for which she must answer."

"How the hell does that not change anything? She couldn't do a damn about it!"

Suddenly Sarah spoke up. "Zeratul, I understand if you don't believe Jim. But...can I show you?" She seemed almost afraid to ask the question, but her voice didn't waver.

The question caught him off guard. He hadn't expected Kerrigan to do this. She was doing so knowing fully well that it left her open to psychic attack and suspicions that she would brainwash anyone who probed her mind. Yet she was willing to lower her guard and give him the chance to finish her so she could prove her innocence. Zeratul's hatred couldn't be forgiven nearly so easily, but he was also developing a genuine respect for the former Queen.

His tone softened considerably and the Nerazim revealed himself. "I am not your executioner, young Kerrigan. However, the Hierarchy has demanded you be placed on trial, and as you have discovered already many are far more hostile than I am."

"Always something..." Jim grumbled but didn't argue.

"Why not just kill me now?" Sarah asked, hoping it wouldn't provoke the Nerazim.

"We Protoss are not fanatical, young Kerrigan. There are a great many among us who seek a path of rationale and wisdom much as some of your kind do. If your case can be proven, it is by our creed that we shall see it done."

"Zeratul, that's mighty ironic coming from you. How can we be sure your people won't just turn her into psi-blade kabob when we set foot on Aiur?"

"We possess a code of laws like your kind, James Raynor. If a trial is called it is the duty of the Protoss to accept the Hierarchy's decree."

That seemed to satisfy Jim slightly, and he backed down. Sarah looked at him in mild surprise before turning her attention to Zeratul.

"Then...to Aiur..." she mumbled. Though she could tell she hadn't betrayed her fear to Zeratul, physically or psychically, the thought of a trial frightened her, and though mostly because she didn't want to see what had happened during the years in question, it also stemmed from the prosecution. While its members were more open than the Conclave it had replaced they were by no means sympathetic. Even assuming they would interpret her actions against Amon favorably, this would be a difficult persuasion. The fact that other Protoss would be weighing in their opinions didn't help matters. She hadn't associated with many outside of the Hierarchy by their order; given the Protoss's suspicions of her she didn't blame them, but it made persuading the Daaleam as a whole much more difficult. Even if she was acquitted, the Hierarchy's word wouldn't mean anything if so much as a single Zealot decided to step out of line at the right time.

**(music - your choice)**

"Do not despair yet, Kerrigan." She looked up in surprise as Zeratul spoke. "Though many among us still bear ill will towards you, we do not forget the services of those who have fought alongside us. As much as some may wish it otherwise, there is hope."

The words meant nothing to her; Sarah was sure they had been spoken mostly for Jim's sake. She wasn't optimistic about her chances; the Protoss would be much more eager to take their chances in war without both Zeratul's word to back her case and the threat of hybrids in addition to a Swarm controlled by Amon.

Jim didn't seem too convinced by Zeratul's words either, and the Nerazim was well aware of the fact. Without another word, Zeratul left and the lights flickered back on. Sarah sighed resignedly and assumed a posture that indicated she wanted to be alone, raising her knees to her chest and putting her arms around them.

"Who am I kidding?" She said as much to herself as to Jim. "I should've known better than..." her voice trailed off as she struggled to find a means of conveying her thoughts without hurting Jim.

"Sarah, they can see reason. All you have to do is show them."

"That's all I _can_ do, Jim. They'll be much more likely to take their chances against a Swarm without me...Maybe I should have infested myself the first time I went to Zerus. It would be much easier for us both now."

"What?!" Jim couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anger flooded his voice. "And leave the one person who cared for you through all those years looking at a monster that's taken his love again?"

"We wouldn't have this whole emotional thing getting in the way of what needs to be done!" Sarah shouted back exasperatedly. "It...It would make getting back together impossible, but we would have moved on by now if I did."

"Then you _don't_ care about me. About the man who pined for you for five years! Who gave up everything he had for you! Who could have, and _should_ _have moved on!_" Jim got off the bed and began to leave the medbay.

"Jim, wait!" Sarah begged, but he paid no attention. "Jim, I didn't mean it!" She tried to get up to follow him, but he had already stormed out.

Sarah stared in shock for a few seconds before she started to cry. This was one of the last moments she would likely have alone with Jim, and she'd completely ruined it in seconds. Not only that but she'd managed to do what five years of chaos and separation hadn't: make him think of giving up on her. _"Why can't I just do something right for once?!"_

She didn't know how long it was before she cried herself to sleep. But by then, she was sure of two things. One, that even if Jim was convinced otherwise, she still loved him. By her life, she would protect him even if he gave her the cold shoulder. They weren't meant to be together, but that didn't mean she couldn't love him.

The second made no sense to her distraught mind. Her Zerg carapace felt less like skin and more like an organic hostile environment suit. Had she looked closely she would have observed that it looked as though the carapace were separating from her body.

* * *

**_Hyperion_** **Cantina**

The bartender raised an eyebrow as Jim asked for a whiskey. The commander hadn't drunk at all since Kerrigan had freed him from the _Moros_. Nevertheless, he complied with the request.

Jim stared at the shot glass. What he had said to Sarah was nothing short of cruelty, and the guilt was gnawing at him. But he wasn't sure she would accept any apology or even want to see him any more.

He'd been so angry when he heard her regret staying human...it was one thing to do it, and she was probably right in that they would have eventually worked it out. But to not and regret it later on...to Jim that had signified she didn't care about him or what he'd done for her.

Now he was beginning to see that wasn't the case. She _did_ care for him deeply, and it was true that her remaining human had caused more than its fair share of emotional complications over the past months. Did it really signify indifference if infesting herself before she knew he was alive was really to spare them pain further on?

He'd been thrilled that she was still human when she rescued him from the _Moros_. But now, after feeling almost every emotional consequence of her actions, he wondered if it was worth it in the end.

Jim stood and left the bar without drinking the whiskey. He didn't need it even when they had been separated twice since Umoja. He didn't need it now.

He didn't head for the medbay, though he knew that he should apologize to Sarah. He turned and walked towards the bridge.

* * *

Matt Horner got off the comm with Swann as Jim walked in.

"Sir." The captain saluted.

"Matt, set us on a course for Mar Sara."

"Mar Sara?" the captain asked, confused. "I would've thought we'd be going to Aiur." Off Jim's puzzled expression, Matt explained, "Zeratul stopped by here and explained what supposedly said to you."

"I have something I need to take care of first. And try to patch us to that broodmother who's in charge. We need to keep informing her that their queen is safe otherwise there's no telling what they'll do."

Horner nodded. "I'll get us in contact once we arrive over Mar Sara. Shouldn't take more than a few hours to get there."

Suddenly, Tosh, who had been staring out the bridge viewports, walked over as the battlecruiser entered warp space.

"Tosh, I ain't interested right now."

The spectre brushed Jim's objections aside. "You shouldn't be giving up on her so easily."

"I ain't giving up on her, Tosh." Jim already knew that the spectre had a similar relationship with Nova and its outcome.

"But you aren't clear on what you think of her, are you? You're on the edge of a dangerous slope, brother."

"Stay out of my head, Tosh." Jim was past annoyance at the spectre's telepathy but he didn't like it when it was brought up in the presence of others.

The spectre wordlessly returned to his place by the viewport without another word. Jim wondered if he was going through something similar. He'd seemed even more distant than usual from the _Hyperion_ crew since Nova had captured Jim. And he'd spent much more time looking out the bridge windows.

As for what he'd said...Jim wasn't giving up on Sarah. _"Why does everything have to be so damn complicated now...things were so much easier when this was all just about Arcturus..."_

Jim watched as the stars flew past the bridge viewports. It seemed every happy memory he possessed was repaid tenfold by the painful experiences throughout his life. He'd never been the superstitious or religious type, but for the first time he wondered if someone beyond them was intentionally screwing with his fate.

* * *

**Author's Note: So I mentioned earlier that I would be revising Chapter 2. Though I understand some of you guys aren't completely satisfied with the chapter, the revision isn't happening any time soon. School starts this week, so this will likely be the last update in a while.**


	4. The Transformation

**Author's note: So school's been treating me nicer than I expected and I got this one up sooner than I thought! Enjoy!**

**I completely overlooked Kaldir when writing the other stories and the earlier chapters of this one. Unfortunately by this point in the story I don't have a choice but to retcon the events there otherwise there is no way that the outcome I wanted could happen. Thanks again to Simon22 who pointed that out (to answer your question beforehand, Niadra wasn't created the same way in this universe).**

* * *

_**Hyperion,**_** Mar Sara orbit**

Jim faced the viewscreen as they waited for Zagara to respond to their hail, apprehensive and slightly impatient. He knew that by almost all rules of the universe they shouldn't be able to communicate period, but he had other things on his mind that he would much rather be paying attention to.

After a lengthly silence, the broodmother's image appeared. "What is it, James Raynor? I presume you are ready to hand back our queen?" He didn't fail to notice that she had called him by name rather than by race. It seemed the Zerg's opinion of him seemed to have changed favorably during their time as allies.

"Not quite, Zagara." There was one thing he could appreciate about dealing with the Zerg: you could be blunt as a brick wall and they wouldn't care. Given their nature they probably preferred it that way too. "We'll hand over Sarah once she's recovered, but that time isn't now. I assure you that no harm will come to her."

"Then why have you contacted us? By now I am certain that you can be assured of protecting our queen. I made that clear already."

"The Protoss have summoned her to a trial."

"A doubtless ploy to attempt to disorganize the Swarm and murder our queen! Protoss are no more trustworthy than your kind deem us to be!"

"Hold on, Zagara. I'm not so sure about that. Besides, they won't succeed in breaking the Swarm's unity as long as you're still around. I wanted to have your assurances that you won't seek retribution if they do."

"That is unacceptable! We may survive without our queen, but the Swarm thrives off perpetual motion, James Raynor! These weeks of langour have not been kind on our numbers!"

"I don't think Sarah said you couldn't seek new essence and such, only that you not harm either the Protoss or Terrans."

"Then you expect me to stand aside while our queen is executed? This is not the way of the Zerg! We are bound to serve our leader's will!"

Jim paused slightly before answering. "Sarah won't have anything different to say. As she currently can't, I'm informing you that that _is_ her will."

Zagara retreated into sullen silence for several seconds before Stukov stepped in.

"Raynor is correct. We would be acting in the better interests of all should we pursue what we discussed earlier."

While Horner looked puzzled, Raynor nodded in agreement. He'd already been informed of the Zerg's plan. "If nothing else changes the Protoss's minds, this will, Zagara. If you play your cards right, maybe you won't have to sacrifice anything."

Zagara made a low growling sound that Raynor realized was a sound of brooding. "Perhaps...though I still do not like the idea of potentially abandoning our queen, even if it is by her will."

"Hopefully it won't have to come to that. I'm only asking for your assurances in case nobody else gets a chance, Zagara."

Zagara nodded to him before the image faded to static.

"Sir, am I missing something?" Horner asked.

"It's the reason we're here, Matt. Sarah was thinking way past Amon before we'd even stopped him. She has to stay with the Swarm unless they can be disbanded."

"But the only way to do that is...removing the hive mind."

"Exactly. And since the Zerg have already been hard at work doing their part these last few weeks, I reckon it's about time we do ours. But first..." Jim walked out, heading for the medbay. Whether Sarah wanted to see him or not, this couldn't wait any longer.

* * *

**Medbay, _Hyperion _(music - _Mega Man X: _Variable X)**

Sarah was slowly dragged back to conciousness as the _Hyperion_ dropped out of warp space.

There was no one around, so she decided to get up.

She stood, or tried to. She had figured as she was still half Zerg that her muscles hadn't atrophied much, and was proven dead wrong as she fell to the floor. She waited a few seconds, gently moving her legs before trying again. Her muscles protesting after two weeks of disuse, but she managed to stay on her feet.

She heard the doors to the medbay open and clumsily climbed back into bed, pretending to be asleep. No point in making the Raiders even more suspicious of her by seeing her attempting to roam around unsupervised.

She relaxed slightly upon sensing it was Jim, but continued to feign sleep, her back facing him.

Jim sat down in the same chair he had the previous night but said nothing. Sarah knew his mind was on what happened then and felt her eyes burn with guilty tears as she remembered the painful exchange.

She didn't realize she was crying until Jim reached his hand and took her arm. Sarah dropped all pretense of sleep and turned to look at him.

"Jim," she whispered. He cupped her face and looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry about last night," he began. "I didn't understand why when I said that."

The words gave Sarah some comfort, and she slid closer to him.

He gently wiped the tears from her face and continued. "I didn't understand then. I do now. Hell, you were probably right." Sarah gave him a confused look as she probed his emotions. "I forgive you for saying those things, and I understand why you did." Jim's voice turned bitter. "But the fact that undoing what I'd done was ultimately the best way for us both...it was hard to swallow and still is. Someone out there's probably toying with us..."

Sarah nodded to show she understood why he was starting to believe in a scapegoat for their troubles. She had thought Amon was that being until the xel'naga had been defeated. "I'm sorry about what I said to you last night. I could've been less blunt about it even if you thought I was right..."

She suddenly felt the familiar vibrations of atmospheric entry.

"Where are we?" She asked, frightened.

"Mar Sara. Don't worry darlin, we ain't going to Aiur just yet."

"Jim, you don't have to help me with this."

"But it's not just a Zerg matter. This could mean permanent peace in the sector if you succeed, Sarah. And," he added with a smile, "you and me together for good."

She suddenly leapt up and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Jim..."

"My...pleasure..." he grunted. Sarah quickly pulled back as she realized her body was still covered in spines.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked worriedly.

"Not much," he deadpanned before changing the subject. "Good thing I won't have to worry about them for much more."

"What?! What do you mean?!" Sarah asked, eager to know the answer but afraid that it might not be what she wanted to hear.

"When you were on an IV, we used some of Dr. Hanson's cure for infestation on you - " Jim was cut off as Sarah passionately kissed him. He suddenly noticed that the carapace-covered parts of her body seemed...raised.

"Oh, Jim...ow, hey, what are you doing?" she winced as Jim gently pried at her carapace.

"It's okay, I'm just looking."

She made a noise of discomfort but didn't protest further. After a few seconds Jim relented. It was like trying to pry a fingernail off, and probably just as painful for her. But it proved what Ariel had said to him.

* * *

**Mar Sara ****(music - _StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm_: Love Theme (1st credits theme))**

The _Hyperion_ set down next to a patch of mineral nodes and SCVs immediately began scurrying back and forth, ferrying the resources to the battlecruiser.

"So, Kerrigan, do you mind explaining your plan to the rest of us?" Horner asked as Jim and Sarah walked onto the bridge.

"I found xel'naga relics on Zerus. Abathur wanted them because they contained useful sequences, but there was also some information on how Amon bound the Zerg to the Overmind. When I returned, I scoured the planet for more clues and managed to piece it together. Amon has almost immesurable power over creation, but not infinite. He created the Overmind through a process I still don't fully understand, but to bind the Zerg to it, he had to drug them first."

"So the link with the hive mind can be broken via chemical dosing?" asked Horner skeptically.

"Matt, it's not new knowledge. The Dominion under Arcturus did that a few years back. According to the documents Stetmann managed to wrangle from Junior, some Dominion eggheads managed to sever Zerglings from the hive mind and use them to seek out potential ghosts since Zerg are highly sensitive to psionic presences."

Sarah nodded. "What's going on now is a lot more complicated than that though. Even if they are freed from the hive mind the Zerg's ability to think independently was suppressed by Amon to ensure their utter compliance with the hive mind's will. Basically, the only difference is they take orders from anyone after they are disconnected unless they regain the ability to think and feel independently. I got some clues as to how Amon's genetic tampering can be reversed on Zerus."

"So what are we doing here then?"

"Simple sequence manipulation can restore a Zerg brain to full independence, and the essence of primals among the Swarm gives me and Abathur a template to start from. But I haven't found any means other than chemical treatment to permanently remove the hive mind link. That requires resources."

"A lot of resources." Matt said, understanding at last.

Sarah nodded. Without the Protoss or Dominion hounding us, it should be fairly simple to just gather enough. The problem is, we're talking about trillions of Zerg, not to mention hive clusters and infested, so I don't even know if there's enough in the whole sector..."

"Infested?" Jim asked, intrigued.

"Yes, subjecting them to this treatment can break their link with the hive mind permanently and restore them."

Jim's eyes widened. This might be the breakthrough Ariel was missing, though there was no telling the sanity of the victims once they were freed...

"I thought you claimed you stopped infesting Terrans once you returned to the Swarm," Matt stated accusingly.

"I did." She decided not to mention Skygierr Station, even though she'd only infested one garrison to secure a landing zone and never used the infested in combat. "But there's still a large number left over from when I was my old self. I'm prioritizing treating them first; once that's done we can hand them over to Dr. Hanson for the physical de-infestation. It's the least I can do..." she finished guiltily.

"Hold on, what about their sanity? Many of them will probably have the same issue as you Sarah, and I don't think many have your strength."

She hesitated. "It's possible to purge memories from their brain through careful tampering, but..."

"I'm sure they would want that," Jim quickly assured her. "You'd be doing them a service by helping them forget."

"But I don't know whether I should give them a choice or not. It doesn't feel...right to force them, but they don't deserve to relive their time as a passenger in their body for the rest of their lives, especially because they didn't chose that fate." Her voice shook as she finished and Jim realized she was on the verge of crying and lightly hugged her, wary of her spines. "And what if...what if the Terrans can't forgive them? Then I would just be sending them to their deaths..."

The crew respectfully gave the two some space while Jim comforted her. "I'll talk to Junior about how to approach this from their side. They'll be fine once you do your part to restore them. It's common knowledge that infested aren't in control of themselves."

"But there's also me as a counterpoint, Jim, and a compelling one at that. I killed enough people already; I don't want to send every infested I just freed to their deaths..."

Jim put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her green eyes. "There isn't a simple way out of anything as a leader, Sarah. We both know that. What matters is that you tried _your_ best to give them their life back." He quickly kissed her before turning back to Matt, who was standing a respectful distance away.

"How much longer until we get the resources we need?"

"Well, sir, there's only one compound that we need in these minerals, and it's found in extremely small quantities. As in several parts per thousand small. We're going to have to deplete this entire node to get the quantity we want, and that's going to take hours even with 3 SCVs per field and the aid of MULEs."

Jim sighed in frustration. He was well aware that each moment they spent on this endeavor risked provoking the Protoss enough for them to send their fleets to find them, but they had to make sure that Sarah's plan worked before the trial could commence. Contrary to the reaction he gave Zeratul, Jim was well aware that it would be short and would most certainly end in conviction.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Sarah to take his mind off of the trial. "Don't you still need to be wired to an IV?"

"I'm fine, Jim. Dr. Hanson took me off the IV with the cure while I was sleeping. She said now it's just a matter of letting it work..." Sarah read his mind and suddenly all the worries of moments before disappeared. She giggled and blushed slightly as she read what he would do once she got the carapace off. "Once a pig, always a pig," she remarked with a smirk.

"You wouldn't have me any other way," Jim whispered just before their lips met.

* * *

**Antioch, Aiur (music - your choice)**

"Unacceptable!" thundered Nahaan as Zertaul finished his report. "You should have simply ended the wretched creature's life, Zeratul!"

"Peace, Nahaan!" ordered Artanis. "Though we all possess hatred towards Kerrigan we are obligated to hear her case, no matter how in agreement we may be over its resolution."

"When our minds are aligned on this matter, we should not label it a trial for pretense. The Terrans are not foolish," cautioned Zekrath in a rare moment of speech.

"Such a change should not be necessary. Our sentiment should not solely guide our judgement, Zekrath. Zerg are cunning and devious, but in control many are not."

"You believe the wretched Queen of Blades' story then, Tabrenus?" Nahaan roared in outrage. "Remember the Brood War! We trusted her and she betrayed us! And let us not forget what has happened to the Kaldir settlement!"

"Whose members, may I remind you, Nahaan, were banished to that forsaken moon for political dissidence!" Urun snapped with equal fervor. "Had we been informed of a Zerg force there earlier, could you say our reaction would have been to sortie the mighty fleets in defense of outcasts who would suffer execution under less strenuous circumstances?"

When the colony had gone dark long enough to attract suspicion, they had sent a small task force and found the colony was in ruins and the _Daelaam Ark_ drifting in space nearby, covered in creep and battle damage but without a single Zerg. The logs indicated that the Protoss had almost driven Kerrigan's forces out of the system when a flash freeze hit, freezing their ground armies in place and allowing the greatly outnumbered Zerg to rebuild and slaughter them. The executor had then recalled their starships to aid in defense of the colony, only to lose them all as the storm froze their systems and caused them to crash. Following the failed defense of the colony they had tried to pull out but the Zerg Leviathan had intercepted it before it could warp and disabled it, allowing the Swarm to flood in and overwhelm the defenders. Despite her refusal to spare lives, the teams had also retrieved a recorded conversation between the executor and Sarah in which the latter made it clear she had no desire to fight.

_"Silence!"_ Artanis's patience was running as short as tempers were high today. "While it is true that our response to Kaldir would have been minimal - "

"A chance to capture the Queen of Blades, and you suggest such a response, Artanis? Let us not forget her position when she attacked! Have you gone mad?"

"Do not forget your own, Nahaan! Kerrigan had no choice but to eliminate them all once battle commenced, and had she not done so, we would not be here debating her fate!"

The Ara leader seethed in sullen silence but did not retort. Artanis continued. "...While the Daelaam as a whole have not suffered greatly from the loss of Kaldir, it was a missed opportunity to capture her before the Swarm regrouped even if her capture would mean nothing in the long term. It cannot be ignored, however, that Kerrigan sought to avoid conflict. Executor Arma took the fight to her."

"As he had every right to. We can not be too cautious with the Zerg," Tabrenus interjected.

"Indeed, Tabrenus. The Zerg's ability to adapt and the very environment were things Arma fatally overlooked in his haste to capture the Queen. However, there are far more important things to consider than the Kerrigan's role in the fall of Kaldir."

Mohandar nodded. "The events of Kaldir notwithstanding, Sarah Kerrigan - "

Mohandar stopped with mild annoyance as Nahaan made to speak again. Artanis shot the Praetor an unmistakable look of warning and Nahaan backed down.

"...Sarah Kerrigan has remained submissive to our wishes since James Raynor returned her to humanity. Frequently at her expense."

There were small noises of disdain, but no one argued. Kerrigan _had_ taken their interests into account first during their alliance, insisting the Protoss support the Swarm from a distance rather than fight side-by-side. And all of them had watched with disbelief through Observers as Mohandar's forces had been ambushed and decimated by hybrids then saved by Zerg under Kerrigan herself. Mohandar had been rescued from several hybrid at her hands and nearly at the cost of her life.

Then there was the matter of Nahaan. Though the Praetor did not speak, Mohandar didn't need telepathy to sense that the Ara leader suspected Kerrigan was influencing him. Because of the former's ties to Razsagal, he had largely avoided Sarah until the Swarm had rescued him. She had approached the Prelate while the Swarm was delivering him back to Aiur, and though he had coldly shunned her at first, as he learned more about the former Queen through their conversations he had come to appreciate that there was more to Kerrigan than he percieved. It did not nullify his hatred of what she'd done in the slightest, but it gave him pause for thought about holding her accountable. "Regardless of our opinions towards her, had it not been for her I would be standing before you in a Dragoon, if at all," he finished.

Zeratul broke the tense silence that followed. "The numbers of the Zerg Swarm were largely responsible for our victory over the Dark One. By Tassadar's vision, that is incontrovertible. The threat we faced was broader than we could stretch our ranks even with the Terrans' assistance. And those numbers were secured only because we allied ourselves with Kerrigan."

"Has no one considered that Tassadar is a Protoss like the rest of us? He is susceptible to the Overmind's influence as much as we are!"

Artanis paused to reign in his irritation before speaking. "Tassadar's words to Zeratul have been proven correct by the events of recent; it is within reason to deem them genuinely spoken of his own accord."

"Then the only matter to be decided is whether this is genuine repentance on her behalf or not." Urun finished. "That should not be decided here if we are to maintain any semblance of a trial of the Queen."

Artanis nodded and adjourned the meeting. He doubted Zeratul's insights, the divulgence of which had been the purpose of the meeting, would change the opinion of the Hierarchy, but when there was Raynor and his pivotal position to consider, everything, no matter how seemingly insignificant, had to be scrutinized for a fair trial.  
Artanis knew that Jim would at best cut off his relations with the Protoss over Sarah's execution, but with the new Mengsk's stand towards them still unclear, Jim's departure could have undesirable repercussions. The Protoss did not need a two-front fight against the Terrans and Zerg, especially so soon after their battles against Amon.

* * *

_**Hyperion**_** medbay, Deep Space (music - _Mega Man: The Wily Wars: _Wily Tower Stage 4)**

They had their share of the resources to proceed with her plan after two days of meticulous scouting and mining. But that wasn't why Sarah was excited.

Zagara was proceeding through every step of their plan precisely. But that wasn't why Sarah was excited either.

She had been greatly surprised when Zagara eagerly agreed to push ahead with her plan once Amon was gone. After all, without a purpose, how were the Zerg going to cope? The broodmother had explained that while control over the hive mind had brought her power it also brought confinement in her purpose. As a creature of the Swarm she had no purpose but to serve it, but Jim had told her, in one of their few nonpolitical conversations, that it didn't matter; a creature with a sentinent brain was free to choose its own course, regardless of race. Sarah knew the majority of Zerg would likely revert to their original purpose: grow stronger as individuals. But she had no idea what the broodmothers and other controlling Zerg would do. Evidently, many of them didn't either as they had requested to be put to death instead. Sarah was still pondering over whether to grant those requests.

But none of that mattered to her today. Today, she was getting the carapace off of her and her dreadlocks removed. It didn't matter to her that she still had the Swarm to control. The Zerg knew her by character rather than appearance, and with any luck there wouldn't be a Swarm to control soon.

Sarah looked up as Ariel walked into the room, followed by the ship's surgeon and a couple of assistants. "Hello, Dr. Hanson. What's with the syringe?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah, but after the last time you were out, we can't take any chances. We don't need anyone being fried by psionic storms."

"Was it that bad?" Sarah asked worriedly.

Ariel shook her head and Sarah could tell she wasn't hiding anything. "Still, better not take the chance if you slip into another nightmare though. Don't worry, this won't last for long."

Sarah nodded and held out her arm, grateful for the sedative. Almost instantly she fell back on the table and descended into sleep. She never noticed the surgeons attach a psionic dampener to her head or strap her to the table.

Ariel sighed as the surgeons went to work prying the carapace off of her. Unnecessary precautions in her opinion, but better safe than sorry, especially when it came to Sarah.

* * *

An hour later, Jim was allowed into the medbay. His heart throbbed when he saw the redheaded woman he thought he'd lost for good on Tarsonis sleeping on one of the beds.

"She'll wake up soon." Ariel spoke quietly to him as she and the other surgeons left.

"Did she give them any trouble?" Jim asked upon seeing straps one of the surgeons was carrying.

"No, but we didn't want to take the chance." Jim nodded in understanding and quietly walked over, sitting down in the same chair he had previously.

He gently took her hand in his. For once, they had something go _right_. She was still queen of the Zerg, but otherwise she looked no different from the redhead he'd taken out on her first date the night before he thought he lost her for good.

Jim's pulse was racing as he moved to sit on the bed, reaching his hand out to stroke her hair. It had been so long...

"Jim..." Sarah stirred as she felt his touch and instinctively snuggled closer to him.

He said nothing and simply savored the feel of her body against his. She shifted to move her head so it rested against his shoulder but kept the blanket over herself and Jim.

The moment was broken when Matt walked in, followed by a supply drone carrying a crate. "Sorry to interrupt, sir..."

"What is it, Matt?" Jim asked with mild irritation.

"Trust me, sir, I wouldn't interrupt unless there was something pressing. Selendis just jumped in with a fleet behind her. They have orders to bring Kerrigan to Aiur for trial by the Hierarchy."

"I thought Zeratul had told us they postponed it yesterday."

"I don't know what's going on, sir. But you should probably talk to them; they're charging shields and weapons."

"Always something..." both Jim and Sarah muttered. Jim got up and left the medbay for the bridge.

The drone deposited the crate at the foot of Sarah's bed and left. She gave a small sigh as she recognized its contents as a hostile environment suit but was grateful for the clothes. She put it on as quickly as possible and hurried towards the _Hyperion_'s bridge.

* * *

**Author's Note: ****That was a bit of a plot turn, huh? I realize I've been rather neutral on how Kerrigan will end up in this fic so far, and I apologize for keeping you all in the dark, but what's the fun in reading a spoiled story?**

**I _can_ tell you that Jim and Sarah will have more than some time together though...**


	5. One More Chance

**Author's Note: Well, how did this happen? I sat down to plan this chapter and the next thing I know it's been five hours and it's done!**

**So since this story is, after all, based on a war game, this chapter is rather combat-heavy in recognition of that.**

**I mentioned last time that Jim and Sarah will have some time together. I haven't changed that, but they've got something to sort out first...**

* * *

**Bridge, _Hyperion _(music - _Mega Man X_: Maverick Appears)**

"En Taro Tassadar, Executor Selendis. I'm sorry, but I won't hand Sarah over. At least let us accompany her to Aiur." Sarah cursed as she heard the words leave Jim's mouth as she dashed onto the bridge. If the executor was in a bad mood they would be stardust.

Fortunately, Selendis's temper held. "Your services to Aiur do not discount her atrocities against our kind, James Raynor."

Jim was about to open his mouth when Sarah stepped in. "It's okay, Jim. I'll talk to her."

Had it not been for that statement, Selendis would not have known it was Kerrigan that stood before her. It made her pause before responding; had they truly been holding the right person accountable?

Selendis dropped the thought and replied. "And what would you have to say to me, Kerrigan?"

Sarah was aware that the Protoss would look for the slightest excuse to kill her now, but she nonetheless tried to keep herself from shaking as she took a step forward. "Executor, I have a proposition to make to the Hierarchy."

Selendis's expression didn't change, but she nodded for the former to continue.

"I discovered relics that the xel'naga left on Zerus detailing how the hive mind was formed," Sarah said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "With some scientific knowledge from Jim I've found a way to break a Zerg's link with it for good."

