(Sorry I'm late. Finally had to turn the difficulty down from Hard on SCII. Give me a break. I'm running a system that's under minimum system specs. Even building SCVs is a hassle)

sage for quest shit

>>11601022
Aw, we've already got trolls.

>>11601029
>people saging a quest thread when quest threads have been done to fucking death on /tg/? FUKKEN TRAWLZ!!!

Cool story, brah.

>>11601054
>People not knowing how to hide threads, and instead saging like sage does anything?

I daresay you're worse for /tg/ than I am.

You poor devil. Anyway, search every mind we control, confer with the hive mind that is the Zerg, and query all those poor souls not yet within our gasp.
WHO IS KINGSTON!
DEMAND THAT HIS TRIO BE KNOWN!

Bug sweep and check of the Magellan. Are there any problems, bugs, bombs, or trackers on the bitch that could hurt us later. If not, HOME TO BEL AIR!

Let us listen to our Artisanlord's songs of praise. Those always sooth us.

Mmmhm...an idea, Cerebrate...How could a cerebrate battle...to be on the frontlines of war...mmhm...

>>11600995
Are our agents within the Korhol fleet also able to set up infestation rings within the Umojan Protectorate? We should infest and gain more agents wherever we can.

That segues into a question I need asked of Labbrate; much of the ability to use technology, and higher brain function useful for its research and experiments, are possessed by our infested Terrans. Can we breed infested Terrans much like our other Zerg strains? It may require some tinkering with the DNA to make it compatible with the accelerated Zerg growth, but I think the results can be quite...useful.

captcha: about addsts

StarCraft? At least keep the subject matter /tg/ related. Reported.

Mmhm...another idea! Suggest renaming Aiur 'Bel Aiur' when we conquer it.

>>11601077
Yes!
Once the Magellan is back online, we must scour the personnel records for this Kingston and his fellows!

But before reconnecting the reactor, make sure that the Magellan has been properly checked for traps that he may have left behind that will trigger once main power is restored. Things like data wipes, self-destructs, and bombs spliced into the main power relays.
Labbrate and Warbrate should take notes on what Kingston has done, and what he might have done. Truly, he is a nemesis worthy of our skills.

>>11601077
Sweeps of the Magellan reveal no bugs, explosives, or anything of the like. It seems that Kingston was concerned mostly with his plan to escape. This is less comforting it could be.

None of our agents know of this Kingston. He may not have had a public career. The personnel files on the Magellan might be useful, assuming they are still intact.

Artisanlord appears to have staged some sort of performance art on Antiga. A bunch of defilers burrowing and unburrowing in synchronization. We don't really get it.

>>11601086
We begin having our agents mingle with the Umojan civilians, but as they are considered outsiders, it is hard to get any alone for infestation. Once we get a foothold, or the Sons of Korhol gain the trust of the locals, things will accelerate.

It is possible to breed infested Terrans, but Labbrate seems to think the fleshling phenomenon indicates that the DNA mingling is...imperfect...with this species. Since aside from the fleshlings themselves, numbers, and infiltration are the only real benefits they bring us, Labbrate isn't sure this is a loss to the Swarm.

Also, Labbrate bristles at the idea that it requires human brain matter to function. It is a cerebrate. The thoughts and memories of our agents flow into its mind, but its thoughts are its own.

>>11601129
Do you dare to suggest that -human- is a worthy of the Zerg? The only ones that dare challenge us are the Protoss and even then their attempts are laughable.

>>11601129
Once main power is restored to the Magellan, Labbrate personally takes control of a Terran to infiltrate the personnel files.

After some time, it informs us that Kingston is likely Corvus Kinston. His file is behind a massive block of Confederate Intelligence codewalls. Labbrate informs us that attempts to access it will likely trigger suspicions about the Magellan's compromised status. It suggests either leaving the file alone (to postpone our detection), or trying in earnest to crack the file as fast as possible (to gain access before Kingston himself has time to report our infestation of the vessel).

In either case, it suggests that we move the vessel before too long, to prevent a Terran retaliation.

>>11601120
Only if we invert it along its north-south axis first.

>>11601207
We simply believe that having human technicians able to operate human technologies and research equipment would be useful, especially when considered in the light of understanding and integrating Protoss technology into our Brood. While Labbrate may be perfectly capable of growing a sensory organ that acts as an electron microscope, why not use the ones already made by the Terrans and captured by us? Especially the advanced ECM system research that we captured, and the need to produce more Terran vehicles and technology to aid in our infestation of the Terran worlds.

Which brings up another operation we must set in motion. We should attempt to infest a small outlying world of the Confederacy. Once fully infested, we can use it as a base of operations for our infested agents. It can spread agents to other Confederacy worlds for infestation, and we can begin operating a rogue smuggler operation, which will give us a means of infiltrating the other Terran empires.
To facilitate our control over the increasing numbers of our agents and the complexity of their actions, perhaps we should consider spawning an overlord specifically for the role of spymaster?

>>11601298
>Corvus Kingston

I cna't speel

>>11601298
I suggest moving the Magellan to one of the uninhabitated systems that we've stripped of usable resources. There's mostly likely a tracking beacon of some kind, and there's no reason to lead the Confederacy back to our home base.

I am in favor of cracking the protections around the file as quickly as possible, as well as ransacking whatever data we can download off of the Confederacy interstellar network. Kingston will undoubtedly inform the Confederacy of the compromised status of the Magellan, and we must get it's valuable data before they lock the Magellan out of their network.

>>11601219
This voice of the collective urges caution against unfounded arrogance and self-aggrandizement. This Kingston outwitted us, made us look foolish as he escaped our grasp. We should not underestimate him.

>>11601318
We have several Terran outposts. We have more than a hundred thousand infested Terrans, using multiple factories on Xenta to produce Terran technology and what Protoss technologis as we can.

In fact, we have several human-like beings piloting our four captured Protoss carriers.

>>11601316
Agreed. Perhaps Artisanlord can create plays based on this massive destruction of Bel Aiur.

>>11601318
Pah. Inferior terran sciences are only made useful in infiltration and adaptation. Never copying or reuse. However the idea of some kind of zerg worshiping cult, whole worlds infested and a Spylord...yessss...this pleases Anon.

As to the Science vessel, we find some way to cloak it. We then strip out any useful equipment or data accessed at the current level of access. We then break the firewall like so many Terran tools to the Zerg Swarm. Every piece of information that can be used in Confederate science program, and this Corvus Kingston. We will use the combined mind of millions to plant information that this crack was started by Corvus. We will destroy this man.

If possible we should aim to capture all terrans and protoss.

(so, we're cracking the file, and piloting the Magellan to an abandoned system?)

And stripping out any useful science equipment, and hitting every science article/protype we can get our feelers into. And anything else useful on the ship. Call signs, shipping manifest, recent confederate movements, dirty mags...


Huh, feels like Bernie's back...

>>11601492
Yes. Task a wing of Scourges and Mutalisks to guard it from possible retribution.

>>11601390
What do we know about the Umojan Protectorate and the Kel-Morian Combine? Do any of our infested Terrans have connections which might be useful in sending infestation agents to low-priority and low-security worlds of either power bloc. We should stick with the methods that have worked for us in the past: infest the water treatment plants and wait for the infestation to run its course.

>>11601603
This brings up something we need to bring up with Labbrate: can we increase the subtlety of our infestation spores, so that the spores and the infestation itself are much harder to detect? Can we increase the virulence, so that the time from initial exposure to "My life for the Swarm!" is lessened, perhaps down to a day? Can the two be combined, or perhaps made to masquerade as another innocuous ailment, such as the common cold, or the flu, in order to better infest populations without their knowledge or suspicion?

Labbrate floods the vessel with Terrans, informing us that it needs as many active fingers for the terminals as it can get. The new reactor core pulses power through the systems as it prepares to jump to an abandoned system.

The work begins as Labbrate commands the minds of the Terrans. It allocates several to obtaining Terran schematics for the more advanced weapons designs that we have lacked, including the Battlecruiser blueprints. Others are devoted to hacking into secure networks for troop locations and concentrations. The rest devote themselves to assaulting the substantial codewalls, encryptions, database lockouts, and other anti-intrusion countermeasures. After several seconds, red lights flash on terminals across the vessel as its access is systematically restricted.

Ten seconds later, Confederate computers begin to break the hard connections between the information we seek and the network. We manage to download very little information on Kingston before the connection is entirely severed. We then remove our own connection to prevent Confederate retaliation on the Magellan's systems.

