StarCraft: Enslavers II

Enslavers: Dark Vengeance is a series of StarCraft Maps of the Month from Blizzard Entertainment.

The missions were a sequel to StarCraft: Enslavers and continued the story of the protoss and Alan Schezar's mercenaries, Schezar's Scavengers. In addition, a new threat to the protoss of Shakuras was introduced.

The missions took place after the activation of the xel'naga temple on Shakuras.

The Rescue
It was widely rumored that a few wounded heroes may still live upon the ravaged protoss homeworld of Aiur. If they were to be rescued and transplanted into dragoon walkers, the fallen heroes would still be able to fight alongside their brethren.

Zeratul was tasked with bringing a force of protoss to Aiur to recover them. Traveling with him was the Master of the Tribunal, a high templar who assisted him. The Master of the Tribunal said that the task before them was difficult; the wounded warriors are stored in three stasis cells, but a number of renegade Zerg Broods had taken root on Aiur, and were surrounding the stasis cells. The protoss forces had to be transported to Aiur because the warp gate has been disabled. Zeratul and the Master of the Tribunal did not personally take part in this mission.

The protoss force moved in on a zerg hive cluster, when they were attacked by zerglings. However, the protoss were victorious, killing the zerglings and destroying their hive cluster. A new colony was established on the grounds of the now-ruined zerg colony, and troops were recruited through gateways from Shakuras. The protoss confronted the zerg nestled around the three stasis cells, defeating them in a pitched battle.

A shuttle arrived to carry the wounded protoss away, when four Dark Templar appeared, attacking two of the cells.

"Your fallen brethren shall embrace the void!" exclaimed one of the attackers as they slew the two helpless protoss.

The Dark Templar were surrounded and ordered to surrender before they could destroy the third Stasis Cell. The Dark Templar said they would surrender "for now".

The third protoss was rescued and placed in a dragoon exoskeleton. His name was Eredas, a member of the Templar Caste, who pledged his service for Aiur.

Hung Jury
At the same time the United Earth Directorate was launching its attack on Augustgrad, the capital of Korhal, the protoss were rescuing Eredas. Now they had returned to Shakuras, bearing the Dark Templar prisoners; they were scheduled for trial for crimes against the protoss.

Eredas and Zeratul discussed the situation. Eredas was saddened about the fall of Aiur and the alliance of the protoss of Aiur with the Dark Templar, but Zeratul was more concerned with these Dark Templar renegades.

Zeratul told Ulrezaj, the leader of the Dark Templar renegades, that he and his three cohorts desecrated the holy stasis cells and murdered two other protoss. He named Ulrezaj a traitor.

Ulrezaj countered that killing Templars was righteous justice. They wanted the rulers of Aiur to feel what it's like to be hunted and driven from their homes. Ulrezaj claimed Zeratul was the traitor, for coddling the protoss of Aiur on Shakuras and sitting in judgement of "righteous" Dark Templar. Zeratul said that he wasn't the only person passing judgment on Ulrezaj and his minions, however. The Master of the Tribunal said that these renegades were guilty of murder and treason against the protoss.

Zeratul planned an ancient punishment, but was interrupted by a zealot. The zealot said that an unidentified terran force has been observed in the canyons. Zeratul ordered the Executor to dispatch his forces to the canyons. Justice against Ulrezaj would have to wait. Ulrezaj and his three cohorts were imprisoned in two stasis cells in the Executor's base.

Eredas asked for permission to attack the "pitiful" terran forces to the north. However, the terrans moved first, attacking Ulrezaj's stasis cells. Ulrezaj and his minions were able to escape.

After a fierce battle, the protoss were victorious. However, Ulrezaj and his cohorts had escaped.

Nemesis
During the chaos of the terran attack, Ulrezaj stole a sacred khaydarin crystal. While Zeratul did not know why Ulrezaj had stolen the crystal, they still had to recover it.

