Our campaign against the renegade zerg was fairly uneventful. They exhibited no strategy, instead simply obeying a base animal instinct to kill anything that moved that wasn't of their own brood.

Once I'd established a base near the brood, I had an overlord transport me to the field so I could fight in person. Having practiced a great deal in the science vessel and on the ground over the last few days, I knew that outside of the hivemind chamber I could hold up to two control groups worth of units under my telepathic thrall at once. A control group consisted of 12 units, and was the maximum number of zerg units that could be commanded via a single telepathic command. If you wanted to give a command, say, "move here," to more than 12 units, you had to issue the command at least twice. Interestingly, I usually gave commands to groups of 12 as a Terran as well, for that was the number of soldiers in a healthy platoon.

I figured that, given the enemies' lack of tactics, Kerrigan, myself, and two control groups of units would be more than enough. Especially since I quickly discovered I was correct in my suspicion that I could use my mind control ability to replenish my fallen forces by making enemy Zerg units believe they were a part of my brood. What's more, once we set about the task of methodically eradicating the feral forces, I learned that with her newly unlocked psionic powers, Kerrigan could extend my control, much as an overlord could when I was in the sac. With her help, it wasn't long before nearly 50 formerly feral Zerg were helpfully rampaging throughout the volcanic plains of Zasz' area of Char.

Hours later, when all the feral zerg I could sense had been tamed or slaughtered, I attempted to report my success to Daggoth or the Overmind. Neither responded to my telepathic message. Daggoth I could understand - his attention was directed at the Protoss. He would contact me if he wanted my help. But the Overmind… why would he stay silent?

Kerrigan and I returned to our main base to await further instructions. Over the next few days, we talked a great deal. I think we were both grateful to have the chance to converse with another who had undergone the same infestation process and retained Terran memories. The other Cerebrates had never known a time when they didn't serve the Overmind, and any other Terrans the Zerg had infested - such as, I had since discovered, the aides that had been in my command center on Tarsonis, that fateful day - had been infested much more hastily, and were reduced to mere mindless minions like the other zerg units.

It was a strange thing, remembering the thoughts and feelings of the Terran me even as I now possessed the thoughts and feelings of a Zerg. I wondered how I could ever have been so blind as to stand against the Overmind. I couldn't fathom what had possessed me to be so concerned with all the stupid little things that had stressed me in my Terran life. Now I was free from all that; now I only had one concern: to serve the Overmind. And Kerrigan felt the same way.

We grew close during this time, and in the time to follow. As Terrans, our relationship had been strictly professional - Jimmy had been the one who was smitten with her. But now, after all we'd been through, I think a bond formed between us that no Zerg who had never been a Terran could hope to understand. Still, that bond would be tested in the coming years. One such test, certainly not the least of them, was the fact that we remained Zerg. "Love" was not in a Zerg's vocabulary. Neither was "care," "affection," or even "lust." Zerg reproduced through Larvae: there was no need for anyone other than the specially designed queens who bore the larvae to think about such things - and even the queens received the necessary genetic information asexually, by connecting into Zerg structures like the spawning pool.

And as strong as our bond grew, we both knew neither of us would, or even could, hesitate to destroy one another if the Overmind demanded it. We existed to serve him.

That was why we were relieved when several days later we finally heard the Overmind's calming and authoritative voice resound in our consciousnesses once again.

"Behold, my long silence is now broken, and I am made whole once more."

Daggoth's mental presence immediately leapt into the conversation as well, equally relieved.

"The cunning Protoss have dared strike down that which was immortal," the Overmind continued. "For the Protoss who murdered Zasz are unlike anything we have faced before. These Dark Templar radiate energies that are much like my own, and it is by these energies that they have caused me harm. Yet shall their overweening pride be their downfall. For when the assassin Zeratul murdered Zasz, his mind touched with mine, and all his secrets were made known to me. I have taken from his mind the secret location of Aiur, the Protoss Homeworld. At long last, my children, our searching is done. Soon we shall assault Aiur directly."

This was better news than I ever could have dreamed! Not only was the Overmind unharmed, but he now had the information necessary to accomplish the ultimate goal of the Zerg: assimilating the genetic code of the Protoss into our own genetic makeup. The Protoss had been specially designed by the same powerful beings that had engineered the Zerg: the Xel'Naga. While the Zerg had been designed for purity of essence, the Protoss had been designed for purity of form. To obtain both purity of form and purity of essence was to become the perfect being.

"I will begin preparing my brood at once, Overmind," stated Daggoth. "Cerebrate," he said, addressing me, "Take over the fight against the Protoss here. We still must ensure that the Dark Templar can cause no further harm."

Puzzled, I asked, "Do you intend to leave me and Kerrigan on Char while you travel to Aiur?"

"The invasion shall be perilous," answered the Overmind, "And I do not desire to endanger my prizes. Behold, when Aiur has grown so infested that I myself stand tall upon its long-awaited surface, then shall I summon you to my side."

The Overmind standing on the surface himself? But I thought he didn't have a body? Despite my questions, I only answered, "By your will, Overmind."

Over the next few weeks, my brood hunted down and killed Protoss on Char while the rest of the swarm warped to Aiur. Kerrigan and I even spoke with Zasz' murderer, the assassin Zeratul, as we laid waste to his army. It annoyed me to see that the same sort of back-and-forth bantering that had occurred between Kerrigan and Tassadar occurred again with Zeratul. Though, I had to admit I found it quite funny when, after Kerrigan had once again proclaimed herself Queen of the Zerg, Zeratul began referring to her as "Concubine of the Zerg." A clever insult, to be sure, and one that enraged Kerrigan to no end.

