"Seriously, GW, what are you doing? Why are there dinosaurs on a spaceship?!"
The T'au auxiliary roster is increasingly reminiscent of the Lizardmen from Warhammer Fantasy. Although these Great Knarlocs aren't exactly pretty, their hides are as dense as a heavy tank's, requiring dedicated anti-armor weaponry to penetrate.
The Overmind watched as a dozen Zerglings pounced on a Knarloc, only to be shaken off like annoying flies. The creature's combat prowess was surprising; it seemed to share the raw durability of a primal behemoth.
"This thing has the presence of a Ultralisk-lite, doesn't it?"
If it functioned as a biological equivalent to a Knight Mech, it made sense why the Kroot used them for tunnel defense. Tunnel warfare is notoriously difficult for large units, but this Knarloc—about twice the size of a Roach—was a perfect fit for the Warsphere's wide corridors.
And there wasn't just one. The Overmind detected multiple Knarlocs in various passages, accompanied by dozens of smaller Knarloc Riders, roughly the size of a Carnotaurus.
What was the Overmind's response to these primal beasts?
"Reminds me of the Brutalisk or a Primal Zerg beast... actually, forget the muscle. Just use Infestors."
Against massive, slow-moving targets, the Infestor is the ultimate equalizer. A volley of Fungal Growth splashed into the Kroot beast horde, pinning them to the metal floor. The Knarlocs, which had been wreaking havoc seconds before, found their feet fused to the ground by a sticky, neural-reactive slime.
An Infestor's neural parasite tentacle lashed out, patting a Knarloc on the head before piercing its thick skull. Instantly, the massive beast turned on its kin, biting a smaller Kroot mount by the back and tossing it into a wall.
"The Great Knarloc has gone mad?!"
"Impossible! They are perfectly trained! Wait—there is a parasite on its head!"
The Kroot tried to rush the beast to sever the connection, but they couldn't get close to the thrashing dinosaur.
"I love Infestors. Now your biggest asset is your biggest problem."
The controlled Knarlocs charged into the T'au positions. The Crisis Battlesuits proved inadequate against the colossal weight of their former allies. It was a glaring weakness; the T'au didn't seem to have their larger Riptide or Stormsurge suits stationed within the fortress.
The fall of the Warsphere was now a certainty. Realizing that continued resistance meant total annihilation, the T'au commander issued a desperate order.
"Retreat! This is a trap! Signal the Sept—do not send reinforcements. The fleet must jump immediately!"
The T'au fleet had already lost over 50% of its ships. The smaller gunboats and frigates had the acceleration to pull away, but the larger cruisers were doomed.
"Oh? You want to leave?"
As the T'au ships turned, a cloud of Corruptors swarmed their engines. The smaller vessels were systematically dragged back, making escape impossible for most. However, the Warsphere was a different story. It was so massive that even the Leviathans couldn't hold it; their tentacles were snapped like threads as the fortress ignited its engines.
Despite the Zerg's best efforts to anchor it, the Warsphere opened a Warp rift. It plummeted into the sub-space dimension, taking a hull full of Zerg boarding parties with it. The remaining T'au cruisers that couldn't jump were picked apart during their acceleration phase.
"This reminds me of the UED fleet trying to flee back to Earth, only to be intercepted by Kerrigan. It's almost poetic. Still, it's annoying that the Warsphere escaped—these Kroot actually have reliable Warp drives."
It wasn't surprising; Kroot technology is found throughout the galaxy. Their level of sub-space engineering is arguably superior to that of the T'au.
"No matter. We've collected enough samples. We'll deal with their home world eventually, but not today."
Zasz's fleet was still a vanguard. To conquer a T'au Sept world, the Overmind needed months to mass-produce a true Hive Fleet.
The Zerg boarding parties trapped on the retreating Warsphere were quickly neutralized by T'au reinforcements once they arrived in safe space. This was expected; without the Hive Mind's local support, a few thousand Zerglings and Roaches are eventually whittled down, even if they fight like demons.
"Zasz, clear the debris. Begin hatching new Leviathans. Maintain maximum biomass until the next phase begins."
"Yes, my Lord."
The space battlefield grew quiet. The T'au wreckage was pushed into a tight orbit, forming a jagged asteroid belt of scrap. The Ethereal's body was never found—it had likely been recycled into a digestive pool as generic biomass.
The Kroot specimens were imprisoned deep within a Leviathan's hull and presented to Abathur.
"Abathur, these creatures can assimilate the traits of what they eat. They are yours to dismantle."
"Observed behavior: intriguing," Abathur rasped. "Zerg assimilate species. Kroot attempt to assimilate Swarm. High risk of recursive mutation."
It was a philosophical question: were they assimilating the Zerg, or were they being assimilated by them? After seeing a Kroot connect to the Hive Mind after a single meal, the Overmind understood why the Kroot avoided eating Tyranids. To do so was to invite the Great Devourer into one's own soul.
"But why weren't they assimilated when they ate Orks? Or is it that the Orkish WAAAGH! field doesn't care about your DNA, so long as you're 'fightin' and winnin'?"
The Orks remained a mystery even to the Hive Mind. The Zerg probably didn't need a WAAAGH! field anyway—having the Swarm fight itself because of a psychic "shroom" field sounded like a recipe for a very expensive headache.