Shadows from the Badlands

Sooner then he would have liked, both Michael and Dash'r were roused from their secluded berth by Sarah. The Hyperion had arrived in orbit of the planet Haven. All of the other ships in Raynor's ragtag fleet had dispersed, following the multitude of reports of hybrid attacks throughout Terran space. Each of the large ships was equipped with a small army that would hold off and delay the hybrids until the Hyperion could bring the Xel'Naga weapon to bear on them.

The ride to the surface was uneventful. Scans showed no signs of the hybrid Michael and Dash'r had fought, yet they brought a sizable contingent of soldiers that would hold down the area outside the entrance to the ancient relic while it was retrieved, just in case.

Michael looked at the assembled party. Only a handful were actually taking part in the artifacts retrieval, Raynor himself, Michael, Dash'r, a mechanic named Swann whom Michael had never met, and an unnamed technician in a large, powered utility suit. Along side them was the second team, that would be continuing on past them, Sarah, guiding a powered gurney carrying Ty, with a single medic monitoring their condition.

Inside the ancient structure nothing had changed, the corridors still dark, and only faint trails in the dust marked where Michael and Dash'r had made their way through days earlier.

Michael turned away as Raynor bid fair well to Sarah, and walked over to Ty, who's condition was noticeably worsening, even in the few short hours it had been.

"You take care of yourself, Ty," he said quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the others, who were intently focused on disconnecting the device, "I wouldn't have the guts to do what your doing kid."

Ty could hear him, but had grown so weak that he was unable to respond. Michael saw the boys lip twitch in an attempt to smile, and felt his had tighten on his own slightly in response.

In the background, Raynor moved away from Kerrigan, "It's time people, move out."

The technician had levered the old device onto the large claw like appendages that were used primarily for carrying raw materials, and Swann hovered about him, guiding the precious cargo back the way they came. Kerrigan restarted the gurney, and set off in the other direction following the the dust trails towards the badlands, and the former colony of Fairfield.

Swann spoke up, his voice gruff, "Hey boss, this things discharging the rest of the way, coms should be back up any second."

"Glad to here it Swann," was Raynor's short reply. Michael could sympathize with him in a way, from what he had heard, Sarah had been someone special to him, and he had lost her to the zerg. It must feel like losing her all over again, as while she may not go on a killing spree, mentally linking and taking control of a horde of monsters was bound to change her. Glancing over at Dash'r, he knew he couldn't loose him once, let alone twice.

In his mind, the telepathic connection he had with Sarah flared, and changed. He thought he could hear an echo of something through it.

He addressed the group, specifically Raynor, "Whatever Sarah was going to do, she just did." Raynor looked like he was restraining himself from begging for more information on his love. "She still feels like herself, just, dunno, more focused I guess."

He felt Dash'r nudge his mind, subtly asking for permission to enter more thoroughly to see for himself, and Michael willingly allowed it, trusting the Protoss completely, and knowing that he would have a better ability to understand what was happening then Michael would.

"She is not the Queen of Blades," Dash'r said after contemplating what he saw and felt, "She will remain true to us."

Before any could question him further, the artifact finished discharging, and their radios crackled with static, which soon resolved into the panic filled voice of the garrison they had left behind, "-tack, many zerg converg- our -ition, nee- forcments, now, Hyperi-."

"Double time boys, we need to get out there," Raynor shouted, already sprinting the last few dozen yards. Dash'r arrived at the doors only seconds later, and opened them for the impatient human.

Outside was bedlam. The zerg had yet to breach the perimeter that had been established, and their bodies continued to pile up on the approaches to the garrison. Raynor had already reached the perimeter where the other marines had held off the zerg, and Michael could here him shout "Where the hell did they come from."

He didn't hear the response, but turned to Dash'r and Swan, "Get that thing working," before running to the barricades that had been set up. Over head explosions ripped the atmosphere as the Hyperion descended simultaneously fending off a massed attack from the air, while providing cover for the marines below.

He still had the rifle he had taken from the armory earlier, and began firing indescribably into the swarm of zerg that approached. The numbers were staggering, and in the distance he could see large worms erupt out of the ground only to vomit even more zerg. Beside him a marine went down, hit in the glass faceplate by a series of shards. Where Raynor was manning the barricade, a massive zerg with razor like tusks got too close, and in a swipe of it maw, overturned the entire makeshift structure, scattering the marines. Raynor himself had been knocked several yards back, yet still calmly worked the high powered rifle and shot the creature through it's mouth, gore exploding out of the back of it's head.

Several of the survivors from that section moved in close to the corps, using the massive body as a makeshift bunker.

He heard Swann shout,and his heart fell, "Its no use, we got no power for this thing."

The zerg continued to swarm in greater numbers, and marines kept getting picked off one by one. Michael glimpsed Dash'rs stealthy form glide into the overwhelming numbers, cleaving the limbs or heads from the largest and most dangerous zerg. Swann himself had opened up with a large machine gun, attached in place of his clamp.

They were unable to keep up. Above the Hyperion was having a noticeably difficult time, fending off the flying zerg, and several explosions ripped along it hull as it began taking fire from the ground. Michael was unable to shoot an approaching zergling in time, and it's claw ripped into it's shoulder as it jumped on him, knocking him back. It had raised it's other claw, one still imbedded in his flesh, and was aiming for his head when a series of grooved darts ripped into it's head. Still swimming with pain, he looked backwards to see where they had come back from.

Behind him, still recognizable in spite of the growths and hardened skin was the marine he thought he had killed, Foxworth. "My Queen sends her regards." Around him additional zerg began swarming out of the Xel'Naga structure and tore into their brethren, the few marines left raised a cheer, and redoubled their efforts. Occasionally a larger winged creature would squeeze through, and take to the air to provide support for the damaged battle cruiser above them.

His head swam as the only surviving medic took advantage of the distraction the new zerg provided and pumped Michael full of painkillers and medical nanites.

"I'm glad your not dead, Foxworth," was all he managed before he succumbed to the pain killers and the claw that was still imbedded in his shoulder.