Stalker

The stalker is a Nerazim cybernetic war machine, a metal body controlled by the shadow-essence of a Dark Templar warrior fused into its frame. Inspired by the Khalai dragoon, it was developed after the fall of Aiur, when the protoss learned that stealth and guile alone were not enough to defeat the zerg.

Origin#

The fall of Aiur demonstrated to the Dark Templar that more than stealth and guile were required to defeat the zerg. In response, the Nerazim developed the stalker, a war machine inspired by the Khalai dragoon. The two machines differ fundamentally in their pilots. Where dragoons are piloted by crippled protoss warriors, the stalker is controlled by the shadow-essence of a Dark Templar warrior fused into a metal body.

The Nerazim who control stalkers undergo this fusion voluntarily. The process involves a Void-powered ritual that binds their shadow essence to the machine, granting them a preternatural degree of control over their new body. It cannot be reversed. Some Tal'darim likewise chose to become stalkers in order to better hunt and kill their foes, wishing only to sharpen their combat skills and serve their Highlord, as not all Tal'darim seek ascension.

Stalkers were in use by the Daelaam as early as 2502 and by the Tal'darim by 2504. They are often used to support zealots on the battlefield.

Design and weaponry#

Stalkers stand roughly twice as tall as a terran wearing CMC armor. They draw their psionic power from their host Nerazim's connection to the Void and are armed with carapace-mounted particle disruptors effective against both ground and aerial targets. These weapons draw upon the power of the Dark Templar's training and technology to fire lethal blasts of entropic Void energy. Each shot destabilizes matter at a fundamental level and ultimately tears it apart by disintegrating its atomic composition, making the disruptors especially effective against materials with high hardness indexes such as chitinous carapaces or heavy armor plating.

Stalkers have been credited with many fantastic powers since their battlefield debut, but only one is witnessed consistently: an ability to instantly teleport, or blink, from one spot to another. This requires the implementation of a device called a Void displacer, which lets the stalker fade and materialize instantly at a different location, affording it a rare degree of mobility. The improved mobility allows stalkers to conduct ambushes, catch fleeing foes, and engage on their own terms, making them ideal for raiding enemy supply lines and teleporting away before reinforcements can arrive. Each blink generates a flux that taxes the stalker's systems, forcing a brief recharge period before another displacement. When the Daelaam retrieved the Spear of Adun, stalkers were outfitted with reactor technology linked to its solar core, allowing rapid shield regeneration when they displaced.

Later developments#

Years after its conception, Nerazim stalker technology benefited from Khalai engineering, and attempts were made to integrate dragoon chassis reinforcement into the battle strider's frame. At least some of these stalkers adopted the telltale golden Khalai color scheme rather than the stalker's standard platinum. Purifier stalkers were fully automated and able to draw from a complex log of battle interactions, while Ihan-rii stalkers were inscribed with sacred runes meant to safeguard the animated armor.

After the End War, a movement back to the artistic style of the Golden Age of Expansion led Khalai phase-smiths to redesign several stalkers in the style of the ancient Templar. This redesign elicited offense from many Nerazim, who saw their war machines reshaped in the image of a tradition not their own. Known variants of the stalker include the Tal'darim slayer, the Purifier instigator, and the xel'naga ambusher.