The Tiamat Hive Fleet had changed course, splintering to head toward various planets within the Tiamat system. Orks had appeared on every single one of them. In some regions, the Greenskins were just beginning to arrive; in others, the situation was far more dire, with half the planet already overrun by the Orks.
All of this unfolded under the watchful eye of the Overmind.
† Heh heh heh... †
The Overmind laughed heartily.
† Sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight is an old tradition of our Swarm. Back when the Protoss and Terrans were at each other's throats, the Zerg were always watching from the sidelines. Let's see how long you can hold your own against those Orks. I'll conquer these planets one by one.†
Because the Orks currently occupied only the largest planet and the fringe worlds where the Zerg were located, the Tiamat Hive Fleet had to disperse its forces to support its various holdings. Faced with this multi-front chaos, even the Tyranids had little choice but to rely on brute force.
How could the Zerg tolerate them?
A Tyranid fleet had barely reached a planet's low orbit when the Leviathans leaped onto the battlefield, immediately unleashing a barrage of bio-plasmic fire. A cruiser-class bio-ship at the rear of the enemy formation was blasted to pieces instantly. When the main batteries of ten Leviathans fire simultaneously, nothing can withstand the pressure.
† Let's play another round. †
This time, the Queen of Blades did not lead a boarding party personally; instead, she focused on directing the void war. The Tiamat Hive Fleet was caught in a pincer movement, but the Norn Queens were extremely experienced in combat and adjusted their tactics rapidly.
They first air-dropped massive numbers of Tyranid organisms onto the planets swarming with Orks, then released a dense cloud of spores to obscure the Leviathans' targeting and avoid another devastating barrage.
† Trying to force me into melee combat? †
† No rush. Drop troops to the surface. Take advantage of the chaos to establish Hives, spread the creep, and harvest biomass. †
The Overmind instructed the Queen of Blades. While the Swarm's combat experience was shared, the finesse with which it was applied depended entirely on the commander.
The Leviathans began launching drop sacs as countless Queens descended toward the planet. Once at a suitable altitude, the Queens released Zerg units and used their abilities to spray the first layer of creep.
Upon landing, the Zerg vanguard immediately clashed with the Tyranids. At this stage, the majority of the Tyranid forces were occupied on the front lines against the Orks, leaving their rear flanks exposed. By the time Tyranid reinforcements arrived, the Zerg presence had already grown to a formidable size. The planet was suddenly engulfed in a chaotic three-way war.
The Zerg forces were significantly smaller than the other two factions, but neither the Tyranids nor the Greenskins could spare enough troops to effectively target them. The Swarm began building Nests, hatching larvae into combat units that specialized in devouring Tyranid stragglers.
† My daughter, you must study the tactics used against the Tyranids closely. They will be the Swarm's greatest challenge in the future. †
† Yes, Overmind. †
As the Queen of Blades refined her strategies, the Zerg expansion on the planet inevitably led to contact with the Ork forces. However, the Overmind did not fear the Greenskins. Unlike the Tyranids, the Zerg could close the Webway Gates at any time. Once the door was shut, the Orks were like "turtles in a jar" or "dogs locked behind closed doors." The Zerg could deal with them at their leisure.
"WAAAGH!"
The Orks remained as indiscriminate as ever, hacking at anything that moved. They couldn't—and didn't care to—distinguish between Tyranids and Zerg. To an Ork, an insect was an insect.
† I'm gonna take 'is head! †
"Let's have a wager, ya git! See who crumps more bugs!"
The Greenskins fought wildly, unaware that the Zerg had already established a defensive perimeter. An Ork Boy had just decapitated a Zergling when he was suddenly impaled from below by bone spikes.
Lurkers had already burrowed into an impenetrable defense around the Zerg position. Any ground troops entering the zone were skewered by dense volleys of subterranean spines. The Orks sensed something was wrong and fired blindly into the dirt, but without a clear line of sight, it was impossible to spot the hidden Lurkers.
The Orks tried a different approach, tossing grenades into the areas where the spikes emerged. The violent explosions wounded the Lurkers, but when the Orks stepped forward again, they were immediately turned into "meat skewers" by the wounded but still lethal Zerg.
† ARGH! †
An Ork Burna Boy angrily set the ground ablaze, but it was futile. The soil provided insulation, and the Lurkers were massive enough that the surface heat wasn't enough to suffocate them.
However, several Bomb Squigs suddenly charged into the fray. The moment a Lurker's spine pierced a Squig, the bombs detonated, causing massive internal damage to the Zerg units. The damaged spines required time to regenerate, and the Ork Boyz seized the opening, pouring rifle fire into the ground until they finally eliminated one of the burrowed creatures.
They dug up the Lurker's carcass and stomped on it.
† Bah! This git was hidin' under the mud! †
† I'm hungry. Let's eat it. †
The Boyz huddled together and started a fire, intending to roast the Lurker on the spot. It was an incredibly bold move; they even dared to eat the flesh of the Zerg Swarm.
Then again, the constitution of an Ork is far superior to that of a human. They can consume things that would be lethal to other races. They ate everything—Tyranids and Zerg alike.
† It actually looks quite delicious... wait, no. †
The Overmind shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
† More and more of these kids are gathering. Fine, let me show you a special trick. †
Unbeknownst to the Orks, a Queen had used the cover of the spore clouds to hover directly above them. Suddenly, several Banelings were dropped from the sky, crashing into the group.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
A series of rapid, acidic explosions wiped out the group of Orks who had been roasting the Lurker. It was a fitting end—being consumed by the very biomass they sought to eat.
More Orks were approaching the Zerg positions. The Overmind realized that the Tyranids were intentionally thinning their own lines, deliberately funnelling the Greenskins toward the Zerg.
† Tsk tsk... trying to play dirty with me? †
The Overmind smiled.
† Just you wait. †
He took control of a group of Zerglings and Mutalisks, appearing directly in front of the Ork horde.
"Look! More bugs!"
"Get 'em!!!"
As the Orks gave chase, the Overmind subtly adjusted the Zerglings' flight path, luring the Greenskins directly back into Tyranid territory. Though the bait-Zerglings were eventually surrounded and crushed by both sides, they successfully triggered a massive Ork assault on the Tyranid lines.
These Tyranids were getting more and more cunning, but the Overmind was the master of the long game.