StarCraft Chronicles Episode 22: Until the Artifact Shines

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

Establishing the Final Line of Defense

The red soil of Char was filled with boiling lava and the pungent stench of sulfur. Jim Raynor surveyed the ground of the primary base where the Xel'naga artifact would be secured, his expression grim. This final line of defense, established jointly by General Warfield's Dominion survivors and Raynor's Raiders, was a desperate gamble upon which they staked everything.

The massive pieces of the Xel'naga artifact, descended from orbit, assembled into a single structure, sending a grand vibration through the earth. The blue light emitted by the artifact stood in stark contrast to the red, murky atmosphere of Char, symbolizing an ominous hope. Engineers and SCVs moved tirelessly, connecting the artifact's power grid to the main base.

Raynor removed his combat suit's helmet and wiped his sweat-drenched brow, watching the defensive towers being erected. Bunkers and Siege Tanks were deployed at every narrow choke point, while Firebats in the trenches checked the fuel pressure of their weapons, preparing for the oncoming hell. In the eyes of the soldiers, fear and determination were strangely intertwined.

Tychus Findlay approached Raynor, a cigar clamped in his mouth and a massive gun barrel slung over his shoulder. In his characteristically deep, gravelly voice, he grumbled about how insane this operation was, yet he accurately pointed out the vulnerabilities in the defensive line and suggested positions to reinforce their firepower. The two old friends shared the familiar scent of the battlefield.

As the gauge indicating the artifact's charge rate slowly began to rise, the earth-shaking roars of the Zerg began to echo from afar. It was clear that the Queen of Blades was unleashing her fury upon the uninvited guests who had invaded her heartland. The sky showed signs of turning black with the beating wings of Brood Lords and Mutalisks.

General Warfield, his injured arm replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic, coordinated his forces in the command post using a holographic map. He contacted Raynor, reminding him once again that if the defensive line collapsed before the artifact was fully charged, everything would be over. Raynor nodded silently, gripping his rifle tightly.

The Sensor Towers on the outskirts of the base flashed their red warning lights furiously, signaling the approach of tens of thousands of creatures. While Spider Mines were being planted and Marines prepared their Stimpacks, Raynor opened the comm network to deliver a final word of encouragement to all forces. For today could very well be their last.

As the massive Xel'naga artifact hummed, releasing its first pulse of power, the vanguard of the Zerg appeared beyond the twilight horizon as if in response to the sound. Jim Raynor lowered his helmet's visor, locked his crosshairs onto the first target, and pulled the trigger, signaling the start of the defensive battle.

The Underground Threat and the Terror of the Skies

Prior to the final battle, Raynor and General Warfield had to make a critical tactical decision to weaken the Zerg forces. The underground of Char was riddled with a massive Nydus network, while the skies were filled with flying creatures pouring out of Spire nests. There was simply not enough time or forces to eliminate both threats.

General Warfield pointed to the intersections of the Nydus network marked in red on the holographic map, arguing that they had to prevent the Zerg from tunneling directly inside their defensive perimeter. It was a stern warning that if the underground threat was not eliminated, no matter how sturdy the bunkers and trenches were, they would be overrun in an instant by hordes emerging from the rear.

On the other hand, Matt Horner suggested striking the Zerg aerial forces concentrated on the orbital platform. His cold analysis was that if Brood Lords rained down Broodlings from outside the range of the Siege Tanks and Mutalisks bombarded the defensive line, ground forces alone would not be able to protect the artifact. Both choices had merit.

Raynor stroked his chin, simulating the outcomes of both operations in his mind. Should they destroy the Nydus network to secure the stability of their ground defense, or neutralize the orbital platform to erase the terror of the skies? This branching choice would completely alter the composition of the enemy forces they would face in the final stand.

If they chose the operation to destroy the Nydus network, the soldiers would have to push through boiling lava zones deep underground to plant explosives. In return, they would have to endure the bombardment of Brood Lords blanketing the sky in the final battle. It was a harsh path where survival was only possible by pushing the defensive line's anti-air firepower to its absolute limit.

