StarCraft Chronicles Episode 27: After the Citizens of Korhal Departed

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

Valerian and Horner's Evacuation Request

From the neural center of a massive Leviathan, Sarah Kerrigan looked down at the red atmosphere of Korhal, maintaining a deep silence. Amidst the Swarm's hungry whispers filling her mind, a blue hologram from the Hyperion's communication network flickered to life. Valerian Mengsk, appearing on the screen, showed clear signs of tension, yet he strove to keep his voice firm.

Valerian made an unreasonable demand, asking her to delay the invasion so that the millions of civilians still trapped in Augustgrad could evacuate. Begging for mercy from the Queen of Blades, who had embraced the essence of the Primal Zerg, was nothing short of suicidal, but he did not bend his responsibility as the Crown Prince. The wing-like bones protruding from Kerrigan's back curved ominously, making a sharp grating sound.

In a corner of the hologram, Admiral Matt Horner stood with a grim expression, supporting Valerian's proposal. Horner calmly added a tactical analysis, suggesting that avoiding civilian sectors would sow confusion within the Dominion defense forces and offer a tactical advantage to bypass their defensive lines. However, Kerrigan's gaze seemed to linger behind them, in a dark corner of the Hyperion that was out of the communication feed. Jim Raynor, who had turned his back on her, was surely locked in silence there.

Although Raynor did not appear on the communication screen, his unseen absence and silence weighed more heavily on Kerrigan's heart than any plea. Though the Sarah of the past was dead and she had become a monster, a deep desire welled up within her to somehow prove the last shred of trust and humanity Jim had held for her. Kerrigan lifted her chin and, in a cold voice directed at Valerian, declared that she would allow time for the civilians to evacuate.

A sigh of relief escaped Valerian across the hologram, and Horner nodded, stating he would immediately begin guiding the evacuation ships. Once the transmission cut, the interior of the Leviathan was again filled with the pulsing sounds of sticky organic matter. Izsha slithered down from the ceiling, cautiously warning that the Swarm was already hungry and that delaying the attack went against the very nature of the brood.

Ignoring Izsha's warning, Kerrigan channeled her psionic energy to issue a halt order to all Broodmothers waiting in orbit. Billions of Zerg organisms erupted in discontent, shrieking horribly through the mental network, but Kerrigan suppressed all that fury with her sheer will. Her eyes burned with a golden light as she seized absolute control of the Swarm.

Though her thirst for vengeance against Arcturus Mengsk boiled through her veins, Kerrigan did not want to stain that revenge with the blood of the innocent. Through the Leviathan's translucent membrane window, she glared at the Dominion defense satellites crowding Korhal's orbit. Beyond that defensive line hid the culprit who had ruined her life, and she could sense that his end was near.

Kerrigan summoned Zagara and strictly ordered her not to attack until the civilian evacuation ships cleared orbit. Zagara tilted her head in confusion, but bowed in submission before the overwhelming power of the Queen of Blades. A massive storm was gathering in the skies of Korhal, and at its center, Kerrigan was quietly granting a reprieve from the slaughter.

Allowing Evacuation and Deploying the Swarm

In the outer atmosphere of Korhal, countless Dominion transport ships were departing Augustgrad's spaceport, desperately jumping to safe orbits. Watching their trajectories through the Leviathan's vision, Kerrigan silently stared at the engine lights of the transports scattering like stars. Broodmother Zagara approached her side, advising once more that dropping the drop pods right now would easily shatter the enemy's defensive lines.

Kerrigan flicked her sharp tail against the floor, coldly suppressing Zagara's impatience. She had to imprint upon the Swarm that they were not swayed by weak Terran emotions, but moved solely by the will of the Queen of Blades. Though trembling with suppressed murderous urges, Zagara prostrated herself before the overwhelming psionic waves radiating from Kerrigan, waiting only for the moment the Queen's mercy would end.

Izsha reported through the Swarm's organic neural network that the civilian evacuation was proceeding faster than expected. This was thanks to Matt Horner of the Hyperion hacking the Dominion's communications network to optimize the evacuation routes. Sensing that Raynor's Raiders were fighting behind the scenes to help her, Kerrigan felt a faint warmth bloom in a corner of her tightly closed heart.

Finally, a signal was received by the Leviathan's neural network indicating that the last civilian transport had escaped Korhal's gravity and successfully made a warp jump. In an instant, Kerrigan's eyes shifted to those of a cold predator, and a chilling smile spread across her lips. As the shackles were released from the suppressed mental network of billions of Zerg, the entire Swarm let out a jubilant roar that shook the orbit.