"You plan...to destroy the Swarm...?" Selendis couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Eventually. For now, I'm focusing on curing the remaining infested Terrans in the Swarm. They deserve it the most. All I'm asking of your kind is to give me time."

"A most intriguing turn of events. Kerrigan, I am not in a position to make such judgements. I will report this to the Hierarchy, and they shall decide."

With that, Selendis cut the transmission. The fleet, however, did not lower their defenses and all on the bridge had noticed that they were slowly moving to encircle the _Hyperion_.

"What have I done?" Sarah whispered as the Protoss ships drew closer. "I should've just surrendered myself..." she turned away from the stares of the bridge crew and lowered her head, unable to meet the eyes of men and women she had likely given a death sentence to.

After a few minutes, Selendis hailed them. "The Hierarchy has decided to grant your request, Kerrigan. However, they would like to see for themselves whether this process can work. Be warned, any exploitation of our generosity, and nothing will stop our fleets from finding you."

Sarah nodded, a look of relief on her face. "Thank you, Selendis. Give the Hierarchy my thanks for their time as well."

Selendis looked at the young Terran for a few seconds before cutting the transmission. Now that she was human, it wasn't as difficult to see Kerrigan as a different personality from the Queen of Blades. Selendis still didn't believe that they were separate entities, but she could see why Raynor was willing to.

Then again, Kerrigan's behavior hadn't changed since Raynor claimed he'd brought her back. Maybe that _had_ been the true Kerrigan the Daelaam had been watching for the past few months. Regardless of whether the Queen was a separate entity within her, Zeratul had attested that Kerrigan had been under the Fallen One's influence during her original infestation, and Selendis could believe that. She'd heard from Raynor that Kerrigan was a ghost before she became the Queen, and knew enough about the shadowy operatives to see that they were ruthless killers who often appeared brainwashed. If that was what her nature had become by the time she was infested, then the Fallen One's influence might have simply amplified it. The question remained though: was she in control, both before and after her capture and infestation?

* * *

**Bel'shir, the next day (music - _Mega Man: The Wily Wars:_ Buster Rod G stage)**

The Raiders' command center and other buildings touched down with a thud that was quickly lost in the wet splattering of sacs at another nearby resource node.

"Alright, fellas, stay sharp. Let's get our base set up; you know what to do. Prioritize the perimeter: I want Bunkers, Perditions, and Missile Turrets set up ASAP. Get that factory on producing Siege Tanks too. The Tal'darim ain't likely to take kindly to us being here again. Remember, do this right and we won't have to worry about the Zerg ever."

They already knew that, but Jim said it anyway on the chance that combat would change their minds. He himself wasn't expecting too much trouble as he noticed the Tal'darim still hadn't rebuilt the base that the Zerg now occupied after he had destroyed it when he had come here on Tosh's behalf. He'd also heard that the Dominion had been staging raids here every now and then when their supply of Terrazine ran low in their haste to remove neural resocialization of their ghost operatives. He had to applaud Junior for being so eager to humanize the Ghost program.

Jim suddenly looked up as the Tal'darim executor hailed him. "You return once more to steal the Breath of Creation, James Raynor? And you bring the abomonations to do your work?! This time, you shall not escape our fury!"

"Nice to see you too, Nyon. Shouldn't have pissed me off the last time I was here or sided with Amon, 'cause this time we're going after _all_ your altars." He'd always hated the Tal'darim, not because he had to fight them, but because they claimed to be Protoss when in reality they were anything but under the influence of Sundrop. The fact that the majority of them had also fought on Amon's behalf didn't help.

"You dare speak the master's name?! That alone is insult enough to see you eviscerated and scattered to the winds! Tal'darim warriors! Take the fight to them now, while they are weak! Drive the abomonations and thieves from our sacred soil!" Jim sighed and cut the transmission. There was no reasoning with Nyon to begin with, but now he would look stupid just trying to converse with this degenerate Protoss.

"About time. Let's get off this vegetized rock; I'm already getting sick of this prick," Sarah grumbled. She was outside with a contingent of marines.

Jim smiled slightly at her enthusiasm and there was a smattering of laughter over the radio at the remark as the SCVs continued their work. Slowly the ranks of marines thinned as they were dispatched into newly-finished bunkers until there was only Sarah left standing rather awkwardly in the small clearing the Raiders were using as a staging area.

"Jim, you're _such_ a pig," she teased and as she noticed one of the Command Center's cameras focused on her. She blew a kiss at it before walking over and forcibly turning it away.

Jim sighed and joined in the round of laughter on the radio with a smile. "Don't think I'm the only one here, darlin'," he replied with a casually suggestive tone. That drew more snickering at several marines' expense.

"Telepath's privelage," Sarah replied cheekily, not realizing she had said it over an open channel. Several marines catcalled over the radio at that and he saw Sarah blushing through the corner of the camera. Jim left the camera be and smiled. He felt bad for baiting her into saying that openly, but Jim was glad that the Raiders were starting to see Sarah as more human than Queen of Blades.

"Stay sharp, people," Jim reminded them. Right on cue, Izsha spoke.

**(music - your choice)**

"Protoss strike force approaching the base!" Jim was grateful for the Zerg adjutant's psionic perception, which gave the Raiders an early-warning system compared to an adjutant's radar.

He had expected the remainder of the Tal'darim had put up a fanatical sturggle with few numbers to being cut off from the basis of Sundrop, but not a small fleet. Jim's eyes widened as a huge cluster of Protoss ships appeared on radar, supported by a sizable army on the ground.

"Jim...?" Sarah asked nervously. "I'm counting at least seven Carriers, 40 Scouts, 14 Phoenixes, 12 Void Rays, and eight Corsairs. We're not ready for this..."

Thanks to Swann's construction AI upgrade and resource drops from the _Hyperion_, the Raiders already had over three dozen turrets spaced around their base, along with eight bunkers loaded with marines and six Perdition turrets. Their sheer numbers would be the only thing that gave their defenses a chance against such a large strike force. Jim silently thanked the Hierarchy for not providing the Tal'darim with Tempests.

Jim sighed. "Zagara, how's the anti-air on your end?" Sarah had decided to let the broodmother take point at the latter's request and only take control should the situation become dire for them both.

"Four Corrupters, sixteen Mutalisks, and twelve Hydralisks along with me and a Queen," the broodmother replied. "The Leviathan is sending reinforcements into atmosphere now."

That was better than the small group of four Wraiths, two Vikings, and six Goliaths that they had, but Jim still didn't like the odds. He hadn't liked using the Zerg as bait - their numbers in such short-order battles weren't infinte by a long shot - but in this case, he was hoping their presence would draw off the majority of the Protoss fleet.

"Sarah, try not to take them head on or stay within turret range if you do; they're probably smart enough to bring along Observers."

She knew that already, but she was grateful that Jim was watching out for her regardless. "Acknowledged. Thanks, Jim."

To their dismay, the majority of the Tal'darim's fleet went straight for the Raider's base, while the ground forces attacked the Zerg with half the fighters craft and one Carrier.

The Missile Turrets opened up on the first wave of Scouts, their Longbolt missiles bringing down several fighters before they got within weapons range and the secondary Hellstorm batteries damaging the shielding on several others. The craft responded with a battery of anti-matter missiles, taking down a pair of surprised Goliaths. Jim cursed the Tal'darim's ingenuity at modifying the potent AA weapons into ground-attack munitions as the remaining defenders opened up.

In the time that the turrets were focused on the Protoss fighters, the Tal'darim Carriers had closed the distance and unleashed their Interceptors. The SCVs repairing the turrets were incinterated where they stood by the swarm of drones, and the structures themselves began to fold under the punishment.

"Wraiths, move!" The agile craft had been cloaking on and off to conserve energy while firing back at the Scouts, and now they went dark for good as they moved to attack the Carriers. While the Gemini missile salvos dealt heavy damage to the shielding and hulls, the Tal'darim had moved Observers into the area as the Interceptors destroyed the Missile Turrets in the area. Once the interceptors were on them, even the Wraith's agility didn't help them survive the furious drones for long and the squadron fell, taking only one of the capital ships with them.

Sarah cursed as the flaming wreckage of one of the Wraiths crashed near her. Her rifle and psionic abilities were nigh-impossible to use against the fast-moving Protoss fighters, and the capital ships were out of reach now that Observers had been brought in and their own detection lost. An idea suddenly struck her and she loaded an EMP round, blindly firing it underneath the capital ships. The pulse revealed three Observers in a ring underneath them, and Sarah quickly took them out with precision sniping.

Now she could use her cloak to sneak close enough to use her powers. Seizing one of the Void Rays with her mind, she threw it into another, consuming both craft in an explosion. She heard the distinctive sound of Corsairs casting Disruption Webs and saw two Missile Turrets immobilized by them while Scouts and Void Rays assaulted the hardy structure. Sarah threw a psionic blast as a group of three Corsairs retreated to recharge their energy reserves, knocking the craft out of the sky, where they crashed next to a Terrazine altar. An explosion behind her knocked her to the ground and she saw the remains of a bunker landing around her. Without protection, the marines were fleeing the Scouts and Phoenixes chasing them down, but it was a futile flight...

Until Sarah intervened, using her mind to take control of the Scouts. The Phoenix pilots watched in horror as their allies turned their missiles onto them unwillingly. Once the Phoenixes were gone the Scouts turned their weapons on each other before heading on a suicide charge against the remaining Void Rays.

Just as it looked like the Raiders might stand a chance, the Tal'darim Carriers began launching Escorts from their hangar bays. Though the Daelaam had discarded the design as Escorts had a very finite endurance and were therefore highly dependent on their mother ships, the Tal'darim had found them the perfect replacement for their aging Corsairs as they were less expensive, much faster, more powerful, and could still cast Disruption Webs, albiet at the cost of their hull and shield strength. Most importantly to the manpower-strapped Tal'darim, they were controlled from the Carrier rather than piloted.

Exhausted from controlling three Scouts at once, Sarah almost didn't notice six of the Escorts augering towards her position. The Tal'darim had brought in more Observers. The clank of auto-turrets landing near her shook her out of her daze. The heavy gauss cannons quickly dispatched two of the fragile fighters, but the craft had inherited a toned-down version of the devastating phase disrupters on Immortal, and the three turrets fell quickly to the Protoss counterfire.

"I will cover us. Move!" The Raven threw a Point Defense Drone and another auto-turret down to cover them as the small craft and Sarah quickly retreated. The PDD's energy reserves didn't last long against the furious fire of the Escorts and it was soon shot down and the turret destroyed, though two more Escorts had been lost. Suddenly the nible fighters were shot out of the sky by a barrage of spines, and Sarah saw Corrupter and Mutalisks moving to engage the Carriers and Void Rays.

"Hell, about time!" yelled a marine over the radio as the Tal'darim fleet pulled away and engaged the Zerg.

"Get SCVs repairing those buildings and our defenses set up again!" Jim ordered. "They'll be back soon."

Izsha spoke again. "Warning! The Tal'darim are sealing off a Terrazine altar."

"Goddammit!" Another marine cursed over the comm. "These bastards need to learn when to quit!"

"Calm down, soldier, we have something they don't. Are you up to it, Sarah?"

She wasn't after that battle and he knew it, but they didn't have a choice. They already had to wait for each altar to collect a second full canister's worth of Terrazine, and if one altar was sealed that meant they had to wait even longer and weather more attacks with potentially more casualties.

Sarah nodded. "I'll handle it, Jim."

The altar wasn't that far, but Sarah had to traverse the battle that was still raging in the Zerg base to get to it. Cursing her luck, she cloaked and tried to pick a way through the melee of psi-blades, energy weapons, acid, and claws. Somehow she managed it, but then an Overlord dropped a Baneling on a nearby Zealot. Sarah yelped as some of the acid splashed onto her and burned through her suit, disabling the cloak but leaving her unharmed.

"Dammit..." she grumbled and cursed herself for not checking Zagara's mutation choice. Rupture was a poor option for dealing with the heavy armor and shielding of the Protoss and apparently Zagara had overlooked it. The Splitter's spawn followed her almost apologetically, but Sarah wasn't interested. She was now in sight of the altar being sealed. Lifting her rifle, she adjusted the scope to focus on the Probe's weak point: its particle beam projector.

Taking a steadying breath, she squeezed the trigger. The heavy round flew straight and true, smashing into the worker and disabling it. Without a worker to seal off the altar, the Tal'darim escorts turned and charged towards the Zerg base. Sarah raised her hand and cast a psionic storm towards the approaching Protoss, destroying the quadrupedal Stalkers but barely damaging the lone Immortal and only stripping the Scouts of their shielding.

**(music - _Mega Man X:_ Vile Battle)**

Without their shields, she could easily take down the Scouts. The Immortal was going to be a problem. Feared by even Thor pilots, the machine's hardened shields and powerful phase disruptors completely masked and even made up for the crippled warrior inside. Sarah doubted she could erect a barrier to block the shots, and the machine could outrun her by a sizable margin. Not to mention her rifle bullets and psionic powers were almost completely nullified by the hardened shield.

Knowing the Immortal's hardened shield was best dealt with via Zerglings, Sarah began running back towards the hive cluster. But she forgot about the Scouts' anti-matter missiles and paid for it as the blasts knocked her off her feet. Thankfully the fighter pilots were more concerned with aiding their allies in assaulting the Zerg, but the Immortal was in range by the time she recovered. The two Splitter spawns that had been following her rushed the Immortal, but they were both destroyed before they could make contact. Sarah's psionic blast was deflected off the walker's hardened shields, and her rifle bullets yielded the same result.

The Immortal's phase disruptors had no such trouble. Sarah saw the muzzles glow cyan and erected a psionic barrier in the nick of time. The energy shells tore through the barrier and slammed into her, knocking her onto one of the entrances to the hive cluster. The breath was torn from her lungs by the horrible impact and she didn't dare look down at the mess her body had likely become upon getting hit. To top it off, her head felt like it would explode. With a concussion like that she wouldn't be using her psychic powers any time soon. As soon as the Immortal got another shot off it was over for her.

Fortunately, the immense knockback of the phase disruptors left her out of the Immortal's range, and the mechanical strider was moving slower than normal so as not to draw attention from the Zerg. Sarah lifted her head and immediately a wave of nausea overcame her. Before she knew it she was staring at the sky of Bel'shir again. Sarah felt an odd sense of peace despite her situation as the pain slowly faded. She'd always enjoyed watching clouds during her free days on TarKossia...how fitting that clouds would again be the last thing she would see.

* * *

As he watched Sarah head into the furball over by the Zerg base, Jim had an odd sense of foreboding. Sarah was the strongest being he'd ever seen; if anyone could survive anything it would be her. Yet his intuition kept nagging at him.

"Zagara, have you seen Sarah?"

The broodmother did not immediately reply. "I have not."

"Can you get some Zerglings down the ramp to the north? The Tal'darim were sealing an altar up there and I had her stop them."

Zagara suddenly roared in anger and the communication link faded to static. Jim wondered what he'd done before Zagara's image reappeared. "My apologies. Oracles that are destroying our larva."

So apparently Tal'darim _had_ learned to use energies of the Void. Either that or there were also Nerazim defectors amongst their ranks. Neither thought helped improve Jim's perception of them. "I can send a pair of Wraiths over to deal with them. And forget about the Zerglings; I'll just have the Wraiths scout out the area."

Zagara nodded for him to do so and cut the communication. Curt as ever, but apparently she had learned to swallow her pride every now and then. Jim gave the order and a two-ship formation of Wraiths were soon headed for the Zerg hive cluster.

Jim watched as the Oracles immediately stopped roasting the Zerg Drones and larva and began fleeing as the fighter craft approached. Suddenly one of them halted and bobbed slightly in the air. Jim could make out the form of Zagara in a very odd position. As she returned to her normal posture, the Oracle she had immobilized went out of control and crashed.

He couldn't see it, but the broodmother had Consumed the pilot in order to refill her energy reserves. However, unlike Infestors and other specialist Zerg units, broodmothers could siphon energy from only a foe rather than consuming other Zerg. However, it could both refill energy reserves and regenerate health if the former were full, making it a vaunted skill in Zagara's arsenal. A risky move, to be certain as it required the broodmother's absolute concentration, but done right, it could turn the tide of battle single-handedly.

Zagara growled with relish at refilling her energy reserves. Though Sarah had taught her a number of ways to harness a broodmother's potent psionic energy, the broodmother didn't regenerate her reserves as fast as her queen and thus had to rely on Consumption.

"Forward!" she commanded. "Drive the Protoss back!" A force of Stalkers managed to blink through the Zerg lines and began attacking the Roaches from behind, but Zagara raised her claws and cast a psionic blast. The Stalkers were ripped off their feet as an invisible shockwave erupted from the center of the group and before they could regain their footing Zagara was tearing apart their particle disruptor casters, aided by several Devouring Ones that she kept as personal escorts.

"Disable the machines, but leave the Protoss be," she commanded. After Korhal, Sarah had put her lieutenant through several tests to make sure she understood her teacher's concept of vision. Though these Protoss were no better than the Zerg in the eyes of the Hierarchy and Daelaam, every bit of mercy on the Swarm's behalf would be an argument to keep the Protoss from going on a massive hunt for the disbanded members once the hive mind was shut down.

A blast shook the battlefield and Zagara saw a Colossus topple over, a gaping hole in its head where an ingenious Viper had repeatedly smashed the walker with its abduction tentacle. Zagara made a note to review the memories of that particular one after the battle: Ingenuity was something Sarah had tried to impress upon not just the leaders of the Swarm but also on its soldiers. Cunning, she had told them both as the Queen and as herself, often succeeded where brute force didn't.

Zagara growled in satisfaction as the remaining ground forces began a retreat. She ordered the Swarm not to pursue and immediately began draining a straggling High Templar of its energy reserves to ensure it could do no harm. The remaining Tal'darim air power was also in retreat, though Zagara and the Raiders gave the golden warships no quarter after all the damage they had caused. With the Tal'darim beaten back, they could get to harvesting Terrazine.

* * *

Sarah saw the remaining Protoss begin to flee through her dimming vision, but the lone Immortal advancing upon her did not follow its comrades. Instead, it had stopped upon seeing who it was fighting.

"The Queen of Blades!" The voice was one of disbelief and absolute hatred. "I was entombed in this exoskeleton because of you! I lost my brethren, my charge to you! I lost everything but myself to you, and now you come to take that too?!"

"W...What...?" in her daze of pain Sarah didn't realize what the Tal'darim was talking about.

"Do not lie! The Hierarchy may be persuaded by your kowtowing, but we Tal'darim know better! You destroyed our master so you may rule over this universe alone! As if upsetting the balance of creation was not enough, now you come here to wreak more suffering! "

"I...I'm not...a Zerg anymore..." Sarah groaned. She managed to lift her head and noticed her nausea was gone. _"What's going on?"_

"Indeed?!" roared the Immortal pilot. "You lie to my face, and expect me to swallow your pitifully weak lies like the mindless fanatic you take me to be?! You Zerg are the ones who do not change! Always a lying, deceptive, arrogant, filthy breed!"

"But..." Sarah protested, then looked down at her stomach as she noticed the Immortal pilot's gaze fixed upon the same place. While there had been a sight she refused to consider minutes earlier, now there was nothing save her skin. Her hostile environment suit was coated in blood, but...the wounds the phase disruptors had inflicted upon her were gone. "No..." she whispered sadly at taking in the sight and its implications. She then spoke to the Immortal pilot, noticing for the first time an executor's markings on the exterior shell. "Then end me...and my miserable existence. At the very least you shall have revenge for your lost body."

The reaction stunned the Tal'darim. Truth be told, Nyon had been expecting the former Queen of Blades to behave the same as she had previously, but this was unfathomable for him. It could, of course, be another attempt at deception, but he'd never seen the Queen feel despair before, and a mind probe confirmed the emotion genuine.

Nevertheless, Nyon lowered his phase disruptors and the powerful cannons began charging another shot. He never got the chance to fire it as eight Raptors suddenly leaped over their fallen Queen and sprinted towards him, covered by two Wraiths. Cursing his luck, the Tal'darim executor hastily backed up as Sarah called the Raptors off. Seeing their allies break off was the cue for the Wraith pilots, who reported their findings to Jim before heading back to the _Hyperion_.

* * *

**(music - _StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty _soundtrack: Better Tomorrow)**

Jim raced through the hive cluster, trying his best to ignore the sounds of creep pulling off and splashing against his combat armor. When he reached Zagara, he quickly exchanged a word of thanks and a reminder that Matt was in charge while he was in the field before running on.

He found what, or more accurately, who he was looking for at the edge of the base. She was huddled with her arms around her legs.

"Sarah! Jesus, are you okay?" he asked at seeing her blood-covered hostile environment suit.

She turned with a pained expression on her face. "Jim...can you leave? Please?"

He was stunned. "What? Why, darlin'?"

She looked away, at a total loss for words. How could she explain to him that she was still a Zerg when she was human by any aspect?

He dropped his rifle on the edge of the creep and slowly walked forward. "It's okay, you can tell me," he tried to reassure her.

"No, it's not." Sarah scooted away from him. "Jim, I'm...I'm still a Zerg. Everything you've done's been for nothing."

"You aren't, Sarah. You're a beautiful Terran. The Queen of Blades is long gone."

"No, she's not!" Sarah didn't know why she was yelling. "I've still got Zerg DNA in me! I'm still _her!_ Jim, please go!"

"What about your plan, darlin'? You've still got to follow through on that!"

"Stop calling me that! The woman you knew died on Tarsonis! I'm not the Sarah Kerrigan you knew any more!"

"You aren't. You're no longer Sarah Kerrigan the ghost; now you're Sarah Kerrigan, the savior of us all and the love of my life."

At any other time the words would have been comforting, but now, it just made Sarah even more distraught "Jim, just go! Please!" she turned again and Jim saw she was crying. "Please..."

"I can't, Sarah. I love you; I can't bear to see you hurting like this without trying to do something."

"Don't try! I'm endangering you all just by being here!" she was almost in hysterics as Jim grew closer. "Jim, I love you too! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Sarah, calm down. How could you hurt me when _you're_ in control? Even the Queen of Blades couldn't while she had you trapped - Sarah! Sarah, come back!"

He reached his hand out, but she had already disappeared into the jungle foliage.

"Sarah..." he whispered, in shock over what had just happened. "...don't you...give up...on me..."

* * *

Sarah ran with abandon. All she cared about was getting away from Jim, the Zerg, the Tal'darim. She was putting them all in danger just by being there. And it wasn't even from the Hierarchy's wrath. When she'd been regenerating those wounds, she felt a hunger for something. She didn't know what it was, but what if it was for the power she'd given up? The thought had shook her to her core.

It had aroused her deepest fears. Irrational as some of them were, she fled from them just the same. What if the Zerg DNA in her meant she would be infested again? What if that lust for power was Amon still influencing her from beyond the stars, trying to make her commit more horrible atrocities against her will? What if she lost control after the Protoss took her for trial and convicted herself?

She had no idea how long she had been running for when her legs finally gave out and she collapsed, her chest heaving as much from the extortion of running as the sobs rocking her body. She wasn't aware that she'd pushed herself far beyond her limits or the toll that the sultry Bel'shir climate was taking on her in her single-minded and childish attempt to escape her fears. All she cared about was the futile escape.

_"I...I can't stop now...!" _she thought desperately and tried to get to her feet again. When that failed, she tried to drag herself along, but her body had given up.

_"Come on!"_ she urged her body impatiently. She managed to get to her hands and knees but immediately collapsed again. What's the point in continuing when you don't know the way, her body asked.

Her mind had no answer for the question: it only cared about getting away from the fears tearing at its walls. Suddenly she looked up and saw a small rock, though to her tormented mind it was something totally different. She summoned the strength to crawl towards it and grasped it with one hand before her eyes closed and her body shut down. But even as she descended into darkness, one thought would not go quietly and forced itself to the forefront of her mind before being wrested back.

_"Jim..."_

* * *

**Author's note: I hate to leave this chapter on a cliffhanger, but it's already so long.**


	6. Preview: Always Alone

**Author's Note: This _is_ a spoiler, though maybe not of what you think...**

* * *

**(music - ****_StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty _****Soundtrack: Better Tomorrow)**

Sarah trudged through the enraged crowds lining the streets of Antioch, trying to shut out both their hateful thoughts and words. The fact that they had dressed her up as her infested form didn't help, though they hadn't done it perfectly as her red hair still flew freely in the gentle breeze.

She slowed for a second and a Zealot shoved her forward, almost causing her to fall. Her escorts never dropped their pace and Sarah could barely keep up while trying to regain her balance.

The procession reached a temporary dais erected in one of the city's squares. Sarah climbed onto it, bracing herself for whatever death the Protoss had in mind. A Sentry began zapping her with its disruption beam, causing her to squirm in discomfort. It wasn't on a lethal setting, but the robotic drone was slowly increasing its power. Of course her death would not come quickly: Public humiliation would precede it, but the sheer ridiculousness of the situation would have made her laugh at any other time.

_"So not only do I have to sit through this, but I have to die from a tickle beam. Wonderful."_

The beam suddenly stopped and a Zealot began removing the fake wings and carapace they had put on her. Sarah was thankful that they had left her hostile environment suit underneath it, but as they removed the fake Zerg pieces one of them deliberately pressed the quick release.

_"Oh, this just keeps getting better..."_ Sarah fought to keep the blood from rushing to her face as her naked body was exposed and squeezed her eyes shut as spectators shouted mocking catcalls and other insults.

Suddenly, the crowd fell silent as Nahaan began a speech.

_"Get on with it already. You guys were so eager to see me die anyway." _Eventually the Praetor's drivel ceased and the Zealot stepped forward, holding a ceremonial psi-blade. Just as he was about to slice it, the warrior changed his mind and viciously kicked Sarah. So did the other Zealot on the dais. Bound, gagged, and with no protection, she could do nothing more than try to stomach the beating. It stopped after a while, but Sarah had no sooner lowered her guard than recieved another kick straight between her legs.

"You can't even execute her in a dignified manner?!" Sarah looked up and saw Jim in his combat armor trying to make his way to the dais.

She began vehemently shaking her head, trying to get him to back down. But of course Jim wouldn't drop the knight-in-shining-armor routine. He'd reached the security perimeter and was pointing his penetrator rifle at the Zealots, trying to force his way through. One of the Zealots made to push him away and recieved a penetrator bullet to the head. The square was silent for a few seconds before Nahaan spoke.

"You dare exploit our genorosity, James Raynor? All the Conclave and Hierarchy needlessly conceeded to your kind, and you demand more by interfering with our justice? Very well! You shall have more: taste the might of the Ara!"

He had no chance, and everyone knew it. A plasma gun round destroyed a Dragoon, a grenade sent a group of Zealots reeling, and dozens of Protoss fell with wounds from Jim's rifle, but within the span of a minute the numbers overwhelmed him and he was subdued. The Zealots took care in removing his combat armor, but they displayed no such thing in handling their formerly greatest ally.

Sarah watched as the Zealots roughly tossed Jim next to her.

_"Jim...you shouldn't have."_

_"I might as well die with you. Without you I have nothing left to stay here for."_

Sarah blinked and a tear ran down her cheek. They had meant the universe to each other and they both knew it, but now, when they were about to lose it all...

She lifted his eyes to his as he did the same. The Zealots roughly hoisted him to his feet, but he never broke eye contact.

_"I love you, Jim. Never forget it."_

_"Never, Sarah. I wo - "_ Jim's final words were cut short and a psi-blade sprouted from his chest while another slid across his throat.

Before she could comprehend what had happened Sarah felt herself being roughly hoisted to her feet as the Protoss led her back to her cell. She saw out of the corner of her eye one of them dragging Jim's corpse.

When they reached her cell, both were thrown in unceremoniously. In the background, a doleful speech about the future of the Protoss began.

As the lock engaged, Sarah finally managed to comprehend what had happened. "Jim, please don't be dead," she repeated as she cradled his lifeless head in her hands. "I need you...Jim..." she kissed him and immediately regretted it. There was no denying his death now; for the first time, he didn't kiss back.

Her hands trembling, Sarah lowered the corpse's head to the ground and slowly backed away. "No, no," she whispered, her voice growing louder in denial each time. "No, no, _no!"_ She began to cry uncontrollably, though all the tears she had, every breath in her lungs, and every ounce of her strength could not vent in the slightest the terrible feelings within her.

Within seconds they had built up to unbearable levels. The psionic scream she let loose now easily surpassed even the one after her escape from Umoja. The cell shook and the nearest guards collapsed dead where they stood, while many more clutched their heads and rolled in agony, their minds overwhelmed by the bitter psychic overload and their eyes blinded by a brilliant glow. Across Antioch, thousands of Protoss clutched their heads as they felt the devastated emotions of their worst enemy forcibly shared with them and countless pieces of technology were simply fried by the waves of energy. But for all her rage and grief, the cell walls didn't break.

Sarah collapsed to the floor, tears still streaming down her face and sobs still rocking her body. She instinctively scrambled over to Jim's corpse and wrapped it in an embrace as passionate as any they had shared while he was alive, hoping for some brief solace from her pain.

The cold touch that greeted her was anything but comforting, and Sarah felt her emotions welling up within her again. But this time when she screamed, it was his name, called one last time from within the increasing depths of her mind as she desperately tried anything and everything she could to bury the memories of him that had once been her most precious.

_"JIM!"_

* * *

**Author's Note: So I decided to put this one up much earlier than I originally planned to see what you guys make of it. Feel free to debate amongst yourselves about it, but I'm not revealing anything about where this goes in the story. Sorry.**

**And I chickened out of characterizing Nahaan properly because...why not admit it, I hate him.**


	7. Torment

**Author's Note: Wow, how did I do this one so fast?**

**For those of you who read the preview (yes it's staying up), I'm sorry if I completely screwed with your predictions.**

**So this was partially influenced by an interview of a person awaiting trial that I read. This chapter, as the title suggests, focuses on what that prospect's doing to Kerrigan. That was hinted at in the last chapter as something troubling her, but I want to make it clear that what happened during the battle with Nyon only made an existing problem worse and manifest rather than create a new one.**

* * *

**********(music - _StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty _Soundtrack: Better Tomorrow)**

Sarah trudged through the enraged crowds lining the streets of Antioch, trying to shut out both their hateful thoughts and words. The fact that they had dressed her up as her infested form didn't help, though they hadn't done it perfectly as her red hair still flew freely in the gentle breeze.

