Echoes of Death

Sarah Kerrigan, queen of the Zerg, sat in a throne like room, at the center of a massive hive on the unnamed planet at the heart of the Badlands. She had arrived months ago, and with the assistance of a timid yet gifted human named Ty, she had set about ordering the chaotic swarms. Even now, she had too few human cerebrates, which Ty had voluntarily accepted the role as her first, to fully control all the zerg at her disposal. Her mind, and Ty's, were almost forever fully devoted to controlling the swarms, and still she would loose control of small numbers of them if she paid them too little attention.

Soon, though, it would be rectified. Their had been thousands of infested humans on this world, and the worlds surrounding it. Most had been far too damaged to make suitable candidates, and only a fraction of those who had not been twisted into unrecognizable forms had even the most basic of telepathic abilities for which she could build upon. But soon, the three that she had been grooming, subtly reprocessing their DNA over and over, would wake, similar to her own experience on Char those many years ago. And they would be needed. Already she could feel the psionic reverberations of another massive intellect lurking nearby, poised to strike at the heart of the new zerg swarm. As the semi shared consciousness she and Ty shared grew with the new additions, the swarms would be able to begin growing once more. Already the genetics of her swarms were adapting themselves to the new directives she had planted in the subtle genetic mind. Their numbers would never be as great as the had been when she was the Queen Of Blades, or when the Overmind and it's cerebrates directed the swarm. But they wouldn't need numbers. The isolation of these swarms, still bearing memory to when the Xel'Naga inhabited these worlds, had changed them. The adaptability that the swarm had already been know for, had only heightened, and even with none of the new genetic material added over the years, these zerg were, number for number, superior.

A superiority that would be needed sooner then she expected, as her mind, and Ty's were drawn to a loan Overlord, floating in the vastness of space, watching and waiting for their enemies to arrive. A relatively short distance from the creature, space warped, and distorted. A single ship had appeared from nothingness, brought by a warp jump that humans and their technology could manage with such small numbers, yet which she could only manage with the efforts of thousands of psionic beings working in concert.

With no shared words, only thoughts and feeling, she and Ty decided on a course of action. Already hundreds of zerg began lifting themselves into space, ready to intercept the loan human ship, should it prove hostile. They couldn't, not yet, afford a minimal approach, as their conscious minds were spread too thin to develop and orchestrate a more advanced battle plan. The movements of the swarms became frantic when she recoiled in a his off pain as the human ship fired on her Overlord, rendering it blind, before delivering the killing blow. It was too late for it, the rest of the swarm had already caught sight of their prey, and were eager, after so long of being unable to quench their thirst for violence, for the kill.

As her attention focused on the human ship, her stretched and overloaded mind did not notice the other one, the echoed presence that had always been on the periphery of her attention, focused it's attention toward her mind and network, probing it gently for information, and weakness.

Only after the human ship had been destroyed, it's hull melted by acid or torn to shreds by parasites, was her attention drawn to the intruder. One of the infant cerebrates, the one that had been known as Foxworth, was trying in it's limited way to fend off the attack from the other.

"This one will be great," she thought, Ty's mind echoing the sentiment. Foxworth had only slowed the mental attack, and if their combined attention had been diverted much longer, the developing mind would have been lost, possibly subverted to the others influence. As it was, in her domain, less then a mile physically from her, the foreign presence did not stand a chance of succeeding once she noticed. Her mental attack was enough to drive it off, while Ty's separate thread of consciousness lingered on the developing cerebrates, tending any mental injuries they may have suffered.

"I am ready, my queen" came the weak mental whisper from Foxworth. His mind had been rapidly forced to regain the maturity and sense of purpose it had had as a human, and as he became aware of his body, he began clawing his way from his chrysalis, and his mind sought out their own, desperate to assist.

"Indeed you are." Both Sarah and Ty assisted the newly birthed cerebrate gain it's place amongst the swarm. In spite of the name, the powerful figure looked nothing like the cerebrates of old. The new had a more useful form, rather then the lumps of quivering flesh she had once known. They retained their human form, enhanced by the perfection that was the swarm.

She felt her own mind, and that of her other companion admire the approaching cerebrate. The modicum of independence they retained made her smirk. The old cerebrates had such a limited sense of self, these new ones, they could and would think for themselves, allowing her to gain fresh concepts from them, and she suspected that these two would still enjoy the pleasures of the flesh that she was no longer allowed. She would not betray the man whom had almost sacrificed himself saving her. And as her form, never fully cleared of zerg influence, slowly lost the fully human appearance she had managed for months, she doubted he would be able to see her the same way he once had. The Queen, she mused, would forever be alone, apart from everything, including the man who was the sole thing keeping her from losing herself to the violent urges that still echoed through the millions of primitive minds at her disposal.

Both of her cerebrate were now physically present in her throne room, at the center of the largest hive. Already the mental strain had diminished enough that she had become aware of her body and the world surrounding her. Her amused snort drew the attention of the others, who had already begun expending the minimal amount of thought needed to pretend to be human. They had begun coyly flirting with each other, something entirely unnecessary, as both were intimately aware of the others minds, as only the thinnest of psionic barriers separated them all from being one being.

"My queen," Ty said, using his voice for the first time in the months since his near death from radiation poisoning, "What are your wishes, we now have the capacity for both expansion, or making inroads against the zerg her do not yet know your voice."

Without needing to vocalize, or even have conscious thought, her will was made known to them. They would have to be separated, as Foxworth was soon to be making use of the ancient Xel'Naga portal to begin attacking the other swarms in the Koprulu sector. Ty was to remain, and guard the remaining cerebrates. Kerrigan herself was to lead the smallest brood yet functional, and investigate why the humans of earth had begun aiding the other ones.

"Your will be done, my queen," both intoned, their consciousness in perfect harmony for the time being.

It was Ty that spoke separately, "We hardly need to be in the same room to have fun, after all."

Kerrigan stood from her throne for the first time in months. If it weren't for the perfection brought by the zerg, barely a quarter of that time would have been able to be spent productively. Around her, her personal swarm began it's preparations. Mutations existed amongst them raising them above the rest, mutations that defied understanding. Very rarely, these mutations would occur without direction, and she gathered then all to herself so they could be studied, and duplicated for the rest. It left her with a powerful force, her personal guard.

Foxworth had already departed, making his way to the Xel'Naga portal. She felt the first bit of uncertainty she had felt in months. She had a formal understanding with the humans and Protoss, but only a few, at the very top had full trust that she would not return to her former way. Her Jimmy, and a handful of Dark Templar’s. She would never attack them first, but even a small attack from any side could cause the war to reignite, as any dead by her hands would look to be a betrayal by the rank and file. Jimmy would try, she knew, but he would fail at reigning in the humans from attacking her. The Protoss would be a bit more in line with their leaders, but the cooperation she enjoyed now would evaporate.

Ty himself merely skipped his way amongst the glowing brood, his erratic human personality once more surfacing. He lacked the instinctive capacity for violence that her other cerebrates possessed, but for his job,he was ideally suited, raising and caring, and growing the swarm to greater numbers.

Her swarm, ensconced in the cavernous membranes of overlords, began it's ascent to the heavens, with her help, far fewer numbers were needed to warp space enough to travel the vast distances needed for her mission. Already the vast subconscious mind had instinctively determined how to reach her destination, and she hoped she would not find what she now feared on the third planet of the Sol system, humanities birthplace. She felt fear, for her former people, and for her swarm, located far too near the threat.