Lens of the Void Read online

  immediately. If those structures become functional

  before we are out of range, we wil be in

  danger."

  Battlefield communications among the protoss were

  efficient, and soon a platoon of

  zealots arrived. It made short work of the growing

  spore crawlers. The Purity of Form's

  beam cauterized the site and the surrounding creep,

  ensuring that there would be no more

  attempts to attack from this area.

  Feranon turned to his navigation officer. "Bring us within range of the main hive and

  lock onto it as our primary target."

  The tone of the void ray's beam faded as it was

  brought offline and the engines

  engaged. Satisfied with the status of his ship, the

  commander swiveled his chair to observe

  how the new student was doing.

  Sharas was lying on the focusing couch. Feranon

  thought he detected some tension

  in her body, but as she was not a part of the Khala,

  he couldn't ful y judge her mood.

  Theromos bent over her, discussing her

  performance and giving her guidance. So far,

  Feranon was impressed with the new recruit. She

  seemed to grasp the techniques of this

  position much more quickly than previous students,

  even ones who had gone on to master

  the void ray's energies at their highest settings.

  Trusting that the old dark templar had

  thingswel in hand, the commander turned his

  attention back to the battle.

  The protoss ground troops were focusing on the

  outlying structures while the Purity

  of Formflew straight to the heart of the invading

  forces. If the void ray could destroy the

  hive, the rest of the zerg would be simple to

  exterminate.

  "Commander, we are within range of the central

  hive."

  "Bring the first flux field projector online. Focus on the center mass of the hive."

  The bridge vibrated with the beam's distinctive

  timbre. Feranon studied his screens

  carefully. At first, the weapon tore into the great hive, incinerating its organic structure

  easily. Then, like skin reacting to a sting, the surface of the hive began to change. Bony 10

  plates with spiky protrusions emerged across its hul .

  The beam failed to damage this new

  armor, spattering harmlessly.

  "Commander, our sensors are identifying those

  humps in the creep nearby to be

  growing hydralisks."

  Feranon reviewed the data flooding across his

  screens. It supported the technician's

  analysis. With so many hydralisks evolving before

  his eyes, the Purity of Formwould

  quickly come under attack if it couldn't find a way to

  destroy the hive.

  The commander turned to the dark templar behind

  him.

  "Void lens Sharas, we need to bring up the second

  flux field projector, or we must

  flee. Can you handle the added power?"

  Before the student could answer, the teacher

  intervened. "You cannot keep doing

  this, Commander. You put my pupils in danger by

  rushing them to use this much Void

  energy so soon. Look at what happened toAlthai."

  Feranon tried to contain his annoyance. "I would not ask her to take such risks if

  others were not being threatened. When the zerg

  larvae below us hatch, they wil attack

  not only this ship, but also our advancing warriors."

  "Or it could be that the second projector will not be enough, and you will put

  Sharas's life in peril for naught,"Theromos snapped back.

  This was too much. Feranon shouted,

  "ElderTheromos, I am the commander, and I

  wil judge the hazards and answer for the

  consequences!"

  Before the ancient dark templar could reply, Sharas

  spoke, her telepathic voice

  sharp with anger. "Enough! Teacher, I appreciate

  your concern, but I believe I am ready.

  Commander, deploy the second projector. I will do

  what is needed."

  Theromos shook his head but didn't contradict her.

  Feranon turned and gave the command.

  Immediately the tone that rang throughout

  the ship changed to a higher note, and the bridge

  shuddered in response. The stream of

  energy began to melt the armor plating on the hive,

  and with an explosion that was felt

  even on the ship, the Purity of Form's target burst in

  a gout of flaming organic matter.

  As soon as Feranon confirmed that the hive had

  been destroyed and the larvae

  consumed, he ordered the beam shut down. Turning

  to the two Nerazim behind him, he 11

  noted with relief that Sharas was alive, if shaken.

  Her skin was pale and mottled with the

  strain, but she was able to stand under her own

  power.

  The gamble had paid off.

  Feranon swiveled his chair forward. "Navigation,

  return to base."

  * * *

  Feranon found the old Nerazim meditating in his

  quarters. The commander

  wondered whether Theromos did anything but teach

  and meditate. Feranonwaited a

  moment to see if Theromos would speak, but the

  ancient protoss seemed content to ignore

  him.

  "I came to apologize for my outburst on the bridge."

  Theromos spoke, not shifting in his meditation. "It does not matter. You gambled

  with Sharas's life, and it concluded in your favor."

  "It does matter, Theromos. I understand what I am

  asking, especial y in light of

  Althai's death. I must put my crew at risk, but I do

  not do so recklessly."

