turtwig163: I felt that Hector had been too lucky in the past, and I needed to see Rose and Daniel infested somehow. Their injuries provided a gateway.
As mentioned in the last chapter, the biggest blow was the loss of their Adepts. Without enough Adepts, Aetrix won't be able to protect itself. Until their Adepts can be replenished, they are at the mercy of other forces.
Sara's role in this story is pretty significant. Hector's evolution to Stage Three will be key.

LLC: I didn't want to focus too much on the battle. I felt that it would take away too much from the aftermath, which is what I wanted to stand out.
Hector allowed himself to be attacked for a different reason than Night. Night let himself be attacked because he felt guilty for an unprovoked attack. Hector let himself be attacked because he wanted to show that he was sorry for claiming lives, and that he was genuine about protecting them.
Hector's transfer of power to his family is to keep them protected. He wants to know that if he leaves them alone, they will be able to protect themselves.

Stage Three will be an important Stage. Hector will get his first real fliers, dedicated spell-casters, and will see advancement in Hector's plans regarding the Chimera. It will also provide an answer to the question I believe is on everyone's mind: What the heck is inside of the meteor? However, Hector will not push to Class Three before he can be sure that Aetrix will be willing and able to protect him for two days.
Kane: Those innocents were killed as a result of collateral damage. You can't expect each Adept to hit his or her mark every time, nor can you expect the same from a Roach's acid spray. Hector wasn't responsible for all the innocents killed, but he was responsible for some. As for the Chief, I can only point you towards honor.
The village is pretty far away from Hector's creep coverage. Hector would take a very long time to get his creep grown to that point.
Hector could use the Chimera strategy, but at what cost? Hector doesn't want to kill innocents, which is what unleashing a horde of Chimera would do. Against an army in the field, maybe, but probably not as a tactic for siege warfare.

Chapter 9: Discovering The Swarm

Guys, I'm heading back to the Brood Chamber.

Rebecca's voice came over the link. You're leaving?

Yes. I'll be gone for a day or two.

But without you, how will your Swarm function?

It will function through you.

Rebecca's eyes widened. How could she manage the power of the Swarm alone? What Hector was asking was crazy.

You put too little faith in your abilities. Besides, you'll have Rose, Daniel, and Maria to help you. You'll be fine.

You're sure?

I am. Goodbye. I love you, mom.

I love you too, Hector.

Hector cut the link, and Rebecca saw the form of an Overseer lift off of the ground, and fly back to the Brood Chamber. From that direction, Rebecca saw Rose, Daniel, and Sara walking towards where she stood. Rebecca noticed that Rose and Daniel had changed as well. Rebecca waved them over.

"MOMMY!" Sara ran into her mother's open arms. Rebecca hugged her tightly for a few seconds, then looked up at Rose and Daniel.

"You hear what Hector wants us to do?"

"You mean commanding the Swarm in his absence?" Rose said, more of a statement than a question.

"None of us really have any experience with this. How the hell are we supposed to control one of the Zerg, much less the five hundred here?" Daniel asked.

"You all have the potential to do it on your own, if you wanted." Maria said, walking towards them from the gate that had been blown open.

"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked.

"You are all touched by The Overmind himself. The Overmind created your current forms, and gave you power over the Swarm. Your power just needs to be refined."

"And how would we do that?" Rose asked.

Maria smiled. "How do you Class up as Adepts? Meditation and repeated usage. You expand other abilities in the same way. Concentrate, and simply feel your mind reach out to the rest of the Swarm." Maria paused, then added "Your youngest already has a grasp on the basics."

All eyes turned to Sara. She was petting a Zergling, which purred affectionately. Maria smiled. "I will help you, don't worry."

Rebecca nodded. "Thank you." She drew a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the Overseer that flew overhead. She felt its mind touch against hers. Through it, she felt the presence of each Zerg within a mile of the town's walls. She felt everything. Every creature was there at her command. She shivered as she felt the entirety of the Zerg's hive link. It was incredible, empowering. Around her, Daniel and Rose felt the same thing, as they too had reached out.

Rebecca jumped to the Zergling that stood near them. She felt Sara's gentle touch on its carapace. She could see her own body, standing motionless, staring blankly. Rebecca jumped back to her own body, and looked at Maria. "That was incredible. I could feel the entire Swarm, or I could occupy one lone Zergling. Is this what Hector can do?" Maria nodded.

