A Sinister Turn

Previous	Whispers of Doom
Next	Echoes of the Future
A Sinister Turn
Conflict	Interbellum
Date	2504
Place	Zhakul
Result	Preservers clarify the prophecy Maar killed
Campaign	Wings of Liberty
Combatants
Zeratul's Warband
Zeratul's Warband
Zhakul Guardians
Zhakul Guardians
Commanders
Zeratul
Zeratul
Maar
Maar
Casualties
Heavy
Heavy

Client	Zeratul
Objective(s)	Rescue the preservers

A Sinister Turn is a Wings of Liberty mission. It is told as a flashback of Zeratul's actions, viewed by Jim Raynor through the ihan crystal.

History

Background

After much searching, Zeratul discovered the fragments of a prophecy foretelling the end of the xel'naga cycle on Ulaan. The meaning was unclear to him, but he believed the preservers of Zhakul would be able to interpret the prophecy. Aboard Void Seeker, the prelate journeyed to the forbidden archive world of Zhakul to find them.

Darker forces were already at work on Zhakul. A hybrid destroyer, Maar, had imprisoned the three preservers Zeratul sought and was leeching their energies. It had also subverted some protoss facilities and left others abandoned. When Zeratul arrived he found the planet "strangely silent."

Freeing the Preservers

The prelate reactivated an unpowered base and began to investigate. He only sensed the spirits of the three preservers were imprisoned, but not the hybrid Maar's presence or activities. When the hybrid appeared, freeing the preservers took on an even more urgent nature.

The hybrid demonstrated remarkable regenerative abilities. When defeated in the field it restored itself with the preservers' energies. Zeratul finally overcame it by freeing the preservers.

Aftermath

The preserver triumvirate examined the fragments. The clarification provided prompted Zeratul to depart in search of the Overmind on Aiur.

..."The cycle shall draw to its end"... ..."The Xel'Naga who forged the stars shall 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"...

Raynor's Assessment

Plot option starts here

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders have attacked the Castanar installation in the Rebellion Missions

Raynor encountered a hybrid previously at a secret Dominion laboratory at Castanar, and experiencing Zeratul's encounter through an ihan crystal put the threat in perspective. The rebel was concerned that even the protoss had difficulty combating the hybrid.

Plot branch ends here

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders have not attacked the Castanar installation in the Rebellion Missions

Although Raynor experienced Maar's power second hand, he deduced it was a protoss/zerg hybrid and recognized the threat it posed.

Plot branch ends here

Plot option ends here

The next article in this series is Echoes of the Future.

Gameplay

Build up an economy and some photon cannons to ward off the non-Maar attacks. Quickly secure the robotics facility to the west; the immortals are needed to fight Maar. The dark shrine and templar archives on the east side are protected by the eastern enemy base. This is an easier expansion spot than the western base, which is guarded by archons and high templar.

Keep Maar's attention on the immortals; their hardened shields are better able to withstand the punishment. Use high templars' Feedback to deal damage and prevent the hybrid from using abilities. Do not tarry: Maar becomes stronger with every reincarnation.

On Hard and Brutal levels, void rays and even a carrier will be seen protecting the Preservers.

Infiltrate dark templar to destroy the preserver prisons; avoid Maar as it is a detector.

Achievements

A Sinister Turn
Points	15 (Prophecy Mission)
Criteria	Complete all mission objectives

Out for Justice
Points	10 (Prophecy Mission)
Criteria	Kill all enemy protoss on Normal difficulty
Notes
The western base is guarded by archons and high templar. Completing this achievement and the "Maar-ked for Death" simultaneously is difficult.

Maar-ked for Death
Points	10 (Prophecy Mission)
Criteria	Complete the mission on Hard difficulty in less than 25 minutes.
Notes
Defend the base against Maar with zealots and photon cannons. Send an attack force 8 zealots and 6 stalkers to secure the inactive buildings; add the reinforcements to this force. Attack the main base in the south. Head straight for the preservers; destroy only units and cannon that stand in the way. Retreat and avoid Maar when it respawns. Alternatively, disable or occupy the defending cannon to give dark templar a clear path to the prisons. The northwest prison is covered by a cannon and two zealots; kill the zealots and ignore the cannon. Maar is also a detector; withdraw the dark templar into the corner when the hybrid respawns.