Conversely, if they chose the operation to neutralize the aerial forces, the Raiders would have to destroy the cooling facilities of the orbital platform to wipe out the Zerg flying creatures. However, in this case, they would have to block with their own bodies the tentacles of Nydus Worms erupting right in the middle of the base and the overwhelming onslaught of ground forces pouring in endlessly during the final defense.

Raynor made his decision, feeling the heavy weight of responsibility as his choice was directly tied to the lives of countless soldiers. Whichever path he chose, the Queen of Blades would undoubtedly maximize her remaining forces to choke them out. He handed down the operational objectives to the Raiders, hardening his resolve to willingly pay the price of his choice.

Even after the branching operation ended successfully, the atmosphere of Char remained heavy and oppressive. Though they had succeeded in eliminating one threat, the wrath of the Queen of Blades burned even more fiercely. Raynor returned to the base to reorganize the defensive line, silently waiting for the halved, yet still lethal, catastrophe that would soon descend upon them.

The Descent of the Queen of Blades

As the energy of the Xel'naga artifact began to vibrate, tearing through the atmosphere, the Zerg Swarm launched its all-out assault with a roar that seemed to twist the very crust of Char. The hordes of Zerglings and Hydralisks pouring from beyond the horizon looked like a massive brown tidal wave swallowing the red earth. The defensive line's weaponry opened fire all at once.

Siege Tank shells rained down in the middle of the enemy ranks, sending dirt and Zerg fragments soaring high into the sky. Inside the bunkers, Marines pulled their triggers until the barrels of their Gauss Rifles overheated, while Firebats spewed hot pillars of flame at the approaching enemies. Yet, the overwhelming numbers of the Zerg showed no signs of thinning.

Amidst the din of battle, a terrifying psionic wave suddenly seeped into the soldiers' radios. A bone-chilling, sharp voice struck their minds directly. The Queen of Blades, Sarah Kerrigan, had finally revealed herself in the center of the battlefield. The bone wings extending from her back were radiating an ominous purple energy.

As Kerrigan reached out, a massive Psionic Storm swept across the defensive line. Sturdily built bunkers were torn apart like paper, and the soldiers inside were reduced to ash without even being able to scream. In the face of her overwhelming power, the defensive lines of the Dominion and the Raiders were instantly breached with massive gaps, facing imminent collapse.

Raynor shouted, deploying reserve forces toward the ruptured defensive line. He knew that Kerrigan would step forward herself to destroy the artifact. Her eyes, completely devoid of humanity, held nothing but the will of the Swarm and the instinct for destruction. A sharp pain pierced a corner of Raynor's chest, but he did not look away.

Tychus spun his minigun furiously, pouring a rain of bullets toward Kerrigan. However, the Queen of Blades deployed a psionic barrier, easily deflecting the incoming rounds, and with a single gesture, lifted a massive Siege Tank into the air and hurled it aside. Terrified by her destructive power, the surrounding soldiers shrank back in fear.

Kerrigan slowly approached the command post where Raynor was, sending a mocking telepathic message. She did not hide her arrogance, declaring how meaningless this reckless resistance was and that the Xel'naga artifact could not stop her. Raynor tried desperately to find a trace of the past Sarah Kerrigan in her voice, but all he could hear was the murderous intent of a monster.

Raynor cried out desperately over the comms, but instead of an answer, a lethal psionic blade flew toward him. Raynor dodged by a hair's breadth, and the steel floor where he had been standing was deeply gouged. The artifact's charge rate had not yet reached its target, and the wrath of the Queen of Blades was relentlessly surging toward its peak.

The Time to Hold the Line

As the Xel'naga artifact's charge rate gradually rose, the emitted energy pulses grew exponentially stronger. While the pulses caused excruciating pain to the Zerg creatures, they simultaneously drove them into a beastly frenzy. The soldiers fought a desperate, unyielding battle, fending off claws and acid saliva pouring in from all directions.