What we learned is enough to be worrisome. Corvus Kingston is the eldest son of Lepus Kingston, patriarch of one of the Terran Old Families which essentially rule the Confederacy. Their word is considered more powerful than that of the entire Confederate Senate. Corvus Kingston has, no doubt through extensive nepotism, been appointed head of the Confederate Ghost research program.

His clearance level is maximum, and his word is indisputable in the Confederacy. Despite the corruption that led to his appointment, all indications are that he is an accomplished researcher and an effective leader.

>>11601776
Labbrate informs us that it has been working on this. Less obvious spores would be less effective, and vice versa. It asks if we have a preference.

>>11601816
We have a preference for both. Two strains of infested terrans that we can test.

And can we make it look like this is all Corvus's work?

Also, we need to somehow get this to the Son's of Korhal fleet.

>>11601794
Were we able to get any information concerning the Confederate Ghost program? Being able to produce more able operatives would be desirable.

>>11601816
By less effective, does it mean that they would require longer, or that the rate of successful infestation would go down?
I would prefer it to be harder to detect; if it was virulent, Confederate specialist teams might be tasked to examine such an epidemic, and might find out the truth.

>>11601870
>And can we make it look like this is all Corvus's work?
Do you mean the compromising of the Magellan? Or the work we are doing on new infestation spores, and make it look like a secret Confederacy bio-weapons project?

>>11601881
>By less effective, does it mean that they would require longer, or that the rate of successful infestation would go down?

Labbrate informs us that functionally, the pace of infestation is directly proportional to the ease of detection: the faster the spores work, the more obvious it will be to the Terrans. Spores that could infest a city in a day would be cause for mass panic, media attention, and likely at least some measure of mass suicide. Spores that infest over the course of a month would be virtually undetectable by Terran science.

We have obtained moderate information on that topic. It is likely that we could convert some of our infested Terrans into Ghosts, but the process will likely be fatal for a substantial number of our attempts, as almost none of our current stock carry the individual psionic talents present in the average Ghost agent, and stimulating them artificially is dangerous.

>>11601972
>almost none of our current stock carry the individual psionic talents present in the average Ghost
I do not see any reason to waste valuable workers for such low probability of success; we should simply be on the lookout for appropriate candidates from amongst those Terrans we infest. By having two Ghosts within our Swarm already, would their psionic presence help candidates survive the training?

>over the course of a month would be virtually undetectable by Terran science.
I am willing to accept a month's extra time for our regular infestation operations, so that they'll never know what hit them.
But, I also want Labbrate to also work on a more virulent and powerful strain, capable of infesting within a day, for when we can't bother with subtlety and have to strike hard and fast.

>>11601965
Both, clearly. He hit the Magellan with his own team of ghosts and is now trying to use an advanced bioweapon to help him spread his reign of terror. As we clearly have several outposts under our control, and we have the universes greatest actor under our command, I do not believe this would be hard to fabricate.

>>11601972
Then would it be possible for the terran infestors produce there current spores and release self-producing spores that would be impossible to identify?

We feel the Overmind's pleasure rippling through us at its initial victories attacking Aiur. It seems that Daggoth and Zasz are already physically present on its surface. The Protoss were completely unprepared.

Echoes of interplanetary beacons oscillate through all of our captured Protoss technology, calling the full empire back to the homeworld. We feel some satisfaction at feeling a psionic pull in the minds of our infested Protoss: even those who are unable to hear the technological call will know that the Swarm has come to their world. And even they shall fall.

Meanwhile, a massive Confederate fleet has arrived in the system where we have stored the Magellan. It appears that we may not have time to strip it of its resources. We had set several wings of mutalisks and scourge to guard it, but our air troops are still severely crippled following our battle with Tassadar. With the schematics of the Battlecruiser fresh in our mind, we know that what troops we have there will be inadequate for the task.

>>11602092
This voice agrees.

>>11602140
kekeke. Good. I believe it was our response to the most Glorious Overmind, father most beneficial, to warp in at the call, to take the foolish Protoss by surprise...or to cut them off completely. This voice can not recall.

As for the Confederate fleet - pin whatever we can on Corvus and grab whatever is portable and run. Hide the Zerg if possible. If that isn't possible, make the Zerg seem under the control of the humans.

And that Spylord?

>>11602122
Our current method is to have several agents infest the water supply, which generally involves sacrificing the agents to produce the proper amount of bio-matter. Except for the bodies, it is as undetectable as a city-wide plague can be.

>>11602092
It appears unlikely that the presence of other Ghosts would help in the production of new Ghosts.

Labbrate begins work on both strains.

What happened to the airspores?

>>11602140
Very well. Prepare a deception worthy of our reputation, and acting to challenge Artisanlord's Method!

I am unsure if Kingston has returned to the Confederacy yet, and this Terran fleet is his doing, or is just a response to our heavyhanded methods.

In case 1, prepare a transmission to the fleet, addressed to Kingston. "We will meet again."

In case 2, we prepare a farewell transmission from Kingston. That he'll make his own mark on history.

Either way, we should set the Magellan to self-destruct once the Terran is in range, and we should try to recover our Terrans assets. Have our Scourge and mutalisks, insufficient though they may be, cover our Terran agents' escape.

>>11602214
We have used them, but they take twice as long and generally require the construction of a building. Smaller ships' air scrubbers can be infested for a similar affect (which is what we did to the Sons of Korhol), but the water filtration systems are our primary source of infestation.

Labbrate reminds us that in the average city, the air supply is as wide and open as the planet's atmosphere, whereas its water supply is limited to the liquid pumped through the water treatment facilities. It is much easier to infest a small, controlled supply of a resource than a planetary atmosphere.

>>11602262
We cannot be sure whether Kingston has contacted the Confederacy, yet. This fleet is likely a direct response to our hacking attempt. Should we assume that Kingston is not with them?

>>11602214
I think we deemed them obsolete in the face of the water-borne variety. Terrans gotta drink water, just as much as they have to breath, and the water-borne versions proved to act faster with an equivalent level of subtlety. Also we don't have to have as much infrastructure built, since we simply use the Terran's own sewage systems against them.

>>11602287
(Kind of an important question, sirs)

>>11602287
I say we go with option 2. Have Artisanlord work quickly to write up an appropriate speech, using everything we know about Kingston to make it sound right.
If possible, we should try to have the Magellan jump out of the system. It would be funny to have them go to Aiur, dragging the Confederate there only to be torn apart between the Protoss and the Zerg.
If we must leave the Magellan behind, we should have our Terrans escape in the dropships with as much equipment and data as they can hold, with the Zerg screening them. Make it appear as if Kingston is on one of the ships, and the Zerg are being controlled by him.

If the Confederate fleet moves to recover the Magellan, it should self-destruct. And if they don't, and instead prepare to destroy it at range, have the Magellan ram the lead cruiser and set the reactor to overload.

>>11602264
Point. Forgive this voice, there was so much talk about water spores, I wondered if we had forgotten the air born ones.

>>11602287
We should assume that this is for the hack, but it could be possible that Corvus sent them. However, our deception should not be Corvus himself responding, but his allies.

>>11602409
We quickly compose and send a text transmission from the Magellan indicating that Kingston has taken control of the Zerg and intends to become as much King of the Koprulu Sector as he is to the Swarm. We load as many of our infested Terrans onto the overlords as possible (the hangar was severely damaged during Kingston's escape, so use of dropships was impossible). The Magellan's warp drive takes too long to prep for a jump, so saving it is out of the question.

We send our air forces to distract the Terrans from the overlords, cloaking them as they leave the ship. After a few minutes of combat, a few more exploding wraiths than we really expected, and a lot of pain from our dying units, the fleet turns back to the Magellan.

Our overlords enter warp space just as they open fire on the Magellan, but not before receiving an audio transmission (broadcast on an open channel, likely. If they could detect our overlords, they would have pursued): "Aw, you DID remember my name. And you've crowned me your King. How sweet."

>>11602509
You mean, like sending an encoded message towards the fleet, which if decrypted is a message from somebody asking for Kingston or for his confirmation, making it appear that we were waiting for Kingston to arrive?

>>11602555
Yeah, yeah, that's what I was hoping for. Darn my slow neurons.

