Apocalyptic Shadows

A StarCraft Short Story By Admiral Neo

Authors Note: If any of you have played StarCraft: Vision of the Future (if you haven't it's available for download at http/ then you'll recognize a few of the characters I've borrowed from that game.

The Protoss Dark Templar jumped off the edge of Adun's Pillar on Aiur - its plasma blade spinning - sliced through the armor of an unsuspecting Terran Firebat. Its flamethrower pack was sliced open, and the Firebat was set afire. The embers of the corpse dissipated, and the Templar leaped off into the vast, open plains of Hero's Field, jumping over the rotting bodies of the Zerg, Terran, and Protoss.

As the Templar ran, clouds began to form above, and rain descended from the heavens. Red and green blood mixed with the blue cybernetic fluid of Protoss Dragoons. Spent shell casings, armor plating, and organs were swept away. The Templar ran across a ruined bridge, past a group of Zerglings. The Templar's blade was outstretched as it ran, and the Zerglings were sliced into two. They fell into the river underneath them, turning the river a hellish color of red.

The battered body of a Protoss Reaver sputtered, it's electronics spliced, and the Scarabs that the mechanical behemoth shot were laying around the Reaver. The Dark Templar swiftly dodged a group of Terran Marines, Goliaths and Siege Tanks engaged in heavy combat with Zerg Lurkers, Hyrdralisks, and Mutualisks.

A stray shell from a Siege Tank flew in front of the invisible Dark Templar, sending dust and dirt spraying into the sky. The Templar simply rushed through it, avoiding the fierce fighting. All over Aiur, the fighting was just as savage, if not more so, than what the Templar passed. Even in the skies of Aiur, and in orbit, large fleets of Battlecruisers, Valkeryies, Wraiths, Carriers, Scouts, Guardians, Scourages and Devourers battered each side. The Battle for Aiur ravaged, with no end in sight to the maddening conflict.

Tracer rounds, acid, spines, and plasma tore through the blackened sky. The Dark Templar looked up as it ran. If this weren't Aiur, thought the Templar, this would look very beautiful. The Templar leaped over a Terran Marine locked in combat with a Hydralisk, and in a quick swirling motion, decapitated the Marine. The Hydralisk roared in surprise, but quickly found a new target.

The Templar peered ahead, seeing the blackened and battered form of a Protoss Nexus, and what was left of Scion, capital of Aiur. Ahead, hundreds of Zerg were fighting the last of the Protoss Guard stationed in the capital. Above Scion, dozens of Terran Wraiths were dropping thermal charges in the city. The Templar increased his sprint, its ragged cloak that it wore lifting up into the wind.

It ran straight through a formation of Lurkers as a dozen Spider Mines went off all-around the Lurkers. Blood and limbs spattered the Templar, but it continued its sprint. The Templar leapt over a line of Zergling corpses, and right into the Protoss defense.

A Zealot, the lowest ranking soldier of the Protoss called out to his fellow brethren. "En Taro Adun, Dark Templar! How goes the battle?" His mental call was full of devotion, as he put aside the differences that the Templar and Dark Templar had had for thousands of years.

"It doesn't seem to be going well," replied the Dark Templar. "What has happened to our fleets?" The Zealot looked up into the sky, where the aerial battle had intensified.

"The mighty fleets are already battered from our assault on the Overmind. They are strong, but few in number. They will not survive for long." The Templar noticed the bitter hint of extreme sadness as the Zealot spoke.

"Is there anything I can do here?" asked the Templar, expressing the same sadness.

The Zealot shook its head. "Yes. The Temple in the center of the city, the Temple of Adun, is under siege. Join our brethren there! En Taro Adun!" And the Zealot turned away from the Dark Templar, activated its psionic blades, jumped over the line of corpses, and dashed straight into the heat of battle.

"En Taro Adun," and the Templar ran deep into the city.

Short minutes later, the Templar arrived at the Temple; where dozens of Dragoons, Zealots, High Templars, Reavers, Archons and even some of the Dark Templar were fighting for their lives, and their planet. The Templar did not get time to be greeted by his brethren. A canister round shot a Protoss Zealot that ran in front of the Templar, and he fell down the stairs of the temple, bleeding a light-blue shade.

A Reaver was locked down quickly, and a red dot appeared above its form. A Protoss High Templar shouted above the din. "Ghost! Send in the Observers!" And his wish was quickly carried out, as a robotic Observer, it's green eye shinning, flew over the Temple. It's advanced sensors quickly picked up the cloaked shape of a Terran Ghost. All attention was shifted to the Ghost, to prevent the nuclear package he was about to drop on the Temple from falling.

Plasma, Scarabs, Blades, and storms of psionic powers were all sent at the Ghost, with one last scream, exploded in a pile of blood and meat. The Protoss enjoyed a moment of satisfaction, until it was blasted away when a Protoss Arbiter was blasted out of the sky by a Wraith.