But like Tassadar, Zeratul never showed himself in person, and so they survived our vicious attacks, even as their forces were decimated. Once we had heard from neither for some time, and the remaining Protoss began to seem scared and disorganized, we concluded that they must have left the system.

Kerrigan and I continued to scour the burning wastelands of Char for our elusive prey, but we both knew that the real fight wasn't with these disheartened stragglers. It was on Aiur. Long after the last Protoss we could sense on Char had fallen, we still had heard nothing from the Overmind. To traverse such a great distance took some time even at warp speed, of course, but we felt sure the Swarm had long since arrived on Aiur. It killed us to know there was nothing we could do to serve the Overmind at this most important of moments except wait.

Months passed. Kerrigan and I passed the time sparring, exploring, or idly chatting. There wasn't a whole lot else to do, now that friendly Zerg and harmless critters constituted the only living inhabitants on or near Char, at least as far as we knew. Kerrigan and I were engaged in some such idle chatter when something finally happened.

"We should give my brood a name," I had announced.

"Our brood," Kerrigan corrected.

"Hey, which one of us is the Cerebrate?"

"And which one of us is the Queen? On second thought, you're right, you can have this brood. The entirety of the swarm is mine."

I shook my head. "Zasz would have a few choice words to say about that, were he here."

"Yes, well, I'm glad to say that that annoyance is long dead."

"Maybe we should adopt his brood's name, now that he's gone. You know, carry on his legacy."

Kerrigan glared at me. "Don't you dare."

I chuckled. "You know, I never asked if they had any names for their own broods. I remember the names we used as Terrans. We named them all after mythical monsters. Zasz' brood was the Garm, Daggoth's was the Tiamat, and then there was the Grendel, the Fenris, and a few others I can't remember."

"I doubt the other Cerebrates have any need to name their mindless broods," answered Kerrigan. "It is enough to name themselves."

"Then let's depart from tradition. We'll name the brood, and not the Cerebrate." I laughed.

"But you already have a name," Kerrigan replied, confused.

"A Terran name, yes. Though, my whole life I've mostly been referred to by my title. But I don't have a Zerg name. 'Cerebrate' is sufficient for me."

"Fine, if that's the way you feel," Kerrigan answered, rolling her eyes. Then she smirked. "Why don't you call the brood 'the Kerrigan'? Surely I'm far more dangerous than any of those mythical monsters."

I laughed. "An excellent idea," I answered, grinning. "Though, it would seem to suffer from the possibility of confusion between a reference to you and a reference to the brood."

Kerrigan smiled. "Well, let's hear your idea, then."

"Alright," I replied. "What do you think of 'the Medusa'?"

"Ancient mythology wasn't exactly an educational priority at the ghost academy. Who was Medusa?"

"She was once a beautiful woman, but was cursed by a god into becoming a monster whose gaze would turn a man into stone and whose hair consisted of wriggling venomous snakes." I looked pointedly at the tendrils Kerrigan now sported on top of her head.

"My, that does sound appropriate," Kerrigan replied. "Very well. Medusa brood it is. But do let me know if you discover a way to turn a person to stone just by looking at them. That ability would come in handy."

"Of course," I answered, smiling. "Though the ability to rip a man in two just by focusing a little psionic power is handy too, wouldn't you agree?"

"I'd hardly call it 'little,' but you make a good point. I must admit I do miss the Lockdown ability I had as a ghost sometimes, however."

"Yes, I suppose the ability to EMP a mechanical unit into ceasing all activity is rather like turning it to stone. We could always try to find you another lockdown-capable C-10 rifle."

"No, the time for guns is gone. These days, I'd much rather see my enemies' faces as I tear them apart myself."

"Heh. That bloodlust is going to get you in trouble one day."

"So you keep saying. But the Overmind designed me this way for a reason."

"Yes, to amuse himself watching you make a fool of yourself."

Kerrigan glared at me again. "Shut up," she commanded, with just a hint of playfulness.

"By your will, my Queen," I replied with a smile, giving a mock bow.

Kerrigan harrumphed and turned to watch the ashridden sky above our base.

I followed suit, and reflected on how happy I was. I remember thinking that never before had I been so satisfied with life. I wished these moments could last forever.

But that particular moment lasted mere seconds, for then I felt it. A thunderous *snap* in my mind, as though my soul had violently broken in two. Everything immediately felt different. It's hard to draw any sort of analogy for such a unique experience, but I might compare it to being jolted awake from a pleasant dream, or to the shock of suddenly and unexpectedly seeing a loved one die. I felt lost, confused, scared, empty, real, alert, upset, worried, unsafe, energized, and alive, all at the same time.

I turned to look at Kerrigan with wide eyes, and saw her watching me with the same stunned expression.

"What… does this mean that…?" I whispered.

"I… I think so," Kerrigan answered.

I telepathically forced my mind into the Zerg under my command. I could still sense them, calm and obedient, same as ever. Relieved, I began to cast the net of my mind wider, looking for telepathic signals from another brood. Some such Zerg had been left on Char for safekeeping, like Kerrigan and I had been. When I found them, I knew that they had gone feral. Their minds were roaring in bestial anger, and I could no longer sense the mental presence of a commanding Cerebrate.

As I sorted through all the sensations I was experiencing, I realized something else had changed about me. I no longer felt any compulsion to serve the Overmind. Indeed, that whole core of my being that had been dedicated to knowing and obeying him felt as though it had been ripped out of my soul. Now, I felt surprised to discover that I regarded him as a freed slave might regard a former master who was not unkind. Overjoyed to be free, but still concerned for the master's well-being. And it seemed clear what had happened to the master. In the mental space that had once been reserved for his telepathic presence, even a slumbering, inattentive presence, there was now a void. There was no escaping it. The Overmind was dead.