Selendis held up a hand. "We were investigating what we thought was a slim chance to recover a handful of individuals," she said. "We came expecting to find only the three templar who had survived because they were in stasis cells. When we saw the reality on Aiur..."

"Zeratul and I agreed that it would serve us nothing to mount a larger rescue mission," Artanis interrupted. Selendis turned to him. "In the end, it was my decision, Selendis. To not rescue our brethren.. .and to keep word of it silent."

Rosemary stared. "Why, you heartless—"

Urun let out a mental roar so intense Rosemary almost passed out. Vartanil reached to steady her, doing what he could to shield her from the telepathic bombardment, even though he himself was reeling from the news that he could have been rescued four years ago.

"Our people are Crying there!" Urun thundered. "You have told us that we did not have the strength to fight the zerg, to recover our world.... You let us believe that there were no survivors to save!"

"We expected only to find those who had been in the stasis cells," Artanis repeated. "We were shocked and stunned to discover more had survived on the planet. And yet even while we were there, we could see that the zerg were still rampaging across Aiur, overwhelming them... slaughtering even as we watched, too few in number to save them. Even if we had sent a rescue mission, we had no reason to believe that by the time it reached Aiur, there would be anyone left to rescue."

"It is true," said Vartanil unexpectedly. All eyes turned to him. "No one could have known that the zerg would stop targeting us....

No one could have known that we would find a Benefactor." He lifted his head and looked at Artanis.

"To discover that there were so many left, and that they had endured so much these four years—I do not think there is one among us who was unmoved by that. Particularly those of us who had known some survived, and believed you to simply be walking dead," said Selendis. Her emotion was obvious.

Vartanil nodded. "I.. .understand your decision, Hierarch."

Others still did not, Urun among them, but they could not continue protesting when Vartanil, the one among them most wronged by the choice, was willing to forgive.

Artanis rose and bowed deeply to the young Furinax, who suddenly looked rather endearingly embarrassed.

"We must focus on the present, for the past cannot be changed," Selendis said. "Though I greatly wish it could be. Ulrezaj has resurfaced, to prey upon the remnants of those left behind on Aiur. But to what end? And what does he want with a preserver? What does she know that has shaken so vastly powerful a being? Our only clue so far is what Vartanil and Rosemary can tell us. And that, my fellow protoss, is insufficient. It is as clear to me as the stars were when glimpsed from Aiur on a cloudless night what we must do. Ulrezaj may have indeed fallen upon Aiur, under the combined attack of the Dominion, the protoss, and the zerg. Or, he may not have, and he may continue to hunt Zamara and every other protoss down, to silence them forever."

Selendis's eyes glowed fiercely. "We must not let him succeed. He has murdered many protoss, used them for his own unknown ends. Shall we sit idly by and let him do the same to a preserver? Put an end to a line that has existed since the arrival of the xel'naga? Permit that song to be forever silenced, all that knowledge eternally lost?"

That hit home with Zekrath. Out of the corner of her eye, Rosemary saw him physically jerk as if struck. His thoughts, however, were tightly lidded.

"And perhaps worse still—shall we permit a terran male, who did not ask for this burden, and yet who has done all that he could to support the preserver, to die alone and in pain because we are too afraid to go to his aid?"

"The protoss are afraid of nothing!" The angry retort came from Urun, who had actually leaped to his feet and fairly bristled with offense. "You know as well as I that the Auriga have stood and stand ready to mount an assault to reclaim our world." Rosemary had thought he disliked her, but apparently when it came to showing that the protoss, and particularly the Auriga, could kick serious ass, Rosemary and Urun were on the same side. She guessed she'd take it.

"This is not a question of fear or of pride, but of practicality," said Tabrenus. Vartanil, still so very young, gave his tribal leader a wounded look. "Even if we were to agree that this Jacob Ramsey and the preserver he hosts are to be rescued, how would we find them? What horrors would we risk loosing upon this world by opening doors and searching? I admire your courage, Selendis, and your enthusiasm, Urun. And Vartanil, your thoughts shine only with the purest of intentions. But Aiur is in ruins, and Shakuras almost became so, through trusting terrans."

Back to that damn Kerrigan again. Rosemary vowed if she ever met the woman, she'd get in at least one blow that hurt like hell before she went down.

"I agree with Tabrenus," said Nahaan, his mental voice deep. "There is too much at stake. And we only have this human's belief that Zamara's secret is so important. For all we know, Zamara could have gone mad and this entire thing is some insane rambling."

"You did not touch Zamara's mind, as I did," Vartanil blurted. "Otherwise, you would not say such a thing."

Disapproval lowered from almost all the alcoves at Vartanil's outburst.

"Vartanil, you were not in the Khala when you touched Zamara's mind," Tabrenus reminded the younger protoss gently. "You could have been fooled. And humans are not protoss. Rosemary could easily have been duped."

Embarrassment wafted from Vartanil, and even Rosemary, though she was annoyed at the comment, had to concede that Nahaan had a point.

Selendis, however, seemed completely unruffled. "If this were madness, then surely so powerful a being as Ulrezaj would pay it no credence."

Aha! thought Rosemary, almost gleefully. You tell him, sister.

Selendis granted Rosemary a brief, baffled thought, then returned her attention to the protoss tribal leaders.

Artanis called for calm, and turned to those who had not yet spoken. "The decision is mine, but I have always striven for unity among our people. Mohandar, Zekrath—do you wish to speak?"

Zekrath inclined his head. "I yield to what our hierarch chooses. There are points to be argued on both sides. The Shelak, in the end, attend to the past, not the present or future."

It was a curious thing to say, though Rosemary suspected it was true, as far as it went. She was a little disappointed; she had thought the Shelak would be more anxious to help something that was so linked to the past.

"Duly noted," Artanis replied. "Mohandar? What say you?"

For a moment, the leader of the Nerazim did not speak. Rosemary felt her brain all but being bored into, her thoughts analyzed, sifted, then discarded. She had to admit, that if this guy was a typical example of the dark templar, she could understand why they unnerved the Aiur protoss.

"Curiously enough, I agree with my esteemed colleague Zekrath," said Mohandar. "I would know what the hierarch would do."

Selendis was silent, but her gaze was locked with that of Artanis. Rosemary knew that she was the hierarch's protegee and as such might be expected to be shown a bit of favoritism. But Rosemary also got the feeling that although it was clear that Artanis was fond of, and proud of, his pupil, he was also smarter than to let his personal feelings get in the way of so important a decision.

Artanis lifted his gaze from Selendis to Rosemary. She felt his thoughts, for her alone.

"Rosemary Dahl, Selendis, whose judgment I have learned to respect, sides openly with your cause. Let me ask you this, and I will know if the answer conies from your heart or your head: Do you truly believe that this quest is worth the deaths of more of my people? For such I fear it may come to."