Chapter 1
The Long Haul
Where am I?
That's the first question I asked myself. It was… warm. Dark. Everything around me looked like the inside of a human mouth. I want to say that my beginning was very illustrious, with philosophical questioning about the meaning of being born…
Truth is I spent most of my time screaming internally.
This… Womb I found myself in was flesh-like, with black bones forming a skeleton while purple mucus stretched around it like an egg sac. It took me a while to realize that I could see everything around me without turning my head. It took me longer to realize that it was because I had no eyes. Or even a head to turn.
Alright, think. Who are you?
My name… My name is Jac… Jacob? Jackson? I'm not sure anymore. I was a thirty-five year old human, always wanting to keep my friends out of trouble despite their more delinquent tendencies. I was enamored with the game known as StarCraft, and wanted to explore everything about it since it first came out. I collected the books, I bought the expansion, I even purchased the sequel when it came out. My favorite race to play as was the Zerg, and I became known among my friends as the Cerebrate... something. It had to do with my name, why can't I remember my name? How did I even...
I remember.
I didn't look while I was crossing the street. The light turned green. I was hit by… something. A car, maybe a truck.
Forget it, self. Where are you now? Taking a look around, it wasn't long before that question was answered for me. The egg sac burst, and I found my consciousness directed straight at a giant eyeball, held in place by various tendrils. It took me a moment to gather myself in the presence of this being, for I could feel the power emanating from it.
That thing looks famili-
"Awaken, my child," a voice boomed in my mind, "And embrace the glory, that which is your birthright. Know that I am the Overmind, the eternal will of the Swarm, and that you have been created to serve me."
...Oh God dammit.
After reenacting the first cut-scene of the Zerg campaign, I was introduced to Zasz. He called me Cerebrate, I suppose that's my new "name" now, and taught me how to manage a Hive Cluster. Then came my first mission.
Destroy the Terran outpost.
I admit, I remember getting pretty violent back on Earth, but those were always fistfights and scraps. Slaughter? Murder of an entire outpost simply for existing near us? That was... unimaginable to me. Yet I still did it. My Zerglings and Hydralisks, they acted as my fingers, clawing and rending the Terrans asunder. It took nearly six hours, slow for a Zerg, but the base fell, as did the Terrans within. The Overmind congratulated my victory over the Terrans, as well as for successfully protecting the Chrysalis I was charged with. I felt something squirm inside me whenever that sheer powerhouse spoke. Love? Envy? Greed?
Greed...
I know now what I must do. That battle was slow because of my emotions inhibiting my will. If I am to survive in this hellhole, I must grow strong. I will steel myself against my enemies, I will evolve my hive to become a mighty tide of claws and carapace. The Overmind will give me blessings if I perform well, and so I shall research on my own time, develop new strains for the Swarm.
They don't know that I'm just copying from the distant future, will they?
My overbloated larval form shudders as I mentally chuckle. It seems this place is changing me. Making me pragmatic, without emotion. This is good.
The universe is one giant petri dish, and my bacterium will come out as the survivor. I will rewrite history, I will crush my opponents. My Swarm shall rise above anyone else in order to secure my own survival.
Survival of the Fittest.
Such is the way of the Swarm.
"Cerebrate?" I heard Zasz calling out to me. He rarely does this unless he has a mission for me to accomplish. I was busy working out how to mutate one of Zagara's abberations, although despite Abathur calling it out as "sloppy" in the second game, it is difficult. Likely because of my lack of experience working with Zerg genetics, as well as a lack of Infested Terrans to experiment on. I stop my experimentation for now, turning my conscious attention to Zasz for briefing. I stay silent most of the time, though the other Cerebrate seems content to prattle on when he sees he has my attention. "Ah, good. I was starting to get worried." Zerg don't feel worry, I wanted to say, but I bite my metaphorical tongue. "There is a group of Protoss amassing on Kal'Drak IV. They seem to be preparing an assault on Tarsonis, and as such, you shall be dealing with them." The Cerebrate cuts off, and my mind is sent reeling. This was not in the Campaign. Not in any of them. Not in any stories, either. How-
Forget it, I tell myself. Focus on the task at hand. My Hive Cluster on Tarsonis immediately begins pumping out Zerglings, Hydralisks, as well as a few of the new specialty troops I've created, dubbed "Nightlings". Able to burrow-move, these tiny monstrosities have no offensive value, however can detect enemy cloak while staying undetected themselves. Useful as scouts. After amassing a rather large force of these three Zerg species, I shore my defenses with Sunken and Spore colonies, settling down to wait.
I will not lose to space wizards.
A/N
Thank you for reading the first chapter of my story. I hope I can continue entertaining you bunch of viewers.
Please rate and critique. I'm always looking to improve my skills!