Eyes of a Tragedy

"You have all performed superbly."

Hyperion was hardly neutral ground, but there were enough members of different factions here to make it... safe. Kerrigan's heels clicked against the metal plating, leaving an echo of something tinny and unnatural bouncing around the room.

( Especially you, Fenix. )

"My Queen?" Duran asked, respectfully, his arms crossed lightly behind his back in his ready position. "Mengsk has taken his forces down to reestablish a foothold in the city of Augustgrad. He appears to be taking back his reigns."

Kerrigan turned her head. Her mouth curled into a ready smirk, half-meant, half-edged with bitter loathing. "Hope he knows about the Booth tactic," she said, her voice flooding with irony, and paced past the infested Terran into her chambers.

[[ NFB, NFI, OOC-okay. most dialogue taken from StarCraft Zerg mission 4, 'The Liberation of Korhal' ]]

The UED was going to get winged badly in just a few minutes' time. Kerrigan was proud of her handiwork. She was starting to get the hang of this, of directing a grander and grander swarm, as more Zerg came into her control.

Soon, she'd have to deal with the remaining cerebrates. As it stood, she was perched on the edge of yet another victory. Right now, somewhere down there, in that Science Vessel, UED marines were seeking out the supposed traitor Stukov. The good UED Admiral's former right hand.

Quite possibly the cleverest man the Admiral had had under his employ, and the Admiral was going to get him out of Kerrigan's way himself. It was a pretty bit of strategy. Especially considering her Duran had been chosen to do the job himself - which meant they got a play-by of events as they unfolded.

Nothing left to do but watch the Earthlings tear themselves apart.

"It won't be long now, River," she said, and trailed her hand down one of the Overlord's jagged bones.

[ for river, if she pleases! ]

"Report, Duran."

She was strolling along the hybridization station at a leisurely pace - once a Terran command center, now a home for the armies of the Zerg, it was packed with the living, breathing bodies of men and women yet to be put to the test. So far, all of them had either died or become mindless shadows of themselves, but Kerrigan was intent on perfecting the process.

"The UED has taken the bait, my Queen." The infested Terran's raspy voice - Duran was the second and last of her hybrid successes, barring herself - was rather clear and to-the-point in her mind. "I have now joined their forces as a respected advisor and expert on the territory."

"That was easy," she commented, "The UED is sloppier than I expected. How's the ranks?"

"Admiral DuGalle is close with his right hand man, Stukov," he said, "But they're pompous and arrogant. It may only take some paranoia."

She nodded thoughtfully, leaning her hand against one of the breathing walls that had once been pure steel. "And what of their plans?"

"They want to 'liberate' some of the Terran Dominion's battlecruisers."

"Arcturus will launch a counter-attack almost immediately," she supplied, tilting her head at the Terran inside the cage. "Within sixteen standard hours. They'll reinforce the outlying outposts. Make sure that information gets to our new friend the Admiral."

"Of course," he replied.

"That'll be all, Duran." She took a deep breath.

Inside, the Terran screamed; and Kerrigan felt, as always, another peculiar twinge in her heart: loneliness, maybe.

She was starting to grow weary.

[ 'stablishy, la ]