>>11602553
KKKIIINNNGGSSTTTTOOONNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>>11602553
I want to infest this guy. You have no idea how much I want to infest this guy, and wipe what I imagine must be an incredibly shit-eating grin off of his face.

I do not have enough RAGE image macros express how much I hate this guy.


Back on our worlds, redouble our efforts to replenish our Brood. Strip any and all uninhabited systems within our reach for the resources we need.
Begin construction of Terran battlecruisers to supplement our Protoss Carriers. See if we can mount cloaking field generators on battlecruisers and carriers, as well as looking into that advanced ECM suite research we captured. See if it can be used specifically to interfere with the Terran sensors used to detect cloaked craft.

We are relieved at pulling the data discs of what knowledge we did not already have committed to memory from the Magellan. Our very dorsal ridges harden in rage that Kingston has somehow already rejoined the Confederate forces. How is this human always a step ahead of us? How--

For a moment, reality seems to blur as something goes horribly, unspeakably wrong. We cast about in the confusion for the Voice of the Overmind, but despite feeling Its presence, we cannot elicit a response from It. It is there, and yet It does not Speak to the Swarm.

Something terrible has happened. Something unprecedented has happened. Just as we assimilate this fact, it happens again. It is as if something around us has disappeared, as if we are suddenly more alone than before.

This cannot be good

>>11602692
What is the ETA of our Zerg Worldship at Aiur?
Can we contact any of the other cerebrates or their Broods? And how is Kerrigan? Is her mind safe within the Chrysalis?
We must know the situation on Aiur.

Search! What of the worldzerg! Send it! HELP THE FATHER!

>>11602723
E...ETA...Oh. ETA is...3 hours. ETA is 3 hours.

Kerrigan is safe beside us. Her Chrysalis pulses with energy, nearing the completion of its transformative cycle.

We reach out for the voice of our Brother, Zasz.

Nothing. We hear nothing from Zasz.

We reach out for Daggoth.

Nothing. We hear nothing from Daggoth.

This...cannot be. What has happened?

>VISIONARY istold

Where is father? Where is Auir? What happened. Feel for our other brothers, Araq, Auza, Gorn, Kagg, Kaloth, Nargil, Zargil. Feel for the remains of the broods!

>>11602798
>Where is father?

He lives, still. His form had not yet been made manifest upon the surface of Aiur. It is safe at the Heart of the Swarm, at its temporary base upon the world of Char.

>Feel for our other brothers, Araq, Auza, Gorn, Kagg, Kaloth, Nargil, Zargil. Feel for the remains of the broods!

They seem as horrified and confused as we are. We cannot determine what has happened, yet. Something horrible. How could we not be able to hear Zasz or Daggoth? Why would the Overmind fall silent?

>>11602779
Do what we can to brace ourselves, our Brood, and Kerrigan with psionic defense techniques learned from our infested Protoss as we await the 3 hours until the worldship's arrival. That we cannot contact any of the Swarm on Aiur is a disheartening development.

Check with the communication systems on our captured Protoss vessels. See if they have an open communication channel to Aiur or any vessel in its vicinity that we can patch into and find out what happened.

My fear is that Tassadar made it back to Aiur, and accomplished his final task, the same as in the canon timeline.

If it is the Overmind's Will, we will break this Planet to asteroids and feast upon the remains.

We confer with the other Cerebrates, using our experience with Labbrate, Citybrate, Warbrate, and Accountantbrate to herd their thinking into some kind of focus.

After a few minutes' discussion, it is decided that the Swarm will wait to act until Zerg World reaches Aiur. The broods nearest Char will go there to secure the Overmind's physical form. Father must not fall.

The other Broods seem to respond to our commands rather easily in the absence of the Overmind. We nervously order our ridge scratcher to massage our spindles, hoping that it will relieve some of the tension that seems to grip not only our form, but the Swarm itself.

What is happening?

While this inexplicable loss of communication is deeply disturbing, it is possible that it is temporary. We must not lose our composure.

Is it AT ALL possible that the terran fleet that engaged the Magellan could locate us?

(captcha: labidt digest. an omen?)

>>11603005
What?

Oh, the Terrans.

Yes.

Wait, no. No. Our overlords were cloaked. The Terrans likely believe they destroyed all of our forces. Even if they knew the overlords were there, they could not have traced them without knowing their precise locations.

Kingston could not be behind this...

>>11603005
>terran fleet that engaged the Magellan could locate us
Good point. Now seems like a good time for some paranoia.
Immediately order the forces that we retrieved from the Magellan to take a circuitous route back to Xenta, staying in each uninhabited system it stops in log enough to see if it has any unwanted guests on its trail.

Try to have the crews on our Protoss Carriers tap into their communication net, and get a status report from the fleet at Aiur. It would be good to know what is going on from our enemy's perspective.

Perhaps this is an unexpected opportunity to innovate. Perhaps this absence is an opportunity to grow and develop without the constant influence of the rest of the swarm. That might open new avenues of thought and allow us to better understand both our nature and the natures of beings such as terrans who do not have the comforting presence of the Overmind with them always.

>>11603001
What is happening that we are going to finish evolution. We shall consume the firstborn to the last and add their biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. We will let the Glory of the Overmind sprawl from ancient Bel Auir and we shall be first to his call.

If we can, stretch, hunt for the minds of Tiamat and Garm Brood. Force them to our control, direct their fury across Auir. We well claim what DNA remains of our brothers. We will grow stronger for their loss.

And what about a Spylord? Seriously, spawn that additional overlord.

>>11603039
>Kingston could not be behind this...
Underestimating this Kingston has led to him outmanuevering us not once, but twice! At the price of sounding paranoid, we cannot take the risk of him outsmarting us a third time.

>>11603039

As our paranois kicks into overdrive, I would suggest deploying as many Overlords as we can spare to the outer reaches ov every important system we control. I want an early warning system in place.

And for the sake of all that is good and slimy, divert the group that just came from the Magellen AWAY from where ever our physical form is.

Zerg World draws itself into orbit around Aiur. We feel some small measure of pride at watching its shadow creep unnaturally across the face of the Protoss homeworld, but we are more concerned with this dark omen that has swept across the Swarm.

With Citybrate present to relay our messages in earnest, we once more reach out for the voices of our Brothers, Zasz and Daggoth, on the surface. Once more, we hear nothing in return.

The Protoss resistance is still in disarray. Shall we investigate this distress first, or immediately press the attack?

>SETSUKO: spligh
Captcha is as confusing as the situation merits.

Suddenly, VOICE IN THE DARKNESS AND DARK VOICE FUCKING EVERYWHERE. HYBRIDS AND OMEGALISKS FOR ALL. THE UNIVERSE ENDS.

>>11603125
We must press the attack before the Protoss can reinforce their defenses and rally their remaining forces.

While this is occurring, have the ZergWorld spawn two overlords and an escort of mutalisks. Send an overlord and mutalisk escort to the last known locations of our unresponsive cerebrate brothers. We must find out what happened to them, and to their Broods.

>>11603125
Press the attack! Allow the pure of form no refuge! No mercy!

Perhaps we could route the psychic emanations of our infested protoss through some of our forces on Aiur to further confuse them?

We destroy the resistance. We dominate. Then we search for our brothers. We hunt those that killed them, we hunt whatever would strike at us and decimate them to the last. They will be stricken from all memory until only our hate and loss is the last remains of their blighted existence.

But...what is this 'distress'. Is it the swarm, the planet Zerg that swarms to them or something else. As we destroy, search. Find...withdraw Citybrate from the fight if we can. I...I sense a blackness across my vision, a shadow.

>>11603076
>>11603117
>>11603119

With three different fragments of our mind getting paranoid, perhaps we should investigate the phenomina first?

>faudicr pri? What?

>>11603174
Yes, we should capture whatever Protoss we can for future infestation. Now that we know it can be done, we must capture when possible. The more we capture, especially of their workers, artisans, engineers and shapers, the more understanding we will gain of their technology, and how best it could be adapted to serve us.

Also, keep in mind that live Protoss make better breeding stock. We should aim to capture.

And before anyone bitches about it, there are Protoss/Zerg halfbreeds of various flavors in SC2, and I'm not talking about infestation.

>>11603252
DAMN IT BERNIE, NOT NOW! I am trying to deal with whatever killed off two cerebrates permanently and direct an assault on Auir while we protect the Overmind! Go screw another DNA cache or something!