The encampment of Protoss looked into the sky. It seemed the air battle had gone terribly wrong for the Protoss. Hundreds of Terran Wraiths, Valkeryies, and dozens of Battlecruisers flew above Scion. The Zerg and Protoss fleets were nowhere to be seen.

The High Templar, who the Dark Templar learned from a quick mind-scan of the Templar, was called Agani, quickly sent a global telepathic burst. "What has happened to the fleets!" He received a quick response at the other end of Aiur, from the Province of Satai.

"They are gone! The Terrans have some new rapid-fire energy blast!" The telepathic burst was quickly cut off. Agani looked into the sky, as he peered into the minds of the Protoss at Satai, and he saw the streaks of laser fire and nuclear missiles from the Battlecruisers overhead the Province. The vision was abruptly cut off.

"Don't we have any ships left?" asked Agani, in bitter rage. A Marine ran up into the Temple, and was set on fire by the Photon Cannons recently erected. The Photon Cannon defense grid shifted their attention now to the fleets of Battlecruisers above.

A Science Vessel flew above the Protoss defenders, and fired a missile. "EMP!" shouted the Dark Templar. "Look out!" And he jumped up and grabbed Agani, and pushed him behind a Reaver. The EMP took out all the shields of the surrounding Protoss, and penetrated the Reaver's shields, but not the Dark Temlpar's, or Agani.

A line of shells from the Terran Siege Tanks stationed a few kilometers away hammered into the Protoss defenders. Zealots went up in telepathic flame, Archons exploded, and whole armor plates were blown off the Reavers and Dragoons.

The fleets of Battlecruisers descended lower, orbiting hundreds of meters above Scion, their laser batteries turning a brilliant orange-red as they charged up. Before they could discharge, however, a flight of Arbiters flew overhead, and put the fleet into a Stasis Field. The energy from the lasers dissipated, as the blue field encompassed the ships.

The decimated Protoss navy, with a few Scouts, Corsairs, and the last Carriers in all of Protoss space gathered around the Terran armada. The Protoss force numbered in the hundreds of thousands, but Agani knew that the odds of their survival were slim. The Stasis Field wore off, and the Admirals of the armada quickly sprung into action.

The Arbiters were the first targets of a deadly tidal wave of energy. Dust and debris showered down on the Protoss force. The High Templars were as quick to respond, making Hallucinations of the Protoss fleet, and using their Psionic Storm on the Battlecruisers. Dozens of ships went up in the bluish storm, but hundreds more remained.

Multiple nuclear missiles were loaded up into the weapons bays of the Battlecruisers, and a volley was launched down on the Protoss. The Dark Templar quickly sprinted for cover. Agani did likewise. The atomic maelstrom disintegrated thousands of the Protoss' most valorous troops.

When the dust cleared, only a few Protoss warriors were left standing. The Battlecruisers charged up their Yamato Cannons, sure of the resistance by the Protoss was nil. A flight of Scourage screeched above, and slammed into the Terran fleet. The Battlecruisers turned to face the new arrivals. In the distance, hundreds of Zerg were on their way.

The Terrans broke off their attack from Scion, and angrily fired their cannons at the Zerg.

Agani let out a mental sigh of relief. The Protoss military was crushed, but Scion was safe. "It's only a matter of time until they return. We need to summon our last Probes, reinforce for another attack. We'll stay until the-"

The roar of a Recall Field cut off Agani. In the midst of the field, dozens of Carriers, Battlecruisers, and a strange ship that appeared like a Battlecruiser, but with Protoss armor implanted, and a triangle shaped portion at the front. Agani and the Dark Templar peered upwards, and the Templar swore he saw Zerg organs on the craft. He looked at the cone-shaped structure at the front. The words "Black Dream" were etched in the sides.

The Black Dream launched dozens of Scouts, Corsairs, Valkeryies, and Wraiths at the retreating Zerg and Terran forces. The Carriers launched their slew of fighters as well. Agani and the rest of the Protoss survivors picked up a mental call from the Black Dream. "Protoss warriors, this is Templar Kuwadora of the Scantid Fleet. Standby, we're here to give you support."

The Scantid Fleet ships engaged the alien forces, and the Black Dream leads the way. A beam of brilliant white energy charged up and lanced towards the Terrans and Zerg. A large chunk of the fleets were vaporized instantly. The Zerg and Terrans immediately shifted their attention at the newcomers. Hellish colors of red, green, orange, and grey lunged at the Scantid Fleet ships.

The Black Dream responded by firing her phase transit cannon again, and vaporized another portion of the advancing fleet. Again, she fired; dust and debris scattered. The Zerg and Terran fleets broke, and retreated. The Carriers and Battlecruisers of the Scantid fleet pursued. The Black Dream and her fighters however, disappeared in a cloud of blue energy, as it was dimensionally recalled away.

The Protoss warriors looked up in awe at the massive show of destruction they just witnessed. Agani looked at the Dark Templar. "I am I seeing things or did we just win?" he asked.

"Yes," replied the Templar, "I think we did."