Chapter Twenty-Two: Shadow Assault

"I disagree," Elder Priestley shook his head. He was a councilor specializing in the study of alien civilizations. "Too much assistance will cause the Skrull civilization to become dependent on us. We cannot interfere in this war."

"But the Avebon civilization is already on the brink of destruction. If we don't step in now, are we just going to watch the Ravenous Swarm slaughter them all?" Elder Keppel, who worked in alien species protection, had long held strong objections against the Ravenous Swarm.

"Whether it's different tribes on the same planet or different empires in the same star system, what difference does it make to us?" Elder Marion had always believed in minding their own business, and often opposed the protective clauses within Dahu.

"Our mighty Lord Ael is the master of spirit and mind, the god of knowledge and wisdom. As the eldest children of the god, it is only natural that we help the deity manage these beings of higher intellect," said Protector Melville. "Once these intelligent beings step into the stars, we have a responsibility to regulate their conduct. Otherwise, letting them run rampant will only hasten the coming of the End."

The councilors fell silent for a moment, then resumed their debate. "But just as the gods never lightly interfere with the mortal realm, we too cannot easily meddle in the development of lesser civilizations..." "Yet we know the gods always watch over us, just as we watch over those civilizations..."

Aldaris listened wearily to their quarrelling. The Ravenous Swarm incident was simply too extraordinary; it was the first time the Protoss Empire had encountered a race driven solely by slaughter, and the original laws needed to be amended to address reality.

"If we all agree to protect lesser civilizations, yet cannot reveal ourselves to them, why not send an elite team to secretly assassinate the Ravenous Swarm's hive mind? From what I know, killing the hive mind will throw the swarm into chaos," suggested Councilor Clemens, representing the Nerazim.

The other councilors hesitated, caught in a dilemma. The Templar of the Light had always believed in defeating their enemies honorably, and were not accustomed to such covert assassinations.

"Consider the methods of the Fanged King. To defeat the enemy, we must first understand him," Aldaris too found the idea promising, and began to persuade the others.

"If you can't bring yourselves to carry out the assassination, the Nerazim can take full responsibility," Clemens shrugged, indicating he was willing to handle the matter entirely.

"Ahem, we're simply considering who to send on this mission, Councilor Clemens," Elder Priestley replied with an awkward smile. To prove his point, he quickly named a suitable candidate. "I believe Executor Tassadar is well suited for this task. As a disciple of Adun, he is sure to coordinate the mission admirably."

Though the Nerazim had been part of the Protoss Empire for thousands of years, their small numbers and insular customs meant most Light Templar rarely encountered them.

Councilor Clemens smiled, accepting Elder Priestley's recommendation. Seeing the other elders also agree, Aldaris announced the council's decision.

"In response to the Ravenous Swarm incident, Tassadar is hereby appointed commander of the operation, with Zeratul as his deputy. Ten Templar of Light and ten Templar of Shadow will be dispatched to eliminate the hive mind and resolve the threat."

Tassadar was surprised to receive the order, never expecting the Council of Light and Shadow would entrust him with such a task. He arrived at Karathi, met with his old friend Zeratul and a group of Dark Templar, and led his team of twenty-odd warriors in secret to the home system of the Ravenous Swarm.

To avoid alerting the swarm with a massive psionic disturbance, Tassadar and his team first approached the swarm's main planet. They then used shuttles to land themselves and Zeratul on an island, and with the help of the probe and warp crystal tower, warped in the Templar.

Upon arrival, Zeratul seemed to sense something. "Tassadar, I feel a powerful dark energy on this planet," he said uncertainly.

"Dark energy? Are you sure?" Tassadar frowned, realizing this was no simple matter. The Empire's detectors had scanned this planet continuously, yet had never sensed any dark energy—nor had Tassadar himself.

"I'm not entirely certain. The power flickers in and out of existence, as if it's there one moment and gone the next. Perhaps that's why the detectors haven't responded," Zeratul described his impressions.