She slowed for a second and a Zealot shoved her forward, almost causing her to fall. Her escorts never dropped their pace and Sarah could barely keep up while trying to regain her balance.

The procession reached a temporary dais erected in one of the city's squares. Sarah climbed onto it, bracing herself for whatever death the Protoss had in mind. A Sentry began zapping her with its disruption beam, causing her to squirm in discomfort. It wasn't on a lethal setting, but the robotic drone was slowly increasing its power. Of course her death would not come quickly: Public humiliation would precede it, but the sheer ridiculousness of the situation would have made her laugh at any other time.

_"So not only do I have to sit through this, but I have to die from a tickle beam. Wonderful."_

The beam suddenly stopped and a Zealot began removing the fake wings and carapace they had put on her. Sarah was thankful that they had left her hostile environment suit underneath it, but as they removed the fake Zerg pieces one of them deliberately pressed the quick release.

_"Oh, this just keeps getting better..."_ Sarah fought to keep the blood from rushing to her face as her naked body was exposed and squeezed her eyes shut as spectators shouted mocking catcalls and other insults.

Suddenly, the crowd fell silent as Nahaan began a speech.

_"Get on with it already. You guys were so eager to see me die anyway." _Eventually the Praetor's drivel ceased and the Zealot stepped forward, holding a ceremonial psi-blade. Just as he was about to slice it, the warrior changed his mind and viciously kicked Sarah. So did the other Zealot on the dais. Bound, gagged, and with no protection, she could do nothing more than try to stomach the beating. It stopped after a while, but Sarah had no sooner lowered her guard than recieved another kick straight between her legs.

"You can't even execute her in a dignified manner?!" Sarah looked up and saw Jim in his combat armor trying to make his way to the dais.

She began vehemently shaking her head, trying to get him to back down. But of course Jim wouldn't drop the knight-in-shining-armor routine. He'd reached the security perimeter and was pointing his penetrator rifle at the Zealots, trying to force his way through. One of the Zealots made to push him away and recieved a penetrator bullet to the head. The square was silent for a few seconds before Nahaan spoke.

"You dare exploit our genorosity, James Raynor? All the Conclave and Hierarchy needlessly conceeded to your kind, and you demand more by interfering with our justice? Very well! You shall have more: taste the might of the Ara!"

He had no chance, and everyone knew it. A plasma gun round destroyed a Dragoon, a grenade sent a group of Zealots reeling, and dozens of Protoss fell with wounds from Jim's rifle, but within the span of a minute the numbers overwhelmed him and he was subdued. The Zealots took care in removing his combat armor, but they displayed no such thing in handling their formerly greatest ally.

Sarah watched as the Zealots roughly tossed Jim next to her.

_"Jim...you shouldn't have."_

_"I might as well die with you. Without you I have nothing left to stay here for."_

Sarah blinked and a tear ran down her cheek. They had meant the universe to each other and they both knew it, but now, when they were about to lose it all...

She lifted his eyes to his as he did the same. The Zealots roughly hoisted him to his feet, but he never broke eye contact.

_"I love you, Jim. Never forget it."_

_"Never, Sarah. I wo - "_ Jim's final words were cut short and a psi-blade sprouted from his chest while another slid across his throat.

Before she could comprehend what had happened Sarah felt herself being roughly hoisted to her feet as the Protoss led her back to her cell. She saw out of the corner of her eye one of them dragging Jim's corpse.

When they reached her cell, both were thrown in unceremoniously. In the background, a doleful speech about the future of the Protoss began.

As the lock engaged, Sarah finally managed to comprehend what had happened. "Jim, please don't be dead," she repeated as she cradled his lifeless head in her hands. "I need you...Jim..." she kissed him and immediately regretted it. There was no denying his death now; for the first time, he didn't kiss back.

Her hands trembling, Sarah lowered the corpse's head to the ground and slowly backed away. "No, no," she whispered, her voice growing louder in denial each time. "No, no, _no!"_ She began to cry uncontrollably, though all the tears she had, every breath in her lungs, and every ounce of her strength could not vent in the slightest the terrible feelings within her.

Within seconds they had built up to unbearable levels. The psionic scream she let loose now easily surpassed even the one after her escape from Umoja. The cell shook and the nearest guards collapsed dead where they stood, while many more clutched their heads and rolled in agony, their minds overwhelmed by the bitter psychic overload and their eyes blinded by a brilliant glow. Across Antioch, thousands of Protoss clutched their heads as they felt the devastated emotions of their worst enemy forcibly shared with them and countless pieces of technology were simply fried by the waves of energy. But for all her rage and grief, the cell walls didn't break.

Sarah collapsed to the floor, tears still streaming down her face and sobs still rocking her body. She instinctively scrambled over to Jim's corpse and wrapped it in an embrace as passionate as any they had shared while he was alive, hoping for some brief solace from her pain.

The cold touch that greeted her was anything but comforting, and Sarah felt her emotions welling up within her again. But this time when she screamed, it was his name, called one last time from within the increasing depths of her mind as she desperately tried anything and everything she could to bury the memories of him that had once been her most precious.

_"JIM!"_

* * *

With a gasp, Sarah sat up in the _Hyperion _medbay's bed, shaken from the nightmare she'd just had. Her damp hair was plastered to her face and a complete mess and her eyes were swollen and red from crying in her sleep, but she scrambled out of bed and out of the medbay before even putting her hostile environment suit on.

Thankfully nobody was roaming the _Hyperion_'s hallways, but that was the last thing on Sarah's mind. When she reached Jim's room, the repurposed admiral's quarters, she tried to enter and found it locked. That was odd. Jim never locked it...She knocked and stepped back in surprise as the door opened of its own accord and revealed an empty room, devoid of everything except a vidsnap lying on the desk. Sarah walked over and saw it was one of her, back when they were still in the Sons of Korhal. The same one that Jim had kept with him through six years of loneliness and despair. But...this wasn't right. Where was Jim? She needed him, to make sure he was alive...

Suddenly she heard a sound behind her and whirled around. A pair of glowing orange eyes looked back at her and a single Zergling with a broken horn walked into the room.

Sarah looked at it in surprise before remembering that it could do as it pleased now. She noticed a plaque on the wall next to the door frame.

_"Jim Raynor, a friend, fighter, and leader,"_ it read. Sarah backed up and held her hands against her temples. No, no, this was all wrong. Jim wasn't dead...then another Zerg appeared in the entrance, causing Sarah to reel back slightly. The shock was minor compared to what came next.

"I thought you said the Zerg wouldn't infest people anymore, darlin'." The figure stepped closer and Sarah screamed in horror as she saw Jim standing before her, clad in Zerg carapace, with a claw for a right hand and glowing orange eyes. But most hauntingly, the infested had a hole through his chest that was just the right size for a psi-blade wound and a deep gash in his neck. Now she knew what he felt when he tried to rescue her on Char...

"Jim," she tried to keep her voice steady and failed. "I can get that carapace off. There should be something that - "

Sarah stopped as Zerg suddenly flooded the hallway. Sarah could also hear the screech of Mutalisks above. "I'm one of the Zerg now, darlin'. _And I like what I am."_

Sarah shuddered at hearing her words on Char spoken back to her.

"You can't hide from me forever, Sarah, and now, I have you at last." The wall behind her was torn down by several Hunter Killers and Sarah realized the _Hyperion_ had crashed on Char. It was her worst nightmare replayed again, but this time, their roles were reversed.

Infested Jim stepped forward and tried to kiss her, but Sarah shied away and tried to make a run back to the medbay. The Zergling that had once been a companion during her time with the Swarm now bared its teeth and blocked her way out.

"C'mon, darlin, all I want is a kiss." Sarah screamed as he put his claw around her naked waist, but he had already caught her and held her back.

"Jim, please let go," Sarah pleaded. "I can help you, but only if you let me live!"

Jim laughed and the claw dug deeper into her skin as he tried to pull her closer and she resisted, the sharp prick eliciting a slight yelp from Sarah. "I don't_ want _help, darlin'. I want you. You were the end of me, and I swore I would be the one to kill you someday. How ironic that I needed to be a Zerg to fulfill that promise." Two Hunter Killers suddenly appeared at his sides and two more behind her. Even with her psionic powers the odds were highly against her.

_"Help, someone...anyone...!"_ Sarah pleaded telepathically. Unfortunately Jim heard it.

"You're always the one that needs savin', but you can't save someone from their savoir..." the Hunter Killers growled at her and raised their bladed claws.

Sarah closed her eyes and prepared for the inevitable, but it never came...

* * *

**Bel'shir (music - _Mega Man X2:_ Crystal Snail Stage)**

...instead, her eyes shot open with another gasp and she found herself laying on the floor of the Bel'shir jungle where she'd blacked out. She noticed her left hand was gripping a rock tightly and quickly let go, wary of any parasites or mites that might be clinging to it.

It was nighttime now and there was a light rain. The creatures, hiding from both the day heat and the fierce battle over Terrazine, were now out and about. But Sarah didn't care.

_"Jim, where's Jim?"_ she rolled over and sat normally as she looked around desperately before remembering she'd run off. She kicked herself for her lack of foresight. She'd known that the prospect of trial was troubling her and she'd had a nightmare before they landed on Bel'shir, though not nearly as bad as this one. And yet she'd run away from the only source of comfort to her in this cold universe.

_"Okay, Sarah, calm down," _she told herself as she pushed the thoughts from her head as best as she could. _"Think of a way to proceed. Jim will find you eventually. Have faith in him."_

The rain seeped through the acid-burned holes and the gaping hole in the stomach of her hostile environment suit. Soon her body was soaking wet. Fortunately, the temperature hadn't dropped enough for hypothermia to be an issue. _"What a fitting metaphor for me."_

Sarah looked around and quickly realized the rain had washed away any signs of the path she'd taken to get here. She also noticed her earpiece, goggles, rifle, and pistol were missing, and her cloaking device was as useless as ever, with a hole burned by Baneling acid straight through it. She hoped she'd dropped the other gear somewhere instead of leaving them back where she'd started her flight, but odds were the latter was the case.

She decided to try and pick her way back through the foliage as best as she could. She still had her combat knife and her powers to defend herself, anyhow. But no sooner had she stepped into the dark undercover than she felt an alarming sense of claustrophobia rising within her. She pressed on, trying to calm herself as she picked her way back. Suddenly she heard a screech and drew her knife, whipping around as she did so. The Karak ran straight into the six-inch blade and fell dead. Sarah quickly moved on. She'd seen that they always traveled in packs when Abathur had her collect their essence for the Raptor strain.

Presently she reached another clearing. _"Oh, why am I even trying? I'm hopelessly lost...I might as well be moving further away from them for all I know. And maybe they left me here..."_

More screeches suddenly issued from the forest behind her, and Sarah saw dozens of pairs of eyes peeking out at her from the dense foilage. Terror rose up in her and she felt adrenaline shooting through her veins as she instinctively ran from the dozens of creatures now pursuing her, casting a psionic storm as she fled. She suddenly tripped on a log and got a faceful of mud and decaying plants. The knife went flying.

"Ugh!" she groaned and spat out some of the vile concoction while wiping the the rest off her as best as she could. She cold no longer hear the screeches of the beasts hunting her. Presumably the psionic storm had taken care of them, but Sarah still needed to find another clearing to plan her next move. The darkness of the jungle floor was starting to freak her out, not helped by aftereffects of the recent flight.

She found a clearing after only a few minutes of walking and without attracting any more predators, but that didn't mean she was any less lost.

_"Now what do I do?"_ she thought wildly. _"Oh, Jim, I should've listened to you...or least been less stupid..."_

At the mention of his name the images of the nightmare came roaring back and Sarah pressed her hands against her temples, vainly attempting to shut them out. The hands moved to cover her face and she began to cry softly as she relived their highlights, her tears washing away in the rain that slipped between her fingers. Over her sobs she thought she once heard the whine of dropship engines and metallic growling, but she dismissed it as another notion of her mind.

A few minutes later, Sarah heard the growling sound from behind her and quickly got to her feet, whirling around as she looked for the source of the noise. She spotted a pair of orange eyes and no sooner had she seen them than the Predator stepped into the open.

Fortunately for Sarah, Stetmann had managed to reign in the robotic beasts' fierce tempers when he'd brought the Raider's inventory in for maintenance. Stetmann had their programming, originally a direct mimcry of the Zergling's (with the same bloodlust and intensity, the initial downfall of the project), adjusted so they paid attention to their IFFs and command overrides. While this diminished the Predator's combat prowess slightly, it made them much more useful for missions like the one the drone was on now because of their high speed and terrain-navigating abilities. The Predator growled and stood close to Sarah; minutes later, she nearly sobbed with relief as she saw the dropship emblazoned with the Raiders' trademark skull descend and its ramp lower to reveal the one person she desperately needed to see.

"Jim!" she cried with relief and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "You're alive..." her eyelids drooped and she realized that she was long overdue for some rest.

He looked at her in brief confusion before noticing she had fallen asleep in his arms. _"__Ah, well, she can explain later."_ He wasn't going anywhere. Smiling, he gently laid her down on the seat next to him so her head rested on his lap. Once the Predator scouts were loaded back into their cages, the dropship took off and headed for the _Hyperion_.

* * *

**Admiral's Quarters, _Hyperion_, Deep Space (music - _Mega Man X_: Cast Roll)**

Sarah sat up wildly, her chest heaving, and looked around after reliving her nightmares again. Apparently whoever was sending her these must've figured out how to best get under her skin...she shuddered at the thought and pushed it from her head.

She realized she was in Jim's room, but everything was still there and the _Hyperion_ was still in space. She kept looking as her heart slowed to its normal rate until her gaze froze upon the spot next to her on the bed and she caught her breath. She had to shake her head several times to make sure, but Jim was sleeping next to her, unmarked by infestation and very much alive.

Sarah gave a quiet sob of relief but at the threat of recollection of her nightmares she looked away and quietly slipped out of bed. She quickly leaned her head into the corridor and noticed Swann guiding a train of drones towards the engine room further down the hallway. At that she sighed with relief and her body relaxed slightly. The chief engineer gave a small wave and she returned it, ducking back into the room before he got too close.

She didn't want to sleep again after that or wake up Jim after he'd doubtlessly been searching sleeplessly for her, but she also needed some comfort after those nightmares. Sarah walked over to the desk in the room and quietly began rummaging for a vidsnap. She found the one she'd been looking for: one of Jim sitting on his Vulture that she had taken in the _Hyperion_'s armory. Before Tarsonis...before all of this...a tear fell on the aging paper and Sarah quickly wiped it away. She hugged the photo as if it were Jim himself for a few seconds before slipping it between her clothes and climbing back into bed.

She ran her hands over Jim's body for a few minutes, telling herself to forget the nightmares and that he wasn't actually infested or dead.

Suddenly her heart jumped to her throat as Jim stirred and put his arm around her. She immediately put her arms around him and held tight.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"Jim, hold me," she whispered uregently. He complied, and Sarah continued crying into his chest as the visions of her nightmare returned in force.

He was no expert, but he could guess what had been plaguing her mind after she had run off. After all, he had almost sixteen hours to think about it. He hadn't slept either since she'd fled and had been working himself over trying to find her, though it wasn't without grumbling on the part of his men, though the Terrazine retrieval had gone without a hitch as Nyon had strangely left them alone afterwards. Still, it had taken over five hours to collect enough Terrazine due to the Tal'darim successfully sealing off two altars, and during that time neither Zagara nor Matt would allow him to spare a dropship or manpower to look for Sarah until Stetmann had stepped in and suggested using the modified Predators, but by then their work on Bel'shir was almost done anyhow.

That time had given him plenty of time to conclude that the impending trial was turning his poor girl into a nervous wreck. But there would be time to talk about that later. For now, he simply held her and thought of his love for her while she gradually calmed down and the tears stopped.

They lay in silence for a while until he sensed she had calmed down enough. "Look at me, darlin'. What's wrong?"

Sarah looked up at him and he saw her green eyes were wide with fear and pain, and lined with tears. "What did you dream about?" he asked.

"The...the Protoss were going to execute me..." her voice and body were shaking so badly that he tried to silence her to let her recover, but she continued. "Y...you intervened...they...they..." her voice trailed off to a whisper. "...They killed you instead...then you were infested..." she began to cry again at remembering the scenes a fourth time. "Th...This trial...i...it's...killing me. I don't think I can cope much longer, Jim..."

"That was just a dream, darlin'," he reminded her as he continued to stroke her hair and hold her trembling form. "I'm here now, alive and human. It's okay, Sarah," he whispered as the tears stopped again. "You won't have to cope with it alone and you never had to. I'll always be there for you."

She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes, an expression of gratitude on her face. "I love you, Jim," she whispered. "Never forget it."

"Never, Sarah. I won't stop loving you for anything." he replied.

Hearing the words stolen from him in her nightmare was all Sarah needed. She snuggled closer to him, still hugging him tightly, and let her remaining tears dry up and the tremors in her body fade.

She felt as though her heart would burst from her chest. Despite everything that had happened and could happen between them, Jim still loved her as passionately as ever. There was nothing she could find to even remotely describe how she felt. It was fear, love, comfort, sadness...she just couldn't find a way to explain it to him, but she so badly wanted to even though there was no need: she saw he felt the same way.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern as he heard her breathing become irregular and her grip grow tighter.

"I'm scared, Jim," she confessed after a few minutes of silence. "...Of this trial...there's so much at stake for you." She suddenly broke off. "And...I nearly threw it away by running off..."

By now, he knew why, and he suddenly saw what she feared. "Nobody's fearless, Sarah. It's what's inside us both that's often hardest to confront," he admitted as he kissed her forehead. "That's why we need each other."

Something seemed to loosen in her chest and Sarah suddenly began to cry again as every pent-up emotion of the last six years flooded out. Jim held her tighter and whispered words of comfort into her ear, waiting patiently for her to get it out of her system. He was slightly shocked: he hadn't known that Sarah had been keeping far more than she'd divulged even after he'd encouraged her so many times to talk following her deinfestation on Char and gotten nearly a river of tears and outpouring emotions every time.

In a gesture of love, Jim leaned over and gently nipped the rim of Sarah's ear. She stiffened slightly at the unfamiliar sensation, but it was oddly comforting to her and the flow of tears slowed before eventually stopping at last. Sarah was surprised she could even cry that much, and though part of her felt ashamed for it, most of her felt an immense relief at finally removing massive burden on her soul and mind, or at least sharing it with someone who wouldn't weaponize it.

Sarah just let Jim hold her afterwards and relaxed her body into his. She had started to drift back to sleep when she felt Jim's hands subtly move towards her waist. All thoughts of sleep suddenly disappeared and Sarah couldn't help the mischievous smile that spread across her face as she felt his hands move.

Jim slowly pulled the blanket off of them, wearing a grin of his own. Her hair was a tangled mess, still covered in mud and vegetation in some places, her face was pale and sickly from both the extortion of the last few days and the crying, and an array of bruises marred her body. But she'd never looked more beautiful to him. Immediately his mind began jumping forward...

Sarah laughed. "Why don't we make some of those dreams come true then?" she teased him. Jim smirked: a telepathic girlfriend could come in handy sometimes.

They spoke no more as their lips met and stayed together while their bodies interlocked in other ways. In the moments that followed, the couple forgot about everything but each other. The path to a happy life was still far from its end and fraught with obstacles, but for the first time the two simply stopped and took in everything they already had. As they shared the most intimate experience of their kind, both Jim and Sarah felt every bitter memory and every loss, connected to their minds by icy chains of pain, suffering, and regret that they thought couldn't be broken, swept away by an intense wave of passion for each other, the chains dissolving like darkness before light.

Their lovemaking lasted only a few minutes, but as they both basked in the afterglow, a certainty settled upon their minds.

As Jim looked at his beautiful girl, who he'd gone through hell and back to restore and fought alongside for years, he realized he wouldn't, and couldn't, leave her. Not for anyone, nor anything. He knew Sarah Kerrigan was meant to be his and his only, and he would see that she was or die trying.

Though Jim couldn't read her thoughts, she was making a vow with just as much fervor. They had both suffered greatly, but Sarah would help Jim release and cope with the ghosts of his past just as he had just helped her do. Sarah didn't need to peer far into his mind to see the ravages that four years of mourning and bitterness had done to his psyche. It wasn't visible, but it only needed the slightest push to be, and Sarah knew how that felt better than anyone. She didn't want Jim going through everything the way she had: She would help Jim settle his ghosts now that he had finally settled hers.

They had both been through hell and might yet return to it. But from now on, they wouldn't be alone.

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor Kerrigan. I've been making this story really hard on her so far. Thankfully for her, this should be about the last time there's a scene like this one.**


	8. Repentance

**Author's Note: Wow, this story broke 1000 views in about two weeks! Thanks guys, and congrats on breaking the record of "Variable X" by a week!**

**So in addition to school and sports, I've been battling copyright claims on some of my stuff elsewhere. Those claims are dealt with now, so I can devote more of my free time to writing as college application season wraps up.**

**I don't usually advertise my stories, but I took this long because I finally got around to publishing the first chapter of the _StarCraft/Mega Man_ crossover, "Red and Blue". Regardless of whether you know anything about _Mega Man _or not, please feel free to read and review that one too: I tried to make it readable to fans of only one franchise.**

* * *

**Deep Space (music - _Mega Man X3_: Zero's Theme) **

The Zerg armada was near-invisible to any passerby without thermal vision. Not that anyone would be traversing this corner of the Korpulu sector incidentally.

A blinding flash of light erupted out of nowhere in the endless void, and seconds later the _Hyperion_ dropped out of warp space.

"Sir, we've arrived at the rendevous point. Looks like the Zerg are already here."

"Thanks, Marcus. Open a transmission to them." Jim suddenly looked over his shoulder as the bridge doors opened and Sarah stepped in, talking to Swann. She was wearing her trademark hostile environment suit and her hair was in its signature ponytail. He suddenly felt as though his brain was turning to mush. _"She's so beautiful..."_

Sarah concluded their conversation as Swann went to deliver a report to Matt. Meanwhile the ghost turned her attention to Jim, smiling seductively as she read his thoughts and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, Jim."

At the moment, despite her military equipment and his experience fighting alongside and against her, he saw none of the fearsome warrior the rest of the sector did nor any trace of the physical deformities of Zerus and the Overmind. All he saw was a redheaded, shy, caring, and gentle Terran. While her introversion had been much worse during their Sons of Korhal days, she was still timid to engage in conversation with anyone else. Jim couldn't blame her: there were now billions of other reasons for her not to, so it thrilled him that she was still trying to show the crew who she truly was.

And it looked like her efforts might be for something after all. With her contributions against Mengsk, Amon, and the Raiders' various other opponents, his crew were genuinely beginning to see her differently. He was surprised that Swann had been one of the first to reach out to her, and while she was the primal queen at that, but the crew had followed his chief engineer's example, both before and after her return to humanity.

Though she'd made significant inroads, the crew were still far from trusting of her. As some of them had learned the hard way, she was still very sensitive: some of his crew had found themselves in psionic chokeholds or spontaneously half-inside a wall. Since most of them were drunk during those incidents Sarah had simply avoided the bar since the last one. She couldn't help it after losing control, but that still reminded the crew that even without Zerg carapace she was still a potent psionic. Nevertheless, Jim couldn't help but feel a sense of pride every time he saw Sarah talking among the crew; after all, he'd helped her open up during their Sons of Korhal years, though mostly to him.

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and turned to speak with Zagara as the communication was patched through. Sarah backed away so she couldn't be seen. No need for the broodmother to see that she was content amongst Terrans and get ideas about her autonomy. They couldn't afford to back out once they'd promised the Protoss a demonstration, and if they betrayed the Hierarchy again...

"I presume you require the transfer of the additional resources, along with the infested?"

"Yeah. I've got dropships launching now as we agreed upon earlier. Hopefully it'll be worth it."

Zagara nodded and broke the communication link. Jim turned back to Sarah.

"I talked to Junior earlier."

"Oh, right..."

"Don't worry about it; he said he'll offer ex-infested amnesty."

"But he can't stop someone who decides it's worth the risk to step out of line. And punishing someone for killing a former infested isn't going to be too popular with the rest of the Dominion, even if everyone else isn't willing to do the same."

Jim sighed with exasperation. "Sarah, not everyone...did the same things you did," he said carefully. "They also didn't retain their free will."

"I didn't either, Jim. The Queen of Blades did."

"I know, Sarah. But that doesn't change the fact that other infested were bound to the hive mind."

"I just don't feel they deserve to suffer more, Jim."

"They'll have to one way or another. That's the nature of life, darlin'. A rough patch hurts then, but it's worth more later."

That seemed to do it. Her mood immediately lightened. "Cynicism from Jim Raynor?" she asked with feigned shock. "Who are - " she giggled. "Never mind, nobody else would be such a pig," she teased, poking him lightly as she did. Jim lifted her head up before kissing her again. The act drew smiles from the bridge crew, relieved to be seeing their commander happy and at peace after nearly six years of torment and grief.

Nobody wanted to interrupt the moment, but Matt was forced to. "Sir, we have an incoming transmission from Valerian."

Jim and Sarah pulled away simultaneously. "Put it through." He added to Sarah, "...And don't you dare run off, darlin', 'cause we ain't done."

She laughed and stayed by his side as the new Emperor Mengsk's face appeared on the viewscreen.

"I presume you haven't watched UNN yet?" The emperor looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Jim shook his head, though judging by Valerian's state, it wouldn't be good.

His prediction was spot on. "The governors of the Core Worlds have refused to obey the decree. So have a fair number of military officers based on those worlds." Though Valerian's initiative to grant amnesty to former infested (after certain tests to prove they weren't still infested) was met with public support, officials had been quick to spread rumors that he was conspiring with the Zerg to undermine the new democracy and seize power. Public opinion hadn't changed much as a result, but a large number of officers in both the civilian government and the military had been swayed.

"Then I presume you want us to hold off on mass de-infestation?" Jim asked.

Valerian shook his head. "I don't want a repeat of the refugee situation during the last Zerg invasion, but at this point I don't think we have a choice. I'm well aware the Daleaam are growing impatient over the delays in arranging the demonstration and _en masse _initiation. We don't need to antagonize them now, and the fringe worlds are more than willing to cooperate." The emperor sighed. "But for all their will they don't have the logistical resources to make it happen; the majority of DPs haven't returned yet, so whatever resources the worlds do have are diverted to returning them."

Sarah looked down. This wasn't how she'd imagined things would turn out when she'd first gotten the idea. Granted, she hadn't been thinking about the whole picture when she conjured the idea, but she also hadn't expected the effort to shape up into another fiasco.

"Of course, Valerian. Your people are of higher priority. Besides, the infested aren't going anywhere, and there's still one issue I haven't resolved yet."

"Whether to repress their memories of their infested experiences, yes? May I suggest that we leave it to them to decide?"

"But you saw how that turned out. Even those that Dr. Hanson managed to cure went insane because of the small amounts memories they could register through their comas; they weren't in a position to make any decisions for themselves. How much worse could it become if they have full access to their memories?"

Valerian studied her in silence for a few seconds before replying. "Then we will finally know what you went through."

There was an idle curiosity in his tone, but Sarah wasn't interested in studying the implications of his statement at the moment. "Then be ready for the first group in 48 hours. You already have the rendevous coordinates."

Valerian nodded before disconnecting. Sarah immediately turned to look at Jim, a lost expression on her face. "Jim, what do I do?"

For once, he hadn't the slightest idea.

* * *

_**Shield of Aiur**_**, Aiur orbit**

"Surely you cannot be so naive, Artanis! Sending one delegate is one matter, but the entire Hierarchy?"

"This is a risky matter, yes, but we have yet to ascertain that Kerrigan possess an ulterior motive, Nahaan. She cannot hope to corrupt all of us, and the Protectorate is not in immediate need of any decisions."

"As spirited as he is, Nahaan makes a valid point," cautioned Urun. "We did not find out that Kerrigan was using us for her own gain during the Brood War until it was far too late."

"Precautions have been taken, Admiral. But as we have made our decision, now we must see it through, regardless of the consequences. Should Kerrigan be plotting something, we must not make ourselves appear weak."

On cue, the _Hyperion_ warped in. Artanis left the _Shield of Aiur_'s bridge and headed towards a small bay where a transport craft was waiting. Despite their objections moments earlier, the remaining Hierarchy members, along with a heavy escort of Templars, Archons, and Zealots, followed.

* * *

**_Hyperion _****(music - your choice)**

Sarah looked out at the approaching Protoss shuttle, gripping Jim's hand tightly.

He could sense her anxiety, even if she wasn't telepathically broadcasting that. He'd never seen her emotions overflow this way and hoped she wasn't too nervous to follow through with her plan.

Despite his assurances that Sarah meant no harm, it wasn't hard to figure that the Protoss would bring a heavy contingent of warriors to guard the Hierarchy members and station a task group within weapon range. While Jim was confident that they wouldn't use their superior force to wrestle something from him, one wrong word and they would be dead. Or, at least, Sarah would.

"Jim, let's go." Sarah's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "They're getting ready to dock." Despite the calmness in her voice, she never let go of his hand as she led him to the docking bay.

When they reached it the Protoss were already aboard. Immediately they fixed their eyes on Sarah. She froze as their attentions shifted to her and let out a small noise of fear. Any one of them could be her end, and they all had numerous reasons to be.

Jim squeezed her hand and went ahead of her to greet Artanis. The warriors in front of the Hierarch stepped aside to allow Jim to pass.

"En Taro Tassadar, Artanis. Thank you for agreeing to meet on the _Hyperion_."

The Hierarch's eyes twinkled. "En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor. It is my pleasure, along with the Hierarchy's."

Despite Artanis's tone and expression, Jim wasn't foolish enough to fall for those words. While some members weren't too far off the mark, Nahaan's baleful, unwavering glance at Sarah was an unwelcome counterexample. He mentally sighed and continued. "Shall we proceed, then? Lead the way, Sarah."

For a second she didn't move. Jim could see she was terrified, but that didn't suppress the surge of irritation. Sarah heard his thoughts and lowered her head in shame before starting for the _Hyperion_'s lab. Fear wasn't a reason for acting like this...

