StarCraft Chronicles Episode 30: The Silence of Ulnar and the Chains of Slayn

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

Two Leaders Encountered in the Darkness of Ulnar

Artanis walked through the colossal halls of Ulnar, searching for traces of the ancient Xel'naga. The walls, pulsing with cold metal and unfamiliar energy, were a grand legacy left by the creators, yet only a heavy silence hung over the place. Each time the blue light of his psi-blades illuminated the dark corridors, he felt a deep, chilling premonition that this sacred space had already been severely corrupted by an ominous presence.

Beyond the passage, bizarre rupturing sounds and beastly roars echoed. As Artanis advanced without lowering his guard, a swarm of Zerg glowing with red light and the Primal Queen of Blades, Kerrigan, emerged from the darkness. Having reborn herself by absorbing the primal Zerg essence on Zerus, she was locked in a fierce, bloody struggle against Amon's Hybrid forces. Encountering the leader of the Swarm in the creators' birthplace was entirely unexpected even for Artanis.

Kerrigan tore the throat out of a Hybrid with her sharp claws, imbued with the mighty power of the primal Zerg, and turned to look at Artanis, breathing heavily. Her eyes held a mixture of endless rage and exhaustion, and the powerful psionic energy of the primal essence swirled precariously around her. The two leaders temporarily set aside their past animosity, instinctively realizing that their goals were aligned. In the face of a colossal enemy like Amon, they were no longer foes.

'We have both come here seeking answers,' Artanis spoke first in a heavy voice, sheathing his blades. Kerrigan raised her chin, frankly admitting that Amon had already taken control of this place and that she could not break through this endless horde of Hybrid alone. She had hoped to use the power of the Xel'naga to destroy Amon, but the situation was turning out to be far more desperate than anticipated.

The two factions formed a temporary alliance and made their way deeper into the depths of Ulnar. The sophisticated psionic storms of the Protoss and the ferocious claws of the Zerg combined to tear through the defensive lines of the Moebius Foundation and the Hybrid one after another. Watching Kerrigan's brutal yet efficient style of combat, Artanis pressed forward, once again realizing the terrifying power of the Swarm, which had evolved solely for survival.

With every grand threshold they crossed, Amon's minions resisted even more fiercely. Void energy warped the surrounding space, and the dark blood of fallen Hybrid flowed like rivers across the cold floor. Artanis used his shield to block a lethal blow aimed at Kerrigan, and Kerrigan seized the opening to shatter the enemy's formation. Their silent cooperation was a testament to the sheer desperation of both leaders.

Finally, the last Hybrid Behemoth blocking their path collapsed to the ground with a horrific shriek. A massive door began to open slowly with a heavy, grinding sound, and from beyond it leaked the serene light of the sanctuary where the Xel'naga were supposed to sleep. Artanis felt his heart race. The hope that he could finally meet the creators and gain the wisdom to stop Amon warmed his chest.

Kerrigan also stared into the sanctuary, her face tense with anticipation. She desperately craved the power to save her Swarm and lift the darkness weighing down upon the universe. Without waiting for one another, the two stepped over the threshold flooded with light and entered the vast chamber. However, what welcomed them was not a grand revelation, but a scene of horrific, unimaginable despair.

Dead Gods and Shattered Faith

The interior of the sanctuary was a vast and mystical space that seemed to hold the starlight of the cosmos, but occupying its center were brutally shattered stasis chambers. Artanis approached with trembling steps, unable to believe his eyes. The massive crystal structures were ruthlessly broken, and the Xel'naga, who should have been in an eternal slumber within them, lay hideously strewn across the floor as torn corpses.

'The creators are dead.' A despairing sigh escaped Artanis's lips. He fell to his knees and touched the empty husk of a colossal Xel'naga. The gods whom the Protoss had worshipped and awaited for thousands of years had already been slaughtered by Amon's hand long ago. A sense of loss, deeper and darker than when he had lost the Khala, surged within him like a tidal wave, crushing his soul.