>>11603174
>>11603172
>>11603193
We flood our troops to the front lines, slaughtering the Protoss that stand in our way. We leave the injured behind, with a small team of fleshlings picking up whichever seem most viable for infestation.

Oddly, wherever our forces encounter those of Garm and Tiamat Broods, the troops of our silent Brothers attack at random, not differentiating between us and the Protoss, or even each other. They seem entirely ramptant.

We send a few overlords toward the last known locations of our Brothers. After a few moments' journey, the first arrives at the site of Zasz's form. There is evidence of a massive battle here, even discounting the damage caused by Zasz's rampaging Brood. Zasz itself appears to have been slain...but it ought to be reincarnating by now, rising up from its own entrails. It is not.

The other overlord reaches its destination at the heart of the Tiamat Brood, and finds the same of Daggoth: just a corpse.

Two Cerebrates are dead. Two immortals have fallen. What power could do this? What force could override the life-giving power of the Overmind Itself?

Let me rephrase before I get accused of meta-gaming: We only have a dozen or so Protoss right now, and none of them very powerful. For a successful breeding experiment (like we did with the flechlings) we will need a bigger group.

>>11603252
We've disregarded Blizzard's blatantly stupid "Khala means no infested Protoss" rule (which brings the question of whether you can infest a Dark Templar...)

It's silly and basically means the Overmind was a gimpy moron from the very start. I think it devalues the entirety of Zerg history and motivation for the sake of Game Balance. Since I don't have to deal with Game Balance, fuck it.

>paranois
>flechlings

Why can't I spell tonight?

>civilizing plindisa

>>11603311
>Two Cerebrates are dead. Two immortals have fallen
Share this knowledge with the Overmind. It must be made aware of this setback, and of this newly revealed vulnerability.

Back on Xenta, we must create a new Spylord, so that both combat and infiltration operations can be undertaken simultaneously more easily.

As for the rogue Zerg, we must attempt to bring them to heel as quickly as we can. Spawn more overlords!

And we must step up our defense production and bring our Brood back up to pre-Antiga levels, reinforced with Terran battlecruisers and Protoss scouts and carriers.

Also, of our forces on the ground, have them secure any recording devices and data repositories. We must find out how this setback occurred.

>>11603311
It chills me to my spines.

Take samples, harvest the dead immortals. We may yet bring our brothers back to life. And force our will a cross the wayward broods. THEY WILL BE OURS! We will dominate them, control them, bring them to our side once more and unleash them across Auir.

Cover the surface of Auir with overlords. Blot the sun with our minds eye.

>>11603252
>>11603314
hybrids require super secret Xel'Naga know-how I doubt we have though

>>11603314
Bernie, you twisted freak, we destroyed your genetic identity for a reason.

Do we have human psychics among our forces?

Get overlords and transport psychics to get both readings and also to see if the waywards can be put under our control

Agreed. We must spawn more overlords to control the wayward Zerg. Let none stray from their purity of mind.

>>11603434

True, but we don't know that at this point in the timeline. Like I said, I'm trying to avoid the meta-gaming.

Also, I grabbed these screenshots earlier in the week and have been itching for an excuse to post them.

>>11603464
No, because if we did, they would have been put through Ghost training once we got the Ghost Program training data.

>Zasz and Daggoth are dead
>Workhorse of the Zerg invasions along with the ground specialist of the Swarm bit it

How the fuck did Daggoth die? Guy's a tactical genius on the ground. Zasz I can understand, he normally fights space battles and escorts the shit out of everything

>>11603403
We disseminate this...horrible knowledge to the various Broods. We give them only a moment to absorb it before we direct them: they must secure the Overmind. the primary guardians of the Overmind were of the Garm and Tiamat Broods. Its physical Form might be under attack by Its own Children right this moment.

We immediately begin attempting to seize control of the lost Broods on Aiur, but our success is limited. It is as if the rampant Zerg cannot hear our calls. It is like the sheer noise of each lost mind is too loud for them to notice our voice in their minds. We try to...think louder?

Our Protoss technology tunes into their network. It seems that they are...divided? It's almost as if some of them believe that something even more important has happened than the coming of the Zerg. Something...abominable. We are confused; do they understand the sacrilege of two Cerebrates lying forever dead?

>>11603550
How INDEED.

>>11603565
We should probe their network to find out what is more important than the destruction of TWO of our immortal brethren.

>>11603565
We must set some of our infested Protoss into getting onto the Protoss communication channels and try to get the factions to tell them what happened.

We may need Labbrate to consider the creation of a new strain of Overlord, meant purely for psionic amplification of our will.

Attempt to secure and suborn as much of the Protoss technology and infrastructure as we can.

It would be... tragic... if the Overmind were dead as well as Daggoth and Zasz. If that turns out to be the case, though, we are the only Cerebrate (that we know of) that has any experience thinking for ourselves. Not only that, but our leadership of various lesser Cerebrates proove that we are a prime candidate for absorbing our brothers and forming a new Overmind.

In the standard timeline I believe that honor wend to Daggoth. In our story Daggoth is becoming one with the Creep.

>>11603600
The comm is flooded with information, both military and governmental. After a few moments' concentration, we hear a few phrases that spark recognition in our infested Protoss memories: "Fallen Ones," "Great Schism," and "Dark Ones."

Just as troops on our front line begin to fall inexplicably to an invisible enemy, we hear something that awakens a dormant rage in the minds of our Protoss:

"Adun Toridas."

It's time for Brorate action.

First, Zasz trained new Cerebrates, let's try to find one that can take control or connect t its remaining forces

Then, let's hook up to Araq and the Jormungand brood to form battle lines

Let's all overlord the shit out of this

>>11603645
The Overmind is still safe within the Swarm, as it had not yet put itself into a physical shell.

>>11603565
THEN WE SHALL THINK LOUDER!

IF THEY ARE DIVIDED, SPLIT THEM. SEND IN A SINGLE PROTOSS TO SEED GREAT DECENT. THAT THIS ZERG PROBLEM IS NOTHING COMPARED TO THEIR FOE. AND AS THEY BICKER AMONGST THEMSELVES, WE SHALL DEVOUR THEM ALL.

HOWEVER IT IS BEST IF WE FIND OUT WHAT DIVIDES THEM FIRST. AND MORE OVERLORDS, TO CONTROL THIS UNRULY SWARM.

AND SERIOUSLY, SPYLORD. SPAWN IT. AND IF WE NEED LOUDER, I CAN GO LOUDER!

Yeah, I knew the dark ones and there Cerebrate killing void blades where there. I hope that our Overlords covering the whole planet makes that cloaking moot. Because I want five to mind control and the rest to SLAUGHTER MINDLESSLY!

>>11603646
Invisible enemy? Sounds like cloaking fields to me. We know that personal cloaking fields are possible with the Ghosts.
We must spawn more Overlords to be sent to the frontlines and detect this hidden menace.

Also, attempt to suborn some of the Protoss systems and see if we can't produce Protoss probes for our use, or tap into their sensor net.

Finally, get more information about these "Dark Ones".

>>11603669

Just keeping the option opened, Anon.

Always keep your options opened.

I'm not looking to subvert father, but if he goes down, do you want to take orders from that crazey fuck Gorn? And Kaloth, you know you can't trust him as far as you can throw him!

Nargil is too busy adding new species to the swarm, and don't even get me started on Azua...

No, without our eldest brother Daggoth, it will, nay, it MUST fall to us to take father's place.

>>11603682
(I hear you about Spylord. Consider it spawned. It just seems less important than, you know, the first permanent deaths in the history of the Swarm.)

>>11603656
Araq responds to our suggestion, sending a massive arm of its Brood to assist us. We take the initiative to order Gorn and Kagg to defend the Overmind. Their Broods are ferocious and experienced in killing their own kind. That may make them best suited to defending the Overmind from the Swarm itself.

We still find it hard to sway the rogue Zerg. If only we had a way of making our thoughts more intense for these creatures...

Units on the front line continue to die inexplicably, as if some invisible force were annihilating them in a single strike.

>>11603766
...I heard the idle corrupting DNA of the Damned taste the Freshest. I believe I will use you as my next experiment.

As for our Protoss, I suggest keeping them out of the 'angry'. Attempt to sooth them.

>>11603794
Do we still have the blueprints for the psi emitter? That was a powerful psychic signal and if we could work it to amplify our own instead of generating a lure, we could use it to expand our control and take the rogue zerg.

(just like Kerrigan did in Broodwar).