"Sarah, where are you going?" She noticed she was about to lead their guests down the wrong corridor. She blushed and corrected herself.

_"What's wrong with me today? Why am I so scared of them? They're not here to kill me.__"_ Still, the incessant stream of fearful thoughts continued and only got worse as they neared their destination.

_"Come on, Sarah, focus!" _But try as she might, she couldn't suppress them and was swept away in the riptide.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in her head and she found herself sprawled on the floor. The Hierarchy members were studying her with interest while Jim was kneeling over her. She tried to sit up, but he gently forced her down.

"Easy, darlin'. No need for them to see you've still got rapid regeneration." She realized she must have hit her head on a bulkhead rim and cursed herself for being distracted. The Hierarchy was just starting to believe she was completely human now; seeing her regenerate a deep gash in seconds would only arouse their suspicions of a trap and undo their shaky trust.

"How are you feeling?" Jim asked after a minute. He gently lifted her head and used a cloth to wipe away the blood on her forehead.

"I'm fine, Jim," she snapped irritatedly. Jim didn't react, but nonetheless a look of regret crossed her face. "Let...Let's just get this over with."

He shook his head as he looked into her eyes. The brilliant emerald irises had lost much of their luster and her eyes were rimmed with red. He should've figured that she wouldn't be able to sleep the night before. He gently took her hand in his and noticed it was shaking slightly.

"You're an nervous wreck right now, Sarah. You'll do more good if you compose yourself and rest. Besides, Ariel and Stetmann can explain the process."

"No, let me come with you," she begged.

Jim sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry, darlin'. I can't. There's too much at stake."

"Please!" she begged again. "Jim, you know how important this is to me!"

Jim forced himself to ignore her pleas and motioned for Artanis to follow them. Most of the Protoss stepped around Sarah as she slid aside to make room for them, but Nahaan deliberately stomped on her stomach, causing Sarah to utter a whimper of discomfort. The procession stopped at the noise, but Nahaan had already removed his foot. Without giving anything away, Artanis motioned for them to continue.

Several Ara Archons and a High Templar followed their leader's example, stepping over rather than around Sarah, but the remainder of the Protoss guards passed without further incident, allowing Sarah room to stand up. Mohandar and Zeratul brought up the rear.

The two stopped and regarded her for a second. Sarah looked down, unwilling to meet their eyes. She wondered what they were thinking and instinctively reached out for the answer.

Immediately the two Nerazim had warp blades against her throat.

"Do not dare attempt to enter our minds, Kerrigan!" snapped Zeratul. "Remember your perilous standing amongst our kind!"

She cursed herself for letting her curiosity get the better of her. "I'm sorry," she replied meekly, raising her hands in a placating gesture and keeping her head down.

Mohandar deactivated his blade and Zeratul disappeared, though it didn't take sensors or even a telepath to know he hadn't left the room. Sarah knew that Mohandar wanted a word with her alone, but after Razsagal, the Protoss couldn't be too careful. Deciding to trust the Nerazim, she raised her head to meet the Prelate's gaze.

"Do not judge our kind simply by Nahaan's undecorous behavior, young Kerrigan." She noticed pity in the Prelate's tone. "Should you prove yourself trustworthy, confide in me as your ally."

Sarah blinked. "You...you mean that?"

Mohandar nodded. "Our people do not forget our allies. So you served us in our time of need, we shall do you service now. The obstacle of convincing them that you are not the Queen of the past is all that stands in the way. It does not require telepathy to sense your grief and regret over what she has done, but there are many among us who believe you are falsifying your emotions. And here, you have means to convince the remainder of us of the honesty of your intentions."

Sarah shook her head, unwilling to believe what seemed too good to be true. Mohandar could feel her desperation for a way to prove her repentance and her fear that there wasn't one, but unless someone trusted the other there wasn't anything he could do. Given the fractuous nature of the Protoss's attitude towards her, she would likely have to make that move.

"I..." Sarah began, but Mohandar politely silenced her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Sarah stiffed at the touch but Mohandar's tone soon calmed her down.

"Neither side is willing to trust the other, yet trust is the one thing that can spare you our wrath. Are you willing to take the chance?" he asked.

Sarah could tell that the Prelate was sympathetic to her plight, but she still wasn't ready to trust the Protoss so deeply with someone like Nahaan in power. She shook her head slowly. "I...I can't."

Mohandar mentally sighed and turned to enter the lab. Zeratul decloaked and entered as the Prelate made to enter. One-on-one, sensitive-mattered conversation was something best left to Raynor, and the Prelate could tell he'd upset Sarah even more with his words, but he had to finish the conversation.

"Until you do, Kerrigan, we are at an impasse. One that I cannot promise will last." He turned to enter the laboratory and Sarah followed, remembering to duck her head this time.

"...cuts the infested's body off from their circulatory system," Stetmann was saying as they walked in. The congregation was in a side room. Though not connected to the Khala, the two Nerazim were still powerful telepaths, and had tuned in to the scientists' explanation through a link with one of their warriors in the room while Mohandar had lingered outside. A Dark Archon lingering in the back of the lab bowed repsectfully to the two as they entered.

Sarah entered the lab behind them, still in a daze of fear. She slipped on a puddle of liquid and the Archon lowered his hand to help her up. She looked up in surprise before taking his hand and thanking him with a genuine smile. It was reassuring to see that not all Protoss set their opinions of her by Nahaan's word.

**(music - _Mega Man X4:_ Dialogue)**

In the tank behind her, the Zerg specimen suddenly began trying to break free as it sensed its Queen nearby. There was a cracking noise as it secreted additional acid, the concentration of corrosive substances exploiting the already-present crack in the tank wall and parting it. The organism lashed out with its primitive limbs and the plasteel shattered.

Sarah whirled around and reached for her pistol at the noise, but the specimen latched on to her before she could do anything more than scream. The nearby Protoss also turned at the sound and the Archon that had just helped her up vaporized the lab creature with a psionic blast, but the damage was done.

As it contained the gene of every Zerg, including the dreaded Infestor, the specimen's bite had re-introduced the Zerg Hyperevolutionary Virus to Sarah's system. The dormant Zerg DNA within her suddenly revived as the invading virus began to work its magic. Even though there was no chrysalis this time, her body wasn't stripped of her primal DNA and thus the virus could both work faster and infest her without a chrysalis.

Mohandar stared in shock and cursed himself for not requesting the Zerg specimen to be removed. He knew psionic energies, chiefly the energies of the Void, could slow down the infestation, but though Kerrigan was screaming for her life right now, there was no telling the risk to him if the infestation resurrected the Queen of old...

The Prelate pushed the thoughts from his head and knelt down next to her, focusing his energies. There was no time for denial or reflection; if the Queen of Blades was indeed being resurrected it was all the more reason to aid Sarah. As the energies of the Void were transferred to her body, Sarah felt the process slowing.

"Zeratul, come aid me! The energies of the Void are our best hope at preserving her!" The older Dark Templar immediately kneeled down and also began channeling his powers.

"Have you gone mad, Mohandar?!" demanded Nahaan. "You are making yourself vulnerable to her influence! I warned you all that this was naught but a trap, that she was still a Zerg, and here is the proof! End her now while we still can!"

"For once, can you shut up?" snapped Jim as he ran to her side. Nahaan's eyes glowed dangerously.

"You may have aided our kind in the past, James Raynor, but do not forget you betrayed the Conclave and aided Tassadar in his insurrection!"

"Must we have this conversation now?" roared Artanis over Jim's retort. "Mohandar and Zeratul can slow the infestation, but not indefinitely! Raynor, if you have any faith in your cure, use it!" Artanis waved his hand and the other Protoss left, with the exception of the Dark Templar guards and their leaders. Nahaan seethed but followed his guards out.

The Dark Templar began taking turns to allow their exhausted comrades to recover, but the infestation was still proceeding albeit very slowly.

Sarah suddenly sat up, propping herself up against the ruins of the Zerg specimen tank. "Jim," she called.

He had already reached her side when she called, but the sight that he beheld was anything but comforting. Her face had begun to discolor and those all-too-familiar Zerg psionic nerve chords began to grow in the place of her hair. The hands of her hostile environment suit had cracked open, revealing clawed hands.

She knew they were only delaying the inevitable. Sarah didn't know if the hyperevolutionary virus had adopted to circumvent Ariel's cure, and she wasn't willing to take the chance.

"It's no use. Tell them to stop," she implored. "There's only one way it can be stopped for good."

Jim's eyes widened as he realized what she meant. "I can't lose you again, Sarah! Not after I've gotten you back a third time! We can still use Ariel's cure."

"James Raynor is correct," panted Mohandar through his exhaustion. "All is not lost; we can slow the process until your doctor's cure can be administered."

"But what if it doesn't work? Then it'll be those four years all over again. I can't take that chance, Jim."

"Just hold on, Sarah. The Queen of Blades is dead; the only thing changing is your body. We made it together past her, Mengsk, and Amon. I'm not going to lose you to Stetmann's lab rat!"

She briefly smiled at his devotion but it quickly faded. "You're...going to have to if you want to save me." She lifted her pistol to her head and briefly spoke to the Nerazim in the room.

"Your kind will finally have atonement for the Queen's crimes. It's the least I can give you."

The Nerazim studied her for a moment. Zeratul spoke after a few seconds. "I could not imagine not wanting your death even a year before, but your services to our kind will not be forgotten, this least among them. The Void be with you, Kerrigan."

She nodded and turned back to Jim, looking straight in his eyes. "Goodbye, Jim. I love you."

The report rang loudly in the absolute silence that followed.

* * *

**Author's Note: We're not quite done with the story yet, so just remember this isn't the ending for any of the cast.**

**This last scene was based on a few lines from Qwerty-Man's "Flight to Freedom" and Ragnarok666's "Aftermath and Revelations," where Kerrigan expresses regret that she let the Zerg take her rather than kill herself. For better or worse, she's not the one to make the same mistake twice...**

**Thanks to Ragnarok666 for pointing out a few factual errors in this chapter.**


	9. Undying Love

**Author's Note: So the Hierarchy cast here isn't exactly the same as the one in the _Dark Templar_ saga. I cast it differently because the decision regarding Jake Ramsey would not be of similar importance to the decision they are making in this chapter, and I felt that the Protoss would have reformed their government in the wake of the war against Amon, which would probably have shown the detriment of slow government.**

* * *

**_Hyperion_****, a day later ****(music - _Mega Man X4:_ Staff Roll)**

Sarah's self-sacrifice had stopped her infestation, but there was no way her body could recover from a bullet through the brain. She was dead.

At least, that's what Jim had thought. The shock of her suicide hadn't worn off before Ariel had walked into the cantina and asked him to come to the medbay.

Apparently, she'd shot herself and survived. Maybe the Void energy had been focused around her mind to keep it away from the Zerg influence for as long as possible, and by sheer luck the bullet had been stopped by their barrier. Maybe she'd decided to block the bullet at the last second; she knew her regeneration was fast even by Zerg standards. Jim didn't particularly care about how lucky she was; he was just glad she was still alive.

As for her infestation, the Void had held it at bay long enough for many of the individual viruses to die out, greatly weakening its pace. According to Ariel, Void energy apparently immobilized the functions of Zerg cells, and the virus had a short lifetime, which was why infestation proceeded like a tide across a victim's body: the viruses had to infect the nearest cells to ensure success before they died out. The rest had simply been attaching Sarah to an IV and hoping for the best. He'd been unsurprised that the cure took a while to take effect and was actually more bewildered that it still worked: Mohandar and Zeratul couldn't keep up their efforts forever so the drug had to stop both the virus's spread and reverse the infestation on the parts of her body where it had taken over.

The infestation wasn't as bad as Jim had thought either. The carapace hadn't completely formed around her body, and only her hand and face had assumed their Zerg forms, an irony not lost on him as those parts had been scoured by the xel'naga artifact. Apparently the virus had learned to go for her mind first, a painful reminder of Zerg adaptability. Still, it had its limits: the virus hadn't learned to combat Ariel's cure yet, and Jim was grateful beyond measure for it. The carapace and nerve cords would shed by themselves within a few hours, though her face and hands would likely take a week or more to be completely restored.

But the thing Jim was most grateful for was the help of Mohandar, Zeratul, and their escort templars. Jim refused to even contemplate what would have happened without them, but their aid showed that Sarah _did_ have a chance at convincing the remainder of the Daleaam if two of their greatest heroes and a number of warriors sided with her willingly.

"Jim?" Ariel walked in.

"Yeah?"

"Sarah said she wants to see you."

He smiled and walked with the doctor to the medbay.

* * *

Sarah had awakened when she was brought into the medbay, and been in almost constant pain since then as Ariel's cure fought against the Zerg virus.

She wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but the pounding in her head and the empty pistol hoslter was a clue. She was just glad someone had blocked the bullet; she knew enough about infestation to know that critical injury would result in a slower infestation as her body tried to repair the injury. Next to committing suicide, that was her best shot at stopping the infestation as far as she could think of, at least when combined with Void energies and the cure.

As the pun formed in her mind a sudden stab of pain coursed through her head, causing her to grimance. A small noise of pain escaped her throat as she put her palms to her head and she wildly wished for Jim again.

Suddenly the medbay doors opened and her wish came true. Jim quickly ran over to her.

"We should name the ward after you," he joked with a smile, trying to put down his revulsion at seeing her half-Zerg.

She didn't smile back and continued to stare at him apologetically. "I should've been paying attention..."

He placed one of his hands on her mostly-human hair and gently stroked it. "Nobody blames you for what happened, darlin'." He planted a kiss on her forehead before gently turning her head to look at him. "Don't regret it: we can undo what happened."

"But what if Mohandar hadn't tried to save me? Then everyone would pay for me letting my emotions govern me again."

Jim sighed. This tack of conversation wasn't going to help her. They sat in silence for a few moments, though Sarah continued to allow Jim to play with her hair and hold her.

In truth, she desperately needed the contact. To remind her that things were different now, and that there was someone who would let no more harm come to her at any cost. Under other circumstances she might have already brought him down on the bed with her. But she felt so guilty at straining his promise so; how could you genuinely express yourself and expect someone to believe you after putting their vow to the ultimate test?

She was too wrapped up in her own remorse to immediately realize Jim didn't think of the incident that way at all. When she did, the knot in her chest was undone and she instinctively threw her arms around him.

Sarah suddenly froze as she accidentally scratched Jim in her haste to demonstrate her affection. She quickly withdrew her clawed hands and turned away from him, shocked at what she'd done.

"Don't apologize, darlin', it's just a scratch," Jim deadpanned, but it was already too late. Sarah pulled the blanket over her head and pulled out of his grip. No sooner had she covered herself than muffled sobs began issuing from within.

Jim felt his heart break as he watched Sarah cry and the outline of her body shake. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she also wasn't one to make others take responsibility for anything if she could help it. While that fed many of the things that Jim liked about her, it also made her conscience weight much more heavily on her, even before she'd become the Queen.

Jim sat on the side of the bed and put an arm around Sarah to let her know he was still there for her. She tried to throw it off without bringing out her hands but eventually she let him. All the while though, she never stopped crying.

Sarah had never felt so alone all of the 30 years of her life; not during those four long years of infestation and atrocity, nor her years of torment between being torn from what was left of her family and when Mengsk had freed her from the Ghost Academy's brainwashing. She'd adamantly believed that she wasn't a danger to those around her, that she knew to control herself. But here she'd just hurt the one she loved; it may not have been serious but the fact that it rose from an instinctive act roused those fears again, and god-knows-what would have happened because she didn't pay attention to a lab-bred Zerg if not for Mohandar...

She wanted Jim so desperately and he was right next to her, but she was also deeply afraid that doing so would put him and everyone else at risk, and so she couldn't have him now. They might be back together later, but right now was when she needed him the most, to hold tight to him and cry out her sorrow. Two different faces of her love, incompatible with each other, each claiming to be the only genuine manifestation.

She felt Jim's arm around her waist suddenly and instinctively thrashed around under the blanket, trying to shake it off. But as gentle as his grip was, he was firm in his determination not to let go, and eventually she stopped struggling and silently thanked him for being willing to trust her not to harm him so soon after she'd invalidated it.

Jim slowly rocked her body against his while slowly moving his other hand under the blanket to stroke her hair. To his relief, Sarah let him do it and snuggled closer to him under the blanket. She mumbled something through her tears, but Jim couldn't hear her and tried to lift the blanket off her face to hear better. She gently resisted, careful to keep her hands away from Jim, and talked to him telepathically instead.

_"I was right all along...I'm just a danger to others."_

"No you're not," he replied aloud. "Power and danger go hand-in-hand, but there's a lot more to you than that, Sarah. You aren't a weapon. You're a human like me, like everyone else on this ship. And we are who we chose to be. You don't want to be a danger, and so you aren't to anyone. I trust that, and you, with my life." His hand left her hair and began gently stroking her face. "You are not weak or evil, Sarah. You're the most selfless person I know, and you've endured tenfold what drove others to insanity while still retaining the good person inside you. If there's any definition of strength, it's you."

Sarah stopped crying soon afterwards. She still felt horrible for what had just happened, but hearing Jim's praise and forgiveness made her feel better. She curled up next to him and closed her eyes. Just before she fell asleep, a painful burning sensation erupted in her face and hands.

Annoyed, Sarah kept trying to fall asleep, which should have been easy given the fact that she'd slept for the whole of 30 minutes over the last two days, but the burning pain kept her awake.

"What's wrong, Sarah?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Just...having trouble sleeping."

Jim wasn't convinced. "Is it the cure?" he asked worriedly.

"...Yeah. Dr. Hanson said it would hurt a lot for the first few hours but it trails off after that."

"Alright then, just hold on darlin'. And thank you for doing this; even if you stayed half-Zerg, I'd still claim you as my beautiful girl." Sarah felt a warmth within her as he said that and poked her head out of the blanket, just enough so that Jim could see those eyes that he so loved. Jim noticed that the skin tone of her face had largely returned to normal. While they looked into each other's eyes, Jim slowly pulled the blanket off of her and moved closer.

"Jim! There's other people here!" Sarah blushed the same color as her hair and grabbed the blanket, covering herself back up to her breasts. Jim simply grinned.

"Sorry, darlin'. Couldn't resist," he admitted. Sarah playfully hit him on the shoulder and gasped in pain as the now-brittle claws on her hand snapped off at the root with the impact.

"Well..." she mused and made to do the same with her other hand, bracing herself for the pain. Jim held her by the waist gently and silently encouraged her while she did. Within a minute, her body had regenerated her normal fingernails in the place of her long black claws.

Jim sighed with relief as he watched the process. He cradled Sarah's head in his lap and caressed her cheek. Suddenly he felt her gently tugging on him to get under the blanket. "Are you sure there's room for one more under there?" he asked casually.

Sarah nodded with a smile and let him slide under the blanket with her. For a moment, they simply rested against each other in silent comfort.

"Are you still in pain?" Jim asked.

Sarah shook her head. "Not so much now. Goodnight, Jim," she murmured and was asleep in seconds. Jim planted a kiss on her lips and slowly removed himself from the bed. He didn't want to leave her, but he was needed elsewhere and it was probably best if she was left alone in case something happened. He knew she would want it that way.

* * *

**Antioch, Aiur, the next day (music - your choice)**

"En Taro Tassadar, my brethren. Let us return to our council." Artanis took his seat again after a ten-minute recess following hours of debate, and the other members of the Hierarchy made to do the same. Mohandar, what has become of Kerrigan?"

"She is stable," replied the Prelate. "The infestation has been successfully halted and is in the process of being reversed."

"How can you be sure, Mohandar?" inquired Tabrenus. "Even we do fully understand how this process works, yet the Terrans have not only figured out how but designed a cure?"

"Do not forget the Terrans are far more ingenious than the Conclave and our beliefs of old give them credit for," cautioned Urun. "And though they surprise us with their ingenuity, we cannot immediately assume that Kerrigan has been completely reverted to humanity."

Mohandar made to reply, but Nahaan spoke first. "Not immediately? We should not assume so at all! Trust is not a commodity we should dispense to her after the debacle of the Brood War!"

"And if that is the way we choose, we will be embroiled in perpetual war, and one that we will not have the upper hand in for long if ever," countered Mohandar. "The Terrans have already sought an alliance with the Swarm, and they have fewer causes to forgive than we do. We Protoss cannot be infested, nor did we leave our people to the mercy of the Zerg."

"Whether the Terrans trust the Swarm is a different matter than if they trust her! I need not remind you that she has tipped entire battles in the Swarm's favor..." Nahaan stopped short of broaching the subject of Kaldir. Though by no means willing to dismiss it, he had deferred to the Hierarchy's judgement on the matter rather than stall further, as the Protectorate was on the verge of mounting their campaign to retake Aiur.

"All the more reason to ally with her, Nahaan. Better to lessen our number of existing foes should a new one emerge. Remember that Tassadar's joining with the Dark Templar was what allowed him to vanquish the Overmind."

"This is an entirely different matter, Artanis! The Zerg are not wayward Protoss!"

Mohandar's eyes ignited. "Wayward - ?"

"Enough!" Artanis intervened before the Prelate finished his reply. "If nothing constructive remains to be said, we should decide on a course of action and adjourn."

Mohandar composed himself and stood. Though they all knew the purpose of the meeting, decisions such as these followed a rigid pattern of present, debate, summarize, and decide paraphrased from old Conclave processes. The system had been implemented at Nahaan's request, and though the Hierarchy was still not as swift as the Conclave, the process had streamlined decision-making without much detriment to the merit of the decisions.

"Sarah Kerrigan has demonstrated a desire to disband the Swarm and revert infested Terrans to their original state. On the former point, the scientists of the Furinax tribe have confirmed its feasibility; on the latter, she has, nearly at the cost of her life, provided us with a demonstration of the cure the Terran Hanson has provided. The only matter that remains to be decided is what stance we shall take on the matter." The Prelate paused. He had to be very careful with his words. "I will vouch for Kerrigan's integrity on the matter, and propose that we aid her efforts. While I do not demand a waiving of her trial, let us not be partial and try her by standard procedure."

The Prelate sat down as Tabrenus rose. "I share Mohandar's sentiment that we trust Kerrigan for the time being, however I do not propose active involvement of our brethren. Once she has served her purpose, I also request that she still be tried, though as a war criminal rather than a peacetime offender." Though simple, it was the moderate option and the one that the Hierarchy agreed the most with and thus didn't need to be elaborate.

The Furinax leader took his seat as Nahaan rose for the final opinion. "While we should by no means hamper Kerrigan in her efforts, I advise against trusting her and actively participating in cooperative efforts with the Swarm until we can have concrete proof of her honesty. I also do not recommend allowing Kerrigan a trial before execution: we cannot conclusively prove that Kerrigan is different than she was during the Brood War, even if she has done great service to us in the battles against the Fallen One. Should the Zerg truly be seeking what they proclaim, we should not stop them, and that shall be concession enough." It wasn't as though the Ara leader was the inflexible and conservative near-fanatic that the majority of outsiders to Protoss politics took him for; his spirited nature often resulted in extreme bluntness, something that, ironically, only Zerg didn't mind.

While Nahaan was aware of his rather unenviable standing in the Protectorate government, Artanis decided a conservative member of the Hierarchy was needed as a check; while it slowed down the Hierarchy greatly it also ensured that all choices were not made without consideration for every outcome. In the earlier days of the Hierarchy, when Artanis had needed to rely on the fragile Daleaam alliance's instinctive gravitation towards the Judicator Caste for governance, Nahaan's rash behavior had been easily dismissed and ignored and he retained his position with little effort. But as the Hierarchy grew more stable the Ara leader had found himself battling for the caste's dwindling representation in the Hierarchy high council. The contest had occasionally involved moderate violence, but Nahaan had nearly been executed when a rival Shelak templar under his command was abandoned to the Zerg.

There had never been conclusive proof that Nahaan was to blame, and the death had in fact been a combination of a Zerg ambush and negligence. What Nahaan had done was allow the executor to pay for his mistake by withdrawing rather than aiding him, a reasonable command under the circumstances. Nevertheless, the incident had severely damaged his reputation and trustworthiness. Mohandar, who had been the other senior commander, in particular had grown to greatly dislike Nahaan as a result, though in part because of Nerazim bias towards the Conclave. Regardless, Nahaan hadn't changed his stance or attitude one bit, and what he'd done today was proof.

"The Hierarchy has spoken," proclaimed Artanis. "Let our decision be made."

The members of the Hierarchy, along with a "jury" of six randomly chosen officials, cast their votes. The six were to eliminate bias since the three members presenting opinions were mandated to hold to them (and therefore cast out of the voting process), and an odd number of votes was always required for such sensitive issues to ensure that the council would not become deadlocked over critical matters. The unusually large pool had resulted from the nature of the issue: the system decreed that a larger representation was needed as the importance of the matter being decided increased.

At least, that was the theory. Nahaan had influenced the process for this meeting to ensure that the majority of the "randomly" chosen officials were templars of the Ara tribe. He'd also convinced Artanis to allow six rather than two so that the betrayal of one of his officials would not cause him to fail. And just to make sure he wasn't caught, he had influenced a templar from another tribe to vote on his side while beseeching one of his own to vote against him. Among the high council, Nahaan's psionic prowess was second only to Zekrath's, understandable given the latter had studied for centuries, but it was still far more than enough to corrupt the young Furniax templar he'd chosen as a target.

"It is decided then. 2-3-4 in favor of Nahaan. Let us be dismissed." Artanis did not announce who had voted for which decision, though it came as a surprise that Zekrath had sided with Mohandar and an even greater surprise that Nahaan had the majority vote.

The Hierarch stood and the council followed his example while the jury exited. Once the last member of the jury had left, Nahaan and Urun followed suit. Artanis sat down again once they had left and faced the three members whom he had silently invited to stay behind.

"James Raynor will not take lightly to this."

"Remind me to suggest a revision so that a council member's vote must be required for a majority to be upheld," seethed Mohandar. "This decision should be revoted upon; we all reviewed the backgrounds of the jury before this meeting."

"Let us not jump to conclusions, Mohandar. The majority vote consisted of three Ara templars and one from the Furinax tribe. One of the Ara members voted with Tabrenus," Artanis informed.

"And have you not considered that Nahaan may have manipulated this outcome behind the scenes, Artanis? He is no stranger to politics, and we are all aware of his attitudes towards achieving his objectives," Tabrenus spoke.

Artanis began a reply, but Mohandar was not interested. The Prelate was not known for being emotional, but what had transpired outraged him. Almost more than Raszagal's death. He was not angered at the outcome, but rather at having not forseen Nahaan's possible backstage ploys. Of all members of the Hierarchy, he trusted the Ara the least, and yet he had allowed the slippery politician to gain the upper hand again unjustly through complacency.

"...and can we trust that you too will not uphold this decision, Mohandar?" inquired Artanis. "Tabrenus and Zekrath have decided not to."

"I most certainly will not, Artanis. And do not expect me to be of further value to the Protectorate until this corruption is resolved, even on separate issues. I cannot and will not participate in partial government." With that, the Prelate stood and left the room.

"Could it be that Kerrigan is indeed influencing him?" mused Zekrath. "I have never seen him behave so."

"We must not forget that Mohandar holds a deep grudge against Nahaan, Zekarth. And if we are to keep our individual tribes aligned with the opinions we voted for, we cannot go about tossing allegations of influence around," Tabrenus reminded him.

Artanis sighed. "I fear this decision has divided the Protoss once more. I respect your will to hold to your opinions, as will I, but Nahaan is a very dangerous opponent. Do not think him above murder to have his way once word of this escapes. Tabrenus, find your templar who voted today and check his memories. Should there be corruption at play, report to me immediately. Zekrath, do not have your preservers record this event until the matter is permanently resolved. All of us should be accompanied by guards at all times. I will speak to Mohandar, Zeratul, and Raynor immediately about this matter."

With that, the remaining members departed for their various residences across Antioch.

* * *

**Bridge, _Hyperion_, Aiur Orbit**

"Incoming transmission. Contacter identified as Hierarch Artanis," intoned the adjutant. Seconds later, his face appeared on the viewscreen.

"En Taro Tassadar, Artanis. How goes the politics down there?"

"En Taro Tassadar, James Raynor," the Hierarch replied tiredly. "Not well. Is Kerrigan with you?"

"Not yet. She'll be up here soon."

"Have her stay away for the time being. This concerns her."

Raynor nodded to Kachinsky, who quickly left the bridge to deliver the message.

Artanis paused before going on. "The Hierarchy voted today on how we shall receive her. The outcome will not please you."

Jim mentally sighed. Just when he was starting to have a little faith in Protoss politics...

"As you know, for such important decisions, we have a side jury also weigh in on the voting process. I discovered that Nahaan altered the summon message so that six templars rather than two were summoned. We cannot prove anything beyond that, and Nahaan's opinion is now official; we are to provide no assistance of any sort and Kerrigan will be killed the moment she ventures into Protoss space after her job is done."

"What!? Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Do not judge us so quickly, Raynor! You of all people should know the Protoss are a fractious race!" The Hierarch gave a moment for them both to calm down before proceeding. "Four of us have already decided not to obey Nahaan's decree, or at least do so minimally, until Tabrenus and Zekrath conclude their corruption probe."

That didn't help Raynor's mood one bit. "And what of 'aggressive negotiations?' Won't be too much of a stretch for Nahaan to start using those if the truth comes out, 'specially if he's already swayed the vote."

"We have all precautions possible in place. I am sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but you requested an appraisal on the vote as soon as the session concluded."

Jim nodded and made to disconnect.

"One more thing," the Hierarch stated abruptly. "Do not let Kerrigan hear of this until the probe is complete. This opinion does not represent the majority of the Hierarchy, but she will not be so trusting of our kind. Should their indeed be corruption, we will re-cast the vote. En Taro Tassadar." The Hierarch cut the communication.

Jim knew Artanis would keep his word, but the chances that Nahaan would intervene to prevent that were far too high. And should that happen, the Protectorate would dissolve into civil war. And what would he do? He wouldn't stand by and let them kill Sarah, but they would be on the run for the rest of their lives and probably invite incineration of any system they stopped in. It was either that or kill Nahaan, and despite the Protectorate's general disdain for him that act would still be shedding Protoss blood.