Kerrigan paced around the shattered stasis chambers, trembling with rage. She had not come expecting salvation, but she had firmly believed there would at least be weapons or knowledge to use against Amon. Yet, all that remained here was the stench of defeat and death. Amon had arrived in Ulnar long ago, slaughtered his own kind, and prepared to twist the infinite cycle of the universe to his own whim.

Artanis bowed his head, silently enduring the agony of his lifelong faith shattering into pieces. The ancient Protoss legend of achieving grand salvation under the guidance of the Xel'naga was nothing but a hollow illusion. They were not chosen ones under divine protection, but merely abandoned orphans of destroyed creators. The silent corpses lay cold, offering neither comfort nor answers.

'We are utterly alone,' Artanis said, looking at Kerrigan with hollow eyes. His voice carried a deep emptiness that transcended rage. Kerrigan stared coldly at the remains of the Xel'naga, brutally confirming that there was nowhere left to turn in this universe. The gods were dead, and the only truth remaining was that mortals had to face despair with their own strength.

A faint psionic ripple shimmered in the air of the sanctuary, and the final fragments of memory left by the deceased began to float up like holograms. Artanis and Kerrigan watched the cluster of light as if entranced. It was a horrific vision of the past, showing Amon launching a surprise attack on his sleeping brethren and ruthlessly murdering them. The silent agony of the creators pierced their minds, exposing the truth.

In the vision, Amon greedily absorbed the essence of the Xel'naga to fuel his own power. He despised the cosmic laws his brethren had upheld, making no secret of his arrogant ambition to subjugate all life beneath his feet. Artanis clenched his fists. In the space where blind faith in the creators had vanished, a resolute determination to bring this horrific slaughterer to justice bloomed.

Kerrigan closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions. She had nothing left to lose and nowhere to retreat. If Amon had destroyed the Xel'naga, she declared resolutely, then we are the only ones left who can kill that monster. Artanis nodded slowly. In the silence of Ulnar, the two leaders chose their own struggle over divine salvation.

The Infinite Cycle and Amon's Horrific Rebellion

An ancient light emanating from the sanctuary's central altar filled the chamber, unfolding the truth of the Infinite Cycle that the Xel'naga had sought to protect in a holographic mural. Artanis walked among the glowing particles, taking in the grand history of the cosmos. The great providence of the purity of form and the purity of essence uniting to be reborn as new Xel'naga was brilliantly reenacted.

The Protoss and the Zerg were not species that had evolved by mere chance. They were the two core potentials destined to complete the Infinite Cycle. Artanis was filled with awe as he realized how crucial they were in the grand design of the universe. Yet, that beautiful loop of the cycle had been ruthlessly severed and corrupted by the betrayer Amon, giving rise to the current tragedy.

The light of the mural turned red, beginning to depict Amon's rebellion. Amon could not wait for life forms to evolve naturally and continue the cycle. He hated the shackles of the Xel'naga and forcibly intervened in the evolution of the Protoss and the Zerg to recreate the universe in his own image. The Hybrid he created were not a union of the two species, but horrific abominations designed to destroy the cycle.

Kerrigan shuddered before the vision showing how Amon had manipulated and corrupted the Zerg. Even the Overmind had been nothing more than a slave bound to Amon's oppressive will, and Amon's hatred lurked behind the countless slaughters committed by the Swarm. She realized with bitter clarity that all the suffering and corruption she had endured were the results of being thoroughly toyed with in the grand design of this fallen Xel'naga.

Artanis's eyes flashed with rage as he recalled Amon's cunning conspiracy to control the Protoss through the Khala. Amon had deceived the Protoss by pretending to protect the legacy of the Xel'naga, ultimately intending to use them as the perfect hosts to destroy the universe. Facing the truth of the creators, Artanis swore no longer to be bound by past glory, but to fight solely for survival and freedom.

'The Infinite Cycle is over,' Kerrigan broke the silence in a cold voice. As she said, the Xel'naga were all dead, and the means to continue the cycle were gone forever. Now, all that remained in the universe was the complete end that Amon would bring. Yet, Artanis did not yield to despair. He gripped his blades, replying that even if the cycle was destroyed, the will of mortals had not been broken.

