StarCraft Chronicles Episode 19 · Artifacts Purchased by Moebius

This is a fan narrative newly written based on the events of the original game. The characters' emotions, dialogue, and the atmosphere of the scenes have been reconstructed, and it includes major spoilers.

The Hyperion's Financial Crisis and Tychus's Proposal

In the cantina of the Hyperion, Jim Raynor let out a deep sigh as he stared at the depleted funds and supply reports. The revolution against the Dominion was a noble cause, but the reality was a relentless cycle of bitter poverty, forcing them to worry about tomorrow's food and ammunition.

Matt Horner approached and quietly reported that payments to the mercenaries were overdue and even essential maintenance for the ship had reached its limit. Raynor nodded, trying to appear calm, but his tense expression clearly betrayed the heavy burden of responsibility he carried as a rebel leader.

Just then, Tychus Findlay, clad in his massive combat suit, walked into the cantina with heavy, thudding footsteps. A thick cigar was clamped between his teeth, and his face wore a smirk full of his trademark sly confidence. He tossed a worn data pad onto Raynor's table.

Tychus explained that he had lined up a highly lucrative job, claiming that an organization called the Moebius Foundation was paying an astronomical amount of cash to collect mysterious alien artifacts. The pad's screen displayed a fragment of an ancient artifact emitting a strange glow.

Raynor immediately eyed Tychus with suspicion. Although the Moebius Foundation claimed to be an academic institution, it had plenty of shady aspects, and above all, Raynor knew better than anyone that Tychus was not the kind of man to care about archaeology or scientific research.

Tychus lightly brushed off Raynor's suspicion, snapping back that what they needed right now was not a moral cause, but cold hard cash to keep the ship running. Exhaling a long stream of cigar smoke, he warned that if they missed this opportunity, the Raiders would starve to death.

Horner also found Tychus's words grating, but he had to painfully admit that they had no other alternative given their current financial state. Raynor picked up the data pad from the table and fell into deep thought, quietly staring at the geometric patterns of the artifact on the screen.

Ultimately, Raynor made a difficult decision. To bring down the Dominion, they first had to survive, and for that, funding was absolutely necessary. He stood up bitterly, instructing Horner to turn the Hyperion's bow toward the coordinates of the first artifact.

The Three-Way Battle on Monlyth

As soon as the Hyperion entered the orbit of the planet Monlyth, massive Protoss energy signatures and Zerg biological readings flashed red simultaneously on the tactical screen. Raynor watched the bridge monitors, analyzing the bizarre three-way battle unfolding on this abandoned planet.

A fanatical Protoss faction known as the Tal'darim had fortified the area around an ancient temple, guarding the artifact with their lives. They rejected the light of the Khala, clinging to their own dark faith, and showed extreme hostility, absolutely refusing to tolerate any outsiders.

To make matters worse, the Zerg Swarm was also marching fiercely toward the temple, drawn by the mysterious waves emitted by the artifact. Raynor formulated a perilous plan to slip in and quickly extract the artifact while the Zerg and Protoss tore at each other's throats.

Landing on the surface via drop pods, the Terran forces advanced cautiously, using the rugged rocky terrain as cover. Marauders and Marines pushed through the fierce particle cannon fire of the Tal'darim Stalkers, dismantling the temple's outer defenses one by one as they headed toward the central chamber where the artifact was enshrined.

Tychus cheered at the front lines of the battlefield, firing his massive minigun. When a pack of Zerg Zerglings tried to ambush their flank, he cursed loudly and concentrated his firepower, shredding them into piles of meat. His ruthless combat style left even his allies speechless.

Finally reaching the center of the temple, Raynor's squad discovered the first artifact fragment floating above an ancient altar. The artifact emitted a cold, mysterious blue light, and as they drew closer, an unknown, faint vibration traveled through the armor of their combat suits.

The moment they secured the artifact in the recovery device, a massive Zerg Nydus Worm erupted through the Tal'darim's defensive line, spewing out countless forces. The battlefield instantly turned into utter chaos, and the bloody, chaotic clash between the Protoss and the Zerg threatened to consume the entire temple.

Raynor immediately ordered all forces to withdraw. Terran Dropships braved the torrential anti-aircraft fire, narrowly loading the troops and the artifact before soaring back into orbit. Shortly after their departure, the surface of Monlyth was completely covered in Zerg creep and Protoss fire.

