29 Chimera Court, Wednesday Afternoon

[on_her_korhal]

After her class was over, Kerrigan hurried home. She had put out a call for River to show her face this week, and her lieutenant's Overlord should have arrived at the corner of town a short while ago. Not that telepathic communication didn't generally suit their purposes fine, but sometimes it was just n-- useful to do these things face-to-face.

Maybe it was just a human affectation she had never quite managed to scrub away completely.

There were things to discuss, though; things about xel'naga artifacts, and terran troop movements, and Arcturus's amusingly fast new build-up for his shattered little empire. Most of them were convinced now that the zerg had run off and left them alone, and that impression suited Kerrigan just fine...

[[ for River, though the roomie can butt in before River gets here if she wants ]]

Comments

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

Oh? There was amusement there.

"The usual, dancing my way across the universe. My pets are not as restless as I am."

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"I think it might be time for you to move house," Kerrigan said, with a wry little smile. "I don't think there's much left for you there."

Apparently the stranger your genetics, the more attractive you are in his society, she answered. It doesn't matter. And I need you to leave the xel'naga artifacts for now, and focus on collecting new species.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"I'm beginning to think the same." She sipped her coffee.

Good. I was getting bored.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Besides the borbu, I will need you to travel to Garrxax. Terran troops encountered a species of slug there years ago that might be interesting for our purposes.

She smiled briefly at River. "Make any new friends in your current neighbourhood?"

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"They're not very talkative." River gave her an amused look back.

Do they dance? Yes, that was a joke.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

You're welcome to give it a try, her mental voice drawled, just keep enough of them in one piece for infestation.

"Well, protoss aren't amiable as a rule," Kerrigan said out loud. "If only they'd remove the sticks from their asses."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"Not likely that they ever will," River replied dryly.

I'll do my best.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"Mhm." Kerrigan lifted the cup to her mouth, and took a long sip.

That's all. For now, she returned. My visions are getting more troubling.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

How? River's response was immediate now, and she leaned forward, hand stopping in the air as she was about to dunk the biscuit.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Stronger, she said. I am... starting to see the details. They had unsettled her. Somewhat. How we march to our deaths...

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

What details?

River looked down into her coffee and let the cookie sink into it, but her mental attention was all on Kerrigan.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Hybrids. Zerg-protoss hybrids. They will let us clean up the galaxy, and then the Voice will order them to wipe us out, she said. There was a finality to her mental voice.

The galaxy would burn. She had known that for a long time. But to see her own death played out before her...

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

But who creates them?

But visions were tricky things.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

I don't know, she said, I don't know. It feels inevitable. But the protoss who was here... he said there was always hope...

It had stuck with her, despite it all.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

River was silent for a while. If there is no hope, there is no actual hope. If there is hope there is the possibility of actual hope.

She tilted her head.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Kerrigan turned her head away, and stared at the window. We have to prepare, she said, We might have to invade Koprulu in earnest again. If there are any xel'naga artifacts that can help us understad this, I want them found, and we can't do that at the rate we've been going.

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

A risk though. But worth it if it succeeds.

Kerrigan's emotions made her uneasy.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

Maybe. But we'll have to take our time. We've still got years...

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

Time passes.

Then suddenly she smiled.

"Will you tell me about the newcomers?" This time she didn't ask for their usefulness.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"There's not much to tell," Kerrigan said, making the shift fluidly. "It's a new batch, in a new semester, lost in all the old ways. No old friends."

[moonbrain-tam.livejournal.com]

"And no new ones." It wasn't really a question.

[on-her-korhal.livejournal.com]

"No," she said, simply. That's not why I'm here.