"Inconstant, you say? It's quite possible it's real. Detectors aren't people, and lack powerful psionic cultivation. That only you can sense it probably relates to the Dark Templar's innate gifts. Though I practice both disciplines, I can't match your specialization," Tassadar reflected carefully. If this were true, it meant the Fanged King was certainly behind the Ravenous Swarm.

After a moment's thought, Tassadar said, "Even if the Fanged King is plotting behind the scenes, he can't have predicted we'd operate as a covert task force. I believe we can follow the trail and capture him."

But Zeratul was clearly of a different mind. "According to your last report, the Fanged King can wield the power of the relic. We may not be his match."

Tassadar shook his head. "Precisely because we appear to be no match for him, this is our best chance. The Fanged King is cunning beyond measure. If we mobilize a fleet, he'll surely flee, but if we seem weak and arrive unexpectedly, he may show himself to kill us—giving us the opportunity we need."

Zeratul's brow furrowed, then inspiration struck. "You mean? The forbidden technique?"

"Exactly. The Forbidden Archon. Though none of us have reached psionic level twelve, if we perform the forbidden rite, we can attain the status of demigods in one stroke. Then even the Fanged King won't escape," Tassadar declared resolutely, willing to make any sacrifice to recover the relic.

"This is far too risky. No one has ever performed the forbidden rite. How can you guarantee you'll remain conscious afterward? And the Fanged King is no easy foe. I say we report to the Council and deploy the latest Storm Battleships to purify the planet," Zeratul shook his head in adamant refusal.

"The region around this planet is dominated by the swarm; a fleet would surely alert the Fanged King. The Storm Battleships can't strike directly from Ael to here, and contacting the council would require building a full psionic matrix—easily detected by the Fanged King. He suffered last time, and won't confront our fleets again. If anything unusual occurs, he'll escape. This opportunity is rare; if missed, we may never catch him. Besides, we haven't confirmed his presence yet—sending a fleet blindly would be unwise," Tassadar insisted.

Zeratul took a deep breath. He had to concede Tassadar's reasoning. "But we should ask the others for their opinions," he said, knowing the answer would be inevitable and consenting in a roundabout way.

Tassadar smiled gently and had the probe warp the crystal tower. The Templar arrived in a flash of light. Tassadar observed the higher-ranking Dark Templar, most of whom frowned as they arrived. He proceeded to inform everyone present of his and Zeratul's discussion.

As expected, no one would forgo a chance to destroy the Fanged King. All agreed with Tassadar, while Zeratul shook his head helplessly. If not for his worry about their chances, he might have agreed from the start.

Tassadar instructed the probe to retract the crystal tower; such a conspicuous object was too risky here. Once their preparations were complete, the group set out for the site where Zeratul had sensed concentrated dark energy.

They arrived at the first site—a canyon swarming with countless Ravenous Swarm drones. Masses of small creatures, dog-sized and covered in spikes, with grim visages, filled the valley. Their presence was strange.

Zeratul and Tassadar exchanged a glance. The Dark Templar melted into the shadows, while Tassadar conjured a mist to hide himself and the other Templar.

Zeratul led the Dark Templar between the drones, warping the space around themselves so the insects would not sense their passage. Deep in the canyon, Zeratul discovered a withered tree, which was radiating dark energy.

He realized this tree was likely the source of the darkness. As he approached, he noticed the swarm stirring behind him. Turning, he saw a group of insects carrying a massive white creature toward the tree.

"Stupid beasts, how dare you treat your queen this way? Release me, you wretched peasants!" Through telepathy, Zeratul easily understood the strange insect's words.

This insect, unlike the spiked, aggressive creatures around it, was much larger, but bloated and barely mobile.

Zeratul, with his knowledge of xenobiology, quickly drew connections to ants and bees—their queens were similarly obese, serving only to lay eggs. If the Ravenous Swarm had a social structure like ants or bees, then this creature was almost certainly the queen she claimed to be. But why was the queen treated in this manner?