Lens of the Void Read online

  LENS OF THE VOID

  1

  Lens of the Void

  By Hugh A. Todd2

  The bridge of the Purity of Form shuddered. "Shields holding!" cal ed out the damage-control officer, his psionic voice projected for al to hear. “Request air

  cover from Command," Feranon ordered. The bridge

  crew had been instructed to speak in a public form

  of telepathic address so as to accommodate both

  khalai And Nerazim. As commander of one of the

  protoss' newest ships, Feranon had a duty to make

  sure that the recently integrated groups worked well

  together despite their differences. In these dark

  times, those who fol owed the Khala and those who

  rejected it would need each other if they were to

  survive. Feranon himself thought that the

  reintegration would bring strength to all protoss.

  This attitude, and his stellar record as a leader,

  might have been why the Hierarchy had given him

  command of the Purity of Form. He was proud of his

  posting and would prove to his superiors that they

  had made the right decision. From his perch in the

  commander's chair, he admired the bridge, larger

  than any to which he had previously been assigned.

  Protoss worked at rows of terminals, monitoring the

  mechanisms that caused the void ray to be one of

  the mightiest ships his race had ever created. These

  terminals radiated out in concentric circles from his

  chair, giving him a clear view of all personnel. Fil ing the air close to his seat were semitransparent

  holographic screens, affording him summaries of the

  various stations' output.The bridge was not just

  efficient, but it was beautiful as wel , reflecting the

  aesthetics of the whole ship. Feranon was

  impressed with the remarkable abilities of the

  protoss who had designed it.

  The Purity of Formwas graceful for such a deadly

  weapon. Of course, this ship's conceptionwould not

  have been possible without the close teamwork of

  khalai and Nerazim. Together they had achieved a

  pinnacle of both science and art. Astonishing! “Air

  cover arriving," reported a communications officer.

  Feranon could feel the crew member's satisfaction

  through the Khala. It would have been more

  economical for al of the bridge crew to be khalai, as

  they would have instantly known the feelings and

  thoughts of the others without the need to form

  words. However, just as the ship had been designed

  by 3 the two groups working together, so would it be

  crewed. The Purity of Form would be stronger for the

  amalgamation.

  Feranon watched on a floating screen as phoenixes

  ripped through the flock of zerg mutalisks that had

  been harassing the void ray. "Excel ent. Continue to our attack point with al haste. "Without the zerg

  forces to hinder it, the Purity of Form quickly arrived

  at its assigned location."Commander, target within

  range."

  Feranon studied a screen showing a line of ultralisks

  lumbering down a stark hillside. Data detailing

  everything from their disposition to the very

  composition of their skin streamed around the zerg

  outlined in front of him. "Bring the prismatic beam online. Deploy one flux field projector," commanded Feranon. Crew members moved to comply. The

  Purity of Form vibrated with the energies funnelling

  through its frame. "Fire on the ultralisks as soon as the weapon is online. “The vibration intensified until

  it attained a pure tone. The bridge was bathed in the

  blue light of the energies that arced to the main

  crystal. From this crystal, positioned at the mouth of

  the void ray, the prismatic beam leapt to the figures

  below. On-screen, Feranon observed an ultralisk

  staggering as the beam slammed into it, but

  remarkably, the zerg continued on, unhurt.

  "Commander, their armour is too dense. The

  prismatic beam wil not be able to break

  through it."

  Feranon reviewed the data but didn't contradict the

  technician's conclusion.

  He swiveled his chair, turning to the area behind his

  command post. There, at the

  back of the bridge, lay a couch. Heavy cables

  spread out from the head of the bench, and

  behind it, beyond thick transparent walls, the

  prismatic core glowed like a living cauldron

  of power. Lying on the couch was a young dark

  templar. An ancient protoss stood at the

  side of the recumbent figure. Feranon inspected the

  teacher for a moment.

  Theromos was the oldest protoss he had ever

  known. His dress did not match that of

  the younger Nerazim Feranon had met. Even the

  stylized designs on the clamps that 4

  capped his shortened psionic appendages were

  distinctly archaic. When Feranon had first

  learned about the assignment, he had asked other

  Nerazim about Theromos. Every one of

  them had told the commander ofthe great respect

  that they held for their previous mentor.

  Many had remarked how his teachings had changed

  their lives.

  Feranon turned his attention to the young Nerazim.

  The commander spoke softly.

  "Althai, we need to bring a second flux field projector online."

  Before the reclining protoss could answer, the

  telepathic voice of the elder at his

  side rang out. "My pupil is not ready. He does not

  have the discipline to handle a second

  projector."