>>11603794

Hmm, can we modify the Psi Emitter design to act as a loudspeaker for our will?

My only concern there is that we were directly orderd by father to destroy it and he probably meant the blueprints as well.

We're already in Aiur. Let's carpet bomb the frontlines with spores, perhaps we can take back control of some Zerg and just infest whatever Protoss arestill in the bedlam

thoughts?

>>11603794
Are our Overlords able to detect nothing, or have they simply not been able to be spawned yet?

Also, are any of our forces on Aiur capable of manipulating Protoss technology?

>>11603794
Understood! Just making sure that we get that overlord spawned before we forget.

And where is our cloud of Overlords! I demand that this world be covered in our minds eye! Damn it, twist every mind we dominate to REASSERTING OUR WILL! These rogue zergs will be OURS! OUR MIND IS NOT WEAK!

>The Premory

>>11603828
>>11603835

Psi-mind?

>>11603862
Psi-mind.

Labbrate had studied the psi emitter schematics before, and had said that there might be a way to use it to amplify our own psionic signature; we should have it implement that plan immediately.

>>11603828
>>11603835
meta hive mind?

We should secure our position on Aiur and bring the rampaging broods under our sway. However it needs to be done somewhat more cautiously in light of the recent tragedy.

These "Dark Ones" can be investigated after we are secure. While they have done the unthinkable, they have done little to nothing else and will mostly likely engage in a guerilla resistance if they remain. They will likely not remain though.

>>11603828
Labbrate positively gushes lubricating fluids as it latches onto this idea. In less than an hour, a working psi emitter is constructed, and attuned to our mental frequency. It is launched toward Aiur immediately.

------------------------------------

Our memories from the Protoss are layered with their cultural biases and the haze of their mental intoxication when they were infested, but it seems that the memories concerning these Dark ones is pungent. They are the exiles that refused to join the Protoss in the shelter of the Khala. They are the abominations that mar Protoss history to its core. They are the traitors. They are the Fallen. They are the Dark Templar.

If they have set foot upon Aiur, it could mean the end of their very civilization. It could mean an open civil war that could destroy them all. The mere idea is anathema to the Khala which we had to work so hard to strip away from these Protoss' minds.

------------------------------------

We move overlords to the front lines, hoping their psionic fields can detect these invisible foes. Very soon, we have caught onto their clever cloaking fields, much more advanced than those of the Terrans. We can see them, now. They appear much different than the regular Protoss...

Kill them. They have slain our brothers. We will end them

A few may live so we can experiment with them. Their cloaks seem...interesting, and I do believe that the Bernie Gene needs some venting. In fact, yest. I do believe that Bernie's Memory should honor the loss of our brothers.

SUDDENLY DICKLINGS AND COCKLISKS! EVERYWHERE!

>>11603924
Begin ganking them as they assault. Do not let them near any more cerebrates.

If we can isolate some, subdue them for infestation. Without the Khala, it will either be easier or downright impossible.

>>11603924
>We can see them, now
We seee youuu...

Crush them. Get prisoners if possible, but we must eliminate the threat that they represent first.

Spore bomb the dark ones
Kite them with our gausslisks

See about developing explosive zergs using basic infested terran knowledge to minefield everything

We pull no stops in the subduing of these Dark Templar. Many are slain outright, but we are able to capture six of them alive. We would have more, but the Khala Protoss appear as devoted to striking them down as we are.

Many are carted away from the battlefield, restrained as if awaiting trial. These Protoss are strange fighters.

The injured Dark Templar are taken to the Zerg World. We shall infest them at the Hive Cluster there.

The psi emitter arrives, and we begin the long process of converting the rampant Zerg to our cause as Araq's Brood takes up the maintenance of our main line against the Protoss. For the moment, the line holds.

>>11603924
How long until the psi emitter gets in range of Aiur that we can attempt to use it?

While we seem to have a handle on the ground situation, how do our aerospace forces look? Is there still a significant Protoss space presence? And using the Protoss communication network, is there any word on Tassadar? He is a skilled strategist, and we should watch out for him.

>>11604077
Infest and interrogate. Also keep them far away from our other infested protoss.

Any news on the Overmind?

>>11604077
So, how close is Kerrigan to awakening?

Oh yes, did we collect any genetic samples of our dead brothers?

>>11604120
We scan the Protoss wavelengths for mention of Tassadar. From what we can gather, he is still lost to the Protoss. There is no word of him.

Rain spores everywhere. we will see the planet through the protoss

>>11604161
Oh, Hunter Killer strains, those are important

Get an update on space and surface forces for us and for the Protoss. Also, are the Protoss expecting any significant reinforcements from any of their other fleets? If so, we'll have to prepare for that by prioritizing the reclamation of all aerospace assets of the two lost Broods.

>>11604141
Kerrigan's Chrysalis should awaken soon. We cannot be more precise than that, as it is truly the Overmind that orchestrated this project.

>>11604161
Genetic samples of Cerebrates? We do not understand.

>>11604135
After a brief investigation, it seems as though the Dark Templar have severed a vital gland in their biology. They have stripped away the connective psionic pathways that link their kind, like...well, like a zergling cutting the link to its Cerebrate. It seems that these Dark Templar should be as devoid of control over their psionic powers as the rogue Zerg on Aiur...yet, they can cloud our vision and seem invisible.

Their biology is unique from that of their Templar cousins. This will require a new approach.

>>11604214
There is no mention of reinforcements. All of the comm chatter seems to be a religious debate over whether or not to slaughter the Dark Templar or focus on the Zerg.

>This will require a new approach.

Implant a broodling where this organ should be. Carefully give its development into a symbiont

(Back in a minute, folks. I'm going to go take a shot or two of Fighting Cock-brand Bourbon. This could be fatal. Don't worry. The Overmind will reincarnate me. I find it hard to believe that a bottle of hooch could secretly be a Dark Templar...)

>>11604269
Excellent. While they bicker amongst themselves, we will regain control over the two lost Broods, and inundate the Protoss defenses under a flood of Zerg.
But keep an eye out, and send some overlords out throughout the system to act as an early-warning system in case reinforcements do warp in somehow.

Have Labbrate begin it's experiments on the Dark Templar.
Should we inform the Overmind of this find?

>>11604242
Yes, draw samples of their dead bodies. They had long memories, great warriors, deadily strains. These things must not be lost to their death, and even in death, in oblivion that these Nerazim have inflicted upon the swarm, still life my come.

>>11604273
This plan seems good.

>>11604269
Have our Protoss help this debate. Are not these a anethema, a revolting blight to the world? Are not these Zerg once-brothers, and all to easy to slay? Destroy the Dark Templars, and then attack the weak and unfocused Zerg.

>>11604292
Beware! A Dark Templar could be Anywhere!

With the advanced schematics we recovered from the Magellan, are we now capable of constructing nuclear weapons?

(Have dodged death once more. My claims of immortality gain more credence with each passing day!)

We brilliantly revert a larva back to its most basic roots: a parasitic worm. It has been centuries, perhaps millennia since this form of Zerg has seen the light of a sun. It burrows painfully into the spinal cord of its victim, a Dark Templar warrior. It begins to flood the Protoss' mind with toxins and hormones, punishing dissent and rewarding right thought.

This is working quite well. Soon, it will be a matter of exerting our psionic control over this creature's mind, and it will be ours.

>>11604514

Cerebrate Anon, you are immortal, as no Cerebrate would die under the care of the Overmind and apart from our dead brothers, no Cerebrate shall die again as we CONTROL THESE DARK TEMPLAR!

Essables Chain

>>11604505
Yes. Should we choose to do so.

>>11604401
We have a Defiler sift through the distended corpses of our recently deceased Brothers. We gain the knowledge of Hunter Killers, but little else. So much of what a Cerebrate is cannot be quantified physically. We are truly as much the Spirit of our Brood as we are its Head.

Our Protoss attempt to speak, but they are instantly recognized as interlopers. It seems that our skills at infiltration are less focused for the Protoss.
(Imagine the average infested Terran in-game. If that voice said, "Ask for Obama's birth certificaaaaaaaaaaaate," would you be suspicious?)

>>11604584
Curses. But at least their life will continue with us.

PULL BACK THOSE PROTOSS! damn it, we need to practice. SPYLORD, START GETTING BETTER!

(What? Of course I would trust a mouthless psychic that faintly mumbles about how wonderful everything is while my planet is under attack by foreign invaders and besshadowed curses to our great race.)

