Starcraft: Queen and Country

by Wanderer D

Chapter 028: Opportunity Comes

2505, Koprulu Sector, Umojan Protectorate█

"I don't have time for this," Raynor growled at the techie that had walked up to him, trying to stop him from stomping down to where Sarah was being experimented on for his daily visit.

"But sir… it's a transmission from a Zerg Queen!"

This gave him pause and he stopped long enough for the techie to make an attempt at regaining his breath. There was only one Zerg Queen left that would attempt communicating at all, and she hadn't been in the best condition the last time that Gallus had contacted him. "Fine. Where can I talk to her?"

"This way."

He was led to a conveniently close room where a screen was quickly summoned by the techie. The face that greeted him was… different than before. Although she still had the side mandibles and fangs, Sweetie's horn was no longer jagged and cracked, resembling now what a unicorn's should look like.

She smiled, and despite the clearly-zerg sections opening up, it lacked the immediate sense of threat that such a gesture would have caused if it came from any other zerg. Once more, he had to forcefully remind himself that she was incredibly fast, powerful and almost merciless in combat. Her two scythes were still visible behind her, and were obviously ready to slice her enemies in half… if they were lucky.

"Sweetie Belle," he said as greeting.

"Raynor! It's good to see you!" Sweetie Belle said, and he could almost believe it. Her slitted eyes were warm, although that faded alongside her smile as she sighed. "How is my Q— Kerrigan?"

He mulled over what to tell her, if anything, before sighing as well. "Recuperating. She's not one of you now."

"Good," Sweetie said. She grimaced and repeated, "Good. We're going to miss her presence… I know I will. But I'm glad she's with you and cared for."

She's being sincere. Raynor took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't need to say anything about that. However… "So what is this call about? I doubt it's just for pleasure."

Sweetie grimaced. "Unfortunately, you are correct. We've had an incident and Selendis suggested I reach out to you."

Raynor frowned. Putting aside the fact that he was still somewhat baffled by the Zerg/Human/Protoss alliance happening in Agria, the fact that an incident had taken place in arguably the most dangerous place to attack in the known universe was concerning. "What type of incident?"

"Gallus said that humans call them 'Ghosts'," Sweetie said. "One managed to infiltrate the city, and there was an attempt to distract us by attacking the fleet… the human invaders were destroyed in space, but this Ghost escaped. I can still somewhat sense them. They're powerful and skilled."

Alarm bells rang in Raynor's mind as he considered her words. "There are very few ghosts who would be able to survive those conditions, much less evade capture… I can only think of one. And if she's involved, we're all in danger." He started typing quickly, mind churning more and more worrying conclusions. "I'm sending you a contact… have Gallus when you call. I need to go."

Sweetie nodded and he didn't wait, running out of the room. "Where's Valerian?!" he asked a nearby Marine, grabbing the armored man by the arm.

"I'm here," the man in question answered, walking up to him. "I heard you received a transmission from the Zerg Queen? I—"

"There's no time," Raynor said. "We're about to be attacked!"

The other man blinked in confusion. "How do—"

Whatever Valerian was about to say was once more interrupted, but this time by explosions that shook the entire building. Valerian and Raynor both managed to maintain their balance, used as they were to combat inside ships, but the structure around them had suffered severe damage. Cracks had spread through the roof, and minor explosions could be heard in the distance.

"I'm going to get ready," Raynor said. "Start evacuating."

"What about you?"

"Someone has to cover your backs."

She could feel Sweetie Belle. Very, very far away. She couldn't communicate with her now, as she used to, but to Sarah Kerrigan's surprise, she had received a strong emotional message a few hours earlier.

ALIVE. HEALTHY. FRIENDS. SELENDIS. ARIEL. SUZIE. GALLUS. AGRIA. MISS YOU.

Simple, but also non-intrusive. Had she chosen to, she could have blocked it without any effort. Whatever was happening out there, Sweetie Belle, her little murderous zerg queen of adorableness was okay, thriving, and surrounded by friends.

She had sent the barest of acknowledgments to Sweetie Belle. Even though she wasn't… exactly a Zerg anymore, she could still commune with them, something that she needed to keep quiet. At least for now. 

Everyone here was studying her. On edge. She was no longer the Queen of Blades, but her power—which had been exceptional before her conversion—had grown exponentially and the Xel'naga machine's… attack… had just removed the zerg part of that equation.

And while that meant she wasn't quite zerg… it also meant she still wasn't human. She also wanted to make sure that the infection was gone and it was safe. Her rage boiled under actual self-control. Her righteous anger at Mengk's betrayal was still there but it wasn't a hunger that extended past her reason.

Not anymore.

Oh, she'd kill him, alright. But her purpose wasn't fueled by hunger and evolution anymore. She'd plan, carefully and methodically, and then she would strike that monster down once and for all.

And that made her think of Sweetie Belle and just how different she was. With a more human mind she could again examine the Zerg Queen's actions in the past and she had to suppress a chuckle at how she had gamed the natural inclination of all zerg, and even her Queen's orders… something no other zerg would dare.

It brought a new perspective to her actions, and she had wondered for the first time just how much freedom she truly had at the time, and how much instinct and zerg hunger had dominated her as well.