"Jim, what's going on?" Sarah's soft voice broke his thoughts. He turned and couldn't help but embrace her fully human form.

He held her in his arms for a few seconds but soon let go and turned away as he remembered that the woman he was holding could be dead within a week.

"I'm sorry," she murmured guiltily as she saw his expression fall.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything. I should."

"What do you mean, Jim?" she asked, fearful of the answer. When he didn't answer she tried to look into his mind, desperate for a response.

Jim knew she was probing his mind and quickly diverted his attention somewhere else.

"Jim, please," she begged. "I just want to know."

"I love you, Sarah. I don't want to hurt you."

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "I'll be fine."

Jim gave in to her and told her what the Hierarchy had in store for her.

"It doesn't matter," she stated firmly when he finished. "We'll still be together. We might not be able to settle down, but I am _not_ giving up on you. Ever. So don't give up on me, you hear?"

The words warmed Jim's heart and he decided it didn't matter whether Sarah would live or not. That would be decided tomorrow, and was all the more reason to enjoy her company today. Which reminded him...

"Come on, darlin'." She followed him without question back to their room.

When the door closed, Jim turned to look at her. "Do you know what day it is?"

She shook her head. She'd lost track past the day she'd been conscripted into the Ghost program. Then it hit her. "The...day you made your promise to kill me...the day Fenix died." As she said it she backed into a corner and began to hyperventilate.

Jim's expression didn't change, however, as he moved towards her, and he set his revolver on the desk to assure her. "Not what I was thinking of," he replied happily as he wrapped her in his embrace. He gave her a moment to calm down before answering the question. "It's your birthday," he whispered, leading her to the desk where he uncovered a cake. "Happy 27th, darlin'."

Sarah sat stunned for a moment before leaping up and hugging him tightly. "Oh Jim, this is wonderful...thank you."

The door behind them opened and Swann stepped in. "Hey, cowboy, they're waiting for you."

Jim smiled and gently tugged on Sarah's hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To celebrate with friends," he replied.

* * *

**Author's Note: Guilty of employing a Deus ex Machina. I know. But it's just too anticlimatic to have Kerrigan die so quickly, plus there's a number of loose ends to wrap up.**

**And yes, Ragnarok, we will be seeing more from Nahaan's perspective later on...**


	10. Out of Control

**Author's Note: So I've gotten several reviews that Kerrigan is too emotionally fragile but never directly addressed them. I always felt that it wasn't her own mental strength but what having a purpose did to it: in essence, Kerrigan puts her problems aside out of absolute necessity.**

**The result of that, naturally, will be that she bottles things up until she can deal with them. It's only a matter of having the right catalysts; with Amon out of the way their frequency only will increase as people realize she isn't technically needed any more.**

* * *

**Cantina, _Hyperion_**

Sarah sighed and laid her head against the bar. She stared glumly at her half-eaten slice of cake and put the fork down on the plate. It was good, but she was too upset to eat. After everyone had sought her out to wish her a happy birthday, they'd largely stayed away.

Jim had gone off to socialize with the crew. Sarah wasn't mad at him for leaving her; in fact, she'd asked him to. The crew needed to be reminded he was their commander first, her lover second.

Still, it didn't make being the outcast of her own party any less painful. The crew's restraint on their thoughts had slipped as many of them had gotten drunk, and the number of background thoughts forced her to listen to the closest ones regardless of whether she wanted to or not. She'd tried talking to the crew, but even before the alcohol had taken effect many of them were only mildly interested. Their manners had only gotten worse as they drunk more.

Behind her, Stetmann pounded the Lost Viking machine as he lost his last life. Sarah decided to try and talk to him; two social outcasts could relate to each other, right?

Wrong. Stetmann saw her approach and quickly scuttled away. Sarah returned to her seat at the bar, more alone than ever.

"Can I get you something?" asked the bartender. Sarah ignored him until he made to move away.

"Get me a whiskey. Don't dilute it or anything."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You sure? You don't drink often."

"Just do it. Give me two."

He sighed and passed her the bottles and a glass. "Jim's going to have my hide for this."

Sarah ignored him and poured herself a glass. She stared at it before downing it in one gulp. Immediately she started to feel lightheaded and her vision blurred slightly, but it was worth it if it kept other people's thoughts out of her head. A wave of loneliness suddenly rushed over her and Sarah quickly took another drink, then another, trying to ignore the bitter emotions. She soon downed the first bottle and started on her second.

_"Nobody likes me. I try and try, but they still see me as a monster."_ Her eyes burned with tears and she quickly poured herself another drink, but her hands were shaking so much she dropped the bottle.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," catcalled a marine at a nearby table. His comrades laughed. Sarah shot them a warning look that only drew more laughter as they noticed the heat in her cheeks. The trio soon lost interest and Sarah returned to being immersed in her own thoughts.

_"Maybe they're right. Maybe being labelled a monster is more than I deserve. I can't protect anyone or anything I care about."_ The tears began to fall from her eyes and Sarah buried her head in her arms, not wanting to give anyone incentive to judge her.

_"That's all that people judge by in the end. Not my intentions, not my situation, only the outcome. People a century from now won't remember that I tried to help the sector, only that the Queen tried to raze it. Even Jim can't convince them all otherwise..."_ The inundation of alcohol to her system finally caught up with her and she blacked out. Her limp form slid off the barstool and fell to the floor.

A raucious bout of laughter erupted from a nearby table as the marines saw her fall. Swann, who had been returning from the bathroom at the moment, turned at the noise and, upon seeing Sarah lying spread-eagled on the floor, walked back to the officer's table and tapped Jim on the shoulder.

* * *

**(music - _Mega Man X4_: Dialogue)**

"Easy, darlin'. It's time for bed."

Sarah regained conciousness slowly and realized she was being carried.

"J...Jim?"

"Shh, I'm here, darlin'. Just rest."

As they passed the laboratory, Sarah felt herself yanked from his grasp. Maybe it was her fevered brain, but she thought she saw the Queen of Blades standing before her.

"Welcome back, my dear."

Sarah was too stunned to speak for a minute. "You...you're dead. Jim killed you."

The creature laughed. "Quite the contrary," she purred, "I never left you."

"Wh...what are you talking about?" Sarah asked.

"You know that answer already. Did you really think someone long ago built a tool just for you to leave the Swarm? You know Narud told you that the artifact didn't work properly because that wasn't it's function, my dear."

"G...Get out of here!" Sarah felt the alcohol-induced fog dissolving from her mind and stood to face the Queen. "You don't own me. I am my own mistress."

"I don't own you because I am you! We are one and the same!" The Queen suddenly lashed out before Sarah could react. But instead of slicing her in half, Sarah felt the Queen's lips on hers. Sarah tried to push the latter away, but it felt as though she were trying to pull something out of a vacuum cleaner.

The Queen of Blades laughed maniacally. "Enjoy your false peace of mind while it lasts! You might destroy the Swarm, but we will haunt you to the day you die!" She suddenly disappeared as though she had been pulled in and Sarah felt a tightening in her chest.

Sarah felt the fog return and slumped against the center console of the lab. Suddenly the door opened and Jim ran inside.

"Sarah! Are you..." his voice cut off as he caught sight of her. He backed away and drew his revolver. "You." His voice was laced with hatred.

Sarah tried to respond, but her body wouldn't obey. The Queen spoke for her. "That's right, Jimmy. I'm back." He immediately fired his weapon at hearing her echoing tones. The explosive shell destroyed the console.

"Move another muscle and I'll pump you full of lead. What did you do with Sarah?"

The Queen laughed. "When are you going to wake up, Jim? I am Sarah."

"Don't lie to me! What have you done with her?!"

Sarah caught sight of her reflection in the tank and noticed that she'd somehow become infested. Her eyes were still emerald, but she suddenly noticed their hue change to amber as the Queen completed her reassertion of control.

Desperate to reach out to him before she was trapped, she summoned her will and broke free for a moment. "Jim, you have to help me! Where's the artifact?" She was about to explain why when the Queen shut her up.

"You expect me to trust you, Queen Bitch of the Universe?! Let me remind you of what I promised the last time I agreed to that!" He raised his revolver.

"This is for DuGalle and thousands of retreating UED that you slaughtered for sport!" He shot her in the leg and the Queen fell to the floor.

He cycled the drum and fired again, shooting the kneecap on her other leg. "This is for the 8 billion people that died in your quest for the xel'naga artifact!"

"This is for Aladris, Razsagal, and Fenix!" With each name he shot her once in the chest. His revolver now empty, he dumped the spent cartridges and loaded a golden bullet from one of his pockets.

He stood over the Queen, aiming the revolver straight between her eyes. "And this is for all the pain you caused both me and Sarah these past four years!"

The weapon discharged its deadly payload once more. Sarah's jailor disappeared from her mind and she was in control once more.

"Jim..."

"Sarah?"

"I...I'm sorry. You'll have to lose me to save me."

He knelt down next to her and held her hand. Though it was doubtlessly paining greatly to do so, he nodded in understanding. "Rest now, darlin'."

She nodded with the last of her fading strength as her vision blurred.

* * *

**(music - _Mega Man X_: Cast Roll)**

Instead of fading to black like she thought it would, her vision suddenly focused and Sarah found herself on the floor of the bathroom in the cantina. Jim was in the exact same position he'd been in her dream.

"Had a couple, huh? When'd you learn to party like that?" he joked.

Sarah smiled but as she laughed her head throbbed painfully. Not helping was the fact that the jukebox was still playing at near-maximum volume, even though the door partially muted the sound.

"Ugh..." she groaned suddenly as her stomach heaved. Jim immediately realized what was happening and guided her to the toilet, gently holding her and occasionally kissing her cheek to remind her that he was there for her.

After a while, Sarah stumbled over to the sink to wash the taste of vomit from her mouth. Jim gently pulled her closer and she leaned on him as she washed her mouth out.

"Why'd you suddenly drink so much, darlin'?"

She let the question hang for a while before answering. "I...don't know. It just hurt so much I didn't care about anything but stopping it."

"So you do this regularly?"

"No. I thought I could take it, that I could resist trying to run from it...I couldn't. I'm not strong, Jim."

"You are. Nobody else has come even close to what you've experienced, and even then it's driven many to insanity."

"But I'm still not strong enough."

"You can't take everything alone. I know it's uncomfortable for you to trust someone else, but people are made to go through life together, and it's hard enough that way. Going alone will only make things worse."

"But who can I go with? Nobody else on this ship trusts me enough to even hold a conversation that isn't about warfare!"

"You have me, Sarah." He pulled her into his arms. "You always did, even when the Queen held you captive."

"What's that going to mean if the rest of the galaxy hates us?" she whispered depressedly. "I thought we could deal with it, but every time someone thinks something about me or us I hear it whether I want to or not." Her eyes welled up again. "...I never knew they could hurt so much..."

Jim silenced her before she could continue, keeping one arm around her and the other petting her head as she cried into him.

"If you knew it would be this much trouble, would you still have loved me?" Sarah looked up at him in confusion, unsure of how to answer for a moment.

"I...I would've still loved you, Jim. But I don't know about whether I'd want this relationship thing. I want it, but you don't deserve to go through this for my sake, Jim."

"I promised I'd never leave you when I set out to collect those artifact pieces, darlin'. And I'm a man of my word." He kissed her lovingly. "Besides, all of this has only brought us closer."

Sarah nodded. It was true; she couldn't speak for Jim, but she knew that with every misfortune her love for Jim had only grown. She hadn't been sure before Tarsonis, but after four years of separation they'd gotten together almost on sight. When the Dominion had captured Jim, she'd gone after Mengsk and stayed human for him. She had infested herself and set out to stop Amon with the very real possiblity of her death for him. After the xel'naga was dead, she set out to disband the Swarm so they could live their lives out in peace.

"It...just pains me to see you go through this voluntarily and know that I'm the source of it. Especially when I can't do anything about it."

Jim could tell that she didn't want to talk about this matter any more and switched topics. "I'm sorry tonight didn't turn out like we hoped it would, darlin'." He rocked her gently to calm her. "But remember you still have your plan to carry out. You're making good progress with convincing the Protoss; you went from having nobody in the Hierarchy on your side a few months ago to having the majority, and they're convinced enough to defy the official resolution." He paused for a moment. "You are who you choose to be, Sarah. If you want to be the person who destroys the Swarm, then you _will_. I believe you can." He tightened his grip around her and tenderly nipped her ear. "I wouldn't trust anyone else."

Sarah felt her knees grow weak as she felt his love. Her legs gave out and she would have fallen to the floor if Jim hadn't scooper her up in his arms.

"You're welcome," he smiled as he kissed her and felt her lips form one too. Jim felt a burst of emotion within himself and realized Sarah must have been using telepathy to impart her feelings on him. Normally he would have objected at having to communicate this way with her, but he knew her feelings were too complicated to describe and so he didn't mind. "Let's go to bed."

Sarah gratefully wrapped her arms around his neck and soon fell asleep.

* * *

**Central Hive, Char (music - _Mega Man X4_: Magma Dragoon stage)**

With the assistance of several intrepid Dominion scientists and Ariel's cure, the Swarm had finished de-infesting the first "shipment." Many of them had to be subdued; as Sarah had feared their mental stability upon emerging from their infested body was near-nonexistent. Some had managed to recover over the few days that they had been waiting, but others had gone mad during that time and committed suicide. In all, about 50% of the original batch of newly recovered humans had done so. To Zagara, it didn't matter; all she wanted was to have the process done. After the infested were gone, she could make her move. She would keep to Kerrigan's oath of not infesting humans, but in reality the broodmother had no intention of breaking the hive mind.

"Have the Dominion arrived, Izsha? The prince informed us they would be here by the previous rotation!"

"Negative, Zagara."

The broodmother growled impatiently. "And our Queen decides to trust them!"

"Kerrigan has her reasons, Zagara. Remember that we still don't know everything about them just as they do not know everything about us."

"Easy for you to say! You were once a Terran yourself, Stukov!"

"I am just reminding you that they were to exchange additional resources for the de-infested, Zagara. Their may be a reason they are delayed; remember that Terrazine is hardly found anywhere besides Bel'shir."

"Stukov of all of us should speak least of patience," remarked Izsha in a rare moment of opinion.

Zagara ignored the rebuke. "What of Kilysa? Has she broken away as she threatened?"

"Her Leviathans have left the remainder of our fleet, which is still holding in orbit at your request. Broodmother Niadra has volunteered to pursue her."

"Rash, that one. She is too confident of her abilities. Being created by the Queen herself does not impart immortality. She has her own weaknesses and oversights."

"Niadra has proven to have tactical thinking surpassing your own, Zagara. Kerrigan created her with the intention of being her successor. And remember her first lesson: nothing comes without a price. Kerrigan may think on a higher level than you, but with that power comes emotional complications."

"Such is only the nature of Terrans," growled Dehaka. "The Primal Zerg possess the same ability without these complications you speak of."

"And yet Kerrigan defeated you and your pack despite being outnumbered and attacked by two other packs at the same time. Primal Zerg may possess independent thought, but it lacks the complexity of Terran thought or is simply not used. Otherwise she would not have been able to outwit you."

Suddenly the communicator sprung to life.

"Praetor Nahaan." Stukov addressed the figure.

"Alexi Stukov. It has been...a long time. However, my business today concerns Broodmother Zagara."

Zagara stepped forward as the other occupants of the war room dispersed. "You address me, Praetor?" The Zerg had quickly learned, through Sarah's dealings, to be acquisient to the Protoss when dealing politics with them.

"If my sources are correct, the Dominion has not yet collected adequate resources for the personnel exchange, no?" Off Zagara's confirmation, Nahaan continued. "As with last time, the Hyperion will be in the Char system to oversee each effort."

"And what do you wish me to do?"

"James Raynor and your Queen will be landing on the surface. I want you to capture him on their last...visit. I will have warriors on hand to apprehend Kerrigan, on the condition that you do not harm them."

"And why should I cooperate? Our duty is to our Queen!"

"She has only led you to believe that, and she seeks your destruction. You are a creature of free will, Zagara. Will you willingly watch the Swarm and yourself destroyed?"

"Destroyed? She does not seek this. We are not to perish in the process."

"And how would you know she speaks the truth? You cannot confirm it because she can easily resist you, and she needs your cooperation to make her scheme happen. You as a leader should be willing to protect your subjects, especially if they are being manipulated. You should be familiar with the Brood War, Zagara. Kerrigan kept her intentions from the remainder of the sector, even her own Swarm, until she was in a position to take power."

Zagara growled. "That has nothing to do with this, Praetor. Your kind are no more trustworthy than we are."

"But it does. You cannot be assured of the honesty of her intentions based on her past deeds, and her power and mostly-human state ensures you can't use the hive mind to discern the truth. Think on this, Zagara! She is completely human now, more so than she has ever been these last four years! Would she leave the Zerg around in any form if it meant that someone could rally them and disturb her again?"

"It makes no difference what her intentions are, Praetor! I will not cooperate!"

"Oh, but you will. You see, with Kerrigan gone, you'll have the opportunity to take what you always wanted for good. You have been naught but a pawn to Kerrigan these years; now you will be in charge, as you aspired to when she was de-infested the first time."

"And I will not. I am satisfied in my position," Zagara grumbled after a brief pause.

"You say it, but you don't believe it. You always wanted the Swarm for yourself, or at least a portion, no? Kerrigan gave you autonomy within her will, but you always wanted to be that will. She made you stronger, but only for her purposes."

At seeing Zagara hesitate again, Nahaan pressed forward. "Yes, indeed. Your power is strong among individuals, but infinitesimally small compared to that of the Swarm. The Zerg's purpose is to grow stronger. Kerrigan has banned you from evolving the Swarm as it will be gone soon. That will change under you. You can gain as much power as you can collect, as can _your_ Swarm. All you have to do is allow me to dispatch a contingent of warriors to subdue Kerrigan."

"And take James Raynor from her. That will be difficult."

"My warriors will take Kerrigan by surprise. She will not have a chance to alert him before she is gone, whether they are together or not. Even if he suspects something, we have a countermeasure in place. Once Kerrigan is gone, you are free to take Raynor prisoner. It is imperative that he be spared, but do not allow him to return to his ship, lest he set out to rescue her."

"And what assurance can you offer me that we will not be thwarted?"

"The Protoss Protectorate is bound to the Hierarchy's will, and that currently is to execute Kerrigan. The Terran Dominion takes no interest in this affair beyond recieving infested, and should Raynor's Raiders set out to rescue their leader, our combined might will crush them utterly."

"And if I refuse? What assures me of the honesty of _your_ intentions?"

"Then you'll always be a princess, never the Queen." Zagara roared in anger and swiped her talons through the image. Nahaan realized he'd pushed more than enough. "The choice, of course, is yours, Broodmother. I hate the Zerg, but in particular, Kerrigan. I am willing to put aside my differences with the remainder of your kind to see her dead."

Zagara calmed herself and nodded. "Very well, Praetor. I shall play along, but do not think for a moment that I will not suspect you or follow you beyond what I have promised now. Your kind are fractious: it is not my responsibility to cover your scheme."

"You will not need to, broodmother. There are many who dissent with my opinion, but they cannot defy the Hierarchy so long as that body remains behind me. There are not many who will risk execution or exile on account of aiding our mortal enemy."

"Inform me when your warriors will arrive."

"You will not be disappointed in your decision, Zagara." With that, Nahaan cut the transmission. Zagara summoned the other members of the war room back.

"What did Nahaan want?" asked Stukov.

"Mere Protoss political harassment. Nothing more," Zagara lied. She already knew Stukov would be a problem if he found out.

Suddenly they all felt a weak tugging in their minds. Zagara thought she recognized the presence as the Queen's, but her reach was not so small or weak. One thing was clear: it was the same signature but no longer that of the Queen she owed allegience to. That being had died when the xel'naga artifact hit her for a second time. The broodmother pushed the presence from her mind. Nahaan was right: it was time for the Swarm to have a new leader.

* * *

_**Hyperion **_**(music - _Mega Man_ X4:**** Iris)**

"I can't, Jim," Sarah sighed as Zagara pushed her out. "It's just as I feared. My psionics aren't any less powerful than they were before, but I can't communicate so easily with the hive mind any more. The removal of the nerve chords was the biggest problem, but using the cure two more times probably exacerbated it."

"Zagara knows better than to judge you by your appearance, Sarah. And she's loyal to you."

"But I'm losing my ability to control the Swarm!" Sarah began to panic. "What if she decides not to listen and kill us all off? Then I can't stop her!"

"Easy now, darlin'. The Zerg aren't politicians."

"Broodmothers still retain free will! It'll be the Brood War all over again! I know some of them don't approve of Zagara, and without access to the hive mind I can't read their minds to ensure that they aren't keeping things from me!"

"We'll deal with it together, Sarah. Like everything else."

"But..." Sarah was cut off as Jim kissed her. He felt her relax slightly as their lips met and she kissed him back. He stared into her eyes and tried to convey calming thoughts to her.

"Don't go fretting about things that you can't control. We'll make ends meet. We both want to be with each other, so we will."

Despite how much Sarah wanted to believe it, she couldn't. She had lost the one thing she had control over. It didn't matter that it was the Swarm; Zagara was loyal to her. But it scared her to no longer be in control.

"C'mon, listen to me, Sarah. Everything'll be alright. I know it."

She gently untangled herself from his embrace and eyed him. "I wish it would be. Jim, I need to be alone for a bit."

He nodded and let go of her, but not before giving her a quick peck on the lips. She smiled in response and left the room.

* * *

The crew of the _Hyperion_ were rather apologetic towards Sarah, making her walk through the ship surprisingly pleasant. She knew they were sincere in their apologies, even if they subconciously hated her.

She paused next to a large window as the ship dropped out of warp space to cool its FTL engines, smiling at the beauty of the star system they had jumped into.

Suddenly a metal hand clamped down roughly on her shoulder. Sarah recognized the marines from the previous night.

"Hey there, baby. You're looking good."

She didn't need to read the marines' minds to know they were drunk and that provoking three men in power armor was dangerous, but part of her was tired of caring about the crew's desires.

"Sorry, you picked the wrong person to screw."

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," the marine snarled nastily. His friends edged closer, leering suggestively. "Your choice."

"I got a better idea. Why don't you go screw each other instead. Better yet, go fuck yourself."

"Okay then...I guess you want it rough!" The marine tried to tackle her, but Sarah dropped and rolled aside before he could.

_"Men are such pigs..." _Another charged at her with a syringe, spreading his arms to block her from rolling beneath him, but Sarah cloaked and began running in the opposite direction. She squeezed between another goon and the wall just before the former got the idea to spread his arms to prevent that. Once she'd gotten what she judged was a safe distance down the corridor, she ducked behind a doorway and opened a hatch on the far side of the hallway telepathically. She could have easily taken all of them, but between her and three dead marines, the crew would more likely believe the latter.

The marines had finally realized she wasn't in the vicinity any more. "Hey, where'd she go?"

One of them saw the door closing. "Must've gone this way!"

"Ah, fuck that! I ain't chasing her through Swann's armory! C'mon, let's get rid of this stuff and out of these suits before someone asks."

**(music - _Mega Man X4: _Dialogue)**

Sarah cursed her luck as the marines began to head her way and continued to run down the hallway. Of all of the advances made in cloaking tech since it was pioneered, however, eliminating the shimmer caused by a cloaked object moving was not one of them. One of the marines spotted her and fired a stunner. Sarah realized too late what it was to avoid it, and the energy web shorted out her cloaking device. Without cloaking to hide her she was an easy target for a second shot that paralyzed her enough for the marines to seize her and drag her towards their chosen spot.

"No!" Sarah protested, but even her psionically-augmented strength couldn't wrest her from her captors. Her hands weakly clawed the floor and walls searching for a handhold, but there was none. She managed to utter one more call for help before the marine with the syringe jabbed it into her arm and the strength drained out of her.

The marines soon dragged her into a vacant room where a cot had been set up. Sarah was roughly tossed beside it while the three exited their power armors and began reaching for paraphernalia unrecognizable to her blurry eyesight.

The leader grabbed a spike-studded bat and a cleaver, while the larger goon grabbed a crude bludgeon fashioned from a sharpened gear and a rod. "I'm gonna have a little fun before I get to it." One of his compatriots shook his heads and made for the door. "Hate the sight of blood, Frankie?"

"Nah, just hate the sight of her. Besides, someone's gotta keep watch." He turned away in slight disgust as his pals advanced upon Sarah, who was watching them with wide eyes. All three of them had great reason to hate her: they had been Moebius marines before joining the Raiders following the overrunning of the Foundation's headquarters on Tyrador VII. Their entire company, Goliaths and all, had been ambushed by none other than the Queen herself, and all but the three of them subject to her abuses. They and the others had been forced to watch as Infestors randomly picked eight of them to infest before eight more of them were forced to fight them for the Queen's sport. Some were slowly and excruciatingly executed by means ranging from torture at the Queen's hands to drowning them in spawning pools. Though the Queen ultimately paid far more than letting the artifact locations escape her, the trio had been imbued with a burning hatred from that day on. A group of dropships had found the survivors soon after the Queen grew bored and continued her search.

The marines paused for a moment, delighting in the complete reversal of their roles since the last time they had met her. The one with the cleaver leaned down and received a punch under the chin as he tried to engage the quick release.

The punch wasn't painful - Sarah still didn't have the strength to even stand - but the marine immediately drove the knife down, barely missing her neck and leaving a long slash on her face as she feebly dodged the blow.

"I show you what it fucking feels like!" he snarled as he swung the cleaver again and again. After the second swing the other marine slammed his weapon across the back of her head and both of them began beating her viciously. While she was stunned the pair succeeded in stripping off her hostile environment suit and resumed their vicious assault. The third marine exited the room and slumped against the corridor wall as if faking sleep, seemingly oblivious to the cries of pain issuing from within.

"No, no, please!" Sarah gasped in between cries of pain as the duo continued to slash her with their weapons. Her regeneration could heal such wounds in time, but it couldn't keep up such a high rate of healing for long; her energy reserves were still very finite. Even though she could channel her psionics to feed it unlike most Zerg, she couldn't control her regeneration rate and it didn't make every slice and blow hurt any less.

The vicious butchering suddenly stopped as the marines heard a scuffle outside. The door was knocked down and Sarah could see Jim standing with a group of marines behind him.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Jim demanded and drew his revolver.

"Just a private matter, sir," the larger one said, moving to block Sarah from Jim's view.

The commander's eyes narrowed. "Don't play a professional for a fool, son." The former responded by throwing his weapon at him. It gouged deep into Jim's power armor, but did not penetrate. The other marines raised their rifles, but Jim pushed them down.

A scream from inside the room caught everyone's attention and Jim took a step back as he saw Sarah stand, covered in blood and looking like a reanimated corpse, but with eyes blazing.

"You can do what you want to me, but I won't let you harm Jim!" She seized both of her assailants and the cleaver with her mind.

Jim quickly recovered. "Sarah, no!"

She turned at the sound of his voice and obediently released her hold. The psionic glow of her eyes quickly faded and was soon replaced by tears as she sank back to the floor, exhausted.

"Sarah! Sarah, are you okay?" Jim quickly knelt next to her and cradled her naked body in his arms. A single tear fell from her eyes onto his armor. "It's okay. I gotcha. You're safe now."

Sarah was unable to respond, but she lifted her gaze to meet Jim's and gave him a brief smile of thanks before she passed out.

* * *

**Author's Note: A couple of _Mafia II_ references here and there as a prelude to another story I'm working on...keep an eye out for that one in the coming months.**

**EDIT: So I made a small wording error that will have major repercussions later. That has been fixed.**

**I've been thinking over this chapter and decided to re-write the last scene. I simply couldn't find adequate justification for the original, and I wasn't happy with how it turned out.**


	11. Political Play

**Author's Note: Sorry about taking so long after I promised the chapters would come sooner. Sailing season's coming to an end, and that means the top races are all at this time.**

* * *

**Fountain of Light, Antioch, Aiur (music - ****_Mega Man X4:_**** Frost Walrus Stage II)**

Mohandar observed the mesmirizing displays of the fountain as he pondered how to make the most of his decision. A prized accomplishment of Protoss design, the fountain not only spouted water but was also capable of bending light to create various optical spectacles and illusions. Often they would commemorate celebrated or tragic events in Protoss history. Today, the scene being displayed was, at Nahaan's request nonetheless, the death of Fenix at the hands of the Queen of Blades.

The tribes had been unnervingly eager to accept the official resolution, and the Ara tribe and its Praetor were playing that advantage to the hilt. There had been subtle warnings that a coup may be in progress (a threat the Hierarchy members were aware of), but very little had been done explicitly.

Since the Hierarchy's last meeting, Sarah and the Zerg had delivered on her promise: the first group of infested had been cured and taken back to the Dominion. The number that returned to Terran society was disappointingly low, but all parties involved had expected such an outcome. That had not, however, changed Nahaan's mind, and with another member of the Hierarchy on his side, Artanis had avoided calling further meetings until Urun could be convinced to side with Tabrenus's more moderate opinion.

That was, according to the Artanis, proceeding. Mohandar knew enough about the Hierarch to understand that it meant Urun was uncooperative. In the meantime, the Praetor had been assigning an Observer to keep tabs on Nahaan but never let the drone invade the former's residence. Though Nahaan was often out rallying popular support for his cause, there had been periods when he had lingered in his residence, a move most unlike one who was so comfortable in the public eye.

Regardless, invading another Protoss's residence was a serious offense, and Artanis had refused to cross that line, even after Tabrenus confirmed that his templar had been influenced externally. While Mohandar knew caution was necessary, clearly Nahaan did not believe so; as long as they proceeded slower than him they would never find out what he was up to, and his irritation at the Hierarchy was only growing as a result.

The fountain changed visual displays as the scene finished with Jim's vow and switched to the murder of Aladris. Mohandar sighed inwardly. The more this kept up, the less the Protoss would remember the sacrifices Kerrigan had made for their kind.

The Prelate had few reasons to trust Kerrigan, but he agreed with many that the sector had seen enough bloodshed already. She was to be one of the major sources of it now that the threat from beyond was gone, so the only way to halt it was therefore for her to disappear from the greater picture. To Nahaan, that meant execution, but many of the Protoss, Mohandar especially, had come to see a different side to her and question whether she deserved that fate after everything. Like many of them, Mohandar had never personally experienced anything that remotely paralleled Kerrigan's torment of four years; the difference was that he had seen into her mind (at her request, but nonetheless with the same outcome) when she'd rescued him.

