"No, it is not," Tassadar said, "andyou know well it is not fear that makes me choose this course of action. "

Jake nodded, slowly, as every ship in the powerful protoss fleet disappeared to human eyes, and sat back. And waited. And watched-

Jake opened his eyes and realized he was trembling. It was always profound, of course, when Zamara shared the memories she tended with him. And he knew he'd been privileged to see the actual unfolding of historic events that had shaped the protoss more than he could possibly grasp. But this—this was a moment out of his own history, not that of an alien's. He'd been witness to the great cataclysmic event of his generation—hell, perhaps that of all humanity, ever. First contact with an alien race—two alien races, if you counted the zerg on Chau Sara, and he supposed he should count that.

Zamara's detachment chilled him, even though he knew she had revised her opinion of terrans a great deal since she'd been hitchhiking inside one for so long. But he would have expected nothing less from the Zamara he had first met. Tassadar's actions, however, did surprise him. He knew what it cost a templar emotionally to defy the Conclave.

Some of this I know, of course, he told Zamara. But it's all been filtered through Dominion propaganda. It's fascinating to see it from the other side.

Zamara chuckled, and gently commandeered his body to land the ship. There is more.. .so much more that you must see. I hope you can learn it from Zeratul himself. I do think we are in the right place.

Why are we setting down here? Not that Jake minded. The site Zamara had selected was a beautiful meadow high in the mountains, and Jake spied what appeared to be a makeshift shelter. The idyllic setting included a waterfall to complete a holo-card-perfect image, if one discounted that luscious pink sky. Hell, even that was starting to seem more perfect to Jake's eyes than blue sky now.

I analyzed all the coordinates. Several sites were visited more than once. This one seems to be the most frequently inhabited by the original pilot of this vessel. It is a logical deduction that this is therefore the most likely site to encounter Zeratul, if it is indeed he who owns the ship.

And here I thought you picked it because it was scenic.

That is merely a pleasant coincidence.

Using Jake's body, Zamara landed the ship gently. They disembarked and Jake closed his eyes and breathed the clean, soft air.

I'm beginning to see why Zeratul likes this place so much, he said. I had no idea human and protoss ideals of beauty were so similar.

I think this planet was selected not for aesthetic reasons but for practical ones. Zeratul was looking for a place to restore himself. Negative ions in the atmosphere, which produce a sensation of calm and well-being in both humans and in protoss, are increased by higher altitudes and proximity to moving water, especially waterfalls. And it has been established that rose hues are soothing and relaxing because of the vibration of the wavelength.

Jake shrugged. He just thought it was pretty.

We do admire beauty and harmony as well, Jacob. We Just desire it to be... useful as well as pleasant.

Dragging his eyes from the waterfall, he looked at the lean-to. It was rough, but functional, and appeared sturdy enough to protect its occupant from whatever weather might manifest. It seemed to be constructed of organic material—branches, vines, moss to seal out rain. Whoever built it didn't care about privacy, but then again, this place seemed to be uninhabited.

His stomach rumbled. He was willing to bet the water was safe to drink, but he'd check to make sure. Rosemary had the Pig—more properly termed the Handheld Personal Information-Gathering and Navigation Unit, "HPIGNU," conveniently shortened to the porcine abbreviation—so he'd have to rely on Zamara and whatever technology he could find here. Approaching the shelter, he found an oval metal box of some sort. He fiddled with it until it opened to his touch. Inside were all kinds of equipment.

Dark templar technology, Zamara said, her excitement plain.

Anything you recognize?

No, but I should again be able to intuit.

The sound of the rushing water was soothing, yes, but Jake realized he was parched. He'd found that barring something toxic in the soil or in something that swam in it, water was water, and generallyjust fine. Of course he'd always had the equipment to analyze it before. He took one of the alien pieces of equipment in each hand and went to stand beside the water, feeling the spraypatter softly on his skin, and swallowed dryly.

Hurry up with that intuiting, Zamara, or else I'll die of thirst before you figure it out.

But he didn't. He lay down on the soft grass, purple-hued but comfortable, and peered up through a filter of leaves at clouds scudding past a pink sky. All the exhaustion he had staved off over the last several days seemed to descend on him at once.

Rest, Jacob. Rest and dream.

There could be no better guardian, and so, trusting her completely, Jake filled his lungs with the cleanest air he'd ever breathed, basked in the warm sunlight from an alien star, and obeyed.

"We have waited long enough," Kerrigan stated.

"My queen, Ulrezaj has only been underground two days. He was obviously gravely injured by our attack. I am certain that once he is well enough to travel, he will lead us directly to Ramsey."

"Who could be so far away by this point that we might never locate him again." Kerrigan's voice was icily angry. "Ramsey might be on Shakuras, he might be somewhere else entirely. He could be dead by now for all we know."

Ethan had no reply; her words were the truth. He inclined his head in acknowledgment, even though she could not see the gesture.

"I obey your will, O my queen. What is it you would have me do?"

In his mind, he felt her smile, and his heart filled with longing. If only he could stand before her, see that expression of gleeful, hungry delight with his own eyes. Oh, how he adored her.

"Ulrezaj has fled to the chambers beneath the surface. I'm not sure what is down there, but it looked as though his only protection was that handful of protoss he had corrupted and enslaved. Most of them are gone—they either deserted him and fled with Ramsey or else they were killed in the battle. He's weak now, and we could kill him easily."

"But that is not your wish, is it?"

"No. But he does not know that. We will descend into the tunnels, a flood of zerg that he will not be able to stand against." Her amusement grew. "We'll light a fire under his glowing dark ass. Flush the quarry. And follow."

"It shall be done."

Ethan was Kerrigan's general, and the zerg obeyed him as they would their queen, utterly and without question or pause. He had permitted them to forage, killing what they could to sustain themselves, or feasting on the carrion that was once living protoss, human, and even zerg. They came like dogs to heel, awaiting his command.

Mounted atop a mutalisk, Ethan led his monstrous troops steadily toward the entrance to the underground chambers where Ulrezaj, wounded and no doubt disheartened, had fled. He smiled slightly, his gaze lingering on them as they scuttled forward, shiny carapaces catching the sunlight, covering kilometers of earth with their undulating bodies while the air was thick with those who could fly...

The army reached the entrance and began to flow inside. Ethan was reminded of pouring water into vermin holes, to either drown the things in their burrows or flush them out. It was an amusing thought.