While a massive "free-for-all" is a signature flavor of Warhammer that one simply must experience, the Overmind could easily guess who had brought this Imperial fleet here.
†The Imperium doesn't have the capability to reach this place in such a short time. It must be those eldar opening the Webway to deliver the Imperial fleet right to my doorstep!†
Fine. You win. You're brilliant!
You want to send the Imperial fleet? Fine!
Just wait—I'll find a planet crawling with Slaaneshi cultists and daemons, open a Webway gate, and send a whole batch of them your way!
Mutual destruction, is it? Let's see who has it easier: the Imperium fighting bugs, or Slaaneshi daemons having an all-you-can-eat buffet in Commorragh!!!
But that was a matter for later. For now, the Overmind had to deal with the immediate trouble.
With two Cerebrates and reinforcements from numerous planets, he certainly wouldn't lose. The question was how to win with style. At that moment, the Overmind sensed the psychic fluctuations within the cocoon intensifying—a sign that it was about to hatch.
†Well, just like the plot of SC1, this psychic signature is probably going to attract a lot of people.†
But the more attention it drew, the happier the Overmind became. This proved that her power was sufficiently formidable!
The Emperor has his sons, and now the Overmind has a daughter. Do not be confused; in the original lore, the Overmind indeed referred to the Queen of Blades as his daughter.
"Overmind, new enemies have appeared outside the planet."
†I know. Do not worry.†
Zerg-3 only had two Leviathans, but the Swarm possessed far more than that.
Before the Imperial fleet could launch its attack, space distorted. Seconds later, two new Leviathans warped into the Zerg-3 system. Minutes after that, the Swarm transport ships known as Behemoths appeared in high orbit. These biological vessels were even larger than Leviathans, resembling gargantuan, open-mouthed whales.
Unlike Leviathans, Behemoths had no offensive capabilities. Almost all of their internal organs were dedicated to transporting Swarm units. These massive creatures could carry an ocean of aerial and ground forces—even super-heavy units like Ultralisks, Brutalisks, and Guardians could be housed with ease. Their appearance bore an even closer resemblance to Tyranid bioships.
"Am I seeing things?!" Sicarius' sense of foreboding had been vindicated. "These 'Tyranids' possess warp-jump technology? This is not good news!"
One of the Imperium's current methods for dealing with Tyranids is creating "Dead Zones" between sectors. Without biomass to consume, the Tyranids would either change course or starve. But if the Tyranids mastered precision space-jump technology, they could bypass defenses and head straight for Holy Terra.
Of course, the Zerg's warp technology wasn't that god-like. Jumping from the Ultima Segmentum straight to Holy Terra? Without coordinates, you're jumping into nothing! In any sci-fi setting, coordinates are vital, and the Zerg Swarm didn't have a galactic map detailed down to every planet; they had to explore them one by one.
"Captain, shall we commence the attack?"
"No. Immediately relay this intelligence regarding the Tyranids to the neighboring sectors. I have a feeling they will become a grave threat to the Imperium."
Cato Sicarius's intuition was spot on. At that moment, the psychic pulse had grown so strong that it could be detected even from the void of space.
"This is..."
Upon sensing the psychic waves, the Navigators aboard the ships began to tremble uncontrollably. They were psykers themselves, and they could clearly feel the staggering gap between their power and this psychic force. They were lucky the Overmind wasn't personally present; otherwise, they would have felt the crushing weight of the "One-Eyed Emperor."
"Captain, our Navigators are becoming unstable. They report a massive psychic reaction on the planet."
"A powerful entity is being born down there."
Compared to the psychic scream the Queen of Blades released on the Primal Zerg homeworld, this current fluctuation was just a minor disturbance.
"Prepare for orbital bombard—"
Before Sicarius could finish his sentence, the holographic shimmer of Void Shields activating appeared across the surface of the planet.
"They have Void Shield arrays?!!!" Sicarius was shocked. These "Tyranids" exceeded his imagination: they could warp, they had shields... next, were they going to claim they were the true scions of humanity? What blasphemy! What heresy!
"Pinpoint the exact location of the psychic fluctuation. We prepare for planet-fall. Contact the surrounding Space Marine Chapters as well; we need more boots on the ground."
"The Navy will also deploy ground assault teams to move with us."
"Most welcome."
A joint operation between the Space Marines and the Imperial Navy was about to begin. Space Marines are powerful, but blindly charging onto an unknown planet is essentially a suicide mission. With Navy assault teams assisting, they could execute basic tactical coordination.
The Zerg fleet and the Imperial Navy engaged each other. Naval battles are time-consuming affairs, and it would be difficult to determine a victor in the short term; the true turning point would be on the ground.
Cato Sicarius, followed by the Company Champion and the elites of the Fifth Company, boarded a Stormhawk Interceptor to lead the landing. The twenty Space Marines on this craft were all legendary warriors—the finest of the "Smurfs." Other Ultramarines on Thunderhawk Gunships were also battle-ready.
Massive formations of Imperial Navy Valkyries also began their descent. They were harassed by Zerg flyers during the flight, but protected by the fleet's point-defense fire, they managed to punch through the atmosphere.
Combat had already begun on the surface, but the first to engage weren't the Imperials—it was the Dark Aeldari.
"Captain, the auspex has scanned Dark Aeldari signatures."
"As expected, those xenos are involved. Maintain formation immediately upon landing. The numbers of those bugs are staggering."
Even before landing, Sicarius could see the sea of Zerg units. They were somewhat different from the Tyranids he had seen, yet strikingly similar. Now that they had landed, the mission was clear: annihilate the enemy.
"For the Emperor! All xenos shall be purged!"
"FOR THE EMPEROR!!!"
The hatches of the Stormhawk opened, and countless Zerglings rushed forward. Sicarius quickly demonstrated why he would eventually be known as the "Invincible Captain of the Second." He began to reap a bloody harvest among the Zerglings with masterful swordsmanship. Beside him, the Company Champion held a combat shield, screening the squad from ranged attacks while charging into the fray, using his shield as a weapon to bash through Zerglings and Hydralisks.
The psychic fluctuations from the cocoon swept across the battlefield periodically, making the already ferocious Zerg Swarm even more aggressive. Even the atmosphere of Zerg-3 was affected, forming swirling, tempestuous storm clouds.
"What kind of beast requires such a grand display for its birth?" Sicarius couldn't help but worry. He had seen psykers before, but few possessed such terrifying psychic might. This power was as blinding as a beacon.
The Dark Aeldari were even more uneasy.
"What are those bugs doing? With such terrifying psychic power, aren't they afraid of drawing the attention of Daemons?!"