Snatching only glimpses of Sarah's experiences - trapped as a passenger in her own body, tormented by the guilt of watching her captor slaughter billions in her name, endlessly trying to find the smallest escape from the psychic hell that her mind had become - had been enough to stun the Prelate. He hadn't dared probe further for fear of what the memories might do to him, but the experience had told him all he needed to know. Only by some miraculous, indefatigable quality had Kerrigan even managed to retain her sanity; as time wore on following Char and Mohandar got to know her better, he came to understand that the miracle was Raynor.

Though not on the most intimate of terms with him, Mohandar had seen how deeply losing Kerrigan had wounded him. Though he never publicly admitted it (to say so even now would be heresy), he had seen a number of parallels between that loss and the effects that the death of Raszagal had on not only the Dark Templar but all of the Protoss.

But while the newly-born Protoss Protectorate had lost their beloved leader for good, Raynor had seen _his_ beloved mutated into a horrific, psychopathic monster. That monster had also killed many of his friends, but he couldn't bring himself to stop loving the person trapped inside. Losing someone dear was a one-time wound that could heal, or at least mend, over time, but seeing them corrupted and alive allowed for dozens to be inflicted, and each new scar opened up the closing ones anew. Mohandar didn't need to read minds to understand that much.

When addressed that way, there was very little question in the minds of the Protectorate. Raynor was a hero to their kind and should not have to suffer for his service. The problem was convincing the remainder of the Protectorate that the issue was indeed more about Raynor peace than letting Kerrigan go.

A small civilian drone attending to the Prelate suddenly chirped as a hologram of Artanis appeared.

"Mohandar, I have called an invitational meeting of the Hierarchy. We must discuss our findings immediately. The Zerg's plan is well under way; we must act quickly if we are to stop Nahaan from implementing any possible interference."

* * *

**Admiral's Quarters, _Hyperion_ (music - _Mega Man X5_: Zero's Death)**

Jim sighed with relief as he watched Sarah lay on the bed. He'd feared that what happened might destabilize the fragile mental equilibrium she'd reached, but so far she had managed to stay together. True, she had suffered things much worse than a beating, but that didn't mean the experience couldn't traumatize her. Jim had no doubt she could put it behind her, but as she would need time to do so, he'd encouraged her to pass it by sleeping.

He gently played with her hair and ran a finger down her cheek. She stirred and moved closer to him. He let up on his touching, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

"I wasn't asleep." Sarah pushed herself up on one elbow, pulling her other arm around Jim.

"Are you sure you don't want to?"

"I couldn't if I tried. There's too many other things to worry about to even think about what just happened."

"But you still can't go exerting yourself like that. Please, for me." Jim took her hand. "I can get some sleep meds from the doc if you need them."

Sarah lowered herself back down and sighed. "I don't _want_ to sleep. What if someone tries something then? I don't want you to lose me now after everything."

"Nobody's going to harm you. I'll make sure of it," he reassured her. "It's not like you're dying." The minute the words left his mouth he regretted saying them, but Sarah squeezed his hand to show it was okay. Maintaining conversation wasn't easy when simple rhetoric was capable of upsetting her. Jim let the silence hang for another moment before reluctantly finishing his thought. "We'll see each other again, just in a few hours."

"Stay with me," she begged. Once Jim had settled next to her, she curled up around him and pulled the blanket over them both. Jim exhaled a small sigh of exasperation but took his girl into his arms, tenderly embracing her and continuing to play with her hair. The tension in her expression slowly dissolved and her breathing became soft and regular after a while, and Jim gently untangled himself as he felt her settle into sleep. He walked over to the window and stared out at the blue lines of stars streaking past as the _Hyperion_ transited warp space towards Char.

It hadn't shown to his relief, but he felt terrible over what happened. It was common sense that the crew hated Sarah, and yet he'd let her roam the hallways of the ship alone. Without the threat of Amon hanging over them all, it was too much to expect that she would go unharmed. Topping it off was the fact that many of his men were well-versed in fighting Ghosts, courtesy of Arcturus's occasional assassination attempts and their various raids on Dominion institutions.

And yet he hadn't factored any of that into his decision to let her walk alone. He was always there to help close wounds, but never there to prevent them. He'd been separated from her for four years after Tarsonis, again after Umoja, after Arcturus' death, dozens of times during the Hybrid war, and now. Every time he was taken from her was accompanied by a circumstance in which she needed him the most. He thought he'd given his best to protect her, and in reality it did close to naught to change fate.

_"Was it so?"_ he asked himself. They both believed that the trials on their relationship had only brought them closer together. But how much sooner could they have been together if none of this had happened? And even if it was so, that didn't change the fact he'd failed her.

He looked back at her sleeping figure. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "For all those times I wasn't there." He took a small box out of his pocket. Did he have a right to do this if he couldn't protect her afterwards? _Was_ it just less painful for them both to separate and move on? Could either of them do it if that was the right thing to do?

Jim unclipped his holstered revolver and set it and the box on the desk in the room. The two sides of him indeed. The warrior and lover. Was there room for both in his life? Did he have any business being both if he couldn't fulfill the duties required of him? He always believed he would be who he wanted to because he chose to be that person, but did he want to be that person anymore now that the costs had added up? He'd given up everything to have Sarah: his personal security, his best friend (alongside countless other comrades), and the quiet life he dreamed of.

Sarah could not hope to live a normal life; there were simply too many people who hated her to avoid them all. The best she could hope for was to be spared the executioner and endure a lifetime of implicit hatred, barring her telepathic abilities. As a telepath...she'd already told him that hateful thoughts stood out to her the most because of their intensity. He couldn't begin to imagine how bad it was for her, assaulted by an endless stream of verbal bile without a way to stem it. As the one closest to her, Jim knew that people trod upon his image too when they were reminded of their relationship.

Their relationship...it was the only reason she still had the will to live, and that was paramount to all. When she walked into his cell aboard the _Moros_, he could never imagine himself leaving her. But now he was having doubts about it. By all logical sense, it was a worse punishment to leave her alive and in the midst of people who loathed her than to simply end her life and suffering. So why did he chose to let her live if he truly cared about her?

Jim couldn't answer that question. Not the first time, and not now. But he did know that people could change. The Protoss had almost done a reversal on their perceptions of her, and they were far more stubborn as a race than the Terrans Sarah would spend her remaining days among. There was, however, the fact that humanity's hatred of her was much more deeply rooted, thanks to Arcturus and the fact they had bore the brunt of her Swarm.

He decided it didn't matter; he had made the decision to retire from battle someday the moment he'd met Sarah. His course was set out, and there was no turning back, only whether he would make the most of his decisions or not. And whether he would help her do the same. All of the external factors were nothing more than that. This issue was only about him and her, and on that subject there was no doubt in Jim's mind.

He opened the box. Though it resembled a standard metal storage container, the inside was quite different. Jim couldn't remember when exactly he had bought the box and its contents, or how it had stayed with him for the past five years. He only remembered that he'd bought it with the intent on using it for one person and one person only. Liddy. Though for a different person than the woman he was with now, it was a reminder to him. That some things were worth everything.

Jim smiled sadly as he looked at the photo of him and his former wife taped to the lid of the box. He gently closed it after a while and placed it back in the room's small closet. Though he'd privately blamed her more than himself for Johnny's death at the time (now it was the exact opposite), he had stuck with her to the end and beyond. It was because of his grief at losing Liddy and Johnny that he had first turned to alcohol, and even now he carried a torch in his heart bearing her name.

He'd never thought he'd be able to love again after that. Then Sarah had entered his life and everything changed.

She wasn't a replacement for Liddy. But he loved her nonetheless, and as much if not more than Liddy; Jim kept the box as a reminder of the kind of person he was rather than the pains of his past. He stood and placed the box in the closet.

He looked over at Sarah and noticed she was smiling in her sleep. Happy that she wasn't having a nightmare for once, Jim headed towards mess hall to get some food for them, setting the door's security lock as he left.

Sarah opened her eyes as she heard the door's lock engage. She sat up and absentmindedly played with a lock of her hair as she contemplated what she'd just heard. For whatever reason, it peeved her slightly to not be Jim's first love. She didn't know if she could call it jealousy, but it nettled her occasionally. Of course, his heart was big enough for more than one and that was plain to see; she didn't need to worry about Jim leaving her. At the moment, he was about as far-removed from that prospect as possible.

It pained her to see Jim blaming himself again. Even though it _was_ exactly like him to do so. Some things just didn't change no matter how hard they tried or how much they wanted. The mauling she'd received was only further proof: Sarah could put what she'd done behind her, but the rest of the sector likely would not.

She sat up and immediately a feeling of lightheadedness overcame her and the pain from her more severe injuries spiked. With her body on the verge of mental and physical exhaustion, her regeneration had stopped. Nonetheless, Sarah slid out of bed and stumbled over to the desk, clumsily rummaging for the vidsnap of Jim she was looking for. She found it exactly where she'd left it a few weeks ago.

Jim...the one person who genuinely believed in her through the darkest times in their relationship. She, or at least some manifestation of her, tried to kill him at least three times and taken everything else he held dear. All for a woman he knew next to nothing of besides that she could kill.

_"Why couldn't things have worked out sooner...all it took was one decision..." _As much as she wanted to undo the last four years though, Sarah knew that it was for the better of everyone that things turned out the way they had. For all she could predict, Mengsk would still be alive, the Overmind would have successfully conquered Aiur and the Protoss, and Amon would have taken control of the Swarm.

It also would have spared the lives of billions only to see them slaughtered later.

A hand gently latched onto her shoulder. Despite her exhausted state, Sarah nearly jumped out of her suit. It was too soon after the last time she'd been approached that way...

"Jim! Don't scare me like that!" she scolded as her heart rate returned to normal. He replied with a smile and a kiss that Sarah gladly returned. Suddenly she found herself in his arms as Jim literally swept her off her feet before walking over to their bed.

"Now be a good girl and sleep, or I'll do it again," he teased as he set her down.

"Then I'll stay awake..." Sarah yawned. Jim leaned over and triggered the quick release on her suit. Sarah covered herself as the suit unraveled with a teasing smile but let Jim give her a hug before the latter's communicator beeped.

"I'm sorry, darlin'. But duty calls." He kissed her again and began to walk out. Sarah laid her head back and sighed contently. What was it to her that everyone else couldn't put her past behind them if there was someone to heal the wounds? It wouldn't be pleasant, but she would be happy, or at least happier than spending the remainder of her life trying to convince the rest of the sector that she was genuinely sorry for what she'd done. Well, she was, but people had had five years to formulate opinions on her already.

She closed her eyes and was asleep in seconds.

* * *

**Central Hive, Char, two weeks later (music - _Mega Man X4_: Magma Dragoon Stage)**

"Welcome, James Raynor. I see you have brought with you our queen." Zagara lowered her head and bowed in a sign of acquiescence to the duo and their escorts.

"Hello, Zagara. Do you have the final group of cured infested prepared?"

The broodmother nodded. "This way."

As the group entered the structure, Zagara led them down several passages before arriving in a cavern where the former infested now resided. Before they entered, Sarah put on a Ghost helmet. She hated wearing the thing and she had to cut her hair to wear it, but she couldn't risk starting a riot if she was recognized.

A Dominion scientist ran up to Raynor. "Commander Raynor, it is an honor to meet you personally. I am Doctor Zeng."

The two shook hands and exchanged some brief words about the state of the former infested.

"They've been more complacent than the last group," Zeng concluded. He suddenly turned his attention to Sarah. "Who is this?"

Sarah blushed under the visor, more ashamed than embarrassed at having to hide her identity. Thankfully, Jim stepped in.

"Just a Ghost I recruited from Umoja. She's not very talkative, though."

Sarah noticed the doctor's eyes run over her figure briefly. She was about to remind him of Ghost telepathy but she let it pass as she sensed nothing but idle curiosity in his intent.

Behind the trio, the Raiders marines had returned from escorting the first group outside. The remaining refugees crowded around them, clamoring to be led out next. Raynor sighed and left to help them maintain order, and Zeng followed suit. Sarah made to follow them. As she neared the group several members turned to look at her; she realized too late that they were former Ghosts.

"You! You're the fucking Queen of Blades!"

The refugees stopped and all turned to look at Sarah, who stood rooted to the spot. She took a moment to steady her nerves before replying. "Yes, I was."

The curious looks turned to ones of anger and hatred. Jim broke the tense silence.

"Fellas, let's remember she's the one who saved you too." There was an outbreak of murmuring at his words, but they had the desired effect nonetheless as the refugees turned their attention to their opinions rather than to Sarah.

"Right then..." he spoke after a while. "Let's continue getting a move on, shall we?"

Zagara tapped Sarah on the shoulder with a claw as Jim began sorting out the refugees into groups. "My Queen, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Can't you just tell me here, Zagara? We're still linked by the hive mind."

"It involves something I must show you. I do not think the current situation is pleasant for you either."

"Very well." Sarah briefly debated whether to tell Jim, but decided against it; she'd be back soon enough. She pried her helmet off and followed the broodmother.

Zagara led her through the winding passages of the hive for several minutes before they came to a chamber with a Protoss warp gate.

"What is that doing here? What have you been up to?" Sarah asked.

"I could ask you the same," Zagara growled.

Suddenly Zealots, backed by Dragoons and High Templars, emerged from a corner of the chamber behind the two as the warp gate sprung to life.

"You're coming with us, Kerrigan."

Sarah gripped her helmet a little tighter. Not again. "And what if I don't want to?"

"These Dragoons say you do."

She looked behind her and saw Zagara was gone and the entrance to the chamber had closed. She cursed herself for not bringing anything more than a pistol. _"Dammit, it's Tarsonis all over again..."_

The warriors formed a semicircle around Sarah, backing her against the warp gate. "Don't worry," the Templar continued, "it won't kill you."

Another Templar, hidden behind the warp gate he had activated, suddenly emerged and pushed her in. The other Protoss followed suit.

A few minutes later, another Protoss force exited the warp gate.

* * *

Jim frantically searched among the groups of refugees for Sarah. He'd returned moments ago only to find her missing, and he couldn't sense her through their psychic link.

Some of the refugees had seen her walk off with a Zerg, but they couldn't describe it. Despite the hint, Jim still didn't know where in the massive hive Zagara could've disappeared to.

He finally spotted Zagara a few minutes later, re-entering the refugee cavern.

"Zagara, where's Sarah?"

"You will not like the answer to that question."

"Where...is...she?" he repeated emphatically.

A zergling from behind Zagara emerged and dropped Sarah's helmet at Jim's feet. It was slashed open and there was blood on it, along with a single red hair. "I'm sorry, Raynor. I was too late."

Jim knelt down to pick it up, in shock. Zerg couldn't lie, but who else could have done this?

Above him, Zagara raised her talons, readying herself to strike. A few more zerglings appeared around her.

**(music - _Mega Man X4:_ Boss Battle)**

"Sir! Look out!" One of the Raiders grabbed the massive HEV rifle Jim had left near the entrance and fired a snap shot at Zagara. The heavy slug tore off her left talons, buying enough time for Jim to grab the helmet and escape her striking range. The zerglings immediately began chasing him, but another marine tossed a grenade that shredded the voracious creatures into mincemeat.

The remaining refugees fled the room in panic, with one marine pursuing them to give them directions out of the hive.

Zagara roared in anger as her talons regenerated. The marines scattered as she cast a small psionic storm where they had been seconds before, concentrating their fire on a group of hydralisks that had emerged from a side chamber.

* * *

"Gunfire?" mused a hologram of Nahaan as the warriors scurried about the warp gate chamber. "Unexpected, but it will make our job easier." Behind him, dozens of small, star-shaped drones emerged from the warp gate and began speeding off in various directions. Though he had the Khala to communicate, he could not see the events unfold without invading the minds of his warriors, hence his use of a holocommunication drone.

Designed to improve upon the prototype Terran Shredder Mine, the Necromancer drones were capable of producing and dispensing necrotic compounds at a very high rate. The compounds took the form of a near-transparent green gas, and could kill a zergling in five seconds, though its effect was diminished on larger Zerg. To counter this, the Ara had attached terrazine canisters to the drones. As the gas disrupted links with the hive mind, it would throw the Zerg into further confusion and minimize the chance of ferals incidentally destroying the drones. The terrazine was injected in very small doses into the Necromancer's standard payload.

"In position," a Templar reported. The drone projecting the hologram turned so Nahaan was facing the speaker.

"Good. And now to cripple the Swarm."

* * *

"Sir, you need to get out of there _now_!" Matt's voice came over Jim's radio as the Raiders scrambled to escape the hive.

"You're telling me!"

"That's not what I meant. We're detecting toxic gasses permeating the hive!"

"How long have we got?"

"Five minutes at most. The gasses have extreme necrotic potential; your suit filters can help, but they won't hold off the effects forever."

"Well..." Jim mused at seeing a zergling stop mid-charge and began writhing on the ground. "...At least we won't have the Zerg to worry about. Let's get out of here."

A roar issued from ahead and an Ultralisk charged out of nowhere, but the beast's coordination was distorted from the toxins slowly destroying its brain, and it crashed into the hive wall. A crazed hydralisk immediately began peppering it with spines.

They were almost to the entrance when one of the marines suddenly took a needle spine to the back. Jim put the hydralisk down with his rifle, but dozen of Zerg emerged from the side passages, an infuriated Zagara at their head.

"Was that your last card, James Raynor? It will not save you."

A squad of Reapers came to their aid, throwing G4 clusterbombs into the hive, and the Raiders broke and ran as the charges exploded. Zagara roared in anger and fired off dozens of spines, but she couldn't keep up with the marines off creep and none of the Zerg outside her vicinity were not responding to her commands. The dropship escaped to the _Hyperion_ without further resistance.

**(music - _Mega Man X4:_ Dialogue)**

Zagara collapsed as the gas finally overwhelmed her.

_"Kerrigan was correct...politics are still far beyond my understanding."_

She heard muted screams, both through the hive mind and in reality, as her broods withered and died under the suffocating cloud. Even the ancient hive, which had survived centuries of extreme temperatures and lava, was decaying.

Suddenly some of the screams were cut off. Zagara reached out to her minions and saw Protoss warriors destroying the weakened Zerg. Of course. Their advanced body structure and power armors would protect them from the necrotic gasses destroying the hive. Several Colossi were burning away the remains of the reserves of larvae and eggs. Zealots and Dragoons walked without fear among roaches, queens, and ultralisks, finishing the tormented creatures off with their psi-blades. Zerg flyers, unable to keep aloft, fell to the ground and were similarly executed, or died a slow and painful death if they were passed over by the Protoss.

A blue glow caught the attention of her failing eyes and Zagara saw a pair of Zealots, along with a High Templar, approach her. The hologram of Nahaan appeared behind them.

"A betrayal...most unbefitting...of your kind, Praetor."

"Zerg are not the only race capable of adaptation and scheming. It's a shame Tassadar's lesson to Kerrigan did not resonate. Farewell, Zagara."

The High Templar drew a ceremonial psi-blade and impaled Zagara through the head. She was dead before the pain even registered.

"Excellent work, Templar." Nahaan spoke through the Khala. Though communal, private communications between only two individuals was easy as all Protoss had better things to do than eavesdrop. "You will receive reinforcements through the warp gate to complete your next objective. Take advantage of the Zerg's confusion: enter the Char's acid marshes and eradicated the remaining eggs and feral Zerg."

"Yes, Praetor. All for the glory of the Ara."

* * *

**Author's Note: You'll find out what Nahaan wants with Kerrigan in the next chapter.**

**On another note, _Legacy of the Void_ predictions after that trailer, anyone?**


	12. Abandoned, Part I

**Author's Note: With the _Legacy of the Void_ trailer out (and a beta probably in the next few months), I'd like to take some time to remind everyone that whatever happens, this story was written independent of _LoTV_ and is not intended to predict anything.**

**I made Kerrigan's demeanor in captivity a little bit cheekier than usual both because she's being held against her will and because I've wanted to try writing her that way given proper circumstances. (That's also going to backfire on her soon.) Let me know what you guys think of my attempt. **

**I also forgot to mention that the Raiders took Stukov (as a human) with them on their first trip to return de-infested refugees and that he works with them now.**

* * *

**Aiur**

Sarah sighed as she took in her surroundings. Since throwing her into the warp gate her Protoss captors hadn't done anything more than shut her in the room she was in now.

Other than basic facilities (and, of course, an unseen psi-screen), the only fixture in the room was a hook on the wall next to the door, with a length of rope hanging from it. She was baffled by why the Protoss would provide her with a noose when they knew full well that it would take an army to execute her against her will.

For the past hour, she'd been worried sick about Jim and what would happen if he realized she was gone. Because of the psi-screen she couldn't reach out to him with their psychic link, and at any rate she had no idea what planet she was on, or if she was on one at all. Hopefully he wouldn't act as rashly as she had a few months ago...a pang of guilt washed over her as she remembered what she'd nearly returned to.

The door to her cell slid open and two Zealots walked inside and roughly hoisted her to her feet without saying a word. They took her to a room with a strange-looking device. After a few minutes of struggling, all was set and one of them made to activate it. The machine hummed and Sarah braced herself, but surprisingly there was no sensation from the beams the machine was bombarding her with.

After the scan finished, she was unstrapped and taken to yet another room.

"If you want to kill me, will you just get on with it?" she baited. One of the Zealots slapped her hard.

"You will speak only when spoken to. Sit." He gestured at a chair. "Praetor Nahaan has some questions to ask of you."

She was tempted to retort but decided against it. A few moments later the Praetor walked in.

"Where's Jim?" Sarah demanded. "I won't let you hurt him!"

Nahaan looked mildly amused at her outburst. "How touching. But I am the one to ask questions, and you are in no position to make demands, Kerrigan. Now, you will divulge your true intentions for what you are doing, or I will pry them from your mind."

_"Why doesn't he just do that, then? _What's it to you? You don't believe what I say anyways."

"Presume that I will. And that I care, or I would not ask."

Sarah's ire was clearly rising faster than his. "What more reason do I need than wanting to finally be at peace? Can't I just have a normal life, with someone to love and love me in return? I never wanted any of this! All I wanted was to be away from it, and instead I got more of it! Now that it's finally over, what's wrong with wanting to be away from it?!"

Nahaan studied her for a moment before walking out without another word. The two Zealots returned her to her cell.

She sat in a corner and hugged her knees, deep in thought. Suddenly she realized why Nahaan had left after such a short interview. He didn't need her to tell him anything. He'd stolen it from her mind. But while his undetected probing alarmed Sarah, it answered no questions.

_"Why would Nahaan of all Protoss want me alive? The only other person they could hurt by doing anything to me is Jim, and he's a legend among the tribes. Why would they antagonize him when he's the key to keeping peace between Terrans and Protoss? Jim, whatever's going down, I hope you get here before it's too late..."_

* * *

**_Hyperion_, Korhal orbit, two days later**

Since they had left Char, Matt had seen nothing of his superior, though it didn't take much to know where he likely was. In his room, reflecting on the happy times he'd had with Sarah Kerrigan. Matt didn't have a problem with that - it was the third time they'd been separated in the months since she had returned to him - but some of the crew had started grumbling amongst themselves again that Sarah was brainwashing Jim.

At least he hadn't returned to chronic drinking like the days after Tarsonis or after the outbreak of the Second War. Jim had ordered a forensics test on the helmet immediately after he'd gotten back to the ship, and while there was no blood on it, the hair was confirmed to be Sarah's. In that moment, he'd been revitalized. While it only confirmed she wasn't dead when she'd dropped her helmet, Jim refused to listen to anyone who theorized she was killed afterwards. If anyone could survive anything, it would be her.

The deck officer shook Horner from his thoughts. "Sir, Emperor Mengsk is hailing us."

"Tell him to give us a minute, Marcus. We're going to need Jim to explain this one; even I don't know the full details."

"He's insisting that we talk to him now."

"Fine, patch him through. Send someone to get Jim and Stukov."

"Captain Horner, I hear you ran into some trouble with the Zerg. What happened?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, Emperor. All we know is someone gassed the hive and Sarah's gone again."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, we did detect Protoss signatures in the hive. They were only discernible by using an energy-readings scanner and even then only for a few seconds, which probably means they were trying to hide. I'm sending the data now."

There was a brief silence while Valerian's adjutant analyzed the data. Jim strode into the bridge as the computer finished, looking tired. Stukov didn't look much better, but he had the excuse of being infested for three years.

"Interesting. There are Colossi signatures among the ones you detected. The Protoss aren't the kind to go wantonly overkill, so they must've meant business."

"I don't see how this coincides with everything else."

"Simple, Captain. The Protoss gassed the hive, and sent their warriors to finish the job."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions so soon, Junior. Just before the hive was gassed, Zagara tried to capture us. She didn't know what was going on either; she thought _we_ did it."

Valerian gave a brief nod of introduction to Raynor before addressing them both. "While this fits patterns of political backstabbing, who would dare try to manipulate the Zerg for their own ends? The Dominion wouldn't dare attempt it even under my father."

"If I may, Emperor, remember what Artanis told us? Not everyone agrees that Sarah should be given another chance."

"But why would that involve _allying_ with the Zerg?" Jim mused. "The only tribes totally against giving her a trial or time to complete her plan are the ones that abhor the Zerg the most."

"Excuse me, commander, but I do not see how this involves cooperation."

"The only means to transport troops across long distances that the Protoss have is the warp gate, and anti-sensor tech that the Protoss developed can't completely mask energy spikes created by units exiting gates, consistent with the data that the sensors picked up. Warp gates are essentially a tunnel to Aiur, and since they can only be activated by Protoss that would mean an entire army could be deposited inside the hive at the will of the operators."

"Ah, I see. And you believe Kerrigan would not be foolish enough to let the Protoss build one there?" Jim's eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "I agree with your sentiment," Valerian continued quickly upon notice Jim's reaction. "...but what other possibility is there besides storing Protoss soldiers in the hive, an even more foolish act?"

"Kerrigan did no such thing. I can testify to that myself." Stukov stepped forward.

"Greetings, Vice Admiral. I am surprised to see you up and about so soon after your de-infestation."

"Circumstances dictate I must, your Highness. As I was about to say, Kerrigan left me in charge of defending Char during the hybrid war because she didn't want to risk me. Never once was a Protoss boot placed on the planet, with or without my consent. But, Zagara has controlled the Swarm since Amon fell. Maybe someone took advantage of her?"

"Warp gates take a long time to build and require a large power supply to function, so they would've had to be very good at hiding or have her consent to build one," Jim interjected.

"I find the consent suggestion very difficult to believe, Vice Admiral. Zerg themselves are masters at playing their enemies; surely they would have seen something like this coming?"

This was getting nowhere. "At any rate," Jim replied, "regardless of which Protoss did this they most likely achieved their goal. The other broodmothers are probably fighting amongst each other again now that the power vacuum's returned. All the while, any Zerg still on Char's surface are likely being destroyed by the Protoss."

"Then I presume you want my assurance that I will not interfere or that I will help you?" asked Valerian.

"Sort of. I also wanted to warn you that these same faction who want Sarah's immediate execution also distrust Terrans as a result. In the meantime, try to convince them that Sarah _does_ have humanity's best interests in her by helping the former infested re-enter civilian life."

"Much easier said than done. Bit of a stretch to believe that it will help, though."

"You gotta think like they do to understand them, Junior. Some of them see manipulation in everything she's doing. Us proving them wrong goes a long way towards changing their minds, especially since a lot of their other predictions about her post-Char haven't worked out either."

"Very well, Commander. But, as you and Miss Kerrigan spent a few days proving, absolute authority has its boundaries."

Jim gave a wry chuckle and cut the communication. The humor in his expression quickly died as his thoughts drifted back to Sarah.

Matt saw his superior's expression darken. "Don't worry, sir. She'll pull through."

Jim's expression didn't change as he looked Matt in the eye. "Let's just hope she does in the same state that she went in."

* * *

**Aiur**

Sarah hated electric shocks. Naturally, that was what Nahaan had ordered her to be subject to. And just to make it extra special, they had pumped her full of drugs to "enhance" the experience.

Since the "interview" with Nahaan she hadn't done anything but sit in her cell and be repeatedly tortured. At least one Protoss had probably been picking thoughts out of her head the whole time, even though Sarah had tried her hardest to close off her mind. It had worked initially, but with Nahaan's psychic prowess there was no way to keep him out forever. Thankfully he seemed to be the only one who had gained access; the other Protoss were often confused by their leader's strange requests.

Of course, Sarah knew where they came from. She'd suffered enough torture at the Ghost Academy to know this strategy. Nahaan was trying every possible method to break her by targeting the fears in her mind. If there was ever a time to thank Rumm, now was it.

She was hit with a pulse for the _why-should-she-be-counting-now-of-all-times-_th time through the restraints holding her on a table. The Protoss still hadn't figured out how to adjust the voltage on their apparatus. Go figure.

"I'm bored," she whined. "Can't I go back already?" The Zealot adjusting the machine shot her an irritated look and returned to examining the shock device.

"It's okay, I know you guys don't do capital punishment very often," she said sympathetically. The Zealot made to speak but at that he shocked himself. He pounded the machine at it zapped him again with maximum voltage. Sarah bit her lip to suppress a giggle.

"Congratulations, you found the switch!" she proclaimed sarcastically. The Zealot drew his psi-blade and promptly stabbed the machine, only for him to electrocute himself. Sarah couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Haha! If...If this is torture...then...I'd like some more!" she gasped between laughs. Another Zealot walked in to recover his unconscious comrade.

Suddenly her laughter was cut off and replaced by a painful whimper as the machine shocked her at full voltage. The shocks came repeatedly, each lasting longer than the other and with almost no time between them.

"Ow, ow..." she gasped after another minute of repeated shocking. _"I don't know how much more of this I can take...!"_

Standing in the entrance to the room, Nahaan smiled as he watched Sarah writhe in pain on the table before turning off the power.

"Now, you will learn the price of insolence, Kerrigan." He triggered the shock again, and after thirty seconds of continuous electrocution Sarah finally cracked.

