WHO: Jim Raynor. WHAT: Leaving Sarah Behind. WHERE: Raynor's Home and the Planet Char. WHEN: Late Friday Night, after closing at JoeyRay's. WARNINGS: Warfare, implied character 'death' and violence.
It was a desperate, last ditch effort. Jim and Liberty weren't able to get the drop ship near close enough to where they lost contact with Sarah, and time was running out.
The Zerg weren't a real forgiving lot.
He'd catch hell for the Duke later, all that mattered was finding her. Mengsk had shown his true colors, and Raynor wasn't about to leave these troops behind. Especially not one Ghost in particular.
There was no sign of Sarah, but Liberty, that kid Matt and the others helped Jim evac a lot of troops stranded. It should have helped. But it didn't.
Standing on the ship as they left the shithole planet behind, Raynor made a vow. No more Mengsk, no more Alliance, no more helping any of these selfish assholes with their pet causes. Idealism and reality, just like Liberty had told him.
Reality always won. Raynor's Raiders were born. And goddammit, they were making their own path.
Jim stood in the entry way to his house, stock still as the vision washed over him. It was the first time he'd had one during waking hours, and it left him shaking. He'd had dreams of Sarah before, but the despair of her loss bled over in a way that seemed to consume him.
Nice job, asshole, his brain helpfully supplied. You couldn't save her here either.
The buzz of his phone pulled him just enough out of the memory to force him to move, answering it. Jim didn't give a shit who it was; it was a distraction and that's all he wanted.
"Mr. Raynor. This is Agent Coulson. We have her."
The voice on the other end shattered the despair of the dream, and Jim felt like he was thawing.