Kerrigan stretched out her arm, pointing toward the surface of Korhal, and ordered a full-scale descent upon Augustgrad's defensive lines. From the underbelly of the Leviathan, tens of thousands of massive drop pods erupted simultaneously, pouring down into the red atmosphere. Burning from atmospheric friction, the drop pods created a bizarre yet magnificent spectacle, like a blood-red meteor shower falling upon Korhal.

The Dominion's orbital defense cannons spat fire, shattering numerous drop pods in midair, but the tide of the Swarm did not stop. Kerrigan deployed Scourge flights forward, ordering them to launch kamikaze attacks on orbital stations and missile turrets. Flashes of explosions blanketed the skies of Korhal, and as massive holes were torn in the defense grid, endless Zerg forces poured down to the surface through the gaps.

Kerrigan herself boarded a specialized drop pod, leaving the Leviathan to plunge straight toward the heart of Augustgrad. Throughout the descent, the deafening roar of the wind and the explosions of interceptor missiles clashed, but her mind envisioned only the moment she would choke Arcturus Mengsk. A vibration signaling that the hour of vengeance had finally begun enveloped her body.

With a tremendous impact against the ground, the drop pod burst open, kicking up dust over the shattered asphalt. As Kerrigan stepped out through the dust, Zerglings and Hydralisks that had already landed swarmed around her, welcoming their master's descent. The sight of Augustgrad's luxurious skyscrapers collapsing in red flames filled her vision.

Defense and Offensive of Augustgrad

Augustgrad's outer defensive lines were heavily fortified with the Dominion's elite forces and numerous Siege Tanks. The moment Kerrigan set foot on the ground, deafening cannon fire erupted as Siege Tank shells rained down into the midst of the Zerg forces. The shockwaves of the explosions shook the earth, and hundreds of Zerglings at the vanguard instantly vaporized into a blood-red mist.

Kerrigan remained entirely unfazed by the slaughter unfolding before her eyes, releasing psionic energy to rally her ranks. Purple lightning arcing from her fingertips struck the nearest bunker, tearing its reinforced armor like paper and incinerating the Marines inside amid their death throes. Inspired by the Queen's overwhelming destructive power, the Zerg horde forgot fear and rushed madly toward the defensive lines.

In the skies, flocks of Mutalisks engaged in fierce dogfights with Dominion Viking squadrons, staining the red atmosphere black. Amidst a rain of torn Terran metal fragments and Zerg organic tissue, Kerrigan summoned massive Ultralisks to the front lines. As the lumbering beasts charged, shaking the very foundations of the earth, even the barrage of Siege Tanks could not fully penetrate their thick carapaces.

Even in this desperate situation, the Dominion defenders resisted tenaciously out of blind loyalty to Mengsk. Ghost agents targeted the Broodmothers with sniper fire, and Hellbats turned narrow alleyways into seas of fire, desperately slowing the Zerg advance. Feeling anger at the enemies' stubborn resistance, Kerrigan leaped directly into the center of the battlefield, shattering the armored division's formation with a psionic dash.

Just then, piercing through the thick smoke over the city, a squadron of Gorgon Battlecruisers—the pride of the Dominion—appeared, casting massive shadows. As the crossfire spewing from the underbellies of the Gorgons swept the ground, thousands of Zerg forces were instantly reduced to ashes. The Swarm's advance faltered briefly before this overwhelming firepower, forcing Kerrigan to look up, grit her teeth, and devise a new tactic.

Kerrigan immediately activated all the Scourge Nests waiting in orbit through the neural network connected to the Leviathan. Tens of thousands of Scourge poured down like a black cloud, beginning to detonate themselves against the Gorgon Battlecruisers' power cores and weapon systems. The relentless chain of explosions tore away the Gorgons' thick armor, sending the massive capital ships crashing into the outskirts of the city with a deafening roar.

The massive explosions caused by the crashing Gorgons dealt a decisive blow, completely shattering the morale of the Dominion defenders. Seizing the moment the enemy lines collapsed, Kerrigan summoned Nydus Worms throughout the heart of Augustgrad. Gaping mouths of Nydus Worms burst through the cracked asphalt, and endless Zerg forces began pouring directly into the interior of the city.

The streets of Augustgrad, filled with fire and screams, had now turned into a perfect hunting ground for the Swarm. Standing atop a collapsed defensive wall, Kerrigan glared with fierce eyes at the palace spires rising ominously beyond the distant red haze. Beneath her feet, the unstoppable tide of Zerg flowed like a massive river toward the palace, preparing for the final slaughter.