The Ancient Temple of Xil and the Xel'naga Artifact

The coordinates for the next artifact pointed to Xil, a desolate planet where a massive ancient Xel'naga temple lay hidden. The Moebius Foundation had already dispatched an excavation team there, but a horrific report arrived stating that they had all been slaughtered by a ruthless attack from the Tal'darim, who worshipped the artifact as a sacred relic.

Raynor confirmed that the Tal'darim had sealed the temple entrance with layers of massive energy barriers and sturdy Photon Cannons. Since this was a defensive line that standard infantry firepower could never breach, he brought out the Siege Tanks, which boasted immense firepower, from the Hyperion's armory.

Deployed to the battlefield, the Siege Tanks rumbled as they anchored their braces into the ground and transitioned into Siege Mode. Every time the massive main cannons fired, the earth shook, and the sturdy defensive structures of the Tal'darim were helplessly shattered into flying debris under the merciless bombardment.

The Tal'darim constantly sent Zealots to their deaths to protect the shrine. They charged toward the Terran positions without fear of death, but in the face of the overwhelming explosive power of the Siege Tanks, even their noble sacrifice was reduced to futile ashes.

Raynor watched the dying Protoss warriors through the monitor, unable to hide his complicated feelings. He could not understand why they would throw away their lives for what was merely a cold piece of stone, but in this desperate situation, he could not afford the luxury of sympathy.

Finally, the massive stone door blocking the deepest part of the temple crumbled under the concentrated bombardment of the Siege Tanks. As the thick cloud of dust cleared, the second artifact fragment revealed itself, glowing brilliantly and preserving its ancient mystery.

While the troops safely sealed the artifact in a container, Raynor silently ran his hand over the geometric Xel'naga patterns carved inside the temple. An ominous premonition flashed down his spine that these artifacts were not mere alien trinkets, but were connected to the fundamental forces of the universe.

Although the operation on Xil ended in success, Raynor's heart was heavy. No one could predict why the Moebius Foundation was trying to collect such dangerous and powerful objects, or what would happen once this artifact was fully assembled.

The Shadow of the Queen of Blades

After repelling the Zerg Swarm that had attacked the planet Tyrador VIII to seize the Moebius Foundation's data and artifacts, the artifact fragments transferred to the Hyperion's laboratory underwent intensive analysis by Egon Stetmann. Stetmann could not hide his excitement, stating that the energy emitted by the artifact belonged to the Xel'naga, far transcending Terran or Protoss technology, but at the same time, he expressed deep fear of that unknown power.

Suddenly, all of the ship's communication networks were forcibly cut off, and the main screen distorted with bizarre static. Soon, a chillingly familiar voice echoed throughout the bridge, leaving Raynor frozen in place, forced to stare at the screen.

Appearing on the screen was the Queen of Blades, Sarah Kerrigan. The woman Raynor had once loved was nowhere to be seen; only the eerie smile of the monster ruling the Swarm greeted him. Her eyes flashed with a cruelty that seemed ready to consume every living thing in the universe.

Kerrigan coldly warned Jim to back off from this business immediately, stating that she was also looking for those ancient artifacts. She mocked Raynor's clumsy attempt at playing the hero, saying that the power of the artifacts could either be a threat to the Swarm or the key to a new evolution.

Looking at her hideous spines and corrupted face on the monitor, he felt a heart-wrenching pain. When Arcturus Mengsk had ruthlessly abandoned her to the Zerg on Tarsonis, the helplessness and guilt of that day—when he ultimately failed to rescue her and had to turn back—once again pressed sharply against his soul, choking him.

Clenching his fists and struggling to suppress his emotions, he resolved not to yield to her warning. Yet, in a corner of his heart, a deep sense of despair bloomed at the cruel reality that the worst enemy in the universe he had to stop was the woman who had once been his everything.

Once the transmission cut off, Tychus spat on the floor and cursed harshly, saying that they should have put a bullet in that monster's head a long time ago. He argued that Kerrigan was no longer human, and that they should use the money from selling the artifacts to buy powerful weapons and wipe out the Zerg.