>>11604514
Now that we've been able to secure areas of the planetary surface, have Labbrate also begin attempting to suborn the Protoss technology to serve us. Specifically doing things like tapping into their sensor nets, messing around with their command order, as well as attempting to get access to some of their bigger Warp Gates and reverse-engineering the technology so that we can use the warp system to move resources around more quickly and easily, especially from outlying systems to our manufacturing and spawning centers.

>>11604584
(Oh, crap...inb4 I derail my own thread into a political debate.)

Stage a showy retreat with overlords taking to the skies so that the Protoss believe we are turning back. Let's see what technique they come up with to defeat their former brethren

Work on regaining control of the mindless swarms either using the more influential Cerebrates (Araq deserves a try at this) and silently disperse spores to advance our infestation

>>11604641
Yeaaah. Lets pretend it was...Angus Mengsk's Head?

>>11604649
Flee? In our hour of victory? I think not!

>>11604629
The Protoss appear to have changed their encryption keys since our attack on Tassadar's fleet. It is a miracle we can even access their communications network.

Labbrate reminds us that so long as we can capture the main prefabrication center, we can decipher how their warp network functions, and begin using similar means to transport troops.

>epists Protection
Captcha, sometimes I feel like you're just making things up.

>>11604719
STAGE a retreat. We want them focusing on the Dark templars. They probably know how to deal with them or something

>>11604649
>retreat

We have multiple broods on the surface of Aiur, and a whole goddamn PLANET OF ZERG ECLIPSING THEIR SUN!

We've already won this war. Everything now is just working out the kinks.

>>11604727
Direct the swarm towards their manufacturing centers.

Capture delicious technology and first-class it to Labbrate.

>>11604727
Begin searching the surface of the planet for the primary fabrication center of the Protoss. If we can secure that, and hit any warehouses they might have, we can severely cripple their combat capability by preventing them from getting reinforcements and resupplying.

>>11604649
>>11604756
Araq rejects this idea pretty vehemently. It insists that the Jormungand Brood never retreats.

>>11604727
Well, lets listen to him. Direct our forces to find, disable and take the prefab. Any protoss are to be taken as mindslaves.

How is that PSI emitter coming along?

>>11604850
'Forgive us, Araq. Random thought escaped us for a moment. We are too...focused, I feel, and some parts of our stupid are freeing themselves as this war is fought. Glory to the Overmind, and let him free us of this burden, Araq! FORWARD!

>>11604850

He is not retreating.

He is advancing to the rear to further our cause.

What is the status of the Zerg World?

Back on Xenta, begin constructing a small stockpile of nuclear warheads. I want them equipped with cloaking fields, preferably with the Dark Templar ones if we are ever able to reverse-engineer that technology.

I want a surprise ready for Kingston, the next time we meet.

>>11604909
'There it goes again! For give it, I will devour the corruption after taking this hill!'

>>11604934
Two notes: First, we should really come up with a biological alternative to Nukes, and not just because I thought that having nukes only for humans was a bit cheap.

Two: Remember how we should gaslight Arcturus Mengsk? Lets work on Kingston instead, eh?

>Early Gilturs
Yeah, Captha, rock out.

>>11604934
>cloaked nukes

This is a wonderful idea.

We should also find a way to tack those protoss world-killing lasers to a bunch of overlords or something.

>>11604956
Not a lot can beat the efficient conversion of mass to energy that a nuclear device offers, except for an anti-matter weapon.

As for your second suggestion...yes...I like it.

>>11604823
>>11604851
The prefabrication center appears (from our vantage point on Zerg World) to actually be the entire Southern continent. We could divert unit drops from the front lines to there, but it would weaken our position.

The psi emitter has helped us to regain control of hundreds, perhaps even more than a thousand units, but Daggoth and Zasz had at least a hundred times that many troops. It is slow going, but we are making progress.

------
We creep into the recesses of the Dark Templar's mind. We feel it fighting the primal Zerg wriggling around its amygdala, and we share connections enough to hear its appeals to...the Void? Is this Void some sort of god?
------

>gaslight Kingston

Gotta catch him, first...

>>11605006

Something like a rain of infectious spores and exploding fleshsacs or something.

>auriuts fellow-captives
I think the captcha wants Mengsk and Kingston to fight. And by 'fight' I mean us gaslighting them and playacting their little wars against each other.

>>11605014
Shut that shit down. It doesn't get to talk to anyone but us. If it gets to contact outsiders it might take refuge in them.

That won't help us break it.

>>11605014
Would a second psi emitter help to bring the Broods under control faster?

Also, I think this gambit for the southern continent is worth weakening our front lines. The Protoss are still in the midst of an ecclesiarchal crisis. We should take advantage of that to strike at their supply infrastructure.

>>11605044

Oh no, NO WAY are we gonna just nuke Kingston. I want to eat his mind.

>>11605080
>eat his mind
Of course, of course. But I want to do it after we nuke his entire fleet into a thinly dispersing cloud of elements.

captcha: Several nomock
What's that, Captcha, we should use multiple nukes?

>>11605044
Oh, don't worry. We will. We will.

>>11605014
Perhaps we could let Gorn slaughter these protoss while we take care of the southern continent. There is less problem of wild Zerg hurting the Overmind...Or just keeping and eye on the Southern Continent. We are fully capable of taking it after we have finished...

if we attack the infrastructure, first priority should go to destroying/capturing (preferably capture) the warp/teleporting portion. that way even if they still pump out air units, it'll at least take them longer to reach the battle lines.

>>11605173
I would prefer to assault it now.
If the Protoss attempt to send forces to stop us, they weaken their defenses and the other Broods can assault them.
If the Protoss don't send forces to the Sourthern Continent, we eliminate one of their greatest strengths, that of their vast numbers of pre-fabricated war machines.

Yes, they might breach our front-line, but with our ZergWorld in orbit, there's no real need to hold any one place on the surface; only inflict as much damage onto the Protoss at every turn.

I think this is a gambit worth playing.

I do believe that the Baelrog Brood would quite enjoy the horror that is the Bernie Strain. Just saying.

>>11605232
We are not introducing penises to the Zerg Swarm proper.

No cerebrate would accept it, and the Overmind would order it purged.

Kerrigan might like it.

>>11605217
We cease troop movements to the line. Araq assures us pompously that it can hold any perimeter.

On the Southern continent, we see row after row of Stargates, Nexii, Forges, etc. Hundreds of each type of building sit in shining rows, awaiting warp transit to their new homes. We drop forces more or less randomly about, destroying buildings indiscriminately, so as to draw out the location of the central authority.

After a dozen or so explosions rock the ground, we notice movement in a complex on an Eastern peninsula. Taking our forces there, we find something odd. It is a great blue crystal the size of a Terran skyscraper. It glows with otherworldly energy. We sense distortions in space around it. This is the key to their warp rifts: a massive Khaydarin crystal.

Properly focused, a single Protoss could maintain this network of warp rifts. Of course, the Protoss are not the only creatures sensitive to the crystals...

>>11605291
"Ravenous and bloodthirsty to the extreme, the Baelrog Brood was often called upon by Cerebrate Gorn to sow terror and confusion among enemy ranks."

My friend, they will be nightmares throughout the galaxy.

>Was Doodown
Yes it was, Captcha. Yes it was.

>>11605291
(NO! STOP! You'll summon that confusing and horrible Kerrigan/Hydralisk porn from back in thread 2 or 3! You'll doom us all! DOOM, I say!)

>>11605343

Sweet Shiny Jesus.

Secure the Crystal at all costs.

Uproot that crystal, and plant it on Zerg World.

With its energies, the cost of warping it about should be greatly lessened.

>>11605394

Roving Zerg Fortress World.

I just came.

>>11605436
We'll be like Beast Planet, devouring worlds to add to our power.

We surround the crystal with our most fearsome troops. Power Armor Ultralisks, Gausslisks, and even a surviving Siege Canon Ultralisk join with regular zerglings and infested marines. We send more, just to be sure.

The curators of the prefabrication center appear to number fewer than 50.

This battle shouldn't take long...

>>11605474

I can see how this ends.

fuuuuuu-

>>11605474
Capturing the crystal is priority number one. Even more so than taking the foundry.

This is all going well. Either our overwhelming force is working, or the shoe is about to drop.

>>11605474

Brace for Archon shitstorm.

>>11605436
>>11605454
>>11605394

Accountantbrate, I believe your worries are over.