She sighed and glanced around. Raynor should be there already. It was unusual for him to— alarms blared and the entire structure around her shook, throwing her thoughts away from her lover to the present.

"We're under attack!" someone shouted outside her containment. She could hear and feel the turrets firing back, the sheer kickback making the place shudder.

So much for calm, methodical planning.

She stood up, harnessing her power as explosions and crashes shook the building once more. She knew what that meant… she had ridden pods like those a lifetime ago.

The enemy was here.

2505, Koprulu Sector, Planet Agria █

"Hm," Sweetie frowned. "Tosh." She turned to look at Gallus. Her eyes then went from his perplexed face to his wings, then roamed towards his tail. "Tush?"

"Sweetie!" Gallus' voice almost broke, and his face turned an adorable shade darker as he turned slightly to avoid her gaze. "Tosh is a Specter. A different kind of Terran specialist, although they're not aligned with the current government."

"Specters… I think I remember something about them," Selendis said. "Did they not use dangerous chemicals to increment their power?"

"That I don't know, but if he's needed I am a bit worried." Gallus glanced at Sweetie. "Specters are… basically assassins."

"Well, I was just the victim of an attempted assassination, so I think maybe fighting fire with fire is good advice."

Gallus sighed. "Alright, I'll call him. Where's the communications room?"

"I'll lead you to it," Ariel said, motioning with her hand for him to follow. Gallus nodded and did so, leaving Sweetie with Selendis and the other Protoss.

Gallus took the opportunity to glance at the terran. Or former terran, at least. There was a feral aura to her now that didn't use to be there. Her walk was more confident, and her slitted eyes were bright and alert.

She was very similar to how she had looked when they had met, not so long ago, but she hadn't had fangs, and her mouth did not stretch as much as it did now when she grinned. Her skin was taking a grayish-green tint to it, like… what it would look like if someone was spray-painting her skin, although he was close enough to see that it was a… well, not natural exactly, but a result of her being now covered in scale-like chitin.

He didn't doubt that a straight shot would not kill her immediately now.

"I must look very different, for you to stare for so long," Ariel said, glancing down at him. "Or at least I hope that's the reason for the staring, because I wouldn't want to deal with a jealous Sweetie Belle."

"What? N-no," Gallus stammered. "Not that you're not attractive but I was just—gah I'm making it worse!"

Ariel chuckled.

He shook his head and gave her a baleful glare before letting out a sigh. "No. I was… just thinking that you don't look that different from before. Not really. Not like other infested terran I've seen."

"Ah." Ariel took a shuddering breath. "That. I guess we dodged the bullet there."

Gallus grimaced. "I don't get it. You're still infested, how is that dodging the bullet?"

"I don't know how to really explain it," Ariel said after a moment of thought. "I have all of these instincts, but they're not destructive. I know I can harm others now more easily than I ever could. I know I could just… let go and morph completely if I wanted, but I don't… and I'm still zerg. And I'm still human."

"I know I'm staring at proof that it's not so, but my understanding was that it was impossible for something like… you to exist," Gallus said, then when she smirked and raised an eyebrow, he elaborated, "Or not you specifically, but so many people here. That little girl, Suzie, for example is a bit more zerg than you are, but she's not acting like one. And I saw many people showing little signs of being infected, but none seem overwhelmed by it. I don't get it."

Ariel walked him into the communications room and rubbed her neck. "I'm not sure either, I'm trying to understand it too… but I think it has to do with Sweetie Belle."

Gallus blinked. "What?"

"She… well, she's not a normal Zerg Queen."

Gallus snorted. "No kidding."

Ariel smiled fondly as her eyes turned to look behind them, in the direction where Sweetie was. "I think… it's because we've all come to love her in our own way. At least, those of us who have embraced the change."

Gallus blinked, and his face must have shown his confusion because Ariel smiled at him. "When she invaded Agria and we were left to die, we were all sure that we'd be killed or forcefully infected and turned into mindless soldiers.

"But instead of forcing us to do her bidding, Sweetie convinced us to work together, then explained that through exposure it was probably inevitable that we'd end up converted into hybrids. But it was her honest wish that we had some sort of choice… it wasn't an easy one. It was either do or die, but I feel like that was the influence of the Queen of Blades and zerg instinct, rather than Sweetie's wish. 

"Suzie, myself and many others slowly came to know her better, and as we started accepting her for who she was, the changes started happening." She looked down at her hand. Her nails were long and sharp. Probably strong enough to scratch his armor. "But they stopped when we willed them to. They're… symbiotic."

She shook her head. "It's hard to explain, but I know that although I am changing and my understanding of things is changing with me… I am me. Which is something that I know I would have lost if I had been infected any other way."

She motioned at the machines. "Anyway, here we are, go ahead and make the call. I'll be with my Queen."

Gallus nodded as he watched her walk out. There were many thoughts running through his mind, but he didn't want to delve on them. At least… he felt a little bit better about things in general. And that was something.

He turned to the machines and entered the destination he wanted. It didn't take long before a familiar face appeared on the screen, grinning at him.

"I knew I would be getting a call from you," Tosh said. "You need help with a Ghost, yes?"