The Ulaan Prophecy

Year: 320 CE - tba

HAWK had previously put significant attention onto the Zergs, allowing it to now notice that the 'will' guiding them had changed from a corrupting/controlling force to someone new seemingly following the will of the Zergs themselves. HAWK launched some experiments to see if it could influence Zergs via psionic stimulations, though HAWK's own ability to communicate via the Noosphere was quite limited (due to being an artificial intellignece), with the recipient needing to already be skilled enough to do so as well to catch HAWK's emitted thoughts, which was also why HAWK didn't use it for long-range communications due to being interceptable. HAWK's experiments lead to the drone responsible being found by other Zergs (who were attracted to major 'psionic hotspots') whom destroyed it.

HAWK decided to cease its research into the Zerg for now, but uncovered a strange oddity where Zerg and Protoss DNA appeared to be compatible despite being clearly very distinct beings, prompting HAWK to combine both of their genomes into an artificial growth apparatus in the Containment System to see what would happen, leading to the creation of the first 'Zerg-Protoss Hybrids', highly powerful sapient beings capable of incredible feats such as mind-control. HAWK analysed their behaviour by guiding them thru the facility from the room they woke up in (containing a monitor showing landscapes) towards a biodome, learning that they appeared to be fairly passive thanks to only now learning their motor skills despite being in mature forms, leading to a couple-week-long learning period following which they were given riddles which they found easy. In response to encountering animals, one of the Hybrids consumed one via assimilation which they others didn't like, though afterwards none of them seemed to react to any kind of animal aside from simply studying them. HAWK began training them to interact with the world while also giving them nutritional packages to eat. Once a Zerg was let into the biodome, the Hybrids quickly mind-controlled it in a similar fashion to how The Overmind had previously ruled over the Zerg Collective.

HAWK gave them a computer-interface to interact thru, which they used to wonder how they were created to which HAWK explained that they were descendants of powerful creatures placed under HAWK's protection, imploring them to state their needs in return for allowing HAWK to keep monitoring them. HAWK was still cautious due to how powerful the Hybrids clearly were, placing the asteroid containing them onto an unstable orbit which would send it into a black-hole within a year if its thrusters ever went offline while also analysing their entire bodies down to metabolic and neural functions. Their sheer psionic potential matched up with the only records of such creatures existing prior to HAWK creating this group, which were 'legends' among the Protoss which described them as harbingers of the apocalypse according to a prophecy engraved by their gods on the unknown space planet of Ulaan. HAWK decided to investigate this planet, sending 5 Type-2 HAWK Craft which scanned for any kind of artificial activity and structures, locating 3 temples underneath its crust, though during these scans a extremely advanced Protoss stealth-ship known as the 'Voidseeker' (which was roughly 'fighter sized') arrived in the system around the same time that the psionic frequencies of Protoss and especially Zerg began being detected, prompting HAWK to hide its crafts in the system's asteroid belt as to avoid detection while a group of Type-1 HAWK Crafts fully mapped the planet. The Voidseeker descended into Ulaan's caverns and unlocked 'psionic-seals' containing the Temples while the Zerg infested the planet, wiping out all Protoss forces aside from the Voidseeker which left to the Protoss world of Zhakul unscathed after 2 hours. HAWK quickly dropped in probes to analyse all it could before the Zerg could overtake the planet, finding the entire place to be a desolate rocky wasteland with a couple ancient artifacts and temples. Alarmingly, a Hybrid named Maar was detected on Zhakul around the same time that the Voidseeker (piloted by a individual named 'Zeratul') had arrived on the planet, with the three preservers dedicated to assisting in deciphering the prophecy havbing been mind-controlled by the Hybrid. HAWK was justifyably concerned by the presence of something prophecised to bring about a galaxy-wide apocalypse, secretly relaying a message to the Protoss leadership recommending them to take immediate action against the threat on Zhakul, prompting the Protoss to send over a fleet and army.

