The Overmind wept.
†My Cerebrate. My painstakingly cultivated Cerebrate.†
This wasn't Trazyn's first collection acquisition. But having it stolen—no, taken—right before his eyes? The Overmind was speechless with grief.
†Trazyn. You've taken a Cerebrate. So you can't take me now.†
Trazyn's acquisitions varied wildly in scale. He'd once stolen an entire transport ship filled with Emperor's Children gene-seed. Then traded that ship to Bile for a perfect clone of Fulgrim, the Primarch of the Emperor's Children, from before the Heresy.
If he wanted to, capturing the Overmind himself wasn't impossible.
†Zasz. Your sacrifice is noted. Rest easy.†
Even as he spoke, a second and third Cerebrate were already incubating.
Zasz was beyond rescue. Trazyn's gallery wasn't somewhere normal beings could venture.
And Zasz wasn't dead—he was trapped in a stasis field. Resurrection was impossible.
But that was fine. The Overmind didn't lack Cerebrates. It would simply cost time and resources. Resources he now had.
Poor Zasz. In StarCraft 1, he was the first Cerebrate killed by Zeratul—and the first rendered incapable of resurrection. Here, he was also the first Cerebrate to be "sacrificed."
"Overmind. My link to Zasz is severed. What happened?" Izsha inquired.
†Nothing. Nothing. An unforeseen incident. New Cerebrates will emerge shortly. We await their arrival.†
Abathur didn't even ask. Cerebrate Zasz held no status in his mind. Only the Overmind mattered.
Trazyn's forces departed the planet swiftly. They came fast. They left faster.
†Probably had Zasz marked since before the battle. Just waited until combat concluded to take him. Assumed Zasz was the Swarm's commander. Ah. Being too distinctive has its downsides.†
Zasz was the Swarm's sole Cerebrate. His appearance was naturally unique. It wasn't surprising Trazyn targeted him.
As long as the Overmind himself wasn't targeted.
†Inevitable, really. Trazyn. That trial every Warhammer transmigrator must face. Better early than late. Ah—I just realized. Soon, a wave of chaos will erupt in Trazyn's galleries. Zasz might prove useful then.†
At this thought, the Overmind began to smile.
In the future, Trazyn's exhibition hall would suffer an outbreak—a psychic great bell's detonation causing numerous exhibits to escape. If Zasz was fortunate, he might break free during that incident.
This could become a setup. Oh, excellent. Even Tzeentch would laugh at this.
[All According to Plan.]
————————————————
Overlords began infecting salvageable vessels with creep. Most ships had been blasted to scrap. Only a few—those deliberately preserved by the Overmind—remained reasonably intact.
Foremost among them: the nearly intact Lunar-class cruiser. Its internal crew had sustained almost no casualties. Boarding actions were, of course, unavoidable.
Izsha led Zerg boarding parties to purge the vessel, preserving its structural integrity as much as possible.
†Brood Queens are quite useful. I'll incubate two more.†
New Brood Queens began incubation. Upon completion, the Overmind would possess two Cerebrates and three Brood Queens.
†Abathur. Can Brood Queen capabilities be enhanced?†
"Neural system augmentation feasible: enhances Swarm command capacity. Existing musculature enhancement feasible: increases Brood Queen combat effectiveness. However, post-modification energy expenditure increases. Diminishing returns."
†Quantity versus quality. Always a choice.†
To grant Brood Queens combat prowess rivaling Tyranid Hive Tyrants, their numbers would inevitably decrease.
†Then. Post-combat. Izsha undergoes individual modification. Future Brood Queens bifurcated: Command-class and Combat-class. Enhance Combat-class Brood Queens' battlefield support capabilities. Tactical assistance.†
"Sound projection. Brood Queen modification: scheduled."
In essence: retrofitting StarCraft 1 Brood Queens to StarCraft 2 specifications. StarCraft 2 Brood Queens possessed spawning capabilities, creep tumor generation, and Swarm healing. Their combat power couldn't match hero-class Brood Queens. Their support capabilities, however, were vastly enhanced.
Especially creep expansion assistance.
Naturally spreading creep could never match creep bolstered by Brood Queens.
What followed was repetitive, mechanical infection work. Creep slowly blanketed the Hive. Creep slowly blanketed the ships. Creep slowly blanketed the entire planet.
Until—the entire planet. Every vessel. All covered in creep.
The entire world seemed to proclaim:
[Assimilation Complete.]
The Zerg Swarm had acquired a second planet. This infected Hive world yielded limited biomass. But the infected and their vehicles constituted significant Swarm combat power.
It also provided a cohort of infected Imperial Navy officers. Including Frank.
"I… live?"
As Frank's consciousness returned, he perceived his own mutation. Sharp bone spurs extended from his back, arachnid-like. Chitinous plates patterned his face. His yellow pupils were distinctly inhuman.
"My… my ship. My ship is destroyed. Consumed by those insects again. How am I alive? How have I become this?"
A voice manifested in Frank's mind.
†Do not question. Obey the Overmind's command.†
Frank longed to say "No!" His mouth opened. What emerged was:
"What are your orders?"
His awareness remained relatively clear. Yet he understood, with absolute certainty: he no longer served the Emperor. He served the supreme existence designated "Overmind."
Frank surveyed his surroundings. Other Imperial officers surrounded him, similarly transformed. They, like Frank, still wore their Navy uniforms.
The space they occupied was unmistakably within a living organism. Vascular walls pulsated. Delicate neural filaments lined the surfaces.
†Soon. You will be assigned to vessels. You possess limited autonomous action authority. When the Overmind summons you, you will obey.†
"Understood."
Frank replied accordingly.
Following mental guidance, he arrived at a Leviathan's tendril conduit. He entered.
Frank returned to his ship. Its interior was completely creep-carpeted. Floors, walls, ceilings. Creep had become this vessel's new operating system, subsuming all functionality.
Command bridge. Warp drive. Macrocannon batteries. Hangar decks. Frank traversed each section, absorbing his surroundings.
"Monche. Marie."
He remembered his old friend. His old friend's granddaughter. He approached a viewport. Gazed upon the planet.
The world was wholly creep-engulfed. A funereal violet-black. A land of death.
Grief. Anguish. These emotions flooded Frank's heart.
Then they dissipated. Replaced by profound stillness.
"Awaiting deployment."
Frank murmured, like a walking corpse. No—correction. He was now a walking corpse.