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Episode IV: Enslavers Redux Epilogue

Prologue: Set after the events at Ehlna and the imprisonment of Ulrezaj, but just before the beginning of Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. 

With the threat of the supreme Dark Archon Ulrezaj now contained deep under Ehlna within a khaydarin crystal, due to the noble sacrifice of the preserver Zamara, the Protoss on Shakuras were able to secure their once secret moon of Elhna away from Kerrigan's Zerg and the Terran Dominion.  An uneasy stalemate was met between the three races as they each went back to their respective territories.  Life returned to an uneasy quiet, but for both Zeratul and Kerrigan, things were anything but quiet.  Both the Dark Prelate and Queen of Blades were still consumed with searching for their own answers as to what the Hybrid threat they both encountered were and how the creature known as Duran was able to create them.  Abandoning their kin, they each went on a unique journey to seek out these answers.  Zeratul began his search on the world Zamara had showed him containing a Xel'naga temple - Pegasus.  Zeratul arrived on the world just in time to witness an unusual energy-like creature emerge from the decayed temple and depart into space. The prelate followed it to a gathering of dozens, possibly hundreds, of other energy creatures. The creatures then created a wormhole through which Zeratul cautiously ventured forth…

Meanwhile, Kerrigan continued to hunt down any psionic signatures belonging to laboratories for Duran's Hybrid experiments, but each turned up abandoned.  The Queen of the Zerg feared her old consort was either beginning to relocate his experiments to safer locations, or his Hybrids were already awakening, preparing for an assault when the time was right.  Finally, one of her organic probes picked up a powerful emanation coming from the Terran world of Emoja. A live Hybrid was there no doubt.  Re-directing her Leviathan, she sent her forces at full force towards the Dominion occupied world.  Although Kerrigan was not looking to begin her true assault on Mengsk, this strike on a Dominion holding would be as good as any for a first strike.

And nearby, waking up to a crisp morning breakfast, the former Dominion Alpha Squadron Commander began going over his strategy for liberating the civilians on an outpost near a secret Dominion military outpost on Emoja. Over the past several years since the fight on Aiur, the Commander and his loyal followers had become freedom fighters, liberating civilians from Dominion or mercenary oppression.  Requiring more resources than he had to pull this plan off, the Commander knew he had to call in a favor to make this work.  And he had one favor he's been saving up for such an occasion.  Time to ante up Jimmy…

 

Warning - Potential spoilers for the missions ahead! - Just a brief mission plot overview of each map. Specifics are not given away, play through all three final missions to complete the game!

Epilogue01- The Price of Freedom

Having run a successful business of smuggling occupied civilians off of Dominion occupied worlds, Clarence Falco, the real name of The Commander, was given an urgent request by civilians of Umoja.  A dominion occupied world, but fiercely independent, he was unsurprised by the request, but was surprised at the nature of where it came from.  The Dominion was conducting illegal and dangerous experiments in a secret research base just outside the main capital, forcing its workers to continue work and never leaving.  Their families, meanwhile, were trapped unable to get them or leave the planet.  The Commander knew it would take more than just his crew to pull off a rescue operation like this and requested his old friend, Jim Raynor, to assist.

(A massive civilian transport that Raynor helped to commandeer to rescue civilians)

Raynor, more than happy to help and see his friend, The Magistrate, back, set up communications with him from his personal Battlecruiser; The Hyperion.  Together they came up with the plan of Raynor securing a large Dominion transport shuttle, capable of transporting a hundred civilians, and the Commander covertly gathering them all at night.  By morning, the Dominion wouldn't know what hit them, and hopefully, put a damper on those experiments.

Little did either of them know, but the primary experiment at the facility was being led by a new, yet prominent research group; Moebius.  It's founder, Dr. Narud, has never been seen personally, but has communicated with both Valerian and Arcturus directly, helping to setup some of the most secretive guarded facilities such as Skygeiir platform, in the sector.  The primary reason for this facility was to learn more about a particular Hybrid Arcturus found, and how it can be improved.  Instead, one of the leading scientists, Dr. Laurent, thought a better use would be to siphon energy from the near limitless power of the creature to help power Dominion technology.  One of Dr. Narud's supposed personal "assistants", came by to personally confirm Dr. Laurent would follow his protocols.  The assistant called himself Samir Duran.

Just then, Kerrigan, having been scouring the deepest reaches of space to find more Hybrids and Duran himself, detected the powerful Hybrid on Emoja, and launched her forces in the untamed region of the world where the facility was kept.  Valerian, having gone there to oversee just what his father was up to, became trapped on the world as the Zerg attacks began.  Arcturus baited him into not escaping and instead use some of the recent inventions of the facility to destroy Kerrigan forever.  Valerian activated a powerful new laser called the Drakken Pulse Laser, and targeted it at the Queen of Blades.  Dazing her with tremendous energy, Kerrigan knew she was close to something vital to Duran, and began her attacks.

