You seem overconfident of your abilities, dark one. I am no helpless Cerebrate to be assailed under cover of darkness. I am the Queen of Blades, and my stare alone would reduce you to ashes. You and your ilk cease to amuse me. Prepare yourself for oblivion's embrace.
—Kerrigan, Queen of Blades
The shield goes up. A Judicator stands brooding, eyes fixed on the caverns in the distance. Inky forms swirl around down below, at the surface. Two brave hearts have already departed. Two old friends stand together, reunited. Two men in turmoil await a greater judgment. Two minds in one must decide their own fate.
The old distinctions are gone. New weapons are forged. The Gray are ready.
Shakuras waits, its own destiny prescribed by the movement of countless entities, all working toward their own ends. Aiur waits, abandoned, forsaken, in ruins, forgotten. A red world waits, parched, dry, independent, unknowing. A white world waits, rich, self-assured, complacent, the crux. A galaxy waits.
Moonrise at New Antioch. The Judicator stirs. Events dial into focus. Connections are made, secrets reconciled — yet questions remain. The past comes rushing back in a flood of memories, half-noted conversations, passing remarks, oddities, pieces out of place. Thunder in the distance, gunfire, life, death, anger. The mind reels. Outside, new ships circle the shield generator. A new caste of Khalai toils in the darkness. The old distinctions are gone. New weapons are forged. The Gray are ready.
From the murk below, eyes glow with patient vigilance. Hands move in the dark. The victim awakens, reborn. The master commands. Action is taken. Warriors rush to the surface, surging from the caverns. Enemies fall back in waves, then return, stronger. There is a standoff. The air is silent...
...until the unexpected happens.
The Antioch Chronicles™ © 1998, Eric Dieter & Ruben Moreno. All rights reserved. The Antioch Chronicles™ trademark and associated logos are the exclusive property of Eric Dieter & Ruben Moreno. Characters and distinctive likenesses thereof, character names, item names, place names, named events, artwork and all other related material not disclosed herein are protected under the laws of the United States of America and other countries. Any reproduction, retransmission, or unauthorized use herein is prohibited without express written permission.
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Edited Friday, September 23rd, 2005 at 5:55 PM by typhoon.