Clearing the Path to the Palace

The final avenue leading to the palace was the most arduous fortress, where the Dominion's Imperial Guard prepared for a fight to the death. Under Kerrigan's command, Stukov led a horde of Infested Terrans, limping forward toward the right defensive line. His cold gaze allowed not a shred of sympathy for his former kind, and the Infested Marines launched a blind charge accompanied by painful groans.

While Stukov's forces drew the enemy's attention, Zagara rolled waves of Banelings through the ruined city blocks on the left. As the acid-filled Banelings collided in succession against the defensive walls, the solid titanium armor plates melted away, tearing open a massive gap. Zagara did not miss this opportunity, deploying Hydralisk squads to ruthlessly slaughter the panicked Imperial Guard forces.

From the rear of the battlefield, Kerrigan bound the minds of the Broodmothers together, coordinating the overall pace of the advance. Zagara's ferocity and Stukov's cold tactics blended in perfect harmony, gradually dismantling the palace defenses that had been deemed impregnable. She felt a dark satisfaction, experiencing firsthand how efficiently the Swarm's power moved for her vengeance.

At the final gateway guarding the palace's main entrance, the Dominion's elite Ghost agents were deployed in cloaked states, targeting Zerg commanders. However, to Kerrigan, who possessed the senses of the Primal Zerg, their shallow cloaking technology meant nothing. She read the psionic wavelengths of the Ghosts hidden across the ground and cast Fungal Growth to forcibly expose their locations.

The uncloaked Ghosts panicked and tried to retreat, but Infested Terrans summoned by Stukov poured in from all directions, cutting off their escape. Each time a Ghost was torn apart with a horrific scream, Kerrigan closed her eyes, feeling the psionic echoes created by their deaths. It was like a ritual to completely sever her past as a former Ghost agent.

Finally, the massive defensive walls surrounding the palace crumbled, revealing the grand yet hideous form of the heart of power where Mengsk hid. Zagara let out a jubilant shriek and prepared to charge the main gates, but Kerrigan released a powerful mental wave, halting all Swarm movements at once. The Broodmothers paused in confusion, waiting for their master's next command.

Kerrigan instructed Zagara and Stukov to hold the defensive lines outside the palace firmly and block any Dominion reinforcements. The final showdown with Arcturus Mengsk had to be Sarah Kerrigan's personal task, not the work of the Swarm's might. Stukov nodded silently, and though Zagara hissed in discontent, she did not dare disobey the Queen's will and stepped back.

As Kerrigan walked alone across the empty palace plaza, the massive shadow of the Swarm blanketed the red earth behind her. Gray dust rose with her every step, and shattered statues bore witness to the miserable end of the falling empire. The massive metal doors of the palace were ripped away by psionic force, and Kerrigan finally stepped toward the destination of her vengeance.

Encounter in the Palace and the Artifact Device

The interior of the palace was enveloped in a bizarre silence, making the chaos outside feel like a lie. Walking down the dark corridors, Kerrigan advanced, crushing the few remaining Imperial Guards who tried to protect the Emperor to the last with a mere flick of her hand. Only the sound of her sharp claws scraping against the marble floor filled the desolate space, heralding the terror of approaching death.

Finally, the heavy oak doors blocking the Emperor's office were shattered to pieces and blown away by Kerrigan's psionic blast. As the dust cloud cleared, the figure of Arcturus Mengsk standing behind the desk in the center of the spacious office was revealed. Even as his empire crumbled, he leisurely smoked a cigar, looking down at his burning city through the window.

As Kerrigan entered the office, radiating a chilling murderous intent, Mengsk slowly turned to face her. Not a trace of fear or regret could be found on his face; instead, an arrogant smirk hung on his lips. He greeted Kerrigan with a bitter, mocking remark, calling her his magnificent creation who had become a monster.

The moment she heard Mengsk's voice, the despair and betrayal of the day she was abandoned on Tarsonis struck Kerrigan's mind, turning into a boiling rage. She had no desire to listen to any more of Mengsk's sophistry; she lowered her body and lunged forward to plunge her claws into his heart. However, Mengsk did not panic at all, reaching for a hidden device beneath his desk.

The moment Mengsk pressed the switch, the office floor split open, and a massive device modified from fragments of the Xel'Naga artifact rose. Dazzling golden energy spewing from the device instantly filled the room, striking Kerrigan's entire body. It was not a mere physical blow, but a horrific agony that felt as if it were tearing the very essence of the Zerg apart.

Kerrigan, who had leaped into the air, crashed to the floor as if hitting a massive invisible wall, letting out a desperate scream. The waves emitted from the Xel'Naga artifact suppressed her Primal Zerg power and ruthlessly disrupted her psionic network. In the agony of her wing bones twisting and every cell in her body burning, Kerrigan was forced to lie prostrate, unable to lift a single finger.