(The Drakken Pulse Laser, normally used for digging, now amplified by tremendous energy to strike targets)

Meanwhile, the Commander and Raynor doubled down on their efforts, neither of them willing to leave and let the civilians die.  As Raynor secured the platform against Dominion attacks to overtake it, the Commander battled the Zerg as he began rescuing civilians in armored transport vehicles.   Kerrigan was impressed both her former lover and her former friend were both here, but called them fools for getting involved.  She ignored Raynor's forces but instead concentrated on the Commanders.

Eventually, all the civilians made it to the dropship and it took off safely.  Arcturus, however, did not order a retreat. Instead, he activated, against his sons protests, the Archangel protocol, a massive Viking prototype capable of causing tremendous damage against the Queen of Blades.  Testing it on the Commander and Raynor, they bought fought the machine until it broke down. 

(The massive automated prototype Viking, designed to kill Kerrigan, the Archangel)

As Kerrigan gained the territory and began her primary attack on the facility, Arcturus watched from security cameras as she approached the Commander, and in a fit of rage, impaled him on her wings.  Furious and angry at his lover and her lust for death, Raynor began attacking her, but was forced to flee on the Hyperion as the overwhelming Zerg numbers infested the platform.  Before the final cameras were destroyed, Arcturus was surprised Kerrigan let Raynor go.  He knew there was still something there, a weakness perhaps, he could exploit with those feelings.  Activating a secret plan he was brewing, a special convict, friend of Raynor's, but with morals as loose as sand, was let go.  This convict, Tychus Findley, would be Mengsk's man on the inside of Raynor's Raiders, and when the time came, would kill Kerrigan for him, and perhaps, Raynor himself.

Duran, as the Zerg invaded, knew that he could not keep this form any longer.  With his asset Dr. Laurent becoming too much of a liability with his questioning of orders, Duran decided it would be more prudent to kill the good doctor and all who knew him and instead take over his form as his new identify.  Re-programming on the official Dominion extranet this bio-identify as Dr. Emil Narud, he knew that this form would allow him to step out of the shadows as leader of Moebius and finalize his Hybrid work.  He left in a transport ship soon after.

(Originally belonging to Dr. Laurent, Duran killed him and stole his physical appearance for his new presona, Emil Narud)

Meanwhile, aboard the safety of the Hyperion, Raynor fell into a depression over his inability to stop Kerrigan, and failing to live up to his promise of killing her after she had his Protoss ally, Fenix, killed on Korhal.  He felt hesitation against his feelings that the human he had fell in love with before Mengsk rose to power was still in the Queen of Blades somewhere.  Angry at himself and the world around him, he took his personal ops transport to his home planet of Mar Sara to be alone.  Worried about him, his 1st officer, Matt Horner, ordered a few marines to help guard Raynor, just in case.  He knew where we would likely go to drink himself into a depression; Joey Rays Bar.

Epilogue02- Veil of Oblivion

After having destroyed the facility on Ehlna, Kerrigan was furious no sign of the Hybrid or Duran remained.  However, just then a Terran dropship left the planet in a hurry.  She ordered a parasatic probe to attach itself to it and followed it to a peculiar location.  This was not a Dominion facility it was going to, but an unremarkable moon in the fringes of space.  However, she was surprised when the transport docked within the moon, suggesting there was indeed more to this than met the eye.  Kerrigan had promise perhaps this was one of Duran's facilities and she could finally gain the upper hand of surprise.

(The supposed spirit of Tassadar, warning Kerrigan of the threat she faces)

As she invaded the facility, much to Abathur's and Izsha's hollow protests, she encountered a being of immense psionic power; Tassadar.  Claiming he was indeed the dead legendary Executor and not some mirage from Duran, the spirit of Tassadar imparted onto Kerrigan vital information on the Overmind's birth, its will being chained by the corrupted Xel'naga that created it, and Duran was himself secretly a Xel'naga.  Duran's master, the spirit claimed, was coming soon and the entire fate of the galaxy would be at stake if Kerrigan proceeds.  However, Kerrigan simply proclaimed stopping Duran here and now would prevent his plans from happening, and ignored the warnings.  Just as the spirit vanished, it gave Kerrigan one last piece of knowledge, the location of the Xel'naga sanctuary world, Ulaan.  It was on that dead planet that a prophecy, confirming everything he has said, and what is to come, would be stored.

