The suns shone brightly, scorching the white sand until it felt almost like melted glass, while only a few centimeters underground it was comfortably cool. Tall, smooth mountains of hardened sand dunes rose to the east and west, giving the valley several dozen extra hours to freeze in the nighttime air.
But it had been almost two hundred hours since last night, so temperatures were well into their height.
The sound of Terran infantry and mobile forces was audible, even through this planet's thin atmosphere. It would be impossible for them to be more than half a kilometer away. A Zerg, badly scarred, once along the length of his head and once across his chest, waited patiently as they passed south - one minute became two, two became three - and he signaled his forty Hydralisk to unburrow. The tracks of the Terrans marred the once beautiful hill-sized sand dune they traversed.
They paused at the summit. The other Zerg, like himself, were becoming impatient. One of them nudged his shoulder. "Krillickse, when are we attacking?"
"Not much longer, I think. The Cerebrate will tell us when."
Another few moments and they were informed through the Zerg's ether that they had been spotted.
"All right, it's time," he said. They slithered forward, sliding down the slippery sand. Dozens or even hundreds of Terrans lay before them, tanks sieged and ready to blast away any Zerg. Valkyrie missile frigates hovered above in defensive position. Behind and to the sides of the Terrans the Zerg flowed down the white dunes, an ocean, a single entity, rushing upon them.
Krillickse headed his line of Zerg, diving headfirst into the melee. His entire carapace shook under the Marines' fire. He kept his head down, letting his heavily armored skull deflect the bullets showering down upon him. A Hydralisk nearby exploded from a direct Siege Tank shell and its charred remains showered down upon his crouched body. He crawled on, not giving the Terrans a moment to believe he would fear them. An Ultralisk barged through the Marines, giving cover for a group of Zerglings behind, and he followed. The Ultralisk trampled the Terrans while the Zerglings picked off survivors, ripping them to shreds with their razor-sharp claws.
He climbed atop a Siege Tank on the bloodied sand, mindlessly firing shell after shell. His scythes tore apart at the hatch, but as soon as he had ripped apart a small hole, pistol fire shot through the opening. He lowered his head and dropped inside with a limp thud, sparks ricocheting off his skull, and pounced on the officer with the pistol, quickly dismembering him and moving onto the driver.
The sounds of battle were unmuffled as he climbed back outside. A small party of Marines were passing by, slowly walking forward while unleashing their weaponry on the naked Zerg. He waiting quietly for several seconds as they passed, then slithered out behind them, tackling one of them and crushing his helmet in. The others turned back in surprise while he sprang through their fire and hacked away at the suit of another. One of the Marines ran up behind him and jammed his rifle into the opening in his carapace around his neck and fired into his spine. Krillickse fell to the ground, paralyzed.
He could hear the cries of his fellow warriors, their screeches of pain and death and murder. Their voices grew less and less numerous, being slaughtered by the dozen. The Terrans gave them no thought of mercy, fighting as artificially and mechanically as the weapons they built. They lived only to rape, pillage and destroy.
He couldn't give them the benefit of showing his fear. He would show no fear to these thoughtless, emotionless, empty animals. He would fight them to his last breath. And then he would be reincarnated and he would fight them again. He would fight them until there was no more fighting left.
Deep within the Hive, the Cerebrate lay in the Creep, his massive grublike body absorbing vital nutrients directly from the ooze, plotting his strategy. He had made good progress on this lonely planet thus far, skirmishing with the Terrans early on, keeping them from expanding and securing more resources while enlarging his own holdings. However, they recently recieved backup from one of the neighboring planets that had been overrun by the Terrans and soon lost. Their forces strengthened, their commander found unbeforeknown courage in his heart and quickly began razing one base after another. Now they were down to only a couple left, plus their main production base at his current location.
Krillickse had done an amazing job since his promotion to Hunter Killer and subsequent transfer, helping turn the tides against the human infestation. If only there were two of him!
His daydreaming was interrupted by the glaring presence of the Overmind's focus. "MY CHILD, WHAT TROUBLES THEE THIS HOUR?"
Now was his chance. If he could call in some reinforcements he could eradicate the Terrans once and for all - maybe even think about retaking the other planet in the system. "Forgive me, Parent, but I believe I will lose this entire system. I cannot defeat them in such numbers..."
"AND WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO, MY YOUNGEST? BEHOLD, THE TIME IS NOT YET RIPE TO OPEN A NEW GATEWAY TO YOUR WORLD, AND THERE ARE NONE OTHERS EXCEPT YOURSELF WHO CAN DO THIS TASK. FOR ALL THE MANY SERVANTS OF THE OVERMIND, THE ETERNAL WILL OF THE SWARM, ARE GIVEN THEIR OWN MISSIONS AND GIFTS, AND STRIVE DILIGENTLY TO SERVE AND OBEY ME. THUS THE HIVE YET EXISTS."
"Please, sir, the Hunter Killer you have gifted me with has served me well, and I would... I would have another, sir."
A short pause followed. The Overmind was considering it. "I WOULD HAVE YOU STRIVE THY BEST, MY CHILD. BIDE THY TIME AND SERVE ME WELL, AND YOU WILL BE GIVEN LIFE ETERNAL. FOR ALL MY SERVANTS SHALL LIVE AS LONG AS THE OVERMIND DOES EXIST."
Turned down, then. "Yes, my Parent."
AN: Is 'unbeforeknown' a word? Humm... unbeknownst, unknown before, unbeknown before...