Exhaling a long trail of cigar smoke, Mengsk slowly walked toward Kerrigan as she writhed on the floor. He proudly boasted that this artifact device was his final trump card, prepared in secret for years solely to perfectly control and destroy the Queen of Blades. Even in her agony, Kerrigan glared at Mengsk, trying to spit curses, but only gasping groans escaped her mouth.

As the output of the artifact device intensified, the golden waves began to completely choke the life out of Kerrigan. Her vision flashed red as her consciousness faded, and even her mental connection with the Swarm wavered precariously on the verge of snapping. Confident of his victory, Mengsk let out a despicable laugh, slowly drawing an old pistol from his waist and aiming it at Kerrigan's head.

The Queen of Blades Suppressed by the Device

The energy radiating from the Xel'Naga artifact device was doing more than burning Kerrigan's flesh; it was tearing her mind to shreds. The wings protruding from her back as she lay on the floor convulsed in pain, and even the powerful healing factor of the Primal Zerg was useless against the artifact's waves. Trembling, Kerrigan tried to push herself up, but collapsed again under a crushing pressure that felt like gravity multiplied tenfold.

Mengsk watched Kerrigan's desperate struggles with amusement as he cocked his pistol. The metallic click rang out sharply, cutting through the silence of the office. He shamelessly declared that abandoning her on Tarsonis had been an inevitable sacrifice to build his empire, and that killing her now was likewise a great salvation to protect humanity.

A horrific ringing echoed in Kerrigan's head as her vision gradually faded into darkness. As the artifact's waves reached their peak, her psionic energy collapsed from within, bringing a pain that felt like it was flowing backward through her veins. Clawing at the floor, she reached out to grab Mengsk's ankle, but her gesture was incredibly weak and powerless.

Mengsk ruthlessly stamped on Kerrigan's hand with his boot, letting out a cold sneer. He whispered that she had always been his finest weapon, destined to serve the glory of the empire in both life and death. The insulting words were like pouring salt on Kerrigan's wounded pride, but she did not have even a shred of strength left to express her rage.

The golden energy made Kerrigan's heartbeat irregular, pushing her to the brink of taking her final breath. In her fading consciousness, she pictured Jim Raynor's face. It was bitterly painful to the bone that she had to meet her end and fail her vengeance so futilely, without even getting to say a proper goodbye to him.

Mengsk aimed the barrel precisely at Kerrigan's forehead, muttering with satisfaction that it was finally over. Savoring this perfect ending of executing the Queen of Blades as the savior of humanity, he placed his finger on the trigger. Squeezing out her last remaining strength, Kerrigan forced her eyes open, staring straight into Mengsk's despicable eyes as she prepared to meet her death.

The resonance of the Xel'Naga artifact filled the office, blending with Kerrigan's painful screams. Just as the smirk on Mengsk's lips grew widest, his finger began to slowly pull the trigger. Giving up on everything, Kerrigan waited for the trajectory of the incoming bullet, feeling that her long, cursed life was finally coming to an end.

But at that moment, beyond the shattered windows of the office, the roar of a rough engine and the presence of an unexpected guest could be felt. Through Kerrigan's blurred vision, she saw a massive shadow looming behind Mengsk. Just before Mengsk could fully pull the trigger, the sound of a heavy metal door being kicked open echoed like thunder, piercing through the resonance of the artifact.

Raynor's Intervention and Counterattack

With the sound of a heavy metal door bursting open, a figure in a bulky combat suit stormed into the office. Just before Mengsk could pull the trigger, Jim Raynor lunged from the shadows and grabbed Mengsk's arm. Raynor twisted the wrist of the hand holding the artifact controller, and as the device fell to the floor and ceased functioning, the golden energy crushing Kerrigan instantly dissipated.

Having neutralized the artifact device with his sudden intrusion, Jim Raynor, clad in a combat suit covered in dust and soot, glared fiercely at Mengsk. Deprived of his final trump card—the control of the artifact—Mengsk's face contorted with shock and rage, and he struggled to aim his pistol at Raynor. However, Raynor's firm grip held the Emperor's wrist locked in place.

Raynor easily neutralized Mengsk's resistance, shoving him roughly to the floor. Mengsk rolled across the marble floor, shouting 'traitor' at Raynor in a panicked voice, but his tone carried an extreme dread of death instead of his former arrogance. Raynor looked down at the fallen Emperor, then slowly turned his head to look at Kerrigan, who was rising as she recovered from the pain.

