Golden Armada base, Aiur.

“Why are we keeping her alive?” Selendis added. “Jean.” Amon didn’t seem like a merciful god. Keeping a potential threat alive was uncharacteristic of him.

A zealot was before Selendis. He was completely possessed by Amon. Normally Amon just turned Daelaam to his side and inserted his belief through the khala, but occasionally Amon could “enter” a zealot. He could control the zealot’s body. The possessed zealot couldn’t own the full power of Amon, but he was certainly stronger than normal zealots. Without a proper body, Amon needed a temporary form to talk and act through.

“I need a body, Selendis. In order to form that body, I will need several materials.“Amon explained. Normally he would just give out orders and expect his underlings to obey him, but he understood in this situation he should explain his plan so his underlings could do what he truly wanted. “I will need protoss bodies and zerg essences, along with the corpse of the overmind. With all three I can truly enter this world.”

“My people are willing to sacrifice themselves for you, my master.” Selendis exclaimed. To the corrupted giving their lives for their master was the greatest honor. “The overmind’s corpse is on this planet right now.”

“But I still need zerg essence. This is why I sent you after Kerrigan,” He paused in anger. “in a mission that you have, disappointingly, failed.”

“Forgive me, my master.” Selendis knelt down in fear and shame. The battle against the swarm was the first battle the Golden Armada fought in the name of Amon, and it was a disaster.

“Your failure is disappointing, and you have lost the element of surprise and therefore the queen of blades, yet I have found out another method to achieve my purpose. I have sensed a zerg scent coming off Jean when I talked to her through the comm.” Amon walked around. “Jean is mutated via zerg essence, just like the queen of blades, which means she can take Kerrigan’s place as my provider of essence.”

“But Jean can hardly match Kerrigan in terms of strength.” Selendis protested. She was told of the process of how Jean was captured. If Kerrigan could be captured by four blood hunters then, well, she would be dead a long time ago. Jean was at a level in which she could slaughter normal units with ease but would struggle against other hero units. After all, Jean was created by Kerrigan as a commanding unit.

“True, which is why I need you to do a certain thing.” Amon stopped stepping around. “What do you know of the planet Zerus?”

“It is there that the xel’naga went to and took the local beasts and turned them into the zerg race. It contains primal zerg essence.” Selendis halted, noticing something.

“I want you to get to Zerus with Jean. After you arrive, hunt down local beasts and make Jean absorb their essence.”

Selendis couldn’t believe her metaphorical ears. “What? Jean is our enemy! Why are we strengthening her? She will break free and turn against us as soon as she can.”

“Silence!” Amon ordered at the outburst before explaining. “I want to absorb zerg essence from Jean, so the more essence Jean absorbs from the primals means the more essence I can take out of her, and the stronger I will become.”

“But she will escape with her strength…”

“You have a fleet.” Amon cut her off. “One girl can’t be that much of a challenge. Tal’darim blood hunters will assist you in keeping Jean under control.”

Selendis had her doubts, but she nevertheless obeyed.

“Where are we?”

Jean questioned.

A few minutes ago two zealots put a warping device on her, and now she was standing in a protoss base on some random planet. The battalions of protoss ground forces, the several dozen cannons, and the Golden Armada in the air told her not to do anything stupid.

Selendis’ form took a few seconds to solidify. The highly advanced protoss technology allowed the movement from Aiur to Zerus to take merely seconds. With power fields and warp gates, of course.

“Zerus.” The female commander explained with a grain of salt. “My master wants you to do something.”

“What?”

Selendis made a psionic command, and two zealots dragged a half dead local beast forward.

“My master wants you to absorb the essence of the primal zerg as much as you can.”

“Why?” Jean processed the information. “Ahh. Amon can’t get to Kerrigan, so he wants me to take her place. The stronger I become the more Amon can absorb from me. He wants to use me as a container.” Jean sat back, trying to use it as an advantage. “Why would I do that?”

Selendis tilted her head. One of the zealots ignited his blade and punched a hole in the head of the primal beasts, killing it instantly.

What happened next was shiny. A cloud of purple energy exited the body of the slain primal. It subconsciously entered the closest zerg. Jean. The primal essence didn’t even need to be consumed to enter its new owner. It was simply attracted toward the strongest zerg around it.

As the purple essence entered Jean, she could feel herself growing in strength. Her cells mutated even stronger than before, but not by much. It took much more than a single primal zerg to make Jean evolve.

Jean frowned. She didn’t even have the option to decline the essence. Normally some free strength was great, but now that she knew everything she absorbed would be taken away, along with her life, it was much less appealing.

Before she could do anything, a blood hunter grabbed onto her shoulder roughly and gave her another inject of void energy, cutting off whatever chance she had of escaping.

Selendis smiled at the slightly stronger Jean. “Templar, hunt down local animals and bring them to this location. Blood hunter, keep her secured at all cost. Amon demands it.”

“Don’t doubt our strength in combat, templar.” A blood hunter replied with no respect.

Selendis ignored the blood hunter and turned to Jean. “Have a good meal, Jean.” She whispered harshly. “For it will be your last.”