Raynor offered no reply to Tychus's rough words, merely staring at the starlight outside the dark bridge window. He instinctively sensed that collecting the artifacts was no longer just a mercenary job, but a dangerous path leading to an inevitable, fateful confrontation with Kerrigan.

The Crumbling Land of Typhon

The location of the next artifact was Typhon, a planet collapsing due to the expansion of its dying star. The surface was covered with constantly erupting volcanoes and rivers of lava, resembling a living hell, yet the Tal'darim were preparing a desperate resistance to protect the artifact even here.

Based on the orbital scan results, Horner urgently reported that a massive wall of fire was sweeping across the continent. Time was running out before the planet's crust completely melted, and a single mistake could cause the entire force to vanish without a trace into the lava.

Instead of building a stationary base, Raynor ordered a high-speed battle that maximized mobility to advance faster than the wall of fire. The Marines and Marauders ran tirelessly through the rugged lava fields, enduring the agony of their combat suits heating up like steamers from the boiling earth's heat.

The Tal'darim ambushed troops at every turn and resisted desperately to slow the Terran advance. However, Raynor's Raiders, running for survival, unleashed overwhelming firepower to break through the Protoss defensive lines in an instant, narrowly outrunning the flames chasing them from behind.

The ground cracked open due to earthquakes, and Tal'darim structures and Zerg remains were helplessly sucked into the crimson lava. In the face of nature's overwhelming wrath, neither the faith of the Protoss nor the ferocity of the Zerg meant anything; there was only a desperate struggle to survive.

At the critical moment when the wall of fire caught up to their heels, Raynor's Raiders finally broke through the last line of defense and reached the altar where the artifact was enshrined. Covered in falling volcanic ash, they hurriedly packed the artifact into a container and frantically called for a dropship to escape.

Before the dropship could even touch the ground, the troops used their jump packs to throw themselves into the cargo bay. The moment the dropship took off with a roar, the altar they had been standing on was swept away by a massive wave of lava and melted without a trace, the ship escaping the flames by a hair's breadth.

Watching the horrific sight of the planet Typhon completely turning into a ball of fire from orbit, Raynor let out a sigh of relief. They had won the race against time and secured the artifact, but there was no guaranteeing how long they could keep succeeding in these dangerous missions.

The Secret of the Moebius Foundation and Dr. Narud

The artifact fragments gathered in the Hyperion's laboratory began to attract each other and combine on their own, as if they were living organisms. Once the pieces fit together perfectly, a blindingly intense energy burst forth, temporarily overloading the ship's power grid.

Stetmann was struck with awe as he analyzed the waves emitted by the artifact. In a voice mixed with fear, he reported that whether this was a weapon of destruction or a tool of creation dealing with the origins of the universe belonged to an unknown realm that current science and technology could not possibly fathom.

To deliver the artifact, Raynor established an encrypted communication link with Dr. Emil Narud, the head of the Moebius Foundation. Appearing on the screen, Narud had the demeanor of a calm, intellectual scholar, but behind his eyes lurked a chilling, calculating coldness.

Narud praised Raynor for the outstanding ability he had demonstrated and smiled subtly upon seeing the assembled artifact. His attitude was incredibly relaxed, carrying an arrogance that treated the dangerous mission—which had cost many lives—as if it were a mere errand.

Raynor asked Narud point-blank what exactly he intended to do with this dangerous artifact that even the Zerg and Protoss were risking their lives for. He was certain that the Moebius Foundation would never spend such vast funds and shed blood out of mere academic curiosity.

Narud avoided a direct answer with a vague and clever excuse, calling it a great study to uncover the origins of the universe and accelerate human evolution. He smoothly deflected, saying that progress in science always comes with risks, dismissing Raynor's suspicion as the excessive curiosity of a mere mercenary.

Tychus suddenly stepped in front of the screen, threatening that he didn't care about the research purpose and just wanted the promised money. Narud smiled, stating that a large sum of credits had already been transferred to the Hyperion's account, but the deep doubt that had bloomed in Raynor's mind did not disappear.

After the transmission ended, Raynor pulled Horner aside and secretly instructed him to thoroughly investigate the Moebius Foundation and Dr. Narud. If they couldn't find out who was behind an organization with such massive financial power and intelligence, they would surely end up being used as someone's pawns and discarded.