  Feranon focused on the older protoss. "I understand that students usual y have

  more time to learn how to manipulate the void ray's

  power, but we are in a difficult

  situation. There are enough ultralisks down there to

  rout our ground forces. We were

  commanded to eliminate them, but a single projector

  cannot break through their armor."

  Theromos fairly growled his frustration. "Your second projector may give you what

  you need to destroy the zerg, but you run the risk of

  kil ing your crewman."

  Althai interrupted before Feranon could respond.

  "Commander, activate the second

  projector. I wil try to keep it under control."

  Even though the dark templar were not a part of the

  Khala, Feranon could sense the

  trepidation in the words of the young Nerazim.

  Theromos was quiet for a moment and then spoke."I

  have warned you."

  Feranon swiveled his chair to face forward.

  "Bring a second flux field projector online. Keep the beam trained on that ultralisk."

  The tone that vibrated through the ship changed

  pitch as a second arc of energy

  sprung up, merging with the first at the main crystal.

  Once again the ultralisk staggered, but

  then the beam began to liquefy its tough skin, and

  the zerg was torn apart, consumed from

  the inside out.
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  "Target the remaining ultralisks."

  The beam fired,tearing through zerg flesh and bone.

  What had begun as an army,

  almost two dozen of the towering beasts, was

  quickly reduced to ash. The Purity of Form

  scoured the battlefield until the last ultralisk fell stil , its body a smoking ruin.5

  "Shut down the beam," commanded Feranon.

  The vibration that shook the Purity of Formsubsided,

  and the bridge dimmedwith

  the loss of the arcing energy's glare. Feranon turned

  to congratulate the young dark

  templar, but stopped at what he saw. Althai lay

  unmoving.

  Theromos bowed his head over the still form. "You

  have your victory, Commander.

  It only cost you one of your crew. I wil need a new

  student."

  The bridge was quiet as the old dark templar strode

  from the room.

  * * *

  Although there was no answer at Theromos's door,

  Feranon entered his cabin

  anyway. The space was empty of furniture.

  Theromos sat in the middle of the room in a

  meditative posture, his back to the commander. One

  wal of Theromos's quarters looked

  out at the prismatic core, the heart of the void ray.

  The bright flow of energies drew

  patterns across every surface of the small

  stateroom. There was a stillness here that

  reminded Feranon of a xel'naga temple he had once

  visited. This cabin carried the same

  sense of ancient peace, but in this case, it emanated

  from the seated dark templar.

  "Althai was brave to take the risk he did to protect our people. His sacrifice wil be

  remembered."The serenity ofthe room swallowed

  Feranon's words. The silence extended

  so long that Feranon thought the old Nerazim

  wouldn't answer, but then Theromos's

  psionic voice growled forth.

  "Sacrifice. Is that what you would call it?"

  "Either we destroyed the zerg then or our warriors

  would have paid the price later."

  "I do not argue against the need to fight the zerg.

  But Althai was not ready. I had

  trained him only for a couple of weeks, and he had

  yet to demonstrate the discipline

  required to control the Void energies produced by

  this ship."

  "Althai thought himself ready. And he was successful long enough for us to be

  victorious."

  Theromos's grim laughter spread across the room

  like gravel. He turned to meet

  Feranon's gaze. "Do you allow every eager young

  warrior who thinks he is ready to leap 6

  into battle against an overwhelming foe? No. I have

  been training dark templar far longer

  than you have been alive, Commander. Almost as

  long as there have been dark templar. If

  you push them before they are ready, you end up

  with dead students. As we have today. I

  should be back on Shakuras, teachingNerazim,

  instead of here, helping you kil them. The

  only reason I do so is out of respect for the

  Hierarchy and its request for my help."

  "There are other void rays in the fleet. Other dark templar acting as Void lenses.

  They manage. You yourself could fulfil this role for a

  ship, but you refuse."

  "Yes, there are many experienced dark templar,

  although few with the discipline to

  manipulate the great forces used by this unhealthy

  creation of our scientists. As for my

  reasons for refusing to handle the Void energies,

  they are my own. I wil teach. It is enough.

  Now leave me to my meditations."

  Theromos turned away from the commander, once

  again assuming a meditative

  pose.

  Feranon looked at the old Nerazim for a moment

  and then walked from the room.

  He paused in the doorway.

  "Your new student is warping in as we speak. I will have her report to you when she

  is settled."

  When Theromos didn't respond, Feranonwent on,

  his psionic voice quieter.