The two clearly understood that Amon's plan was not merely to conquer the world, but to erase all life and leave only the silence of the Void. The Hybrid were the tools for that end, and the moment Amon obtained a physical form and descended into this universe, everything would be finished. Based on the brutal truths they had uncovered in Ulnar, they had to devise a strategy to crush Amon's forces and prevent his host body's awakening.

The light of the sanctuary slowly faded, and a heavy darkness descended once more. Artanis exchanged a brief look with Kerrigan, and they turned back to lead their respective forces to drive out Amon's minions. What they had gained from the tomb of the gods was not a promise of salvation, but the responsibility to forge their own destiny. Artanis returned to the Spear of Adun with firm resolve.

A Proposal from the Tal'darim Emerging from the Shadows

Returning to the Spear of Adun, Artanis stood at the bridge's command console, his face etched with deep fatigue. The death of the Xel'naga he had witnessed in Ulnar weighed heavily on his shoulders. Just then, the ship's internal security system blared a sharp warning, indicating an unknown intruder. As Artanis assumed a defensive stance, a Protoss with glowing red eyes stepped out from the shadows of the bridge.

Instead of the brilliant standard armor of the Golden Armada, he wore a bizarre form of plating made of overlapping, sharp black metal plates. Through the gaps in his armor, the blood-red Terrazine energy characteristic of the Tal'darim pulsed like a heartbeat, radiating an ominous aura. Introducing himself as Alarak, he scanned Artanis with an arrogant and sharp attitude befitting his rank as the First Ascendant, offering a mocking greeting.

Artanis immediately ignited his psi-blades and demanded to know the intruder's intentions. Alarak was not intimidated in the slightest; instead, he mocked Artanis's ignorance and revealed that Amon had betrayed even the Tal'darim. The horrific truth Alarak had uncovered was that Amon had absolutely no intention of elevating the Tal'darim to ascension, treating them merely as tools and disposable resources to create the Hybrid.

Alarak expressed his fury that Highlord Ma'lash was driving their people to their deaths despite knowing Amon's lies. He boldly demanded Artanis's strength to overthrow Ma'lash and make himself the ruler of the Tal'darim. Artanis harbored doubts about this sudden proposal from someone poised to become the enemy's leader, but he instinctively felt that the vengeance burning in Alarak's eyes was genuine.

The Tal'darim had long been enemies of the Daelaam, and their cruelty was infamous throughout the galaxy. Artanis pressured him, warning that he could not trust Alarak's cunning tongue. However, Alarak accurately pointed out how powerless the Daelaam currently were against Amon's overwhelming forces, coldly and sharply retorting that if Artanis refused his offer, he too would become nothing but ashes in the Void.

Alarak made an extraordinary offer: if he defeated Ma'lash and became Highlord, he would align the Tal'darim's Death Fleet with the Daelaam in the war against Amon. It was an incredibly tempting and desperate proposal for Artanis. If he could fracture Amon's forces and secure a powerful fleet, it would be an opportunity to instantly overturn the hopeless disparity in military strength they had felt in Ulnar.

Artanis fell silent for a moment, quickly calculating the risks and rewards of this dangerous gamble. Alarak was untrustworthy, but his hatred for Amon aligned perfectly with the Daelaam's goals. Faced with the cold reality that the enemy of my enemy can be an ally, Artanis finally sheathed his blades and conditionally accepted Alarak's proposal. In return, he sternly warned him not to mistreat the warriors of the Daelaam.

Alarak welcomed Artanis's decision with a satisfied smirk. Urging that they must head to Slayn without delay, he began to explain the ancient ritual to seize control of the Tal'darim. Silently praying that this perilous alliance would not lead the Daelaam to ruin, Artanis altered the course of the Spear of Adun toward Slayn, the Tal'darim homeworld shrouded in thick Terrazine fog.

The Blood-Red Mists of Slayn and the Rules of Rak'Shir

As the Spear of Adun entered Slayn's orbit, the viewscreen showed dark red clouds and endlessly rising Terrazine gas gloomily blanketing the entire planet. Looking down at his homeworld through the bridge's observation window, Alarak explained the Chain of Ascension, the absolute law that sustained Tal'darim society. It was a horrific hierarchy where only strength, obedience, and ruthless betrayal were permitted.