Praetor Mojo was able to track the stolen crystal's powerful psionic emanations to a small terran base on Korhal. Mojo wasn't sure if the Terran Dominion was still on the planet, but his observers, sent ahead to find a good site for a base, discovered a complication. There was a zerg brood guarding the terran encampment.

Zeratul was surprised. Mojo believed these terrans may be Schezar's Scavengers. Their leader, Alan Schezar had previously used khaydarin crystals to control a cerebrate, and perhaps he had replicated this feat with a stolen khaydarin crystal.

Zeratul decided that the alliance between Schezar's Scavengers and the zerg was too dangerous to continue. The Executor was ordered to retrieve the khaydarin crystals or destroy Schezar's base.

Fork in the Road
The mission offers the player one of two choices, leading to two different endings. Both endings will be covered by this article. The canonical ending will be covered first.

A Disturbing Discovery
Mojo reported that his observers could detect the khaydarin crystal, which was sitting within a zerg colony. The protoss moved to retrieve it, as Zeratul believes they can use it to track Ulrezaj. While Schezar's Scavengers and the zerg put up a hard fight, the protoss were able to retrieve the crystal and escape from Korhal.

Desperate Measures
Zeratul reported the findings of Judicator scholars, who have examined the khaydarin crystal.

The crystal was not the one stolen from Shakuras. Somehow Ulrezaj had replicated the khaydarin crystals using a strange fusion of both zerg and Dark Templar energies. These crystals could somehow be used to control zerg broods.

The crystal emanated strong psionic emissions, and thus the protoss could use it to track the other crystals. They were tracked to Char.

As there were not enough protoss to launch a full-scale assault to recover or destroy the warped crystals, Zeratul sent a Dark Archon Hero along with an escort consisting of a High Templar Hero, Dark Templar Hero as well as Dragoon Heroes and Scout Heroes to achieve his aims. Only the psychic fury of the dark archon could destroy the crystals.

Zeratul's warriors would feint an attack nearby to draw the enemy's defenses away from the area. His Observers were able to triangulate the location of the warped crystals.

After advising the Executor to use the dark archon's Mind Control ability to create reinforcements, Zeratul pulled out, as the decoy attack was beginning to cost the lives of too many protoss warriors. The strike force had about one hour before the zerg defenders returned.

Most of the defenses consisted of zerg, but some members of the Fist of Ulrezaj were also present.

Every time a warped crystal was destroyed, the associated zerg fall into a dormant state. Eventually the Dark Archon Hero destroyed all five crystals, pacifying all the zerg and enabling the strike force's escape.

Showdown
Zeratul and the protoss returned to Shakuras. Once there, they discovered that Ulrezaj and Alan Schezar had come up with another plot. They positioned an orbital space station over Shakuras which housed an EMP Generator that was creating powerful electromagnetic pulse waves, disrupting protoss communications and draining the planet's energy shields.

Ulrezaj, now a dark archon, contacted Zeratul. He says he only wants to drive the protoss of Aiur from Shakuras. Zeratul was unable to convince Ulrezaj to stand down and forgive the protoss from Aiur. Instead, Ulrezaj ordered Schezar to commence the attack. Schezar referred to his employer as "Lord Ulrezaj" and set the EMP device to full power.

Zeratul noted that the generator sent out a pulse every ten minutes, but has almost no effect on the shields of the Fist of Ulrezaj.

Zeratul ordered the Executor to destroy the EMP Generator and kill Alan Schezar for his crimes, including murdering many protoss.

When Schezar first encountered protoss warriors, he got into a dropship and fled. The second time, he fought to the bitter end, and was slain. Schezar's Scavengers surrendered on the death of their leader.

When the protoss destroyed the EMP device and Schezar, they declared victory.

However, Ulrezaj was nowhere to be found.

The Old Enemy

 * This section covers the non-canonical storyline.

Mojo led the Korhal-based protoss forces against Schezar's fortress to the east. The commander, a ghost, emerged from his command center and surrendered, saying Alan Schezar didn't pay his troops enough for this. He revealed Schezar's current location - Braxis.