"Stop! Please stop!" she cried.

Nahaan stopped zapping her. "Would you want me to do it to James Raynor instead?"

"You wouldn't dare," she retorted. _"That question again." _Nahaan had promised repeatedly to stop torturing her if she would beg him to do the same to Jim. Of course, he would probably just keep torturing her or kill her outright after he secured the plea.

"Try me." The Praetor's voice had a dangerous edge to it as he triggered another electric shock. "We'll try this again until you cooperate or die."

Sarah bit her lip to muffle her whines of pain. She wasn't going to give Nahaan the satisfaction of hearing them.

But her determination couldn't last forever. Within thirty seconds she was screaming in pain.

After another minute, she finally gave in. "Alright! Do it to Jim, to anyone! Just please stop! For the love of God, please stop!" Sarah broke down into sobs of agony and shame.

"See? It wasn't that hard," soothed the Praetor as he turned off the power and removed her restraints, noting with satisfaction the tears running down her face. "Return her to her cell."

The procession passed a single figure, covered almost completely in white, on their way. It might have been Sarah's fevered brain, but she thought the figure had the outline of a Terran female. As they drew closer the figure turned and looked the Ghost dead in the eye. A chill ran up her spine as she realized the mysterious being had emerald eyes like hers. But the other's gaze was piercing, almost malevolent, and lacked the warmth and luster of Sarah's own eyes, details indiscernible to the casual glance.

Before they stared at each other for more than a second, however, Sarah was thrown back into her cell, swept out of focus by a riptide of her own emotions and thoughts.

_"I can't believe I just asked him to torture Jim instead of me...what'll Jim think if he finds out?...I'm so sorry Jim, he made me do it..."_ A few tears fell from her eyes and she made no effort to wipe them away.

She was so wrapped up in her guilt that she forgot about the mysterious figure she'd met before she fell asleep.

* * *

"My lord."

Nahaan turned and smiled as he saw the white-clothed figure standing before him. "She suspects nothing?"

"My...contemporary remains as ignorant as always."

"Excellent. You know your purpose. Go forth."

The figure reached behind it and undid the white cover, revealing a voluptuous body covered by a Ghost's hostile environment suit and dark brown hair that would have reached her shoulders if it were not done up in a ponytail. "I shall. And when my task is complete, James Raynor and Sarah Kerrigan shall be undone." She arched her head back and laughed with the voice of her enemy.

"You were designed and trained well for your mission." Nahaan gestured. "Your destiny awaits."

The Kerrigan clone stepped out of the room and into a Dark Templar shuttle.

Nahaan watched with satisfaction as the craft ascended and warp jumped.

_"At last, my people will have their revenge. The Queen of Blades shall lose as we lost to her."_

* * *

**Haven Orbit**

The clone slipped her knife out of its sheath and opened the cockpit door as the shuttle dropped out of warp space. The _Hyperion_ was orbiting the planet.

"What do you require?" asked one of the pilots as she entered the cockpit.

"Your life." The clone quickly decapitated both Nerazim pilots before taking control of the craft. She couldn't care less about their lives; Mohandar had been duped into meeting with Nahaan, and the crew of his shuttle had to be disposed of sooner or later or they would report their Prelate missing once Nahaan's brainwashing wore off.

Her timing was flawless. No sooner had she shoved the corpses out of the way than the _Hyperion_ hailed her.

"Attention, Protoss shuttle. You are entering close proximity with our vessel. Identify yourself."

"I think your commander can put in a word for me," the clone said as she activated the video feed. The bridge officers blinked in shock before Matt turned and summoned Jim over.

"Sarah? Is it really you?"

"Really, Jimmy? Still doubt me after five years?"

"What happened to you?"

"I had to change my appearance a bit to get away. Now can I please land?"

_"Something doesn't add up," _Jim thought. _"Sarah would never be this pushy._ Sure, sure. Land in the main hangar. I'll be seeing you there, darlin'."

The shuttle touched down in the hangar a minute later.

"Sarah?" called Jim as he approached the craft.

"Coming," she called. She peeked around the corner a few seconds later and Jim pulled her into a hug.

All doubt about her being Sarah melted from Jim's mind as he took in and felt the familiar body and face. "It's so good to have you back."

"You couldn't wait just a few days?" she joked before kissing him. "Me neither."

Jim sighed with relief. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jim. And yes, I'm sure."

"So what happened?"

"Zagara led me to a warp gate in the hive. Neither of us knew why it was there but the Protoss threw me into it. I came out inside some secret science lab of theirs. At least, I thought it was one. What other place would have DNA-altering tech?"

"So you changed your appearance with that machine and escaped?"

"Pretty much. I had to kill some Protoss to get out though."

A mental alert went off in Jim's mind as he realized she didn't sound too upset about that.

"Hey, they tortured me for three days. They had it coming. Besides, what does it matter now that we're back together?" Another flag went up.

_"What's gotten into Sarah? I haven't heard this stuff from her mouth since she was the Queen of Blades."_

"You forgot about Mengsk, Jimmy." She took his hand. "Enough of this, already, I'm hungry." He looked into her eyes and noticed they looked harder than usual. They didn't have their usual luster, but more of a cold glint.

Her irises flared slightly as she read his thoughts and Jim relaxed. "Sure. Lead the way, darlin'."

She had hoped Jim would cooperate willingly, but even if he didn't, there was no way her master's plan could fail. Either way, they would suffer for eternity.

"Sir, do you want me to call off our visit to Aiur, then?" The clone released her influence for a moment. Now was the pivotal moment, and she had to see for certain where Jim stood.

"Yeah. Tell Artanis we found her and that I'll fill him in later."

* * *

**Aiur**

"There you are, Jim..." Sarah mumbled in her sleep and hugged the thin blanket covering her. "I missed you..."

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She sighed as she realized what she'd been doing. _"Great. Now I look desperate in front of all these Protoss too."_

An idea suddenly came to her as she looked at the noose tied to a hook on the wall. She'd been briefly tempted to use it on herself after unwillingly selling out Jim and hadn't wanted to touch the damn thing since, but it might help her escape. She walked over, and upon finding the knot too tight to undo easily, used her kinesis to untie it and adjust the noose.

No sooner had the rope fallen to the floor than the plasma screen that served as a cell door deactivated.

**(music - _Mega Man X4_: Boss Battle)**

"Let's go." When Sarah didn't respond, the Zealot stepped inside. "What's taking so - " his voice was cut off as Sarah tossed the rope around his head and tightened. The warrior kicked for a few seconds before falling unconscious as Sarah smashed her elbow into his head.

"Sorry, but it's for your own good." She checked for other guards before looping the rope around her waist and slipping down the corridor, not cloaking in case she needed the energy later. If there wasn't an escape route she would have to make one, and there could be more powerful enemies than the three or four different pairs of Zealots she'd seen.

She came to a wall and reached out, seeing where she could blast it open. She found a spot and began to channel her energy into the wall. An invisible force suddenly tackled her and a Dark Templar revealed himself.

"Prepare to taste the fury of the Nerazim!" He activated his warp blade and raised it.

"Wait! Mohandar pardoned me!"

"And now he is missing! Do not think we all trust you as he does!"

"Keep it down!" Sarah whispered urgently as she heard heavy footfalls. "I'll show you my story, but I need your help first!"

The Dark Templar looked unconvinced and raised his blade, but an Ara Dragoon rounded the corner behind him.

"How dare you attempt to free our prisoner, Nerazim filth! You'll pay for this trespass with your life, traitor!"

An unseen agreement passed between Sarah and the Templar and they disappeared in the blink of an eye. The Dragoon pilot didn't stand a chance as the two tore his machine apart. Sarah uncloaked after the wreckage collapsed. The Dark Templar followed suit and made to stab the paralyzed pilot.

"No! Stop! He didn't do anything wrong!" she pleaded.

"My help or his life. You must choose." Sarah winced at the Dark Templar's words.

_"Why's it always me who has to choose? _Why must your kind keep fighting? Can't you just get along? You did just fine for the last four years."

"We most certainly did not! Only the threat of your abominable Swarm kept us from further infighting!"

Suddenly both of them froze as they heard the distinctive tromping sound of an approaching Immortal. _"I'll help you rescue Mohandar. But let's go now, before we're both dead."_

The Templar nodded. _"Disappear. I will lead you to where I believe my lord his held."_ He took her hand and pulled her down the corridor.

* * *

Mohandar looked up as he sensed the duo enter his cell and decloaked.

Sarah knelt respectfully to the Prelate. "We meet again, Mohandar."

"Kerrigan...what brings you to our homeworld?" The Prelate's tone wasn't unfriendly, but there was a suspicious edge to it.

"I was captured and tortured here. I've seen only Ara Protoss thus far, but I'm not sure if there are others involved."

Mohandar's eyes burned a little brighter. "That Praetor is not fit to be a Zealot, let alone a politician - "

The Templar interrupted. "My lord, we should make haste. I am your only aid." Ignoring Sarah's look of mild offense, he continued, "Nahaan is here as well; we need only to reach communication in order to bring him to justice."

"Then let us do so. I presume you have a means of escape?"

Sarah nodded. "The entire facility is underground, but there's a point where it comes close enough to the surface that I can blast it open with my powers. This way." Sarah ran back down the corridor and the two Nerazim blinked to the spot she mentioned.

"If anyone comes, I can't defend myself. You'll have to do it." The Templar exchanged a look with his Prelate, but both stood guard without further exchange while Sarah channeled her powers into a smaller version of her Apocalypse Surge.

"Brace yourself," she muttered unnecessarily and fired the energy blast into the wall. It and the rock behind it shattered like glass, leaving a gaping hole in the side of a cliff that the facility was built into. She looked down and gulped slightly.

"I think we're pretty close to Antioch, but there's a drop of at least a hundred feet..."

"Do not worry about us, Kerrigan. We will meet you at - " Mohandar's voice faltered as a roar shook the hallway behind them. An Ultralisk, barely large enough for the hallway, spread its Kaiser blades behind it as it prepared to slice the trio to ribbons.

"Go!" Sarah shoved the two Nerazim out the hole as the deadly blades came together. She threw herself down on the ground and sighed with relief as the blades skimmed above her, but instead of repeating the attack the Ultralisk barred its blades like a battering ram and charged.

**(music - _Mega Man X4:_ Dialogue)**

The next minute was nothing but a haze of pain as Sarah fell through the forest canopy. Even with her Zerg DNA, she was unable to move for a few more while her body repaired her injuries. Thankfully the two Dark Templars found her while she was recuperating, standing guard while she recovered and propping her up against a tree.

"A captive Zerg?" mused Mohandar. "Why would Nahaan attempt such a stunt, especially on such a dangerous creature as an Ultralisk?"

"H...He...gassed the primary hive...on Char after he kidnapped me..." Sarah groaned weakly. The effort at speech was too much and she passed out.

"It makes sense; he would need live test subjects to confirm the power of his gas if Kerrigan speaks the truth, especially since that is not a weapon we are fond of using." The Templar looked over at Sarah's unconscious form. "Should we take this moment to validate her story?"

"I will do so as we proceed." Mohandar stooped to pick Sarah up, waving off the other Nerazim's offer of assistance. "We cannot be too careful with her following the Brood War, but Nahaan will likely want her back."

* * *

**2 hours later**

"Uhh..." Sarah tried to stretch and started as she realized she was being carried by Mohandar.

"Rest. You are still weak."

"Wh...where are we?"

Mohandar rolled his eyes and didn't reply. When he didn't, Sarah changed topics. "Why did you take me along?"

"We share a common foe. The enemy of my enemy, at least when it comes to you, is my comrade."

Sarah sighed with relief, but it was fleeting as a roar shook the forest. A flurry of creatures scattered in the dimming light and the crashing of falling trees was heard by all three and the hulking form of a Brutalisk emerged a short distance from them in a nearby clearing.

"Keep away from it and in the forest," Sarah whispered. "It can't see very well and can't sense psionics. We should be fine."

"Should we try to blink again, my lord?" asked the Templar.

Mohandar nodded. "Our powers will grow stronger as the day fades."

"Wait, how does that work for me?" Sarah got no answer to her question and she gasped as her body dissolved into smoke. They traveled for a few minutes before materializing at the base of a cliff. Sarah coughed and tried to regain her breath. She'd forgotten that Protoss didn't need to breathe and blinking didn't exactly account for a Terran's need of oxygen.

A rumble behind them signaled their foe had an ace to play as well. The Brutalisk burst from the ground, uprooting several large trees in the process as it completed its deep tunnel, and let out a triumphant roar as it realized its opponents were cornered.

Fortunately Sarah had recovered enough to stand and fight on her own. Mohandar dropped her and activated his warp blade, disappearing as he did so. His comrade was already circumventing the beast, but as he made to slice a leg off the Brutalisk lashed out with the limb, throwing the Templar into a tree. Mohandar tried to take advantage of the distraction, but was forced to back off as the beast swiped at it with its long fore-blades.

Mohandar growled in frustration. "The beast must have an Observer supporting it! Damn Nahaan and his schemes!"

"I'll handle it," Sarah assured him. "Hey, look behind you, freak!" Sarah taunted. The Brutalisk whirled at the sound of her voice and charged. She rolled under it and sank her knife deep into its flesh, but the blade was yanked from her hand as it caught fast. She blasted it with psionic energy, but it shook off the impact with little trouble and its counter-slash barely missed.

_"I can't get close to it...I'll have to use a stronger attack." _She focused her energy around herself until she literally glowed with power. As the Brutalisk raised its weapons, she jumped and propelled herself forward with her kenesis, releasing all of her pent-up energy as she did so.

Mohandar watched in astonishment as Sarah lunged forward and left a wide, blazing trail of psionic energy in her wake. For the first time, he was tempted to seek other powers besides those of the Void as he watched the Brutalisk that they had been unable to harm split in half and disintegrate.

Sarah barely had enough strength left to raise her hands to cushion her fall as her Psionic Flare expired. "Your welcome," she managed to Mohandar before passing out again.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope I adequately explained Mohandar's reasons for siding with Kerrigan last chapter; it only becomes more important that I do as the story progresses as you've seen here, so please let me know if I did.**

**The torture scene is based on a similar occurrence in George Orwell's _1984_. It'll be used in a similar vein again later.**

**I based Sarah's Psionic Flare move on Mega Man X's Nova Strike and M Bison's Psycho Crusher attacks.**


	13. Abandoned, Part II

**Author's Note: With regards to the naming of Chapters 11-13, I decided to split "Abandoned" into parts because it was so long and so I could keep track of things.**

**A quick note regarding the Khala: I did decide to adopt its official fate here.**

* * *

**Antioch, Aiur**

"What? Mohandar left to confront Nahaan?" Artanis demanded. "How long ago?"

"Four days ago, and with marginal security," droned the Sentry giving the report to the Hierarchy. Since Tabrenus had confirmed evidence of influence swaying the Hierarchy's vote of weeks prior, the members had been laying low and without contacting each other after the Templar in question, along with a Preserver that had aided in the discovery, were discovered dead. The fact that the murders had not been detected by those in the next room was a warning of their vulnerability. The Khala had all but died out during the hybrid war, with only a few Preservers maintaining the communal link in the hopes that it could one day be resurrected. The Protoss possessed purity of form, but their nerve chords could only be regenerated with the assistance of Zerg regeneration.

Few Protoss trusted outside the Khalai members of the Hierarchy had been willing to make the move, but naturally Nahaan had mandated a group of his closest confidantes and warriors to undertake it. Tabrenus broke the silence and Artanis' train of thought.

"Most unusual of him, especially given his distrust of Nahaan. Could he have been influenced or baited into doing this?" mused Tabrenus.

While the Hierarchy continued to debate, Zeratul stood outside the building, deep in thought. Nahaan surely could not influence the great Prelate, and Mohandar had never been known to make such a rash decision in his life.

His accompanying Templar suddenly shut off his communicator excitedly. "Great one, we have a report from the western gate that Mohandar has returned!" The euphoria of Zeratul's return to Aiur following the end of the hybrid war had worn off slightly, but they took few steps without a round of reverent bows.

**(music - Breispower: X vs. Zero)**

When he reached the gate, he found a strange sight: Kerrigan arguing with a Zealot to let her in, with two weakened Nerazim propped up against the wall behind her.

"Just please let me in; I just saved them!"

"That act, while commendable - " the Zealot's ironic emphasis on the last word was not lost on Sarah " - does not afford you entry. Only a member of the Protectorate may grant you access to our capital, and neither of your supposedly rescued victims have done so. Remember that you have a death sentence in the Protectorate; we are being lenient as it is."

Sarah opened her mouth to retort when she caught sight of Zeratul and paled slightly. The Nerazim, however, was more interested in checking up on his kin than confronting her.

"They are fine, merely weak," he pronounced after a few moments.

"What about their _minds_, Zeratul?" asked the irritated Zealot.

_"Another loyalist," _Sarah deduced with a sigh. This was getting nowhere. "Zeratul, I have urgent information for Artanis. I swear on my life I did nothing to Mohandar and his companion other than save their lives - whoa!" she gasped as Zeratul blinked in front of her and slammed her hard enough to send her sprawling into the wall. A cacophony of unpleasant laughter arose from the gathering crowd.

"And I care not why you come," he hissed. "I never discovered your influence over Raszagal, but it happened nonetheless. I will _not_ take that chance again! I warned you in good faith not to show your face here again now that I have no cause to spare you, and you recklessly ignored me. This shall be the last time that you exploit my benevolence!"

"Wait!" Sarah propped herself up against the city wall, her head ringing from striking the barrier. "I didn't come here willingly. I got kidnapped!"

Zeratul pretended not to listen and simply stood over her.

"You would not dare refuse her a chance to explain herself! It is not our way!" Mohandar suddenly got to his feet, invigorated by the plight of his former savior.

"Mohandar, stand down. You are understandably indebted to her, but the situation must be evaluated for the greater good!"

"And is the greater good to kill her without trial or cause? We owe our survival as a species to her! The entire sector does!"

_"Cause?!_ She murdered billions of our kin!"

"And you refuse to believe that it was not her but a corruption of her persona that did so! You are very well aware that infested Terrans can act completely unlike their previous personality, and on that subject, James Raynor's word is as good as any!"

"What about Raszagal? Did you forget about her?" Sarah looked down shamefully at that. Zeratul took a moment to calm himself. "You are greatly weakened from your ordeal. Come with me; you must rest now and recover your wits." He didn't add that it involved a more thorough check for any external influence. "We can resolve the issue of Kerrigan later."

"And leave her alone amongst a race that would be all too eager to end her? It is not the Protoss way to deny anyone, friend, foe, or both, the justice they deserve without proper consideration, Zeratul! Perhaps it is _you_ who needs to recover _your_ wits!" Mohandar stood and ignited his warp blade. Clearly the Prelate knew well what "rest" entailed.

"Fighting on the Queen of Blades' behalf?! Have you gone senile, Mohandar?!"

"I assure you I am as sane as I always have been. We Protoss have always fought for what and who we believed in. The situation now is no different."

"No! Wait!" Sarah begged and tried to step between them, but neither Nerazim was willing to back down and they pushed her back as one.

"Then...I'm sorry if this ends poorly for you, but I shall meet your challenge. Let this duel decide Kerrigan's fate, for today, I avenge my Matriarch!"

Both Dark Templars vaporized into shadow. The smoky trails cris-crossed each other as they climbed into the sky, the telltale green sparks of clashing blades and blue flashes of Void powers marking each intersection.

At the apex of their climb the two Nerazim met again and Zeratul slammed Mohandar downwards. The Prelate bought himself a few seconds by blinking down into the forest and cloaking.

"I do not need my eyes to see what assails me!" Zeratul followed, extinguishing his blade to better hide himself.

Mohandar lunged from behind a tree, but in his weakened state his cloak was imperfect and Zeratul saw the attack coming. Mohandar barely avoided the counter-slash of Zeratul's psi-blade, and his own counterstrike was parried. The two continued to push against each other until the tension between their blades broke and both were thrown backwards.

Mohandar attempted to blink back towards the gate, but Zeratul caught him just before he disappeared with a Void Prison. Before the older Nerazim could close the distance, Mohandar had broken the prison with his own powers and blinked away. Zeratul gave chase.

_"I have to stop them before either one gets hurt!"_ Sarah found the strength to move despite the fatigue of past two days and crawled the short distance to where the two were dueling. As the tension between their blades broke again, Sarah grabbed Mohandar's leg.

"Please stop! I don't want either of you hurt on my account!" The Prelate fixed her with a look of understanding but was nearly dismembered by Zeratul's blade for his lapse.

Sarah grabbed his arm to stop Mohandar from retaliating. The Prelate irritatedly tried to shake her off, but she wouldn't let go.

"I know it's your way to fight for your beliefs, Mohandar, but please let me fight my own battles! I don't want anyone else hurt on my account!"

Mohandar made to reply but his eyes widened slightly as Zeratul appeared behind Sarah with his psi-blade raised. Mohandar shoved Sarah aside before diving away himself, but it was too late for her to avoid the blow. Zeratul's thrusting blade sliced deep into Sarah's right side just below her breast, piercing her rib cage and destroying organs as it sank deeper.

Sarah gasped in pain and collapsed, clutching the gaping wound in her side. Mohandar stood between her and Zeratul, fixing the latter with an icy stare. "I hope your hunger for revenge is satiated enough to overlook the consequences: If Kerrigan dies, you will be tried for obstructing justice."

"Is that a threat, Mohandar?"

"Merely the unfortunate truth, Zeratul." Both Nerazim turned to face the Selendis as she and a security force of Khalai Zealots arrived. "You are both under arrest in the name of the Hierarchy for causing civil disorder and obstructing justice. Arrest Kerrigan too, but ensure she receives treatment for her injury."

* * *

_**Hyperion **_**(music - _Mega Man X_: Cast Roll)**

Jim wasn't sure what to make of her. She was a lot of the Sarah he remembered, but at the same, something felt off.

The Sarah he'd gotten to know after his rescue from the _Moros_ was always remorseful about letting herself lose control. She kept her head down, never wanting to meet the eyes of the people she'd threatened for four years, and always tried to do the right thing. Even if it meant taking great pains, she always tried to show acquiescence to others, except when she strongly believed she was right, and even then she wasn't pushy about it. And she'd never ceased to take a moment out of her day to reflect upon her atrocities over the years of her infestation.

The Sarah he saw now wasn't any of those things. Her demeanor slightly reminded him of the Queen of Blades', but it more closely resembled her behavior during her Sons of Korhal days. Back then, she walked around with her head high, and though she didn't look at people over the bridge of her nose there was a certain air of overconfidence about her walk and speech. True, it was fed by the fact that the entire crew feared and respected her, but those same perceptions no longer existed among the _Hyperion_'s crew and she'd had no reason to respect the remainder of humanity then. So why was she acting that way again now?

She also shunned the hostile environment suit that he'd previously hardly seen Sarah out of. Sarah usually didn't worry about her appearance other than keeping her hair in a ponytail, but she wore subtle makeup now, unnoticeable to anyone but him. Even more unnerving was her choice of clothing now; though purple had always, ironically, been her favorite color she'd never worn the dress he'd bought for her birthday because it reminded her subtly of her infested carapace. She'd also hated wearing high heels for a similar reason. It alarmed Jim slightly that she was now choosing to wear both when she'd so adamantly refused to before.

But the biggest problem was that he couldn't figure out why she'd changed this way or if it was of her own doing. Since she'd returned Sarah had grown slightly distant from him like she had in the weeks after her de-infestation on Char, as if there were some massive directive occupying her mind instead of her love for Jim. But what pressing problem of that nature would she have now?

_"If I find that Nahaan did any of this, that bastard is dead..."_

He pushed the thoughts aside as he saw Sarah enter the room. He waited patiently for her to join him.

"Hey, darlin'."

She sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder without a word. He drew her close and both of them said nothing for a few moments.

"Do you think we should still stay here?" she asked after a while.

"We haven't fulfilled our obligations to the sector, darlin'. We caused this much war, we might as well go above and beyond to bring them peace."

"Why bother?" Jim pulled back slightly in shock. "Terrans and Protoss are so fractious they'll start fighting amongst each other again. And only a simpleton will think that one side or the other won't try to play the other race as allies in such a conflict."

_"Okay, Sarah definitely would _not _use that term. _What about the Zerg? They're the biggest threat, and they'll be gone once we're done."

"We both know better than that, Jim. Nahaan gassed the hive and is purging Char as we speak. Before you ask, I overheard a Zealot bragging about it. Stupid bastards...thinking that they can keep me out..."

Jim squeezed her a little tighter to quiet her. "Well, we've come this far in our plan, we might as well see it through. Besides, with this kind of deed on your side, the Hierarchy will almost certainly allow you to live. Running now makes it look like you have something to hide and will just make them come after you."

"Fair enough," she sighed after a while. "It's just so tempting to run away now...be alone like we always wanted to be without having to worry about anything else."

He kissed her forehead. "We _will_ make it through this. Just let things run their course. I promised to protect you if things went south, and I still will. But I'm only willing to take the risk if they do."

She smiled in appreciation and snuggled closer against him. They cuddled for a few more minutes before Jim took the spoon off of Sarah's tray and gently pried her lips open with it. She laughed and gave him a kiss before taking the spoon from him and turning to her food.

Jim smiled in spite of his doubts. Change or not, he still loved her. And in some ways, once he got used to them, he preferred her that way.

* * *

**Aiur (music - _Mega Man X5:_ Zero's Death)**

Sarah regained consciousness in time to see her captors discover her regeneration. Thankfully the Protoss had provided her with a small bed.

"Impossible! Such a severe injury should have killed her!"

"She still retains Zerg genes. There is no other possible explanation. I suspected it after the incident with the _Hyperion_'s captive specimen, but now it is confirmed."

"Then how do we know she will not revert sooner of later?"

Sarah raised her head weakly. "I...I'm not going to change back into a Zerg unless something like that happens."

Selendis and Artanis turned to look at her. "And you are sure of that?" the former asked.

"It's...complicated. Ariel Hanson can give a full explanation of why, but it revolves around a lack of the Zerg virus in my body. The virus is needed to start the infestation..." Sarah winced as the pain in her side spiked.

The two Protoss exchanged a look before leaving the room without another word. Out of respect, Sarah didn't probe their minds.

"Wait!" Sarah called. "What about Jim? Has he asked..." her voice trailed off as Selendis and Artanis left.

She gave up trying to sit up and simply stared out the window of the room she'd been given at the star-studded sky. She didn't know how long it'd been since Zeratul had stabbed her, and part of her didn't want to know.

_"Jim's out there somewhere, and worrying deeply. I...I can't sense him out there though...__you've always watched my back...when will I get the chance to reciprocate...?"_

Her mind began to wander, sifting through various memories of the past ten years...back to when she'd finally decided to trust in Jim...

* * *

**Flashback: _Cormorant_, January 2500**

"Aw come on, you can't be serious," grumbled Jim as Sarah snapped the handcuffs onto his wrists.

"I've got this. Trust me. And no, this isn't revenge for the pig thing. We're over that."

"That's news to me," he grumbled but didn't argue further.

As the _Cormorant_ dropped out of warp space into Orna III's orbit, the sensor readout lit up with dozens of weapon locks.

"Attention, incoming vessel. Identify yourself or be vaporized."

"Geez, your gunners need some sleep and less caffeine. This is Confederate Agent No.24601. I am under orders to deliver Convict 493, the traitor Jim Raynor, to this facility for indoctrination as a test subject."

Playing his part as an outraged prisoner, Jim spoke up, interrupting the Confederate scientist's reply. "What?! You didn't say anything about _test subject_!"

"Excuse me." Sarah ducked out of sight of the viewscreen and there was a smacking sound, followed by the sound of ripping duct tape and muffled shouting. "I'm sorry, repeat your last, Dr. Harris."

The scientist's nostrils flared in a clear sign of irritation. "We are transmitting the list of preparations for his indoctrination now. Are you satisfied?"

"I have to send them to my superior." Sarah fought the urge to smile as the doctor's expression visibly soured. "I'll report back once they send their approval. In the meantime, may we land? Our ship is almost out of fuel."

"No. We'll send out a tanker."

"That's fine." Sarah cut the communication and started to head for the _Cormorant_'s drop-pod bay before remembering Jim. She thought briefly about just leaving Jim on the floor, but decided against it and untied him and removed his gag.

"What - !" He was stopped as Sarah pushed him up against the wall playfully, pressing her body against his.

"Shhh," she cooed, pushing a finger gently against his lips. "It's all part of the job, and nobody asked you to do this. Now let's get a move on before these eggheads wise up."

* * *

**_Hyperion_, 5 hours later**

"See? That wasn't so bad," Sarah remarked as she landed the dropship.

"Yeah, _after_ the first part. Would've been nice if you told me I was getting slapped and gagged beforehand."

Sarah giggled. "Oh, please. I know you enjoyed that because you got to touch me."

_"Oh right..." _He'd forgotten that she was a telepath. "I suppose you enjoyed destroying that facility against orders?"

"Hey, can't blame me for hating eggheads after the Ghost Academy."

"I'm being serious, Sarah. You can't go around letting your prejudices dictate you actions like that."

"What's it to you? Why do you care?"

"Because I care about my friends. You're a good person, Sarah. Whoever made you into a Ghost tried to cover it, but you have a chance to recover it now. I'd hate to see you lose it."

She could tell he wasn't lying about his intentions. Well this was something new. Someone who genuinely cared about her. Maybe there _were_ good people left after all. "Thanks, Jim."

"Don't thank me; just make sure you take my advice seriously," he replied, a little more coldly than he intended. She gave him a slightly bewildered look before walking out of the dropship.

"Oh, Sarah, I almost forgot," Jim called as he ran after her and pulled a small stuffed toy out of his pocket. "Thought you might want the whole toy rather than just the head."

Sarah looked at the teddy bear uncomprehendingly until she realized she had what remained of a similar bear in he room. It was a trinket she'd kept since her earliest days at the Academy, the one thing her captors hadn't taken from her...

* * *

She remembered running home after school with it dangling out of her backpack when she was eight. She'd brought it for show-and-tell that day in school. Later, several older girls had picked on her for bringing it, kicking it around in the dirt on the playground. When she got home, her mother had asked Sarah to give it to her so she could clean it.