In the Chain of Ascension, a superior's command was absolute, and subordinates had to obey even at the cost of their lives. However, there was exactly one way to legally kill a superior and usurp their position: the ancient ritual combat known as Rak'Shir. Alarak emphasized that he would challenge Highlord Ma'lash to Rak'Shir, and that the outcome of this duel would depend entirely on Artanis's support.

Rak'Shir was not a simple duel of physical strength. The two combatants constantly pushed psionic energy against each other, and their supporters had to channel their own power into their chosen leader to aid in the struggle. Alarak revealed that Ma'lash had already gathered countless fanatics and Amon's Hybrid as supporters, declaring that without the Daelaam's forces, he would be pushed back and killed.

Artanis felt a deep revulsion toward the brutal Tal'darim culture of stepping on one's own kind to rise. It was a barbaric shackle completely incomprehensible to the values of the Daelaam, which prioritized the harmony and unity of the Khala. However, he kept his feelings to himself and listened closely to Alarak's explanation, meticulously and calmly analyzing the terrain around the Pit of Sacrifice—the battlefield of Rak'Shir—and Ma'lash's troop deployments.

Alarak explained that during Rak'Shir, the combatants would be vulnerable because they had to focus all their mental energy on attacking each other. Therefore, the Daelaam forces had to eliminate Ma'lash's supporters and remain near Alarak to constantly supply him with energy. If Alarak was overpowered and pushed into the edge of the pit, the alliance would end right there, leaving only death.

Artanis felt anger at using the lives of warriors as mere tools for a duel, but to defeat Amon, he had to participate in this heartless ritual. He delivered the rules of Rak'Shir to the Daelaam commanders and hurried preparations to descend to Slayn's barren surface. Inside the Spear of Adun, there was mixed discontent about intervening in a Tal'darim civil war, but everyone took up arms for the greater cause.

Slayn's surface was filled with a thick Terrazine fog that made even breathing difficult, and the cries of bizarre creatures echoed through the air. Alarak drew his blood-red blades and walked boldly toward the Pit of Sacrifice. Behind him, the elite forces of the Daelaam led by Artanis followed in a solid formation. Soon, Ma'lash's massive figure and his escorting Hybrid emerged in the distance.

Ma'lash mocked Alarak's rebellion, declaring he would execute him in Amon's name. Alarak, refusing to back down, mocked Ma'lash's foolishness and Amon's deception, radiating a fierce, murderous intent. The moment the two Tal'darim leaders clashed in the center of the pit, a massive psionic storm raged, shaking the very ground of Slayn. Finally, the bloody Rak'Shir that would decide the fate of the Tal'darim began.

The Struggle in the Pit of Sacrifice

As Alarak and Ma'lash's psionic energies collided, blindingly intense red lightning arced in all directions. The two beings entered a tense, unyielding tug-of-war, each trying to crush the other's mind. Artanis immediately ordered the Daelaam warriors to advance. The blue blades of the Protoss cut through the Terrazine fog, charging toward the fanatics rushing to support Ma'lash.

From behind Ma'lash, massive Hybrid bestowed by Amon entered the battlefield with bizarre roars. The destructive Void energy unleashed by the Hybrid instantly threatened the Daelaam's defensive lines. Artanis stepped to the front himself, blocking a Hybrid's strike with his shield and seizing an opening to plunge his psi-blade deep into the enemy's breastplate. The battlefield turned into a chaotic melee of Daelaam, Hybrid, and Tal'darim.

Alarak was gradually being pushed back under Ma'lash's powerful pressure. This was because the strength of the Hybrid supplying energy to Ma'lash was far too immense. As Alarak let out a painful groan and demanded more support from Artanis, Artanis deployed phase prisms forward and rained down the psionic storms of High Templar into the heart of the enemy lines, turning Ma'lash's supporters to ashes.

