//------------------------------//
// Aiur: Civil War 
// Story: Starcraft: Warriors of Purity 
// by Xarmar13 
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Over two weeks had passed since the end of the Raiders’, Ponies’, and Protoss’ ordeals on Char. Tassadar and Zeratul were showing high levels of anxiety: Tassadar for hoping that there will still be a homeworld to save and Zeratul for having to once again see the world that had shunned his kind. Lyra and Artanis were still visibly upset over the death of Fenix, who she had spent a little time getting to know during her time on Aiur. Sweetie and Raynor were mentally preparing themselves for the intense battles that were to come when they arrived. 

Aldaris, however, maintained a neutral stance. He still did not trust Zeratul or the Dark Templar. He still views Tassadar and Lyra using the energies of High and Dark Templars as a sacrilege to everything the Khalai stand for. He couldn’t care less about Raynor since he still viewed him as a lowly human. 

Sweetie, however, was an unknown factor. In the short time that he knew her, she had proven insightful and resourceful. She made some strong points about the usefulness of the Dark Templar against the Zerg. She could be either a useful ally or a powerful enemy. 

Until now, he thought that the Khalai could win the war without them by simply eliminating the hives and forcing the Overmind and Cerebrates to retreat. In the weeks that the journey took, he began to consider that such thoughts were folly. He was still uncertain whether or not the Dark Templar would help the Protoss win the war, but Sweetie’s points had convinced him enough to give Tassadar’s plan a try. However, he told himself that once the war against the Zerg was over, it would be business as usual. He hoped that that would be the case, anyway.

The ships had finally arrived, holding orbit over Aiur. Artanis deployed Observers, robotic probes with their own cloaking generators that are constantly running, to examine the situation. The situation was bad, the Conclave’s forces were still fighting the Zerg, but he knew that they were fighting a losing battle. The Zerg were overrunning provinces and killing every Protoss that they came across. The worst part was that the Conclave still believed that the Zerg were a minor nuisance and felt that their laws took priority over the war.

Artanis’ thoughts on the situation were interrupted by a transmission coming from the surface. He already knew that the Conclave were going to demand their arrest, but decided to humor them by viewing the transmission. What Artanis, Tassadar and Lyra saw next made them look like they had seen a ghost.

<”Greetings Artanis! And greetings to you Tassadar and Lyra. I am overjoyed to see all three of you return home in this dark hour. The Zerg have redoubled their efforts, and it seems-”>

“Fenix! You’re alive!” Lyra exclaimed.

“It can’t be! Artanis told me of how you fell to the Zerg. How is it you live and breathe?” Tassadar asked.

Lyra was also wondering about that. Then she noticed that the displayed image showed what looked like Fenix speaking to them from some sort of water tank with wires coming out of him.

Fenix chuckled. <”Well, after my unfortunate defeat, my ruined body was recovered by our brethren. I now reside within the cold, robotic shell of a dragoon.”>

Tassadar was now sad that his old friend had to spend the rest of his life hooked up to a machine. “Old friend, would that this never came to pass…”

<”Nonsense!”> Fenix interrupted. <”There is no shame in defeat so long as the spirit is unconquered, and I am still able to serve Aiur to a degree.”> 

Tassadar and Lyra were glad that Fenix was not letting this new lifestyle get the better of him. Lyra felt a little better knowing that Fenix was still the same as she knew him.

<”But enough of this”> Fenix continued, before his tone turned serious. <”There is much you need to know. The Conclave has branded all of you traitors, including Aldaris. They have also called Judicator Amdor back from his mission of hunting the Dark Templar and Xel’naga relics to lead the defense of Aiur. Even now, they seek to arrest you and execute the Dark Templar, Zeratul.”>

“Figures,” Sweetie, who had been listening in on the transmission, said. “It’s just like I told Aldaris: They would rather drive their species to oblivion with their pride intact than throw it aside for a chance to save everyone.”

Fenix couldn’t help but laugh at how true that statement was. <”And who are your new friends, Tassadar?”>

Sweetie did the introductions: “I’m Sweetie Drops, but Lyra calls me Bon Bon. I’m with Commander Jim Raynor, who leads the humans who are here to assist in the war against the Zerg.”

“Howdy,” said Raynor.

<”Ah, I have heard much about you from Lyra. You must be quite the skilled warrior. If I weren’t in this dragoon, I would test your skills myself. And greetings to you, Jim Raynor. I am grateful for any reinforcements that you bring.”>

“Just who is this Amdor?” Sweetie asked.

“Another Judicator that holds the same level of disdain towards the Dark Templar as Aldaris,” Tassadar said. Sweetie rolled her eyes.

“So, does this mean that you’ll join us?” Lyra asked Fenix.