  Stil Theromos didn't stir from his seat. "We are at war. There is danger for

  everyone, my students included. Sometimes we die.

  That is the way of the universe. I

  merely dislike waste."

  Feranon strode farther into the room, moving into

  Theromos's line of sight. "For one

  who has taught so many young protoss, you are

  awful y detached when you speak of

  death."

  The ancient Nerazim turned his head to meet the

  commander's eyes. "You command

  protoss in a time of conflict. You must have seen

  death before, lost comrades to the Void's

  embrace."

  "Yes, I have. But I speak their names after they are dead. I mourn them and honor

  them for their sacrifices."

  Feranon thought he saw a flicker of emotion in the

  old protoss's face, but he couldn't

  be sure.12

  "Commander, I wil keep my own counsel regarding

  my students. We Nerazim are

  not as demonstrative as the khalai. Over the

  centuries, I have seen much death."

  Feranon shook his head. "I have met many Nerazim,

  and even though they do not

  share the Khala, I know they feel just as strongly as

  any protoss. And would time not make

  you more sensitive to the loss of life?"

  "Be that as it may, Commander, it is not your

  business. I wil thank you for my

  privacy."

  "My crew is important to me, and I am re
sponsible

  for its health, physical and

  mental."

  "You may rest easy as to my mental health,

  Commander. If I mourn, I wil do it in my

  own way and without your hovering presence. Is

  there anything else?"

  Feranon was frustrated by the lack of a connection

  between him and his Nerazim

  crewman. He believed that Theromos was suffering

  from some emotional wound, but

  without the deep psionic link provided by the Khala,

  he couldn't see how to help the old

  protoss.

  Feranon nodded. "Very wel . But know that you can

  always come to me, if only to

  talk."

  Theromos didn't answer. He merely resumed his

  meditation. Stil ness fil ed the

  room as Feranon left.

  * * *

  Sitting in the calm center of his quarters, Theromos

  waited until Sharas had

  matched his meditative pose before speaking. "You

  did very wel today. I expected you to

  have more trouble handling the power of two

  projectors, but you rose to the chal enge.

  However, do not think that this makes you a master.

  Few dark templar can control the full

  might ofthe void ray's weapon. Some have even

  died, their minds unable to focus the

  Void's raw energies."

  Sharas shifted uncomfortably but didn't answer.13

  Theromos shook his head. "You took control of the

  Void energies through your

  anger. I could see your fear fueling the strength you

  needed to keep them within your

  grasp. This will work for a while, but eventual y your

  passion wil falter."

  Theromos inspected his student. "Let us try another exercise. Create a stream of

  Void energy between your hands."

  Sharas brought up her arms, holding them apart at

  shoulder width. As she

  concentrated, wisps of shadow curled around the

  fingers of her left hand until the bunching

  threads reached a critical mass and leapt. The dark

  tendril flowed between her palms, left

  to right, appearing on one side and then dissipating

  on the other.

  Theromos nodded. "Good. Now break it into smaller

  strands and weave them

  together like a rope."

  Sharas's brow furrowed. The dark cord of energy

  split into a number of narrower

  tendrils, and after a moment, they pulsed in sync.

  The new bandwas wider than before, and

  individual strands moved in a braided stream.

  "Adequate. Hold that in your mind. The rope is

  strong; it wil not break, because

  your focus sustains it."

  The braid tightened, the energy flowing more quickly

  from one hand to the other.

  "Now, reverse the flow. Draw the energies from your right hand and dissipate them

  on your left."

  Sharas struggled to comply. The threads slowly

  loosened. The motion of the energy

  stopped and reversed, but the movement was

  uneven and streams began to unravel.

  Theromos pointed to her hands. "No, you must…"He broke off as understanding

  flashed across the young protoss's face.

  Immediately the rope tightened and the energy

  flowed more evenly. If anything,the stream was

  stronger than ever.

  "Excel ent."There was respect in Theromos's tone.

  Sharas's skin flushed in pride as she let go of the

  Void and the tendrils disappeared.

  "Once again, student, you show your ability to leap to understanding. I expected you

  to take much longer to grasp these concepts, but

  you have mastered them as quickly as any

  student I have known. I caution you, however.

  Sometimes this leap wil be of help, but often14

  epiphany wil escape you. If you do not have

  discipline and wil to fall back upon, the Void

  shal consume you."

  The room was quiet as Theromos's student thought

  about the lesson.

  Finally, Sharas spoke up. "If handling this much

  power is perilous, shouldwe not

  have two dark templar manage the energies in

  tandem?"