The Appearance of Valerian Mengsk

Jumping to the secret rendezvous coordinates designated by the Moebius Foundation, the Hyperion faced an unexpected and staggering sight. Waiting for them was not a humble science vessel, but a fleet of the Dominion's latest battlecruisers, boasting a magnificent and imposing presence.

Raynor immediately issued a red alert on the ship and activated all weapon systems. Believing that Tychus had ultimately been blinded by the massive cash and sold him out to Arcturus Mengsk, he glared at his old friend in the massive marine combat suit with eyes burning with rage.

With the atmosphere on the bridge frozen in a hair-trigger tension, a transmission came from the flagship of the Dominion fleet. The figure appearing on the screen was not Arcturus, but a young man with blonde hair and refined, aristocratic features.

The young man introduced himself with a polite smile as the Crown Prince of the Dominion, Valerian Mengsk. To a stunned Raynor, he proudly revealed that he was the true owner of the Moebius Foundation and the mastermind who had provided the massive funding to commission the artifact collection.

Raynor could not contain his rising anger and reached for his pistol holster. Having fought and bled for years against the tyranny of the Mengsk family, he felt an immense sense of betrayal and humiliation at the fact that he had risked his life playing mercenary for the son of his most hated enemy.

Even in the face of this shocking twist, Tychus chewed his cigar casually, showing no sign of surprise. Seeing Tychus's calm demeanor, Raynor harbored a suspicion that perhaps Tychus had known the truth from the very beginning and had deceived him to lure him into this dangerous trap.

As if expecting Raynor's boiling hostility, Valerian calmly advised him to lower his weapon. He began to persuade him, stating that he wished to walk a different path from his father, and that he desperately needed Raynor's strength not for the Dominion's tyranny, but for the salvation of humanity.

Raynor could not believe Valerian's sweet words. The words 'peace' and 'salvation' coming from someone bearing the name Mengsk sounded like nothing but terrible hypocrisy to him. However, in front of the overwhelming Dominion fleet, there was no immediate way to resolve the situation through force.

The Possibility of Salvation and Raynor's Conflict

Meeting Raynor's distrustful gaze head-on, Valerian threw a shocking proposal. He claimed that the completed Xel'naga artifact possessed a miraculous power capable of reversing Zerg infestation, and through this, they could restore the Queen of Blades back into a human.

A suffocating silence hung over the bridge. Raynor's mind reeled violently at Valerian's words, 'restore her back into a human.' It was his most earnest and painful wish, one that he had not dared to utter aloud for years, burying it deep within his heart.

But soon, his reason coldly awakened his anger. Arcturus Mengsk was the very person who had thrown Sarah Kerrigan into the jaws of the Zerg on Tarsonis. For the bloodline of such a villain to step forward now and claim to save her felt like an utterly inconsistent, deceptive farce.

Raynor coldly snapped at Valerian, asking why he was trying to save the woman his father had abandoned. He did not hide his deep-seated hatred for the Mengsk family, stating that this was nothing but a cunning Dominion trap to use him to eliminate the Queen of Blades.

With an unwavering gaze, Valerian replied that he wanted to prove to the entire universe that he was a better leader than Arcturus. It was an ambitious aspiration to usher in a new era of the Dominion and true peace by having the son redeem the worst monster the father had created.

Raynor paced the bridge, engulfed in intense internal conflict. His hatred for the name Mengsk made him want to strangle the crown prince right then and there, but the blue light of the artifact reflected on the screens whispered a sliver of hope that he could rescue Sarah from her horrific nightmare.

Staring at the artifact, he agonized over the thought that this was not a mere weapon or a means to make money, but perhaps the only key to wash away his greatest guilt and reclaim the woman he loved. Yet, the reality of having to join hands with the devil's son as the price for that hope weighed heavily on him.

Raynor did not immediately accept Valerian's proposal. Staring at the young Mengsk across the screen with tightly closed lips and cold eyes, he fell into deep anguish over whether this perilous gamble would be the salvation of humanity or a horrific trap that would drag everyone to ruin.

Verified Sources

Official Blizzard StarCraft Chronicle

Official StarCraft II Campaign Introduction

Developer Q&A: Connecting Characters and War

Official StarCraft II Download and Campaign/Nova Purchase List