"I don't want to," she whined and hugged the toy tighter.

"Sweetie, don't get your clothes dirtier. I'll give it back to you tonight."

Her father squeezed her shoulder gently. "Listen to your mother, Sarah."

"I don't want to!"

"Please listen to mommy, Sarah. I promise I'll give it back."

"No! It's _mine!_" Her mother leaned over to gently pry the toy from Sarah's grip. Sarah yanked back and, with a ripping sound, the teddy bear's body tore off from the head, the latter part staying in Sarah's grip.

"You broke it! _You broke it!"_ Sarah screamed and instinctively lashed out. Her mother's promise to fix the toy died on her lips as her head exploded.

Sarah stared uncomprehendingly at what she'd just done. One minute her mother was fine, now she was a bloody mess. Behind her, Sarah's father began to babble, muttering "her head came apart" repeatedly among other nonsense.

The next day, recruiters from the Confederate Ghost program had showed up to take her away and health officials to take her father to a mental institution. Sarah hadn't let go of the head since her mother died. She'd cleaned it just like she'd seen her mother do before and searched in vain for the remainder of the bear throughout the night while her father drunk himself into a coma.

Unbeknownst to her, the remainder of her favorite teddy bear had also been destroyed by her psychic outburst. As her house disappeared into the distance, she looked out the back of the vehicle whisking her away to her destiny and vowed to find the rest of it and fix her bear when she came home.

* * *

Tears started to well up in her eyes as she remembered her last act as a free person. Making an innocent promise that she would never be able to fulfill. From that day forward, she'd lost the ignorant bliss that she grew up in and become destiny's plaything.

Jim saw tears in her eyes and wondered what he'd done to upset her. A step closer and a comforting hand on her shoulder soon became a hug as Sarah began to cry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay, Jim. You couldn't have."

He simply stood and held her for a while as her tears stopped. "What...what happened?" he asked softly, quickly adding, "You don't have to tell me now."

Sarah shook her head and reluctantly played the memory. If she trusted anyone with it, it was Jim.

His expression was unreadable after she finished, though a few more tears rolled down her cheeks as she lived it again.

"Now you see. I've...I've always been a bad person. I killed my mother over a goddamn stuffed toy!" She broke down again and Jim quickly put his arms around her.

"No you're not," he whispered in her ear. "You feel guilty over doing it even though you couldn't control yourself, otherwise you wouldn't be crying about it. Shh, don't cry, Sarah. There wasn't anything you could do. You didn't know you had psychic powers until then."

"Why...why do you still care about me? Anyone else would have left me if they found out."

"I stick to the people I believe in, Sarah. Through the good and bad. Life isn't worthwhile if you don't have something to fight for."

Sarah didn't reply. She didn't completely believe his answer, but didn't want to probe his mind after he'd just done a huge favor for her. Whatever his reason was, she was grateful for him now.

They stayed in an embrace for a few more moments before Sarah kissed him on the cheek. She drew back immediately, a blush forming on her cheeks. There wasn't a thing between them, so it was slightly awkward, but so what? It just felt good to have someone to lean on again in a long time...since Somo died...

"Um...should we go give Arcturus that mission report?" she asked to break the silence.

Jim nodded and tenderly took one of her hands in both of his. "You're _not_ bad, Sarah. You've done some bad things against your will, but now you have a chance to redeem yourself; take it." She nodded in agreement and they walked out of the hangar bay hand-in-hand.

* * *

**Aiur, the present day**

Sarah hugged her knees and continued to stare out the window, recalling other memories of their happy days in the Sons of Korhal. They had only known each other for three months and dated only on the night before Tarsonis, but by comparison to what she'd gone through since then, even getting shot on a mission was a memory to savor as Jim was always by her side while she recovered.

"You truly desire to be with him...?" Sarah jumped. She hadn't realized Zeratul was eavesdropping. Apparently his stay in prison had been very short.

"Yes," she muttered, ashamed of making her loneliness so obvious.

"Perhaps I was mistaken in suspecting you had ulterior motives." He must've been reading her mind the whole time.

Sarah didn't move or reply and a tense silence lapsed between them.

"We Protoss understand companionship and camaraderie, but not to the level of what you Terrans call love," he continued in an attempt to justify himself. "I apologize for my actions earlier. I believed you had corrupted Mohandar to side with you." Sarah still remained silent and after a while the Nerazim decided to leave her alone, walking out of the room rather than blinking.

* * *

"Excellent work, debriefing Kerrigan for the information she claimed to have while she was weak, Executor Selendis. She will not remember what she has divulged and this has the greatest chance of being the truth."

"Truth or not, Hierarch, this is a difficult piece of news to comprehend. The Ara of all tribes siding with the Zerg and attempting to control them? Nahaan would be the last suspect of such scheming, even if his ulterior motive was still their destruction."

"Its difficulty of comprehension matters not, Selendis. The fact remains that we were too late to act and only chance prevented Kerrigan's death and possibly our own. Otherwise we would not be meeting in her prison."

"I fail to see why sparing the Queen of Blades' life is necessary, my lord."

"For one, Kerrigan has claimed the Queen of Blades a perversion of her character wrought by the Overmind as a mental jailor of sorts when she would not cooperate. For another, would you not agree both that she has done our people a great service in the hybrid war and that James Raynor deserves his own personal peace?"

"I agree on both counts, Hierarch. I can also vouch that Kerrigan's behavior has differed widely from what we saw from the Queen of Blades."

"Then there should be no further explanation necessary. Kerrigan's approval among our people is ambivalent; Raynor's is not."

"There are, however, many outliers to the general opinion." Zeratul approached the duo.

"That there are," sighed Artanis in frustration. "Yet it is not honorable in the least for an ally to destroy another ally by their own hand."

"So I am not the only one who longs for days when the boundaries of morality were much more clearly drawn."

"You would be extraordinary if you didn't," Selendis replied. "But our situation as a species was far more dire then. Would you not agree, great Zeratul, that this peace has done wonders for our kind?"

"It has not wrought the changes we hoped for. The Protectorate as a whole will remain, but the former Judicator tribes are growing discontent. We are on the verge of returning to civil war. And for all of our attempts to reform our political system we are still very much reactionary; one only needs to observe the current situation to deduce this."

"While we are on the subject, what is to be done with Kerrigan?" Zeratul inquired.

"We shall return her to the _Hyperion _come daybreak. We have the information we need from her, and if the need to acquire more arises she cannot give us it anyhow. Give her and Raynor time to complete their plan, assuming it can be completed at all now, and we shall then summon her for an official trial."

"Can we be sure she will obey our summons?"

"Force can always be used, great one. However, I doubt its necessity: Kerrigan was acquiescent to our summons when I was originally assigned to bring her here."

"I shall inform Raynor immediately, then," the Nerazim replied.

* * *

"What...? What do you mean you found someone else..." Sarah mumbled in her sleep.

Artanis gently shook her awake. "Come with me, Kerrigan. I promise you will not be harmed."

Nahaan had told her the same thing the only time he'd escorted her to the torture chamber. Sarah hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should confide in a Protoss' word again. She decided to trust Artanis and followed him to a shuttle, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked before she entered.

"We are returning you to the _Hyperion_. You have my assurances that the crew will leave you unharmed. You will have three more weeks to complete your plan; after that, I cannot guarantee a solicitation of further postponement of your trial."

Sarah nodded in understanding and ducked inside. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you won't have to."

Despite her excitement at being reunited with Jim, she couldn't shake a feeling of dread.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit dull, but the setup was incomplete from last chapter so I split the setup into 2 chapters.**

**The flashback is based on an excerpt from _StarCraft: Flashpoint_. Yeah, I know Confederate Ghosts aren't exactly the most expressive people out there and that Kerrigan is supposed to pose as one, but Ghosts are still humans; the way I see it, they can joke if they want, they just aren't inclined to because of their conditioning.**


	14. Abandoned, Part III

**Author's Note: So if you haven't taken a look at the current projects list on my profile recently, I have decided that "Second Thoughts" and "Let Her Go" will become part of my adaptations of _Flashpoint/HoTS_ and _LoTV_ respectively. Those chapters will probably be written and released in bulk. **

**With regard to the _Hyperion's _age, this story takes place in 2506 and I'm assuming the ship was brand-new when the Umojans took it in 2490. That will come into play later.**

* * *

**Bridge, ****_Hyperion_, Haven Orbit**

Something didn't seem right. Matt Horner wasn't one to make an opinion on gut instinct alone, but somehow he knew that this time he'd be right.

It wasn't that he didn't want Jim to be happy, but something about Sarah made him uneasy. Maybe it was the fact she now met the gaze of the _Hyperion_'s crew, or the fact that her appearance bore more of a resemblance to the Queen of Blades than before. Or the fact that Jim had voiced similar suspicions in their first discussion and dropped them the next time they talked.

The bridge door slid open and a small drone trundled inside, followed by Swann. Horner walked over to them, grateful for something to take his mind off of worrying.

"Hey, Swann. How does the powerplant look?"

The drone wheeled over to the console and plugged itself in to begin downloading its report. "Well, the short version is: not bad considering the age and punishment we've been giving to the ship's reactor. But we'll have to get it completely refueled soon. I presume you've got a plan for that, Captain?"

"If I recall correctly, that involves shutting the reactor down, purging and cleaning it, and restocking it with hydrogen. We can do that when we put the ship in for a refit in a week, but where are we going to get enough power to restart it? We're replacing our backup batteries, replacements arrive uncharged, the Dylarian Shipyards are still in ruins from the hybrid war."

Swann grunted. "Why bother to have more when battlecruisers hardly last the 10 years their reactors are good for? Anyhow, I've heard of battle-damaged cruisers using their warp matrixes to restart their fusion reactors, but it's extremely risky and if it doesn't work properly we're all stardust."

"Well, it's been 16 since the ship was commissioned, so someone must've done this before."

"Bah, the reactor in here right now is the Umojan type that they installed when the captured the ship. It's supposed to be more self-sustaining."

"What are you suggesting then? That we get a new power core?"

"Nobody knows how to refuel this damn thing in the Dominion, so it's looking like our only option."

"Next time, be a little bit more straightforward about that, will you?" Horner grumbled. "That means we're going to be laid up for months while we get it installed."

"Not like you have anything better to be spending your time on other than card games in the cantina, Cap."

"If only. Remember that we still have to complete Kerrigan's plan. Speaking of her..." Horner briefly glanced over at the console as it brought up Swann's full diagnosis before lowering his voice and turning back to the chief engineer. "Something about Kerrigan doesn't seem right. Not if she was acting genuinely for the last two years."

"No need to lower your voice; the commander ain't around and the rest of the crew agrees with you. I say why does it matter, so long as he's happy?"

"Because I don't believe that's truly her. Too much seems out of place. Which means when the true Kerrigan finds her way back here the it's going to hit the fan. I know you're not terribly interested in her best interests, but Jim won't be walking away from that unscathed if at all."

Before Swann could reply, there was a blue flash and a Protoss shuttle, identical to the one inside the _Hyperion_'s hangar, jumped into the system.

* * *

Sarah gazed out the viewport at the _Hyperion_. Her one true home since leaving TarKossia.

There was no need for an identification request; the shuttle had informed the _Hyperion_ of its arrival prior to warping. The craft docked alongside the _Hyperion_'s forward docking tube and Sarah thanked the Protoss pilots before stepping out.

A marine was waiting for her. "Captain Horner wants to see you."

"Can't I see Jim first?" The marine shook his head and Sarah reluctantly followed him to the bridge.

Horner diverted his attention away from reading Swann's report as he noticed Sarah enter.

"Sarah, it's good to have you back."

"Likewise, Matt." She glanced around. "Where's Jim?"

"He...isn't here right now."

She sensed he was hiding something. "What's up? You're not usually like this."

"Well, someone very similar to you arrived on the ship a few days ago."

"So?" Sarah was starting to get mildly irritated.

"Well...Jim thought she was you..."

A look of worry crossed her face, followed by one of determination. "Then I'll make him remember who he really fell in love with." Sarah turned and walked out of the bridge.

"Sarah, wait a minute!" But she was already gone. Matt pounded the console in frustration. He knew her well enough to understand that no further talk would convince her not to go, even though he hadn't delivered the most important part of his warning.

* * *

Sarah didn't quite understand the crew's quizzical looks at her, but it was better than the hatred she usually got and she was too focused on her newfound task.

She reached Jim's room and found it was locked. Odd. He never locked it unless it was for her sake; the crew knew better than to disturb him if he went in. Of course, she knew the code to unlock it.

She stepped inside and the door shut behind her, leaving the room dark except for the glow of a nightlight on the ceiling. "Jim? Are you in here?" she called softly.

"Jimmy ain't here right now," a similar voice spoke from behind her in echoing tones. Sarah whirled and found herself confronting a pair jade eyes. She backed up slightly as she recalled the mysterious figure she'd seen while in captivity.

"You. What have you done with Jim?"

"Tch, such faith." The mysterious figure laughed and took a step into the light.

Sarah's eyes widened as she took in a body identical to hers but with brown hair, a sleeveless purple dress, and high heels. Her makeup was done more perfectly than Sarah could ever remember herself doing, and even that one step forward exuded a confidence that she couldn't remember having since her Sons of Korhal days. "Would Jimmy not love this?" she asked, gesturing to herself.

"No, he wouldn't," Sarah replied immediately, but it lacked confidence. She couldn't ever imagine being more attractive to Jim than this woman before her.

The clone laughed again. "It's almost a shame to break your faith - " she spat the last word as thought it were a curse " - but why don't we let him speak for himself?" She turned her head out of the glow of the nightlight as she spoke and the sound of lips meeting was heard.

A second later, the lights in the room came on, revealing her partner to be none other than Jim Raynor himself.

Sarah stared in shock. No, no no no, this couldn't be. A kaleidoscope of emotions tumbled through her head in. Denial, betrayal, jealousy, heartbreak.

She balled up her fists and locked her jaw, tearing her gaze from the kissing duo. She wouldn't give this monstrosity with her body the satisfaction of making her suffer. The two broke the kiss after a few more seconds. Jim's eyes fell on Sarah and a confused expression crossed his face. He looked back between the brunette he was holding and the red-haired one standing a few feet from them.

Upon sensing his confusion, Sarah could no longer hold back. "Jim, it's me! Don't you know me at all?"

The clone acted as if nothing was happening. "Jimmy, what's gotten into you? You look like you've seen the Queen of Blades."

Jim's eyes narrowed slightly as he sized the two women up. They both heard his question, though it was more to himself than them. _"Alright, now which one of you is the _real_ Sarah?" _As stupid as the question sounded, it was deeper than it seemed.

One was the Sarah he'd known and loved for the past two years. The Sarah that he'd carried out of the hive on Char, held in his arms atop Mengsk's ruined palace, grieved for when she had to infest herself, and stood hand-in-hand with as they fought for the future he'd always wanted. The broken, guilt-ridden woman that he'd spent hours comforting and lost lives protecting. A woman who was selfless beyond measure and always willing to do what was right.

The other was the Sarah he thought he knew before Tarsonis. The confident and beautiful woman who he'd won when others told him she was untouchable, the woman he'd brought out of seclusion and worked together with so often that he could read her mind as well as she could read his. The personality of Sarah Kerrigan that the Zerg had warped into the Queen of Blades. Complicated and enigmatic at times, but caring and devoted at others.

In many ways, they were similar. But where the two personas of Kerrigan differed they were polar opposites. Both sides of her had existed at one point in time; he'd sometimes missed the Sarah of old but never regretted the developments that had accompanied the Sarah he knew after her de-infestation. But he had, at those times, thought that if there was the remotest chance of having that old persona back he would take it. In a way, this wasn't a choice of which Sarah Kerrigan was the real one. It was a choice of which one that he loved more.

He reached for his revolver and pointed it at one of the women. "I don't know what kind of fool you take me for, but the Sarah I know isn't you."

**(music - _Mega Man Maverick Hunter X_: Zero's Sacrifice)**

The redhead's jaw dropped and tears began to form in her eyes. Suddenly Sarah's hostile environment suit felt like it weighed a million pounds and she felt a pressure building within her. She turned to leave, keeping a slow, steady gait and refusing to shed a tear. She would not let her tormentors have the satisfaction of knowing how much she'd just been hurt.

The clone watched her go with relish. Behind her, Jim groaned and rubbed his eyes as the door slid shut. "Ugh...what's going on? One minute we're about to make love and - " The clone cut him off with a kiss.

"Nothing, Jimmy. Just a slight interruption. I love you as much as I did ten minutes ago."

"Good. Now where were we?"

"Getting there," she whispered mischievously.

* * *

As the door closed behind her Sarah crumpled to her knees and let the tears flow. The only thing keeping her from losing control immediately was the crewman at the end of the corridor. No matter how upset she was, she reminded herself, it wasn't worth someone's life.

_"Jim...ever since Char I wanted to save you like you did me...and I ended up destroying you..." _She'd never thought Jim would regret helping her shoulder her burdens, but had she, in the nearly two years since Jim had brought her back, even thought about him?

The answer was an unavoidable no. She'd protected him physically, but never once suspected that their separation hurt him as much as it hurt her. Cutting contact might work to minimize her pain, but it was paramount that it was the worst possible choice for someone who loved like he did. And yet she'd done it without a second thought for him, and he'd deferred to her without a hint of how much it pained him to do so.

Sarah cried harder as the realization dawned on her. _"How could I expect him to stay with me at all if this was the price? He only kept me because I was needed to fight Amon, and I took it for love..."_

_"I...I thought I could trust him, and he betrayed me like everyone else..." _Tears of sadness were replaced by ones of bitterness. _"...What am I saying? He doesn't owe me anything and I act like I deserve his love...Maybe they were right when they said the Queen of Blades is just part of me. She treated everyone like scum...she killed without regret...I left the Swarm that trusted me with their lives...I killed those Ara Protoss without a second thought...I watched Zeratul and Mohandar fight over me and didn't lift a finger until they almost died..." _ She looked at herself in horror, expecting her pale face to be plated over with green scales and gloves on her suit to burst open and reveal Zerg carapace. _"I'm...I'm becoming the monster I swore to destroy...and there's no artifact to bring me back this time..."_

_"I tried to deny it for two years...but all along I was fighting without knowing that I was merely playing fate. Everything I've fought for...it's all for nothing."_

Her conscience could no longer keep her in check as the waves of emotions continued to crash over her. The scream tumbled from her lips and the entire battlecruiser shook with her power. She quickly regained control of herself upon remembering the other humans aboard but felt no better, laying prone on the floor as she continued to cry.

The door to Jim's room opened and Sarah looked up, clinging on to the slimmest glimmer of hope that he'd changed his mind.

Her hopes were dashed as she saw the faintly glowing eyes of her clone behind him. "I thought I told you to get out of here," he snapped coldly. She didn't respond and lowered her head shamefully.

"Jim...whatever I did...I'm sorry."

A slight ripple, akin to those created by a dropped stone in a pond, ran over his face at her words and he clapped his hand to his forehead. "Uhh..." he looked at her uncomprehendingly for a half-second and opened his mouth to speak before the ripple ran in reverse down his body again and his mouth closed and expression hardened. "I'm not interested in your apologies. You aren't the real Sarah, so stop pretending that you are. Go find yourself a new identity, or kill yourself. I couldn't care less either way."

Sarah jumped up and ran to him. "Jim, wait!" There it was again. That same change. She grabbed ahold of his arms. There were a billion things she wanted to say, but the only words from her mouth were a childish question. "Do...do you still love me?"

He pulled her into a hug and made to reply, but his words died in his throat as the clone reasserted control. Jim pushed Sarah away and turned to leave again.

"Jim, please don't go with her! I know you're in there; don't give up!"

This time, there was no reaction. She tried to force her way into his mind, the only form of help she could think of giving. The clone repulsed her easily. Sarah tried again, throwing every bit of will she could muster into the effort. The wall opposing her almost yielded for a moment, but the telltale ripple remained elusive and in the next second Sarah was losing the battle. The harder she resisted, the more forcefully she was repulsed, until she collapsed to her knees, completely drained. Her clone had been playing with her hopes all along. Jim fixed her with an icy glare as the door slammed shut.

She'd braced herself for the worst, but this went far beyond it. Jim hadn't left her after all; he was gone, torn from her again, and even she couldn't save him now. "No, no, no! This isn't happening!" she cried.

The door open again and a small furry object was tossed out. Jim turned to retreat back into his room after giving Sarah her teddy bear, but he froze as a deep gash appeared in his forehead. Yet, there was no wince, cry of pain, or even acknowledgement of the blood streaming down his face. The cut healed in a few seconds, but another opened on his cheek, and the cycle continued a few more times while Sarah watched with growing horror. Not a word was spoken, but after slashing open and healing Jim's body a few more times with her powers the clone allowed him a respite and sent him inside, following suit after regarding Sarah for a second. The message could not have been clearer: she could be subjecting Jim to any and every form of torture imaginable and neither he nor Sarah could do anything about it. And because he was at the clone's mercy, so was Sarah.

Sarah looked at the teddy bear laying facedown on the floor, the same one that Jim had bought for her as a gift six years ago and precipitated the moment that led to their relationship. It was in near-perfect condition for such an old toy, but she nonetheless picked it up as tenderly as she could manage. A few tears fell onto it, and Sarah gently wiped them away before gently holding the bear close to her, not wanting to damage it further.

She had been holding it for a few moments when she heard some noises from Jim's room. With a sickening certainty, she realized that Jim was making love to her clone.

The fragile dam that had been holding back her emotions shattered and her tears returned. She felt another scream coming on, but she didn't even have the strength left to channel her powers. "NO! This _can't _be happening! Why should I carry on?! _WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOR?!" _She collapsed face-first onto the floor, ending up spread-eagled across the corridor as she tried to drown herself in her tears, the cold eyes of the teddy bear meeting her own.

* * *

**Antioch, Aiur (music - your choice)**

Artanis pounded the table as Matt cut the communication. Once again, they acted too late to prevent disaster.

Next to him, Mohandar studied the area where Horner's image had previously been with a dark expression. To Artanis' other side, Selendis stood deep in thought.

The Hierarch stood after taking a moment to recover his composure. "We should return to the chamber. The recess has nearly ended." Horner had fortunately called shortly after Artanis had declared a recess due once again to Nahaan's indecorous behavior.

As the other members of the Hierarchy filed back in, along with the usual four-templar jury that accompanied most major decisions.

"We shall continue hearing the testimony of Executor Selendis," Urun began. There were nods of consent and she stepped into the center of the chamber, at ease despite the gazes of the Hierarchy from their lofty perches across the room.

Artanis briefly consulted his seat's holodisplay before speaking. "Executor, explain your reasons for violating the non-aggression treaty with the Haven colonists without either distress signals from them or Hierarchy consent."

"I had given up hope that Hanson could contain, let alone cure, the infestation once it had spread to more than 30% of the colonists. When James Raynor forced us to retreat, about 7% of the colonists were infested. I retained several Observers over the planet as per orders, and they reported that within weeks the percentage jumped to 10%, then to its peak at 33% in the coming months."

"We have thorough data of infestation rates readily available to you, Executor. You should know that a 3% increase in infected over the course of three weeks, even with extreme Terran precautions such as killing of infested, is nothing short of a miracle! As an official of your standing, such oversight is unacceptable! I certainly would not expect such disobedience from _my_ student, Selendis!"

"Peace, Hierarch, she meant well in her actions. We did not trust the Zerg or Terrans as we do now," reminded Tabrenus.

"That does not constitute the murder of thousands of Terrans, who are our allies to begin with!"

"And what if the infestation was not cured? Could we afford to take that chance?" Nahaan interrupted.

"This is not a trial of principle, Nahaan! This is a trial for violation of orders!"

"And if we punish those who violate orders in the interest of the greater good, we are no greater than the Conclave we replaced! Let us remember what transpired with Tassadar; if we ignore his lesson, we will have proven ourselves to have learned nothing!" he seethed.

"_You _have proven that you yourself know nothing, Nahaan! Terrans are not merely pawns to be sacrificed, nor are Zerg solely abominations to be eradicated! Without the aid of either we would have fallen to the Dark One!"

"Not all of us have the luxury of abilities that allow us to hide from our enemies, Mohandar! Perhaps if you lacked such cowardice then you would see the logic behind caution!"

"SILENCE! Nahaan, you are dismissed! Mohandar, calm yourself or you will follow suit," Artanis snapped coldly.

"What?!"

"Your opinions are no longer required, Nahaan. We have taken a vote during recess and decided that you shall henceforth be censured. You may remain if you so wish, but any spoken words will result in your forceful removal."

The Praetor's eyes glowed dangerously. "Very well. But you will change your mind soon, I assure you!" With that, he left the room.

The remaining members of the Hierarchy briefly glanced at one another before the trial continued.

* * *

_**Hyperion**_

Sarah didn't know how long she had been crying until Rawlins and Thatcher **(A/N: I know what happened in _Flashpoint_; her backstory's coming later)** came across her. There was the occasional glance of concern beforehand, but soon people began to avoid the hallway, and the few that didn't could not be bothered to make a move until Thatcher went to get Matt.

Sarah didn't look up as she sensed the captain standing over her. "I suppose this is where you get to say 'I told you so'," she sobbed.

"Shh, not here." He turned behind him and saw Swann lumbering through the small group that had clustered around them. "Swann, help me get her to the cantina."

"No, it's okay," she tried to say, but her legs gave out as she tried to stand on her own.

"It's okay, miss. I gotcha." Swann grunted and threw her over his shoulder, careful not to grab too hard with his mechanical claw.

When they entered the cantina, the music stopped playing and the men stood at attention.

"At ease, boys. I don't want to spoil your fun, but she needs some quiet," Matt informed them, gesturing at Sarah. "Thatcher, Rawlins, stay behind."

There were nods of understanding, and to their credit the crew filed out silently.

"Let me go, please." Swann set Sarah down. She laid her head against a table, not meeting either man's eyes.

"When are you going to get it in your head that we _do_ care about you, Sarah?"

"Why should you?" Tears formed in her eyes again. "Don't even try to pretend you respect or care about me! All I am to all of you is an unstable, half-Zerg psychotic killer that's only spared you because she's your CO's pet!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Horner retorted before taking a moment to think about his next words. "Look, Sarah, I know we don't exactly make you feel comfortable. But you can't deal with this on your own. Nobody can."

"Who said I was dealing with it?" she replied miserably, though she looked him in the eyes for the first time.

"You owe it to the rest of us to finish what you started. Do you still love him?"

"What does that have to do with - "

"Do you love him even though he left you? Because if you do, then you'll do what you can to make the remainder of his life safe."

Sarah blinked. That was exactly how she'd felt whenever she couldn't have him. There was just one small thing. "But he didn't leave me."

"Does that make a difference?"

"Yes! I could have won him back before, but he's been forcefully taken from me! I tried everything to bring him back, but it's just pulling him further from me!"

"Who said you were alone in this?" Thatcher interjected. Sarah looked at the other woman in confusion.

"It's a matter between me and Jim. I need to handle it myself."

"No, you don't. He's our commander. We owe it to him to get him back."

"Why are you helping me? You have every reason to make me suffer."

"You brought me back; now it's time I returned the favor. We Raiders always look out for each other."

While that was the essence of the truth, Sarah had purposely deleted part of Thatcher's memory so she would forget how she'd returned. When she'd returned to Prometheus Station looking for clues to the hybrids' whereabouts after re-infesting herself on Zerus, Sarah had found Thatcher's corpse drifting in space. Out of guilt, she had brought her into her leviathan and re-animated her as an infested, making sure to keep her out of harm's way. At the end of the hybrid war, Thatcher had been one of the first to have her infestation reverted, though Sarah had purged any memories of infestation.

She'd never expected that act to be treated as a favor. She had simply thought she was making amends. But clearly there were many more who were willing to give her a second chance than she anticipated.

Sarah turned back to Matt. "How did you know about Jim?"

"Well, a person who looks a lot like you showed up out of the blue claiming to be Sarah Kerrigan. That's suspicious already. For one, no Terran would ever want to be mistaken for the Queen of Blades. Also, I ordered a search of the shuttle she flew here and found two decapitated Protoss inside."

"Wh...what?! And Jim didn't find any of this suspicious?"

"That's the thing. It's so unlike him that a lot of us suspected was being brainwashed. He wouldn't even listen to what I was trying to tell him."

"We ain't gonna force you to do anything," Swann grunted. "All we're asking is if you want to help."

The tension in the room finally seemed to dissolve and Sarah relaxed. "Alright. What do you want me to do?"

* * *

**6 hours later (music - _Mega Man Maverick Hunter X:_ Boss Appears)**

Jim groaned and opened his eyes. Another wonderful night of making love to Sarah. He was starting to like her this way, though it disturbed him slightly that she thought so little about the past five years all of a sudden.

He looked around and realized she wasn't there. "Sarah?" he called.

"In here," the clone responded from the bathroom. Jim briefly wondered if he should join her but decided against it.

Inside, the clone held a vial shaped like the sheath of her knife and was repeatedly dipping the blade into it. It contained a necrotic solution similar to the compounds Nahaan had used to gas the hives on Char. She didn't keep the blade permanently immersed in it as the solution was potent enough to erode the metal.

_"At last, the time has come for me to make my move. Playing with these fools has been entertaining, but my master is at risk of being exposed. I must act now if the plan is to succeed." _She sheathed her knife once she was satisfied that the blade was thoroughly coated in the toxic potion.

"Sarah? Are you okay in there?" Jim called again after a few minutes.

"I'll be right out," she called flirtatiously. "Are _you_ ready?"

"Always, darlin'." A few moments later, the door opened and Jim strode to her, running his hands over her dress-covered figure and kissing her passionately.

* * *

Sarah's eyes snapped open. Something big was happening. And her gut instinct was hardly wrong.

She briefly glanced around the empty cantina for some sort of equipment, but remembered that Nahaan had taken it and she hadn't gotten replacements.

_"Guess just my mind will have to do." _She noticed the teddy bear sitting upright across from her and allowed herself a small smile. _"Well, my mind and this." _She ran out of the cantina, heading for Jim's quarters, calling out telepathically to Matt to alert him to the situation.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite the evocation of some horrid narm (couldn't resist, sorry). Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!**


End file.

StarCraft, Romance, Tragedy