As the Daelaam forces gathered around Alarak and channeled their combined energy into him, the red aura enveloping Alarak expanded explosively. Empowered, Alarak burst into a spiteful laugh and violently pushed his energy back against Ma'lash. The tide of battle turned, and Ma'lash's massive frame began to be pushed back unsightly toward the Pit of Sacrifice. The Daelaam's organized support had shattered the balance of Rak'Shir.

Yet, Ma'lash did not go down easily. Offering a mad prayer to Amon, he summoned additional forces from the Death Fleet scattered across Slayn. Countless warp prisms descended from the sky, deploying fresh troops onto the battlefield. Artanis gasped at the scale of the endlessly swarming enemies and ordered orbital strikes from the Spear of Adun to cut off their reinforcements.

The hallucinogenic effects of the Terrazine gas disoriented the minds of the Daelaam warriors and compounded their combat fatigue. Artanis constantly encouraged his warriors to keep their morale from breaking as he held the line. He knew better than anyone that if Alarak fell, they would not leave this planet alive. Zealots threw themselves forward to block the Hybrid, while Stalkers used precise blinks to disrupt the enemy's rear.

Amidst the fierce back-and-forth struggle, Alarak and Ma'lash engaged in a grueling tug-of-war, moving back and forth across the center of the pit. Alarak's blood-red armor glowed crimson as if about to burst from the overloaded energy, and his eyes flashed with a mad, murderous intent to tear Ma'lash apart. Watching this terrifying obsession, Artanis once again realized with bitter clarity how destructive and cruel the Tal'darim way was.

As the battle reached its climax, Artanis made a decisive gamble, consolidating all his forces within Alarak's radius. It was a dangerous tactic that narrowed their defensive line to focus energy solely on pushing the opponent back. The unified power of the Daelaam poured into Alarak like a waterfall. Absorbing this overwhelming energy, Alarak prepared for the final blow and began to unleash a ruthless wave of force against Ma'lash.

The Fall of the Highlord and the New Ruler

Backed by the immense energy of the Daelaam, Alarak's red wave crashed over Ma'lash like a colossal tidal wave. Ma'lash could not hide his panic and resisted desperately, but the Hybrid and fanatics supporting him had already been swept away by the Daelaam's onslaught. The balance of power had completely shattered, and Ma'lash's steps were helplessly pushed back toward the sheer edge of the Pit of Sacrifice.

'Amon, have you abandoned me!' Ma'lash screamed to the heavens, begging for a final salvation. Yet, the blackened sky of Slayn offered no answer. To Amon, the Tal'darim were merely disposable assets, and there was no mercy to be spared for a defeated minion. Realizing this brutal truth, uncontrollable terror and despair welled up deeply in Ma'lash's eyes for the first time.

'Your god has abandoned you, Ma'lash. Just as you deceived our people!' Alarak's mocking voice boomed across the lands of Slayn, piercing the ears of every Tal'darim. He laughed heartily at the pathetic sight of Ma'lash begging for mercy, ruthlessly driving him to the edge of the cliff. It was a moment of displaying his overwhelming authority to the entire battlefield, cementing his place at the apex of the Chain of Ascension.

Artanis watched the brutal moment of execution with bated breath. Alarak raised his hand, condensing his final psionic energy, and struck Ma'lash's chest with a merciless blow. Ma'lash's massive body was launched into the air, falling forever into the bottomless depths of the Pit of Sacrifice with a horrific death rattle. The Rak'Shir finally ended in Alarak's complete victory.

Once Ma'lash's death was confirmed, the movements of all remaining Tal'darim forces on the battlefield ceased instantly. As the blood-red mist cleared and a heavy silence fell, Alarak stood at the edge of the pit and spread his arms. 'I am Alarak! From this day forth, I am the Highlord of the Tal'darim!' As his confident declaration echoed, every Tal'darim bound to the Chain instinctively lowered their weapons and knelt.

It was a bizarre and chilling sight, utterly incomprehensible to the common sense of the Daelaam. Those who had been shedding blood and seeking each other's lives just moments ago were now swearing absolute obedience to a new ruler based solely on the logic of power. Witnessing how deep and rigid the chains of fear and blind obedience governing Tal'darim society were, Artanis carefully weighed the repercussions this dangerous alliance would bring.