Anyway, Cerebrate Anon, awesome Quest. I wish that the...ahem...horror that is caused by Kerrigan and things to to over come. This voice is now silenced. Please be awesome while I take a rest cycle

>>11605543
('night! Thanks!)

>>11605511
>>11605507
>>11605498
We are assembled around the crystal en masse. Shall we strike?

>>11605474
Can we get two of our Protoss Carriers there? We will need to put down everything we have. Any and all remaining Zerg on the ZergWorld need to rain down on this position.
There is no way that the Protoss would leave the linchpin to their entire military force so lightly defended, unless they have some hidden power.

Do any of our infested Protoss know of the defenses that we might find here?

>>11605578

Is there a way to do it that doesn't get us fucked?

>>11605578

Zergling Hydralisk rush. All expendable troops.

The hivemind is cautious about why such an important facility has only such a small number of defenders. We need to see what they can do.

>>11605578
if by strike you mean....

STRIKE THE EARTH (Aiur)

then yes.

We need to lift this crystal to our place.

>>11605594
Short of having an entire fleet of captured Terran battlecruisers and Protoss carriers, mutalisks, guardians, wraiths, scouts, and a few nukes?

No, I think we're going to get a little fucked up.

>>11605590
Using the carriers is...inadvisable.

(Shooting giant planet-cracking lasers from space at a building-sized crystal that powers an interplanetary mystical power grid is like...you know, I don't think there's an analogy that works. It's like firing the moon out of a gun at Texas? Sure, you'll hit those guys, but holy shit, the collateral damage!)

>>11605594
(Probably. I've only got a vague idea of what's about to happen, myself. If you guys have a great plan, I'm always willing to let you get away with shit that you shouldn't because it's crafty)

>>11605631
Yes. Have our more expendable shocktroops assault the crystals defenses. Once they have been revealed, our heavy hitters can really start doing their job.

So have the siege ultralisk save its shots until the prime targets reveal themselves (probably archons).

>>11605654
>Shooting giant planet-cracking lasers from space at a building-sized crystal that powers an interplanetary mystical power grid

Just the way you said this makes me want to try it.

>>11605677

Overmind would never forgive us if we fucked this one up, lol.

>>11605654

Overload the fucking powergrid.

Get it to blow = Fuckmassive EMP WAVE.

>>11605692
The Overmind might not be there when you're done. You might not be there when you're done. Remember Shakuras?

>in peanners
I...Captcha, you've been listening to Bernie, haven't you?

>>11605665

Also, send in lurkers mixed in.

They shall STRIKE THE EARTH and attack from below.

>>11605654
Okay.
Send in a flood of zerglings backed up by protective fire from our hydralisks and gausslisks.
The zergling rush should expose any static automated defenses that can be worn down by hydralisk and gausslisk fire and regular ultralisks.
Once the photon cannons are breached, the High Templars inside will be forced to either use up their psionic energy on psychic storms on the zerglings or merge into Archons.
When our zerglings are nearly exhausted, we hit them hard with our power-armour ultralisks and infested marines, as well as any air assets we have.
Have the siege ultralisk hold back until it has a good shot on a high-value target, like a High Templar or an Archon.

As for Protoss Carriers; don't use their Exterminatus Lasers, just their fighter drones from a safe distance.

>>11605693
>Get it to blow = Fuckmassive PSIONIC EMP WAVE.
fixed

>>11605726
Could we perhaps load the interceptors with bombs like the scourge instead of their regular payload?

Directed bombs is yes.

>>11605721


WAIT

Universes' Greatest Heist. Why not use the Lurkers to sink the crystal, and disrupt those protoss fuckers

>>11605721
>>11605726
We send our most expendable units first. Photon cannons appear in flashes of blue light, firing rapidly. They are quickly dispatched by our forces, but more appear. They are also destroyed, but replaced again.

The blood and plasma flows as the crystal's curators pull photon canons from their stock, but our forces are too numerous. Before a cannon can fire twice, it is destroyed. Meanwhile, we notice more blue flashes as units emerge from the structure nestled around the crystal's base.

Hundreds of zealots charge our line, psi-blades flashing.

>>11605786
Can they do that?
HOLY SHIT WE SHOULD DO THAT!!

Use the battle plan from >>11605726
but it's only to give the lurkers enough time to dig underneath the crystal and disrupt it! We don't need to steal it all, just disrupt the harmonics enough that it cause their entire warp network to shut down!
The confusion should give our forces the opening they need to overrun the defenses!

>>11605786
(Because the crystal's growing out of the ground, not sitting on it? And the size of a dozen Thunderdomes stacked on top of each other? And protected by crazy psychic monks? Or something.)

>relatively olmodul
I mean, not fully olmodul, but more olmodul than it could have been.

>>11605796
Do we have any infested SCVs that could be dropped in to build bunkers for our marines, creating a defensive line?
Immediately attempt a flanking maneuver, as detailed in >>11605807
>>11605786

>>11605796
>hundreds of zealots

Well, that little hitch will solve itself soon enough. How many millions of zerg are taking part in this battle?

Call some backup from the Zerg World and double it. Just to smack them in the face about how fucked they are.

>>11605796
Okay. More realistically, do we have any infested SCV's in the area that could be used to build bunkers that our marines could hole up in, and that our more precious ranged-fire units could hide behind?
Also, do we have any air assets at all, like mutalisks or guardians?

>>11605833
>backup from the Zerg World
Do we have any reinforcements left on the worldship?

The zealots attract the zerglings, and the battle moves quickly, with zealots falling in droves just before the battlefield is coated in plasma from the newly-appeared dragoons. Behind them, mechanical Reavers take up a staggered formation as scouts appear to challenge our air forces.

Yes, we need only disrupt their teleportation network to secure victory. Odds are that any photon cannons in storage or staging areas are unpowered.

Is there any way to psionically disrupt their network using the crystal as a focus? Maybe fly in a bunch of overlords and focus our awesome mental might through them?

(witation studies? as if every other minority having its own department was bad enough, now these filthy witations want their own?)

>>11605874
Not a lot. Citybrate has the Hives producing units as fast as it can, but we have a substantial portion of our forces on Aiur right now.

>>11605880
>reavers

FALL THE FUCK BACK. THOSE THINGS WILL FUCK US UP SO HARD.

We need to deal with the scouts so our guardians can take out the reavers. I suggest a mixed force of mutalisks and scourge. Mutas go in first to draw fire, then scourge impact and bring the scouts down.

Once the air situation is under control, move guardians in and eliminate reavers.

Once reavers are down, resume ground assault.

>>11605896
We continue to have a severe lack of air power. Tassadar's fleet made sure of that. Warbrate suggests that we not rely on it. Perhaps have our mutalisks lead the scouts into ground-based fire?

>>11605915
Attempt to lure the scouts forward using our mutalisks into range of our ground forces, especially our marines and gausslisks.
We need to punch a hole in the Protoss air cover so that our guardians can get in and destroy the Reavers.

>>11605954
The mutalisks avoid as much fire as possible, flying low to the ground. The scouts follow, exploding in hails of gunfire and launched spines. The scouts soon learn to stay high up except during attack dives. Were it not for the sheer numerical superiority of our forces, the scouts might have held off indefinitely.

Our guardians move slowly into position as the Reavers charge forward. Well, alright, the kind of shamble forward, but still, they are advancing. It seems that they intend to launch as many scarabs as possible before their defeat.

While we're doing this, have any of the other Broods noticed any new weakpoints emerge in the Protoss defensive lines?
We should have them press the attack now, in order to force the defenders here to choose between reinforcing existing defense lines, and routing defense units to here.

>>11606004
Have our zerglings rush the Reavers. Zerglings are cheap, and it will take time for the Reavers to replenish their stocks of scarabs. A zergling for a scarab is much cheaper and easier to accept than a squad of marine or some gausslisks, or Overmind forbid, a power armour ultralisk.

>>11606004
burrow the first few lines of our units. This should help absorb the impact and slow the reaver's advance. Continue retreating the main force beyond the reaver's range.

Guardians open fire on reavers, and then provide cover and support for the returning swarm.

Our lines burrow out of sight, while the others retreat. The Reavers are not fooled, however, and the first round of scarabs takes many zerglings with it. The guardians continue to attack, but it seems as if at least another wave of scarabs is on the way.