Kerrigan proceeded within the facility and was surprised as it opened up into a massive chamber.  Duran had hired a Terran research group it seemed, Moebius, to help construct a new Hybrid facility there, unaware Duran was fully in control of Moebius under the guise Emil Narud.  Surprised at seeing his nemesis, he found himself unprotected, and ordered the immediate recall of his personal Tal'darim force, led by Nyon.  There, the Tal'darim would help protect generators that would power the ancient and omnipotent Xel'naga artifact; The Keystone.  Although he wasn't prepared to activate the Keystone on Kerrigan to siphon her energy in order to open a rift into the Void to allow his master, Amon, back into the physical universe, the opportunity for her being so close to the Keystone was something he couldn't pass up.

(The overzealous Tal'darim Executor, loyal to the Xel'naga, Nyon)

However, Kerrigan's powers and her Swarm was too overpowering, as she laid waste to both the hired Terran mercenaries and the Tal'darim.  Just as she was about to collect the Keystone for herself, Duran uncloaked and had the artifact warped away; claiming he would rather seperate the pieces to teh ends of the galaxy then have her wield the most powerful object in the galaxy.  Furious, she demanded they end their petty conflict, to which Duran agreed, and baited her into a 1 on 1 battle in an underground temple.  Izsha and Abathur both agreed this was likely a trap and implored their queen to leave now.  Kerrigan's lust for vengeance was too high now, and she followed Duran to his lair.

Now deep under the moon's surface, Kerrigan found a Xel'naga structure collecting Void energies, but was stunned to see Zerg biomass in its construction.  Duran revealed her psionic connections to her allies was severed and she had fallen into his trap.  The Zerg would become willing tools of the Xel'naga again as it would run rampant through the galaxy, but only once Kerrigan would fall. Battling each other, Duran took on multiple forms, including the late Fenix in his Zealot body, and her old fallen consort, Ethan Stewart.  Kerrigan fought past each, and gained the victorious upper hand.

(A dark voice, belonging to a vision of Amon's future host body, modeled after the Hybrids)

Just as she thought now would be Duran's final breath, he merely laughed at how predictable she had become as he activated from the Xel'naga temple a vision from the Void of his master, Amon, and the host body that was being constructed under Aiur.  Feeling the full fury of the mighty Xel'naga from the Void, Kerrigan did something she never thought she had the capability to again; she trembled in fear.  The overwhelming power deafened her senses, but she pulled herself together to escape. 

(Amon's future host body, currently under construction under Aiur, appeared as a vision from the Void to Kerrigan)

Amon ordered his servant Duran to retrieve her as she was to be the key to his revival.  Just then, Izsha managed to break into the temple and psionically linked again with her queen.  Using a Nydus worm, it tunneled Kerrigan back to the surface and onto her Leviathan to escape.  Duran and Amon both agreed using the Keystone again on the Queen of Blades was too risky now that she knew its power and potential.  Instead, Duran came up with a nefarious plan to use her old lover; James Raynor, as a manipulated army to use the Keystone against her, for the simple promise of her turning human again.  It would be too much of a lure not to have Raynor agree to it.  But to do so, would need him to inact a believable quest that the Keystone would be found for the first time, unbeknownst to his organization, Moebius.  Amon concluded his Protoss servants, the Tal'darim, and its executor Nyon, could be used as expendable defenders of the pieces, as to create the narrative of the knight saving his princess.  The pieces would be separated, with the first one being leaked to the Dominion by "Emil Narud", on Mar Sara, where Rayor was known to be.  He contacted Valerian, and they both agreed to start the excavation and the would-be beginning of Raynor's manipulation.

Epilogue03- A Fated Path

Meanwhile, during the events of Raynor and Kerrigan, Zeratul had arrived on the world the preserver Zamara had given him; Pegasus.  There as he activated the ancient Xel'naga temple that was promised to be there, a strange, but powerful energy being made of pure light exited the temple, and beckoned Zeratul to follow.  He got onto his personal transport, The Void Seeker, and followed it to gathering of hundreds of other energy beings, as they formed a wormhole to the other side of the galaxy.  Zeratul reluctantly followed, and approached an unnamed planet.  As he landed to where the energy beings gathered, he found an ancient legend, one that told of a prophecy of what was to come by the Xel'naga themselves.  He also found a still functioning star map of the world in which stored the prophecy; Ulaan.

(The lost world of the Xel'naga, Ulaan)

Zeratul traveled to this mysterious world, not knowing if this would be the end of his journey, or the beginning.  Upon landing his transport in the relative safety of the caverns under the surface, Zeratul returned to the top to gain a better vantage point of this world.  In the howling winds, he knew this world was inhospitable, and dead, but perhaps secrets still remained.

Meanwhile, a secret expedition was tasked by Heirarch Artanis to find out what activities Kerrigan was up to, as she had been too quiet for too long. Leading the expedition was famed High Templar Karass, and legendary templar Eredas, who joined out of sheer bordem of guarding Shakuras.  Much to their luck, they happened to detect Kerrigan's unmistakable psionic signature to Ulaan, and followed her.  Karass took a legion of templar under the surface where she was believed to be where Eredas patrolled the surface to ensure more Zerg reinforcements don't trap him in.  Together they hoped they could end the Queen of Blades once and for all.