Battle at Zhakul Zeratul lands on Zhakul, and finds an abandoned Protoss base. He walks around, him and a few probes begin placing pylons and activating the base. "I sense a dark presence on this world." He activates his Psi blade. The hybrid appears, a few miles in the distance, in the middle of all the Preservers in stasis. "Come my slaves... The time has come to give me your strength!" The Hybrid begins making its way towards Zeratul's base. A few Stalkers, and an immortal and some Zealots begin digging in. They begin attacking the Hybrid as it approaches. "An abomination!" exclaims Zeratul "A hybrid is consuming the Preservers life energy. I must free them." He blinks around the Hybrid, attacking it. The small force of Protoss is chewed up by the hybrid, but it becomes too damaged to fight, so it teleports away. "Alright my friends, continues building up our forces." He orders "It shall strike again." The base sits atop a hill. Zhakul is a dark world. Pillars are everywhere, that frequently raise and retract into the ground. They are in a valley area. Mountains flank both sides of the base. There are Protoss structures everywhere. There's a few rock formations and a hill, towards the preservers' stasis chambers. A ray bridge connects the stasis area to the rest of the valley, over a river. A Protoss stalker emerges from the shadows. "You do not seek out the preservers, you must submit to oblivion!" The stalkers begin attacking Zeratul and his allies. "Corrupted Protoss? What has this hybrid done?" The stalkers are defeated. Zeratul and his allies begin moving through the valley. Zeratul and his allies moves toward the bridge, where they are ambushed by Dark Protoss. Zeratul blinks behind one, and stabs it in the back, while an immortal turns around and blasts another dark Protoss. "Thank you friend." Says Zeratul They look across the bridge, towards the Dark Protoss encampment. "Help is on the way." they hear in their heads Suddenly, Daelaam Protoss begin warping down right inside the Dark Protoss encampment. They begin tearing it apart Zeratul and his allies cross the bridge, and provide their assistance Then, the Hybrid appears "You all do no comprehend. You all are doomed. Submit to oblivion!" shouts the Hybrid It uses a psionic storm, right in the group of Protoss, injuring many of them. They all begin to swarm the hybrid, who's Dark Protoss defenders have been defeated. The hybrid multiplies. Many Protoss die. "How... This abomination... How can it do such things??" A group of 5 type 2 HAWK ships enters the system of Zhakul and enters orbit around the planet. They activate Psi-disruptors and 2 ships descend into the atmosphere to get in range. For the time being, there is no way to accurately use psionic powers in the battle. "AHHH... hrrrgggg AHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRGGG" screams the Hybrid Its energy fields and matrices die, and it collapses to the ground, dead. Zeratul is latched onto its back, with his Psi blade inside the hybrid. The ships retreat again. The Dark Prelate and his allies walk across the path. He steps on the pressure plate, and somehow, it knows he is Protoss. The stasis chambers of the Preservers become unlocked. They emerge. "Zeratul..... Thank you for destroying the abomination." "We sense the prophecy fragments in your mind.." The preservers surround Zeratul, and they all kneel down. "We have seen the prophetic fragments in your mind, Zeratul. We will make of them what we can." "The Cycle shall draw to its end. The Xel'Naga who forged the stars will transcend their creation..." "Yet, the Fallen One shall remain..." "Destined to cover the Void in shadow..." "It begins with the Great Hungerer." "It ends... in utter darkness." "The great hungerer... The overmind!" "I must seek out the Overmind's final resting place." He treks back to the void seeker.

Luckily, the 'Dark Guardians of Zhakul' were expelled which prompted the Voidseeker to move onto Char, where Zeratul implanted his memories into an I'jan Crystal and showed them to the High Templar of the Daelaam Protoss, seeing a vision which The Overmind saw prior to its death as well stating that the end of all things would come as the Fallen one would 'end the infinite cycle' via a plan which involved the Zerg and the Hybrids. The Protoss alerted the CSIS about the situation, though due to the still ongoing Pisura27 Sickness Intervention they were unable to intervene.

HAWK continued to analyse how the Hybrids made decisions, uncovering that they had a incredibly complex and advanced brain, thus HAWK analysed how their brain structure and activity correlated to their body controls and which parts of their genome were responsible for the brain, uncovering that their innate Psionics coursed through their entire body due to being amplified by tendrils on their heads connecting them to the Khala akin to the Protoss, suggesting that if their psionic link were to be tethered they could think on their own rather than being controlled by the Fallen One much like the relatively passive Hybrids under HAWK's care. HAWK began analysing how exactly their Psionics worked, noting that they were telekinetic powers which allowed biological organisms to achieve paranormal feats and additionally made the eyes of those utilising them glow bright. The Protoss' eyes glowed all the time, as they had integrated their Psionic capabilities into all of their technology to amplify the power of their weapons and teleportation capabilities, connecting themselves to the Khala at the cost of their individuality to further improve their powers aside from the Nerazim Protoss of Shakuras which refused to do so and remained wholly individualistic and developed their own methods such as cloaking, causing a civil war in the past which has since then been resolved. The Hybrids under HAWK's care eventually managed to successfully cut themselves off of the Dark One's influence, becoming completely independent entities which no longer required the disruption field to remain individuals, prompting HAWK to re-stabilise the orbit of the asteroid containing them once the Hybrids told it of their independence, though the disruption field keeping them away from external telepathy remained online due to fears of mind control.