Dark Origin

Dark Origin is located near the end of StarCraft Episode VI. To find it, you must defeat Zerg mission 9, entitled The Reckoning, in less than 25 minutes. A message indicates that a bonus mission has been activated.

The Flight
In the aftermath of Zeratul's last battle with Infested Kerrigan, Matriarch Raszagal lies dead, and the Protoss forces Zeratul brought with him to Char are in disarray.

Zeratul himself, with only a small force, has been forced to flee from Char. Because of the confusion, he has been unable to locate Artanis, Praetor of the Protoss forces, whom he brought with him to Char.

During his flight, one of Zeratul's allies, a High Templar, detects Protoss energy signatures on a nearby uncharted moon. Records do not indicate that any Protoss settlements have ever been founded on that moon.

Zeratul believes it may be Artanis or other Protoss survivors, and directs his course towards the "dark moon".

The Dark Moon
Zeratul can only afford to take a small force with him: two Protoss Dragoons and four Dark Archons. They are transported to the surface of the icy moon via Arbiter. The High Templar warns Zeratul that a Terran compound has been detected nearby.

As a Dark Templar, Zeratul is capable of cloaking, but the rest of his forces are not so fortunate. However, his Dark Archons have the ability to Mind Control enemy forces, such as the Terrans, to augment his own. Using the ability is risky, as it weakens the Dark Archon's defenses and draws attention.

Theft of Technology
After fighting his way past the hostile clandestine mercenaries, Zeratul encounters a Stasis Cell, surrounded by Khaydarin Crystal-based Pylons.

Test Subject Twenty-Three
Zeratul taps into the computer, and notices a Protoss within the cell. The computer announces that "test subject twenty-three" is suffering from psychic feedback. The Pylons approach critical and the Stasis Cell melt down, killing the Protoss within. Zeratul speculates at the Terran ability to control Khaydarin Crystal-based technology.

As Zeratul and his band continue their exploration, they encounter a row of Protoss Photon Cannons, powered by more Pylons.

Test Subject Twenty-Five
As Zeratul and his band cautiously move through the Terran base, they encounter another Stasis Cell surrounded by Pylons. As Zeratul accesses the computer, it informs him that "test subject twenty-five" is in perfect cryo-hibernation, with minimal psionic emanations. The computer is compiling its DNA. Zeratul is outraged, and exclaims that if the Terrans seek to know more about Protoss warriors, then he will give them a first hand lesson.

Zeratul proceeds to cut open the Stasis Cell, revealing a Protoss High Templar within. The High Templar thanks Zeratul and joins him.

Strange Prisoners
Further in the base, he encounters a barracks and a Stasis Cell, which has no Pylons or computer system. Upon destroying the barracks, the Stasis Cell explodes, releasing an Infested Terran. Zeratul destroys it with one slice of his warp blades, but he doesn't know why the Terrans still insist on studying Zerg in this manner.

On a raised block of land to his north, Zeratul discovers a science facility and another Stasis Cell. This one has Pylons, but no computer system. Breaking open the Cell, he is shocked to discover the glowing form of a Protoss Archon. The nearby scientists are mind-controlled, and Zeratul discovers that their area of expertise is genetic engineering.

Test Subject Twenty-Seven
Creeping westwards, Zeratul encounters a well-defended Stasis Cell with a computer and Pylons. After defeating the defending forces, he is able to approach. He notices a Zergling within the cell. The computer informs him that "test subject twenty-seven" is in perfect cryo-hibernation" and its DNA has been compiled. Furthermore, gene splicing between test subjects twenty-five and twenty-seven has been completed, and Experiment 2273 is progressing. Zeratul breaks open the Stasis Cell, discovering three Zerglings and a High Templar inside. His forces quickly dispatch these Zerg, but Zeratul cannot believe this is happening.

Test Subject Twenty-Nine
To the south, there is a large, heavily-defended Terran base. Zeratul leads his forces (now augmented through the use of Mind Control) against the Terrans. A difficult battle ensues, but Zeratul wins the day. At the heart of the base is a Stasis Cell, surrounded by Pylons, and equipped with a computer. Zeratul peers inside, and exclaims that he has never seen a creature like this before. The computer announces that "test subject twenty-nine" is a Protoss/Zerg Hybrid in perfect cryo-hibernation. Its psionic emanations are currently minimal.

As this sinks in, Samir Duran appears on the computer screen. Duran brags that the creature is magnificent. Zeratul senses something different about Duran, and asks who he is. Duran replies that he has had many names over the millennia. He also calls Zeratul, a Protoss of over 600 years of age, a "young prodigal". Zeratul asks if this is part of Kerrigan's schemes, but Duran says this is not the case. Her rebirth into the Swarm sped up his progress, explains Duran, but this Grand Experiment is beyond her understanding. It is clear to Zeratul that, somehow, Duran is not under Kerrigan's power. He wants to know: if Duran isn't Kerrigan's pawn, then what is he?

Duran explains that he is a servant of a "far greater power" that has slept for countless ages, and is reflected within that cell. Zeratul asks if Duran is aware of what this Hybrid is capable of, and Duran responds, "Of course I do. This creature is the completion of a cycle. Its role in the cosmic order was preordained when the stars were young. Behold the culmination of your history."

Zeratul is not impressed. As he prepares to attack the Stasis Cell, Duran admonishes him for his "typical" violence, and lets him know that he has seeded the Hybrid on many worlds, so it makes little difference if Zeratul destroys the specimens here. Duran claims that he will never find them all before they awaken, and when they do, his universe will have changed ... forever.

On that note, the mission ends. It is assumed that Zeratul destroyed the creature off-screen.

Zeratul returned to his ship, leaving the dark moon behind. He was unable to explain his discovery to his companions, and could only sit and fear for the future of the universe...

Secrets
There are three Ursadons, creatures native to Braxis, roaming the map. If you kill all three of them, the last contains a Broodling in its stomach. This may have been part of an experiment by Terrans to breed Zerg with a simple life-cycle that can be easily controlled.

Broodlings normally die after about two minutes of life, but this Broodling sticks around. It tries to attack Zeratul's warband, but Zeratul's Dark Archons can Mind Control it. This is likely because there is currently no way to set the Broodling's self-destruct property using the StarCraft editor function used to spawn it in this mission. Only Broodlings created specifically with the Zerg Queen's "Spawn Broodling" ability can automatically die.

When Zeratul reaches Test Subject Twenty-Three, he is amazed that the Terrans were able to craft Pylons or construct a makeshift Stasis Cell. He believes no normal Terran mind could comprehend the energies running through a Pylon. These comments are contained in a disabled transmission in the game map, and may have been removed for a valid reason. They could refer to Duran not being a normal human. However, Alan Schezar and his Schezar's Scavengers were able to control Zerg using Protoss technology, Khaydarin Crystals and Terran Ghosts without using more exotic alien abilities.

Many fans take Duran's pronouncements to be a reference to the Xel'Naga.