Raynor leaped into the front lines, firing his shotgun at a pack of Zerglings. The sound of empty shells hitting the red soil was drowned out by the thunder of battle. When a Marine fighting beside him collapsed, caught in a Baneling explosion, Raynor grit his teeth and relentlessly poured furious gunfire and grenades into the remaining enemies.

The screens in the command post showed the defensive line's integrity dropping in real-time. General Warfield mobilized all remaining Medivacs to evacuate the wounded and resupply ammunition, but it was not enough to keep up with the rate of consumption. The time remaining until the artifact was fully charged felt as long and painful as eternity to everyone on the battlefield.

Tychus, his combat suit scratched and scorched, guarded Raynor's back while constantly pulling his trigger. With a face stained with sweat and blood, he cracked a rough joke to Raynor, saying that if the artifact didn't work in time, they would all end up as Zerg chow. Raynor gave a bitter smile, played along with the joke, and focused his firepower back on the enemy ranks.

In the sky, Mutalisks' Glaive Worms rained down like water, while on the ground, Ultralisks' massive Kaiser Blades ruthlessly trampled the trenches. Despite the fear and despair, the soldiers stood their ground firmly under Raynor's command. They instinctively realized that this artifact was their only hope of leaving Char alive.

Kerrigan, feeling the artifact's energy interfering with her psionic network, pushed her forces even harder. She entered the battlefield herself, destroying defensive towers and slaughtering soldiers to force open a path to the artifact. Raynor deployed snipers to delay her approach as much as possible, but they were severely outmatched.

As the artifact's charge rate surpassed ninety percent, the space around it began to warp, and a dazzling flash of light started to leak out. Seeing the light, the Zerg horde hesitated in instinctive fear, but under the coercive command of the Queen of Blades, they threw themselves at the defensive line once more. Raynor injected his last remaining Stimpack and rallied his lines.

Raynor's desperate cry echoed through the comm network into the ears of every soldier. The defensive line was already at its limit, collapsing in various places, but the soldiers emptied their last remaining magazines, resisting to the death. The power core of the massive artifact finally reached its critical point, beginning to emit a blinding light that seemed ready to swallow everything on the battlefield.

The Pure White Purification

The moment the Xel'naga artifact's charge rate finally reached one hundred percent, all the noise of the battlefield vanished in an instant, as if sucked into a vacuum. Then, with an ear-splitting high-frequency sound, a massive energy storm was released from the center of the artifact. A dazzling, pure white light instantly swallowed the red earth and boiling lava of Char.

The energy wave emanating from the artifact spread outward in concentric circles at a terrifying speed. The Zerg creatures touched by the light disintegrated at a cellular level before they could even scream, turning into handfuls of ash. The Brood Lords and Mutalisks that had blanketed the sky burned without exception, pouring down helplessly onto the red earth like black rain.

Raynor and the soldiers huddled in the trenches had to endure a light so intense they could not open their eyes, even though their helmets' visors had darkened to their maximum setting. Although they knew the artifact's pulse would not harm humans, they felt an instinctive fear and awe at the vibration of the alien energy that seeped deep into their bones.

The moment the wave of light struck the Queen of Blades, Kerrigan let out a horrific scream. The hard Zerg carapace enveloping her body cracked, and the bone wings on her back burned and crumbled away. She tried to resist by squeezing out her psionic energy, but the ancient Xel'naga artifact ruthlessly purified the Zerg essence dwelling within her body.

Kerrigan's screams gradually transformed from the roar of a monster into the cries of a suffering human woman. As the Swarm's network binding her body severed, the dark influence weighing down her consciousness shattered along with it. Her body collapsed weakly onto the red lava fields, disappearing into the thick smoke.

When the artifact's energy release ceased, the thick clouds covering the sky of Char parted, and an unfamiliar silence descended. The endlessly surging waves of Zerg were nowhere to be seen, leaving only white, burnt ash and a heavy silence upon the earth. Holding their breath at the unbelievable sight, the soldiers slowly peeked out of their trenches.