  "Theromos, I am not your enemy, nor was I Althai's. I want only what is best for both our

  peoples; I want to help save the protoss race."

  Theromos's words barely disturbed the stil ness of

  the room."The zerg did not kil

  Althai, Commander."

  Feranon had no answer to that.

  * * *

  "The Void is not like the Khala. It does not draw us

  together and connect us in a

  blanket of warm feelings. The Void certainly does not

  offer itself willingly. A dark templar

  stalks the Void and, through will and discipline,

  forces it to give up its power."Theromos 7

  waited, sitting in his restful pose, for his new

  student's response. The constantly shifting

  glow from the prismatic core painted light and

  shadow across the room like a living thing.

  Sharas obliged. "I know these words, teacher. They

  were a part of our texts when we

  first began to learn the ways of the Void."

  "It is good to know they still teach the words as I wrote them."The old Nerazim

  paused for a moment and then resumed. "You have

  passed through the Shadow Walk; else

  you would not be here."

  Unsure whether this was a question, Sharas merely

  nodded.

  Theromos continued. "The void ray is one of the first ships designed by the

  scientists of Aiur and Shakuras working together. It

  gathers the psionic energies of the

  Khala, focused through phase crystals, and

  combines them with the might of the Void. They

  meet in the prismatic core and then are amplified by

  the flux field projectors. The energies

  arc from the projectors to the main crystal, the

  source of the prismatic beam. However,

  while our brethren's technologies can align and

  contain the Khala's powers, taming the

  Void's potency requires a dark templar to focus and

  funnel it into a useful form. Without a

  disciplined Nerazim mind, the forces generated by

  the void raywil become too wild and

  cascade beyond control. You must be a lens of the

  Void. You will need a greater

  understanding of its nature than you have ever had

  before, but if you wish to fol ow this

  path, I wil lead you."

  He paused, judging how wel his student had

  grasped this information. "Shal we

  start with a demonstration? Show me what you have

  learned."

  Sharas stood and bowed her head. At first Theromos

  saw no change, but then he

  noticed the moving shadows in the room beginning

  to take on a different rhythm,

  independent of the glowing reflections from the core.

  These umbras coiled, connecting to

  form a ring around Sharas. Cloudy tentacles flowed

  up from the floor and began to wind

  their way around her legs and arms, radiating from

  them like filaments of mist. Sharas

  brought one hand up, and the tendrils merged

  around her body, mimicking her movements.

  The hypnotizing dance ceased when
the young

  Nerazim took a step backward. The Void

  swal owed her as if she had slipped into a cloak held

  behind her, the dark ceasing to be a 8

  mere absence of light and becoming a physical thing

  that enveloped and hid the dark

  templar from Theromos's eyes.

  But the elderly protoss didn't use just his eyes. He

  waited in his seat, only lifting his

  hand at the last moment to catch Sharas attempting

  to tap him on the shoulder.

  "Excel ent, student. Control, subtlety, improvisation

  —these are but a few of the

  virtues of a wel -trained dark templar. We must work

  on your discipline and your wil ."

  Theromos released Sharas's hand, and she returned

  to her seat in front of him.

  "I did not think you would sense me."

  Her teacher nodded. "It was not easy, but when one

  has looked upon the Void itself,

  many things that are usual y hidden become clear.

  Stil , if you had been patient and had a

  stronger hold on the Void energies, you might have

  eluded even me."

  The ancient teacher's head tilted as he inspected his

  student closely. "You remind

  me of one I studied with long ago. She had a similar

  impatience, but it came with a

  passionate bril iance. If you can match her skil s, you

  wil find yourself puissantindeed.

  However, you should beware this path. The more

  quickly you embrace the power, the

  greater the danger. Your path must be slow and wel

  thought-out to attain the summit of

  your abilities."

  Theromos stood and motioned her to fol ow his

  stance.

  "We wil begin with simple exercises designed to

  open you to the Void energies and

  focus your will on them."

  Sharas copied his stance, and they began.

  * * *

  "Continue to the main zerg base. Fire on al

  available targets. Give priority to any

  units nearing our ground forces," ordered

  Commander Feranon.

  The Purity of Form's beam rained death upon the

  zerg below. The tone of the ship's

  weapon remained steady as ittore apart a group of

  zerglings and then was redirected to a 9

  cluster of banelings. From his screens, Feranon

  could see the protoss line advancing, easily

  overcoming the few zerg forces that managed to

  avoid the void ray's attacks.

  "Commander, three spore crawlers are forming

  beneath us."

  Feranon brought up the relevant data and

  responded,"Notify Command