Alarak looked down arrogantly at his prostrate brethren and declared vengeance against Amon. He exposed that Amon had deceived the Tal'darim and that the promise of ascension was a lie, proclaiming that the Death Fleet would now move to tear the false god apart. The Highlord's command was law to the Tal'darim, and the fanatics let out mad cheers, burning with hatred for Amon in accordance with their new master's will.

Artanis sheathed his blades and approached Alarak. The bloody ritual was over, and now it was time to fulfill the promise. Alarak turned toward Artanis with a satisfied smile. While acknowledging that this victory would have been impossible without the Daelaam's support, he did not lose his characteristic arrogance. The two leaders exchanged a brief nod, marking the beginning of a precarious alliance forged in blood.

A Precarious Alliance and the Approaching Battle

Returning to the Spear of Adun, Artanis and Alarak stood facing each other in the bridge's strategic briefing room. Alarak, now the new Highlord of the Tal'darim, still clad in his bizarre, spiked armor, scanned the Daelaam's technology with interest. Artanis bluntly asked him if the Death Fleet would follow the Daelaam's command as promised. Alarak snorted, reaffirming his conditional alliance.

'My fleet will stand with you only until the moment Amon is destroyed.' Alarak's terms were clear. He had absolutely no interest in the Daelaam's cause or the values of the Khala; his sole purpose was to exact bloody vengeance upon Amon, who had deceived him. While wary of his impure intentions, Artanis acknowledged that they desperately needed this military strength to face Amon's formidable forces right now.

With this, Artanis had drawn the Tal'darim—the most alien and dangerous faction—into an alliance, following the Zerg Swarm. It was an anomalous coalition army that would have been unimaginable in the past. Looking at the massive Death Fleet gathering in Slayn's orbit through the bridge's holographic projector, he fell into deep contemplation over whether this fragile coalition could be maintained safely until Amon was defeated.

As confirmed in Ulnar, Amon was an overwhelming entity who had already slaughtered the Xel'naga and destroyed the infinite cycle of the universe. If his host body were completed and he fully descended into this universe, victory could not be guaranteed even if the Daelaam, the Tal'darim, and the Zerg all joined forces. Artanis heavily reminded Alarak that Amon's final death had not yet been achieved, and that the true war was only beginning.

Alarak mocked Artanis's concerns, boasting that whether Amon descended or not, he would slice that husk open with his blood-red blades. His blind thirst for vengeance seemed dangerous at times, but paradoxically, it could serve as the most powerful and unwavering weapon against Amon. Instead of pointing out Alarak's arrogance, Artanis pondered how to efficiently integrate his fighting spirit into the Daelaam's strategy.

Outside the bridge window, the endless darkness of the cosmos stretched out. Artanis recalled, in turn, the despair he had felt in the empty sanctuary of Ulnar and the madness he had witnessed on the bloody battlefields of Slayn. The gods were dead, his brethren were corrupted, and the universe was on the brink of destruction. Yet, even amidst all this despair, mortals were struggling for survival, gathering under a single banner like a miracle.

We no longer wait for divine salvation. Artanis clenched his fists, making a firm vow to himself. The Daelaam he led was no longer a weak entity leaning on past glory. They were ready to forge their own destiny, confront the colossal darkness of Amon, and usher in a new dawn for the universe. Alarak, reading Artanis's resolute determination, also wore an intrigued smile.

Artanis opened a communication channel and ordered the entire fleet to prepare for departure. The Tal'darim's Death Fleet flanked the Spear of Adun, forming a massive formation. The long and arduous journey to banish Amon into the Void forever was still far from over, but a flame of hope, hotter than ever before, burned in Artanis's heart. The colossal ark surged forward, emitting a brilliant light as it warped away.

Verified Sources

Blizzard Official StarCraft Chronicles

StarCraft II Official Campaign Introduction

Developer Lore Q&A: Connecting Characters and War

Official Lore Introduction for the Alarak Short Story

StarCraft II Official Download and Campaign/Nova Purchase List