Sighs of relief and cheers erupted among the surviving Dominion soldiers and Raiders. They embraced one another, sharing the joy of survival, but Raynor's gaze was fixed solely on the center where the artifact had shone. He cast off his helmet and began to stride urgently toward the crater where acrid smoke was rising.

Raynor's heart was pounding wildly. Rather than the fact that the artifact had wiped out the Zerg, his sole concern was what had happened to Kerrigan within that light. Pushing through the still-hot heat of the earth, he walked with cautious but firm steps toward the familiar yet unfamiliar silhouette lying amidst the gray smoke.

Humanity Regained

Before Raynor's eyes, as he pushed through the thick smoke, an unbelievable sight unfolded. Lying on the red soil was not the monstrous Queen of Blades with her horrific bone wings. Instead, a wounded and fragile human woman, Sarah Kerrigan, lay curled there, her red hair disheveled as she gasped for breath.

Raynor dropped his weapon to the ground and sank to his knees beside her, his legs trembling. He reached out gently and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Instead of the cold, hard Zerg carapace, warm and soft human skin met his fingertips. It was the very touch he had yearned for so desperately through years of horrific nightmares.

Kerrigan opened her eyes with difficulty. The burning yellow glow was gone, and the clear, deep human eyes that Raynor remembered were looking up at him. In her gaze lay confusion, pain, and deep sorrow. She called Jim's name in a cracked voice, and Raynor, feeling a surge of suppressed emotion, pulled her into his embrace.

Tens of thousands of emotions swirled in Raynor's chest. The guilt of having to leave her behind on Tarsonis, the resentment toward her for taking countless lives as the Queen of Blades, and the relief of finally having her back choked him. He simply stroked her red hair, whispering that it was alright.

Though faint traces of the Zerg still remained on Kerrigan's body, her soul had clearly returned to that of a human. Leaning against Raynor's chest, she trembled as if flooded by the horrific memories of what she had done. Raynor absorbed her trembling with his whole body, vowing that at this moment, he would protect her no matter the cost.

As the surrounding smoke gradually cleared, the surviving Raiders began to gather around them one by one. The soldiers wore expressions of shock and disbelief upon seeing Kerrigan returned to human form. To them, she was still the enemy of the universe who had slaughtered countless comrades, so they kept their fingers on their triggers, maintaining a wary stance.

Sensing the hostile gazes of the soldiers, Raynor held Kerrigan tightly, shielding her behind his back. Looking around with a resolute gaze, he declared that she was no longer the Queen of Blades, but Sarah Kerrigan. His voice carried a powerful resolve that brooked no argument, and the soldiers reluctantly lowered their weapons.

Holding the human Kerrigan in his arms, Raynor finally realized that the long nightmare had ended. Yet, he also knew all too well that there were still many mountains to climb to fully save her. Carefully lifting her injured form, he began to take heavy but hopeful steps toward the landing zone where the dropship would arrive for their return.

The Betrayal Revealed

Just as Raynor was about to head toward the dropship with Kerrigan in his arms, a figure in a massive armored suit blocked his path with heavy footsteps. It was Tychus Findlay. The expression visible behind his visor was cold and rigid, completely devoid of his usual sly grin. A heavy rifle was held in his hands, hinting at combat.

Tychus looked down at Kerrigan in Raynor's arms and spoke in a bitter voice. He confessed that this entire operation was part of a secret deal he had made with Arcturus Mengsk. In exchange for Tychus's freedom, Mengsk had given him a cruel order: to end the Queen of Blades' life the moment she was at her most vulnerable.

Raynor's face hardened. While he had suspected that Mengsk might be behind Tychus's release from prison, he had never dreamed that the objective would be Kerrigan's assassination. The words of betrayal from his old friend burned Raynor's chest hotter than the lava of Char. He carefully laid Kerrigan on the ground and faced Tychus.

Tychus pointed to the communicator built into his armor. Mengsk was remotely controlling Tychus's life support system, binding him with a cruel shackle where Tychus himself would die if he did not kill Kerrigan. He pleaded bitterly with Raynor that he had no choice, slowly aiming his gun barrel at Kerrigan.

