Between Light and Darkness – Part I – Warriors of Hope

Book 1 – Star Reaver

February 2nd 2502, 1 PM

It was a cold, bright day in the wastelands of Braxis. An eerie silence enveloped the ruins of the Psi Disruptor, now nothing more than chunks of burnt metal and twisted beams scattered along with frozen corpses.

The morning sun did little to thaw the unbelievable cold, but the local fauna had little to fear from the harsh climate. A pack of ursadons ran around in their usual routine, looking for food. If nothing else, the cold had made them develop their senses and endurance, although that meant little against the sick sense of humor of some Terrans who seemed to love blowing them up. Time went slowly by, the creatures left, and a few moments later, a few drops in an ocean of time, slow steps started echoing through the cold emptiness. A figure approached the site of the terrible battle and sighed heavily as it surveyed the area. A man, no doubt, wearing a bulky teal armor that sheltered him from the cold and carrying a menacing gauss rifle that had obviously seen its share of action. Walking slowly, as if afraid of the memories of this place, he moved closer, until he was right in front of one of the ruined doorways from which the Directorate soldiers had rushed to battle during the Zerg onslaught. Raising the armor's black visor, he took a deep breath, letting out a gush of vapor. There was a tired look in his eyes, and he definitely wasn't happy. Jim Raynor was a troubled man with a weight on his shoulders.

"Damn that bitch..." he thought. "And damn those UED morons for jumping the gun...If they hadn't barged in like damn cowboys, none of this would have happened."

He paused for a moment, as he remembered the role he had played in the destruction of the colossal device that now stood before him.

"What the hell am I gonna do now...?" he wondered. "There's got to be someone out there who can stand up to that bitch... I can't let her win like this. Tassadar... Fenix... She's gonna pay, I swear it!"

His thoughts were interrupted by a kind of shriek he knew too well. A pack of zerglings ran from a nearby forest, probably scouting for prey. As soon as they spotted him, they changed course and dashed in, ignorant of the skill of who they thought to be just another meal. Raynor raised his rifle and lowered his visor, unwilling to let them get a cheap shot at his face.

"Bring it on bitch!" he yelled, before riddling the creatures with cold metal bullets. They never had a chance.

Nervous, he looked around, trying to see if there were any other Zerg in the area.

"Better get outta here before more of them come..." he thought, running the same way he had come. "Good thing I hid my Vulture in a safe place."

A few minutes later he found the spot he was looking for, next to a rocky cliff. Getting his hand into the snow, he felt something below, with an unmistakable shape. He then located a small control panel and pushed a specific button. The hoverbike hummed to life and let out a gust of hot air, melting the snow around and over it. Raynor jumped to the seat and set off, dashing through the wasteland and running over the occasional zergling. Avoiding the tighter cliffs, he moved through an ample, rocky area until he reached the entrance to a large cave. He stopped his hoverbike and took long steps towards the cave, and stopping right at the entrance, he shouted into the blackness.

"Tarsonis burns!"

"Korhal rots!" a woman's voice replied from the inside, before snorting at the overly dramatic password and counter password.

Raynor heard a few steps in his direction, and then a young woman appeared, wearing a Ghost suit with a pilot's helmet. She had a slim, agile figure, and looked slightly odd overall. There was something about the gaze from her piercing green eyes that made most people feel slightly uncomfortable, and her curly reddish hair looked like a blazing flame.

"Rather disturbing how fast the Zerg have re-infested this place after the last Protoss bombing run." she said with a frown. "From what I hear, their bloody spores are also creeping up all over what's left of Mar Sara. So, are we done here Commander? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Raynor nodded.

"Yes Rowena, we're done here... for now. Did you get any more news while I was gone?"

She made a brief salute and presented her report.

"As we suspected, the people of Korhal and several other Dominion-controlled worlds are pretty sick of Mengsk by now, and since he's been tightening his grip as of late, there are several groups who wouldn't mind getting rid of him. Our agent on Korhal has met with one of those groups, and he believes that we may be able to incorporate them into the Raiders."

"Hmmm... Things are finally looking up... Any news from Zeratul though?"

"Unfortunately no. Shakuras is still in an uproar over his disappearance, and rumors abound, but there's nothing new along the lines of hard evidence."

"He's a tricky one, all right… To think that he'd even be able to give his own people the slip... Well, it'll be better if we keep a low profile ourselves. Our plan will be hard to follow otherwise."

"The Freya is ready for takeoff. Shall we...?"

Raynor nodded and returned to his Vulture, driving it into the cave. Inside was a modified Valkyrie frigate, with improved engines and a small cargo hold below the wings. While Rowena started the engine, he opened the cargo hold and extended a small ramp, before moving his hoverbike inside. After making sure that everything was properly sealed, he walked out and climbed into the cockpit.

"All set..." he said. "Let's get outta here."

"Should I assume that you're going to check that report on Korhal?"

"You read my mind..." he replied with a smile.

"No, if I did, I'd probably end up calling you a few names..." she said with a soft laugh.

Her attempt at humor elicited a sigh from him and she instantly regretted it, knowing the cause.

Meanwhile, a universe away...

His long hunt was finally coming to an end, or so he thought. Through frozen wastelands of his own world, he had fought his way and triumphed over a final challenge, a rocky maze in the heart of a mountain. Now, as he stood before the final doorway, he was already feeling like a hunter about to strike.

Thoughts of vengeance filled his mind once again, and fueled by them, he pushed the large double doors aside with his cloven hands. The skinny blue wraith with a cowl over his ruined jaw, ragged wings, black hair and empty white eyes found himself in a wide round chamber with several platforms above, forming a circle. On the walls by each platform was a strange device that looked like a clock pointer with a handle.

In front of his eyes was a flight of stairs, leading to a wall with a large round shape crowned by a round jewel. But his would-be prey had other plans, and as they clashed with words and blows, his opponent adjusted the odd mechanism through levers all across the room, until a howling blue portal appeared on the far wall. Pausing for a moment, before taunting him again, the ancient vampire master of greenish skin and feral eyes smiled in amusement, exposing the tips of his fangs. Then, before his enraged adversary could react, he vanished into the gateway. The demon knew exactly what to do, and recklessly chased the vampire inside...