<”Though I damn myself by doing so, I shall stand by all of you till the end.”>

The ships landed on the surface of Aiur near Fenix’s location to find that he has a base of operations established. Everyone disembarked to meet the dragoon. After a few words of greetings, the leaders gathered for a strategy meeting.

Sweetie turns her attention to Aldaris. “If we want to launch a successful assault on the Overmind, we have to ensure that the Conclave cannot harry our efforts. We need to cripple their chain of command even if we must permanently remove them from the battle.”

Aldaris, who knew what she was talking about, snapped at Sweetie: “How dare you speak about assaulting the Conclave! I should have known that you would speak of such treachery.”

Sweetie, who remained calm before his anger, took a deep breath and responded: “If you have a better plan then let’s hear it. Because otherwise, we would end up fighting the Zerg and the Conclave at the same time and we don’t have the resources to do that, and in case you haven’t noticed, they want to charge you with treason as well. 

I’m not naive enough to believe that any negotiation tactics would work with the Conclave, The fact that they refuse to see reason in the face of annihilation means that they are too far gone in the throes of fanaticism. Based on that, I can tell that they are unfit to lead the Protoss and they need to be removed from power before it’s too late.”

Once again, Aldaris was left speechless in the face of Sweetie’s lecture. What frustrated him more was the fact that he was unable to make any retorts to what she said. He didn’t want to believe that the elders, that he had served for centuries, would make decisions that were not in the best interest of the people. In the end, he was forced to acquiesce. “Very well, but I shall have no part in this.” He walked away.

Sweetie turned to the others. “Alright, now how do we get the Conclave off our backs?”

“Near this base is the heart of the Conclave, Khor-shakal. The majority of the Conclave reside there. If we take it out, it should cripple their efforts against us,” Fenix said.

Tassadar seemed distressed and Zeratul and Lyra picked up on it. “What’s wrong, Master Tassadar?” Lyra asked.

Tassadar took a moment to compose himself. “It pains me greatly that we must protect the Dark Templar from our own brethren, even if it means eliminating the Conclave.”

Sweetie looked at Tassadar. “Revolutions are never easy. The Conclave have brought this upon themselves. Try to envision a better tomorrow if the sight of your people killing each other proves too much. That is what we are fighting for.”

“I will try, Sweetie Drops,” Tassadar responded.

With the objective decided, the leaders broke and began their preparations. A vanguard force soon appeared near their base and the leader of the force began making demands. 

“Executor Artanis, this is Judicator Amdor. You and the traitor Tassadar are to cease your resistance and surrender yourselves to the judgement of the Conclave. We will take the outlaw, Zeratul, into custody and deal with him as is written by the Khala’s law.”

“Flee back to your masters Amdor, and huddle with them in darkness! For your actions shall set us all unto the Zerg!” Tassadar responded.

Artanis began organizing an offensive force while the base was periodically attacked by Amdor’s forces. A group of Scouts were designated to deal with any Reavers that crept up to the base. Observers were flying around to locate other Observers and counter the cloaking fields generated by nearby Arbiters, ships designed to capture enemies and summon allies to itself.

Sweetie supported the Protoss by using Lockdown missiles to shut down Reavers and ships, while Lyra cut down any Protoss that got in her way. 

The rebel forces eventually pushed their way into Khor-shakal and laid siege to the fortress. The residing Conclave members who stayed inside their fortress to the very end were crushed by the very walls that protected them.

The rebel leaders stood in front of the fortress, some in mourning, some filled with determination that their deaths would not be in vain.

Suddenly, Tassadar’s body froze up as he was placed into a stasis field. An arbiter appeared above them along with a pair of Carriers. The voice of Amdor spoke up from the Arbiter: “Tassadar of the Templar, you stand accused of the following crimes: You refused to destroy the Terran worlds as was commanded. You have questioned time and again the sacred will of the Conclave. You have abandoned your home in its darkest hour. Most grievous of all, is that you have allied yourself with the blasphemous Dark Ones, and learned to utilize their profane powers in tandem with our own. You and your allies shall be executed for your crimes!” 

Despite the show of force, Amdor forgot to bring Observers with him, allowing Zeratul and the Dark Templar to slip away. Zeratul tapped Lyra’s shoulder and beckoned for her to follow him.

Sweetie noticed Zeratul’s escape and Lyra with them. She trusted that the Dark Prelate had a plan to help Tassadar later. For now though, she needed to get the rest of her allies away from Amdor. She couldn’t save Tassadar the way he is now but she could save the Fenix. She launched the last three of her Lockdown missiles at the Arbiter and Carriers and called for Fenix to hurry and escape. The two of them managed to escape the pursuers before the Lockdown wore off. Any further pursuit was warded off by the weapons of the Hyperion. 

Sweetie called for a boarding shuttle to come and pick her up. She needed to restock her ammo and prepare herself for the coming operation to save Tassadar.