  "That creates its own dangers."Now Theromos

  looked uncomfortable.

  He stood and turned to face the far wal . "I have not talked of this in centuries. But

  you remind me so much of her."

  Theromos collected himself and then continued.

  "When I was young, the Nerazim

  were still experimenting with the Void energies, stil

  discovering the various paths to their

  use and their hidden secrets. I spent many years

  deep in meditation, fol owing the currents

  of the Void. But I was not alone.

  "Naraza and I were close friends throughout our

  training; we even passed our

  Shadow Walks on the same day. She was my

  complete opposite. Where I plodded, she flew;

  where I was methodical, she was mercurial. She

  found her power instinctively, jumping

  ahead to the answer. In those days, we Nerazim

  were particularly independent, preferring

  solitary work and study, but Naraza and I

  complemented each other well. Together we

  accomplished much more than we could have

  individual y. My studies were the rock to

  which she could anchor herself as she cast her mind

  farther into the Void.

  "However, our investigations took us into dangerous territory. We discovered

  techniques that suggested we could merge to create

  a dark archon, one that could survive

  far beyond the usual brief lifespan. Back then,

  forming dark archonswas forbidden due to

  the great forces they wielded. But we Nerazim have

  never shied away from breaking rules.

  Naraza became obsessed, pushing us to develop

  these techniques. Final y, she laid plans to

  enact the transformation ritual.

  "I followed, inspired by her brilliance, hoping to solve any problems through logic

  and dedication, but in the end I failed her. Aswe

  began the ritual, I found I could not

  complete it. I was fil ed with the fear of losing myself or,worse yet, destroying us both. I

  tried to help Naraza recover, aborting the ritual, but

  in a fit of pique, she continued on. She

  would not let my pace slow her down. She reached

  for far more power than she could 15

  control, and it consumed her. In my grief and

  disappointment, I swore I would no longer

  embrace the Void energies and instead would teach

  others to handle them safely."

  There was silence as Sharas digested Theromos's

  story.

  It was Sharas who spoke first."I do not believe you failed her, teacher. I think she

  failed you."

  "It does not matter. She died and I could not save

  her. But I can teach you to avoid

  her fol y."

  Again, the room was quiet. The flickering reflections

  of the prismatic core swam

  across the walls in slow waves.

  "Teacher, what—"Aconvulsion that shook the whole ship interrupted Sharas's

  question. The battle alarm sounded, and Theromos

 
and Sharas hurried toward their

  stations.

  * * *

  The bridge was in chaos when the two dark templar

  arrived.

  "Zerg invading from al sides. Ground forces are

  holding, but the enemy just keeps

  coming. Pylons 3, 4, and 5 are down," called out a

  crew member.

  Sharas ran to the focusing couch, andTheromos

  helped her with the interface.

  Noting Theromos and Sharas, Feranon fired a rapid

  staccato of orders. "Bring up the

  prismatic beam, one flux field projector for now.

  Identify al targets. Priority to those zerg

  attacking pylons, then to those harassing ground

  forces. Be alert for any mutalisks."

  The bridge crew moved quickly to carry out his

  commands. The familiar tone of the

  prismatic beam swelled to a deep hum. On his

  screens, Feranon could see the energies tear

  into the zerg below, carving through their flesh in an

  attempt to staunch the seemingly

  endless flowof tooth and claw. The beam destroyed

  zerg with great effect, but it could only

  slow the attack, not defeat it. When the void ray's

  weapon found a target, the zerg would

  survive just long enough so that when itfinally fel ,

  two were ready to take its place.

  The protoss forces held their positions valiantly, but

  they were being overwhelmed.

  Feranon appealed to the dark templar.16

  "There are too many of them. We must bring a

  second projector online."

  Feranon braced for another argument, but Theromos

  only nodded. Sharas remained

  calm and relaxed, nodding her agreement as wel .

  The commander turned back to the battle. "Bring the second flux field projector

  online. Continue to prioritize targets."

  The hum of the weapon changed, and the newly

  empowered beam lashed out. This

  time, the zerg armor could not stop the powerful

  energies, and lines of the attackers were

  burned even as they emerged from the ground. The

  protoss troops began to make

  headway.

  "Commander, there is a wave of brood lords

  incoming."

  Feranon brought up the relevant screen and studied

  the attacking force. Itfil ed the

  sky. The behemoths floated serenely toward their

  targets. They spat mucus-covered

  symbiotes down onto the photon cannons, which

  had been placed to protect the far edge of

  the protoss base. The cannons were destroyed

  before they could do more than damage a

  few attackers.

  "Brood lords have no air defenses. Move to engage.