(Karass, legendary High Templar, leading an expedition to find Kerrigan)

Zeratul, meanwhile, navigated several still-functioning Xel'naga construct traps as he came to a source of energy; an Ihan crystal.  Being guarded by a massive construct, Zeratul defeated it to retrieve the legendary crystal.  Zeratul knew this would allow him to record his thoughts, his moments, his very soul, should he fail in his task. 

(An extremely rare artifact, an Ihan Crystal, capable of storing thoughts, experiences, the very soul of the user.)

Climbing down the mountain side, looking for the prophecies, he came across Eredas and his Protoss fleet.  Before they could reconnect, the Zerg began  attacking the Protoss.  Zeratul could not enter the caverns from where the Zerg were emerging from, but could take a shortcut at the top of the mountain.  Eredas proclaimed, however, it was blocked by a still-functioning barrier, but it could be short-circuted with his Immortal.  Zeratul agreed to protect Eredas while he completed his task, battling endless Zerg waves of attacks.

Kerrigan, meanwhile, knew of the attacks on the surface, and of Zeratul's presence.  She concluded he must be after the same as her; answers.  Desiring a 1 on 1 conversation with her old "friend", she ordered the Zerg to push the Protoss closer and closer to the mountain top to lure them all in to a trap.

(The true form of Narud, manifested from the Void)

As Eredas powered the last power source, the barrier dissapated and Zeratul prepared himself to find the prophecies that were stored beneath.  Just then, a Terran transport arrived, housing a single "human"; Dr. Emil Narud.  Having been warned of Ouros' treachery by Amon and the prophecies he wrote himself, Amon tasked his general to destroy them all.  Narud asked the Protoss to leave as he was conducting an excavation, but Zeratul immediately saw through the guise and knew the essence of the creature belonged to the one who gave him great pause before; Samir Duran.   

Narud knew this would have to be done the hard way, and channeled all his powers into the Void, decimating all the Zerg and Protoss on the surface.  He began allowing multiple rifts to appear to summon shadows of enemies to attack Zeratul and Eredas, even Void creatures such as Thashers.  Must disturbing of all, he was able to channel his actual form, still tied to the Void, to appear before them, as he channeled through his physical body into the ethereal one.  

After a long and epic battle against the Void itself, Zeratul managed to weaken Narud of his defenses.  As the Terran form of his was seemingly defeated as it vanished, the Xel'naga form remained.  Narud claimed he was not dead, not yet, and before his true form would be recalled back to the Void, launched a final strike, and killed Eredas.  Distraught by the loss of his comrade, Zeratul found himself alone again, as he first started on this world.  He knew the sacrifices of the Protoss here should not go in vain, and pushed himself onward to find the prophecies in order to combat the threat of Samir Duran, and his enigmatic "master".  

(Zeratul, battling Kerrigan's hydralisks under Ulaan)

Descending into the caverns, he found a massive ancient temple that seemed to dipict the rise of the Zerg and Protoss, and their inevitable battles, with their Xel'naga makers returning.  But with the recent events of battling Samir Duran, Zeratul was unsure if this meant the Xel'naga were coming to save life, or destroy it.  As he heard shuffling in the distance, Zeratul readied his warp blade and investigated, before being assaulted by Kerrigan's hydralisks.  Laughing from the distance, she proclaimed she was waiting for Zeratul, and the two battled.  Although Zeratul managed to superficially wound Kerrigan, he escaped to safety as he was unsure if he was prepared to battle her.  She proclaimed that she has forseen the future, and the coming conflict that was upon them.  Being disturbed by Amon's vision before, she imparted onto Zeratul an extremely pessimistic view on what was to come, unsure if even she could stop it, but that she would embrace her destiny either way.  Zeratul, instead, came to believe that hope must still exist, and he crawled to safety to find the prophecies.

(The Queen of Blades, amused by Zeratul's faith that he can stop Duran, Amon, and the Hybrids, imparts to Zeratul a pessimistic outlook)

Ouros watched with a promise of hope himself, as Zeratul made it to where he hid his prophecies.  Although he did not originally consider Zeratul an agent to be used against Amon, it was only he that had made it this far.  As Ouros grew weaker by the moment  with Amon's control over the Void and his imprisonment of him, he knew he would need to ready himself to appear one more time as a vision, perhaps of the late Tassadar again, to Zeratul.  If he could impart the urgency of what is to come, and Amon's threat, Zeratul could be the key to motivating the powers of the galaxy to unite against Amon and his all consuming darkness.