>>11606086
It is a moment later that half as many scarabs explode, taking more zerglings with them. That boom is followed by an even louder one as the Reavers are disabled, the remaining scarabs detonating unfired. The smoke takes a second to clear before our forces surge forward. Nothing new appears. No new blue flashes indicate arrivals. It seems like it will be just our forces and the curators, now.

>>11606086
Make sure that the zerglings are the ones to take a scarab to the face.
Try so that the ratio is one zergling to one scarab.
Obviously they're not stupid; we will need to press the attack in the opening created between when the Reavers use up their onboard stock of scarabs and are between shots.

>>11606120
Remember, stick to the plan. Zerglings and cheap shocktroops in front, followed by heavier shock troops in order to get the curators to either use up their psychic energy on the small fry, or become Archons prematurely.
Don't forget to use our air supremacy to our advantage.

The zerglings charge forward as a light blue glow shines within the curators' structure. Just as they reach the opening to its innards, blue lightning shoots out from it. Zerglings explode by the handful. From behind a mist of bloody vapor, a figure cloaked in raw psionic energy emerges. If releases bolts of energy that tear through our units as if they are not even there.

The number of zerglings lost to this entity nears triple digits when another appears from the doorway behind it. And another. And another. As our expendable units dwindle, the twenty-third and final entity takes to the field. They advance heavily, their groans audible over the electric discharges of psionic energy they throw around.

>>11606195
23 Archons....through everything we have at them. Guardians firing at stand-off range as mutalisks go in on suicidal attack runs. Marines, gausslisk, and hydralisks make firing lines as our ultralisks and powered armor ultralisks take to the field.

23...? There should be 25 Archons, since there were 50 High Templars...What are those 4 remaining templars planning?

Our guardians fire upon the beings, as do our gausslisks and infested marines. The hydralisks slither forward into a closer range. The Archons do not even seem to notice that they are being attacked. The zerglings certainly aren't hitting them. They are being vaporized before they can come close enough.

The exchange is oddly quick for its brutality. Tens of thousands of Zerg for a mere twenty-three Protoss.

We press forward, our forces carefully navigating the mud that is made from the soil and the blood of the fallen. We sense only one soul left within the structure.

>>11606235
(I said about 50. We've never been particularly good at exact numbers)

Our mutalisks are still equipped with cloaking fields, yes? Have them cloak. I don't know if it'll do any good, but it can't hurt, and if they don't have an observer in the area, it might tip the fight in our favor.
Also, all of our ranged units should have a firing range greater than that of the Archons. We've seen the range that they have on their psionic lighting; have our forced stay out of range as we pour the fire on them.
Keep the ultralisks back until their shields look like they will buckle, at which point they'll charge, or if a big enough gap opens between the Archons and the Crystal that the Ultralisks can get to the crystal to secure it.

As our forces, substantially lighter in number than they were the last time, approach the door to the structure, our view of the battle from Zerg World is obstructed.

Clouds have appeared, seemingly from nowhere.

Our forces hear thunder rumbling in the sky. Lots of it.

>>11606260
It's a trap!

No really, send in a squad of marines, with a good number (40) of hydralisks and gausslisks, with an air escort of mutalisks.
Pull back our other forces. I got a bad feeling about this.

>>11606303
Okay, not good. Switch our perception to that of one of the marines on the ground, and assault that motherfucker. Hit it hard and fast before it can complete whatever it's doing, and hope that we made it in time.

Captcha: was beenized
That doesn't sound good...

>>11606316
(Be-enized? Sounds like a process of making something be. Captcha surely means something like Created or Made)

Our units waste no time. What units reach the doors first storm through. Within the structure is some kind of resonance chamber, at least a hundred feet high. Floating in the center of the chamber, psionic energy crackling about her skin, is a female Protoss.

Her voice booms around us, seeming for all the world to resonate more in our mind than the air.

"Welcome, crawling things and corrupted flesh. I am the High Templar Feneschal, and this is Tsinoseng, the Keystone. From here, the most revered Templar focus their energies and direct the psionic network which connects the whole of the Protoss Empire. The Archons who accosted you were the bonded souls of the greatest living warriors among our people. I do not mourn their deaths, as they have given themselves to the final embrace of the Khala..."

>>11606370
Shoot her! SHOOT HER!

>>11606370
The ground rumbles as the clouds of the sky roil and churn.

"Your filthy claws defile this holy place, crawling things. If you have come here, then it means you have no fear of the bulk of my people's forces. Though billions of us march upon Aiur, you fear not a one. I can feel it within you, Anon: greed. You are like a slavering beast, devouring everything you come across without regard for its worth. You are everything the Dae'Uhl exists for us to combat. You are everything the Khala teaches us to control. You are the worst that the universe has to offer..."

>>11606394
"Fine words, from a failed experiment and stagnant, decaying race!"
Keep her occupied as marines spread out and gausslisks take aim.
"You, who were the First, and so the least worthy of our Creator's Vision! We will show you Perfection of Spirit!"
Open fire.

part of the problem that ultimately holds back self generating systems vs intelegently manipulated ones is that cellular based systems also include systems to generate (dna) and self preserve (organelles, et all), which all take up space and use energy that weould not be in a more specialised system.

thus with sufficient sophistication the difference between 'organic' and 'inorganic' becomes a moot point, reachning levels of refinement and efficieny not posible in a purely genetic based construct.

with these self evident truths we should have labrate focus on a new side project, creation of a new supplimental intelect, focused on using 'key feature' reasoning to ponder concepts, rather then direct translitteration as with more common computing systems, which would allow it to handle ambiguous concepts with minimal memory space and proccessing power, a more hueristic system, as it were.
thus we can then reaserch ever more effective methods of construction and programming, our understanding will become suprime.

>parywhal later
it *will* be done, captcha

>>11606394
Blue lightning flashes menacingly across the sky.

"Oh, do not fear, Cerebrate. I would no more destroy the Tsinoseng than I would destroy Aiur, if I had such power. No, I do a far worse thing, in the eyes of my people. I sacrifice my future, my legacy, my memory. I shall forever be remembered as the coward who bargained away the homeworld...but my people shall live."

The crystal shakes dangerously, a blue light growing in intensity within it.

"Attend, Cerebrate: you shall take no more of my brethren for meat. You shall take no more of our holy relics for idle study. You may take Aiur today, but it shall be returned to us."

The light intensifies infinitely, blinding the Zerg inside the structure. It extends out from the Tsinoseng across all of Aiur. It engulfs every Protoss warrior, every member of the Conclave, every building and mech. When the light fades, they are no more.

Aiur stands devoid of Protoss life. It is ours. The Swarm stands victorious. For the price of two immortal Cerebrates and casualties innumerable, the birthplace of the Protoss is ours.

Yet still, the First Born elude us.

>>11606440

FUCKING SHIT.

>>11606440
FUCKING FIRST BORN
HOW DO THEY WORK?

Yeah, sorry to railroad over your very good suggestions to shoot her, but I thought this ending was much more epic in scope. Also, we've been overshooting our own fluff the whole quest. It was time the Toss got their chance at it!

Well, it's 4:30 am, here. I'm going to go see if I can't get to sleep before the sun comes up.

See you next week!

Also, she was busy funneling energy through the most powerful psionic crystal on her planet (and Aiur has some pretty awesome crystals). I'm sure she could deflect bullets with that shit.

Or, you know, freeze our troops' synapses with dimensional jibba jabba, like the purifier does in SCII (that...damn purifier)

>>11606462
I staying calm right, because the rage that I feel bubbling beneath the surface threatens to release itself in a quite destructive manner.

To sum up my feelings on the issue of the Protoss robbing us of any meaningful victory, of taking all that was of value from Aiur and leaving only a dessicated husk of a planet:
WE. WILL. KILL. THAT. BITCH.

Thank you CerebrateAnon, see you next week.

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/11600995/

Archive'd for posterity.

>emprigns Una

>>11606475
So, now we can classify our enemies into:
LOLMengsk
KINGSTOOOOOON!!!
and
Goddamn FENESCHAL!

>>11606440
>>11606493
>You may take Aiur today, but it shall be returned to us
She wants to play in the big leagues? She wants to make a personal enemy of us?
Okay, fine.
Next session, we tear this planet apart. We will rip out its heart and feed it to our ZergWorld! When the Protoss return to this system, they will find NOTHING; not even an asteroid field to mark the grave of Aiur!
We will show these Firstborn what it means to be Perfect of Spirit!