Raynor's gaze shifted past Mengsk's shoulder, and a faint smile touched his lips. The moment Mengsk realized the meaning of that look and felt a chill run down his spine, he sensed a horrific murderous intent radiating from behind him. Freed from the device's suppression, Kerrigan was slowly standing up, her Primal Zerg strength fully restored.

Kerrigan's golden eyes burned red with suppressed rage, and the wings on her back spread threateningly, making a sharp grating sound. Terrified, Mengsk scrambled backward, firing his pistol wildly, but Kerrigan deployed a psionic barrier, easily deflecting the bullets. Now, the roles of hunter and prey were completely reversed.

Raynor stepped back silently, yielding the stage of vengeance she had waited so long for entirely to her. Even though she had become a monster, he had rushed here to save her, and now he was ready to watch her sever her own past. Kerrigan offered a brief look of gratitude for Raynor's consideration, then slowly walked toward Mengsk.

Cowering against the wall, Mengsk began to pour out miserable pleas for his life. He begged for mercy with shallow excuses, offering to help rebuild the empire and claiming that the Dominion would collapse if he were killed. However, none of his words reached Kerrigan's ears; only the screams of the countless lives that had perished on Tarsonis echoed in her mind.

Kerrigan grabbed Mengsk by the collar and lifted him high. Mengsk's feet flailed in the air, his face contorted in terror, exposing his ugly nature without filter. Staring straight into Mengsk's eyes, Kerrigan coldly whispered that this was the harvest of the seeds he had sown, and the final mercy she would grant to humanity.

Mengsk's End and the Journey Toward Amon

A powerful surge of psionic energy erupting from Kerrigan's hand pierced through Mengsk's body. Mengsk's eyes rolled back as he let out a horrific scream, his flesh beginning to swell from the uncontrollable overload of energy. Returning to him the exact pain he had inflicted upon her on Tarsonis, Kerrigan channeled her merciless destructive power to the very end.

The moment the entire office was blanketed in a dazzling purple flash, Arcturus Mengsk's body shattered to pieces with a massive explosion, vanishing without a trace. The end of the dictator who had ruled Korhal and terrorized the galaxy for decades was nothing more than turning into a handful of ash scattered into the air. Only the debris of the palace, torn apart by the aftermath of the explosion, littered the floor, creating a heavy silence.

In the space left by her completed vengeance, only emptiness remained. Kerrigan silently looked down at the ashes of Mengsk, feeling that the chains of the past that had bound her for so long were finally broken. She slowly turned around, looking at Jim Raynor, who was quietly watching her from beyond the broken debris. A silence filled with crossing emotions flowed between the two.

Kerrigan hesitated as she tried to approach Raynor, bitterly accepting that she was no longer the Sarah of the past. She offered him a brief thank you, sincerely telling him that without him, neither her vengeance nor holding onto herself would have been possible. Raynor wore his characteristic bittersweet smile, replying that he had only done what he had to do, as always.

Accepting Kerrigan's altered form as she was, Raynor already knew that the path she had to walk was different from his own. He offered her a final farewell, and his voice carried deep understanding and affection rather than lingering regret. Kerrigan engraved Raynor's farewell deep in her heart, realizing that her memories of him would be the final anchor keeping her connected to her humanity.

As Kerrigan walked out onto the collapsed balcony of the palace, the Leviathan and the countless broods of the Swarm were waiting for their Queen in the red sky of Korhal. Looking up at the sky, she faced the reality that Mengsk's death was not the end, but merely the beginning of the true war. The dark voice of Amon, the fallen Xel'Naga squirming in the Void to consume the universe, was weighing heavily on her consciousness.

Kerrigan released psionic energy to float into the air, slowly ascending toward the Leviathan. The Swarm forces remaining on the ground roared in unison to welcome their Queen's return, their massive resonance shaking the ruined city of Augustgrad. Raynor watched Kerrigan's receding figure until the end, offering a silent prayer for the harsh destiny she was about to face.

Returning to the neural center of the Leviathan, Kerrigan linked all the mental networks of the Swarm as one and issued a new command. Leaving Korhal behind, the Zerg Swarm began a massive migration toward the true enemy lurking in the abysses of space. The Queen of Blades' vengeance was complete, but she marched without hesitation toward the dark universe where an inevitable showdown with Amon awaited.

Verified Sources

Official Blizzard StarCraft Chronicles

Official StarCraft II Campaign Introduction

Developer Lore Q&A: The Connection Between Characters and War

Blizzard's Kerrigan Lore and Official Appearance Reference

Official StarCraft II Downloads and Campaign/Nova Purchase List