Turnabout
The protoss traveled to Braxis in order to attack Schezar. The protoss said there was an old score they must settle with Schezar ... in blood. Zeratul told the Executor that he knew high templar found no honor in the prospect of assassination, but the combined terran and zerg forces on Braxis were too strong for a frontal assault. The Executor would take a small covert force, including dark templar, to the surface, where they would make their way to Schezar's main compound and terminate him.

Once the protoss force makes it to the surface, Zeratul informed the Executor that he has activated a frequency scanner, causing Schezar's location to appear on the protoss scanners.

The protoss carefully make their way to Schezar’s main base, evading and defeating the terrans and zerg that tried to stop them. Upon entering, they attacked Schezar in his goliath.

Schezar was defeated, and climbed out of his ruined machine. He pleaded for his life, saying that he knews he has done many terrible things, even working with Ulrezaj, but lately Ulrezaj had been going nuts. Schezar would tell the protoss everything he knows ... but they must prevent him from being silenced by the zerg, whose hive clusters now surround his base, which includes an unfinished powerful electromagnetic pulse device.

Schezar lets the protoss command his forces, as he believed it would improve his chances. He was right, and the protoss/terran forces achieved victory.

Dark Vengeance
Despite not having Schezar for backup, Ulrezaj and his Fist did not falter from their plan.

Zeratul accused Alan Schezar of being a terrible criminal, and Schezar agreed, but wouldn't apologize for it. Indeed, he says he worked with Ulrezaj because Ulrezaj paid him well. He then explained what was going on:

While Ulrezaj was fanatical before, after he and his three cohorts merged together to become a dark archon, Ulrezaj's fanaticism became madness. In addition to keeping the zerg around Schezar, he rigged his goliath to explode if Schezar betrayed him. However, the protoss disabled the self-destruct mechanism during their attack.

Schezar was supposed to bring the electromagnetic pulse device to the stations that were orbiting Shakuras. The device would disrupt protoss communications and shields, and then Ulrezaj would use the chaos to drop genetically enhanced zerg upon Shakuras. Ulrezaj hoped the Dark Templar would hide in their secret places, while the Templar from Aiur would be left out in the open.

His new zerg would be brought onto his space station via a warp gate that was connected to a base on Char. Once the zerg reached his space station, he would move them to his genetic stations where his warped khaydarin crystals would transform them into more powerful strains. This much Dark Templar energy would enhance them so much that they could resist the effects of the xel'naga temple.

Zeratul reluctantly agreed to an alliance with Alan Schezar and his Scavengers in order to stop Ulrezaj. In return, Schezar would only be banished, instead of executed. Schezar said he would leave this "blasted sector for good", as he wasn't feeling safe there anymore.

Zeratul ordered the Executor to retrieve the warped khaydarin crystals to his base to destroy them, then move on to destroy the warp gate itself.

Ulrezaj, now a dark archon, contacted Alan Schezar and deemed him traitor. He sent Dark Templar into Schezar's base, where they killed him. His troops swore revenge.

As the protoss fought the Fist of Ulrezaj, a small number of zerglings and hydralisks came through the warp gate, reached the genetic stations, and were transformed into superior zerg strains (Devouring Ones and Hunter Killers). These powerful zerg then attacked the protoss/terran bases.

Zeratul's observers located the five warped khaydarin crystals. His forces, with terran assistance, retrieved the crystals, destroyed them, then destroyed the warp gate. Ulrezaj's plans were foiled, but Ulrezaj himself was not there.

Epilogue
Despite the protoss victory over the Fist of Ulrezaj, the mad archon was still out there, seeking revenge against the Templar Caste. It was said his hatred burned with more fury than any of the stars above...

Canon Status
Chris Metzen has confirmed that the events of StarCraft: Enslavers II are canon. The branch leading to Showdown is the canonical branch. It has also been referred (by Metzen) as "quasi-canonical" and where it conflicts with the Dark Templar Saga, the Saga takes precedence.