A slight tremor was audible in Tychus's rough voice. He was in deep conflict between his old friend and Mengsk's orders, but his instinct for survival weighed heavily upon him. Sensing from Tychus's eyes that he would ultimately pull the trigger, Raynor slowly reached for the pistol at his waist, his expression turning grim.

Lying on the ground, Kerrigan watched the confrontation between the two men, breathing painfully. She closed her eyes with a resigned expression, as if willing to accept death if it would end this tragedy. But Raynor had no intention of losing her again. He pleaded with Tychus to please lower his gun, trying one last time to appeal to his friend's reason.

A tense silence hung over the battlefield. The surrounding soldiers held their breath, unable to intervene in the tragic confrontation between the two heroes. As Tychus's finger slowly squeezed the trigger, an unwavering resolve flashed in Raynor's eyes. He was placed in a cruel destiny where he had to choose the person he must protect now over past friendship.

Raynor's low, sorrowful voice cut through the atmosphere of Char. The moment Tychus fully aligned his gun barrel toward Kerrigan, Raynor's hand moved like lightning. A sharp gunshot shattered the silence, and Tychus's massive frame reeled from the impact. It was the moment the long bond between two friends was shattered to pieces within Mengsk's conspiracy.

Spreading the Wings of Liberty

The bullet fired from Raynor's pistol pierced Tychus's armored visor with precision. The rifle fell weakly from Tychus's hand to the ground, and his massive body collapsed, kicking up red dust. In the face of the death of his comrade and friend of many years, Raynor's gun barrel trembled slightly, and his eyes were drowned in deep sorrow.

Raynor lowered his gun and stared silently down at Tychus's body. He was overwhelmed by the horrific guilt of shooting his friend and the fury that Mengsk's cruel trap had ultimately brought about such a tragedy. Even in death, Tychus wore a peaceful expression, as if harboring no resentment toward Raynor, which pierced Raynor's torn heart even more painfully.

Matt Horner's urgent voice came through the communicator. He reported that the Dominion fleet and the Raiders' dropships were ready to evacuate the survivors to orbit. Raynor did not even have time to grieve. After offering a final silent tribute to Tychus, he turned back, approached Kerrigan lying on the ground, and carefully checked her condition.

Raynor carefully lifted Kerrigan. She leaned weakly in his arms, unconscious, her body heat transferring through Raynor's combat suit. He had to sacrifice so much to protect her, but the moment he saw her peaceful face, he felt that all those sacrifices were not in vain, and he took his heavy steps forward.

The dropship's hatch opened, and a dazzling light illuminated the two of them. Raynor walked silently up the ramp and looked back. Left behind on the surface of Char, filled with red lava and gray smoke, were the blood of countless comrades, the debris of the Xel'naga artifact, and Tychus's cold body. It was less a victory and more the scars of desperate survival and loss.

The dropship roared as it broke through Char's atmosphere and soared upward. Watching the hellish planet recede outside the window, Raynor held Kerrigan even tighter in his arms. Though he had succeeded in rescuing her, the war with Mengsk was not yet over, and an uneasy feeling that the threats of the universe had not completely vanished lingered in a corner of his mind.

Raynor adjusted his grip on Kerrigan in his arms and slowly walked out of the cave. Onto the desolate surface of Char, where Dominion dropships and Raiders' vessels waited, the light of the red sun finally shone upon their faces. Kerrigan, who had regained her human form, leaned her head against Raynor's shoulder, gasping for breath, and Raynor finally left the hellish battlefield, feeling her warmth.

Looking at the burning red horizon of Char, Raynor recalled the sacrifices he had made and the comrades he had lost. Though the grief of losing Tychus was agonizing, seeing Sarah breathing in his arms made him not regret his choice. As he took step after step toward where the dropship waited, a chapter of the long journey toward the wings of liberty closed behind him, leaving a heavy resonance.

Verified Sources

Official Blizzard StarCraft Chronicle

Official StarCraft II Campaign Introduction

Developer Q&A: The Connection Between Characters and War

Official StarCraft II Download and Campaign/Nova Purchase List