"This and more. However, he left you in charge of the Swarm here. For the most part, there shouldn't be much for you to actually do. There may be Chimera attacks for you to help deal with, but other than that, all you really need to do is keep an eye on them." Rebecca nodded.

The day passed without incident. There was a Chimera attack, but it was a small one, and the Hydralisks took care of it easily. For the most part, Rebecca, Daniel, and Rose just exercised their control over the Swarm. Sara joined them on one occasion, though she somehow managed to outclass all of them. Rebecca was amazed by her own daughter. Just how powerful was she?

Hector returned around evening the next day, about a hundred Zerglings tagging along on the ground. They greeted him warmly, and asked him what he had left to do. He smiled, and told them that they should be able to figure it out on their own. However, for all their worth, they couldn't figure it out. Sara, though, smiled at her brother.

"What's her name?" Rebecca, Daniel, and Rose shot Sara a confused glance. Hector just smiled.

"Amelia. Once she hatches, She'll be protecting mom." Hector looked at the others, who still wore confused looks. "I made a new Brood Queen to watch over the Hatchery. I had her make a Blade Queen. She will hatch tomorrow." Rebecca reached out with her mind. She touched the mind of the Brood Queen, and the mind of the Blade Queen. Sure enough, they were there.

"How did you know, Sara?" Daniel asked.

Sara smiled. "I felt it."

Hector smiled too. He had also been in contact with the presence inside of the meteor while he was gone. It had said that Sara was special, but now, Hector wondered just how special she really was. She was incredibly fast at Classing up, she felt the Swarm more naturally. Hector also wondered why the presence had taken such interest in his sister.

"What now?" Rebecca asked.

"Now, we expand."

"Expand?" Daniel asked.

Hector nodded. "Yes. Aetrix remains defended as long as I keep a presence here. I can keep buried Hydralisks here in case anything bad happens. However, at this time, my primary concern is the Swarm's expansion."

"How far will you plan to expand?" Rose asked. "Where will you go?"

Hector was about to answer when an Overseer contacted him.

"Overmind, a large group of armed men approach from the south."

"What? Show me!" From the Overseer's view, Hector saw a line of men advancing towards the town of Aetrix. At least a thousand men, armed with steel weapons and armor. Hector felt his blood run cold. They hadn't come from another town. This was a force from a city.

Cities on Dreyparx were measured not by size, but by military power. Before him, marching towards their little town, was an army from Freylice, an underdog by Dreyparx's standards, but still able to crush most towns beneath their feet.

As Hector looked on, two objects in the back of the formation caught his eye. Hector had never seen anything like it before, but Chris had. Chris had taken a special interest in warfare, something that had driven him to join the army. What Chris knew, Hector knew, and Chris knew what they were.

"Trebuchets." He breathed.

"What's a 'trebuchet'?" Sara asked. Hector snapped back.

"Something very, very bad." He said simply. This satisfied Sara, but only made the others more nervous.

"Hector, what's going on?" Rebecca asked. Hector sighed.

"There's an army from Freylice marching this way. Mostly foot soldiers, all with steel weapons and armor. However, they also have two massive catapults called trebuchets with them. They could take down these walls just as easily as I did, but they could do it from a distance, outside the range of archers or Adepts."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Are you going to fight them?"

Hector shook his head. "No. Our best option would be to let them do as they wish. I don't think hat they are here to attack us. They are probably just passing through."

The army approached slowly. They arrived at Aetrix just after dawn the next day. Hector had taken every precaution. He'd gathered his forces, ordered them burrowed in case they were needed. His forces numbered one hundred Hydralisks, one hundred Roaches, and two hundred Zerglings. It pained him to admit that he was outnumbered. Hector was sure that combat would not be made here, but if it was, he had lost his greatest advantage.

The army had sent a small envoy to their town. They were greeted at the gate by Hector, his family, Aetrix's new leader Conrad, and the remaining Adepts that formed his bodyguard.

A man stepped forward from the envoy. "Greetings. I am Field General Elliot, of Freylice. Whom among you is the chief of this town?"

Conrad stepped forward. "I am Conrad, chief of this town. What business do you have with us?"

"Your previous chief, Alexi, promised us slaves from the nearby villages."

A chill ran down Hector's spine. Freylice had demanded slaves? From his village and others?

"Well, most of them escaped in the confusion caused by a massive Chimera surge."

"I see. Unfortunate. When will you be sending out retrieval parties?"

"They won't." Hector said.

"Excuse me?" Elliot said.

"They will not be sending out any sort of retrieval parties to recapture those who escaped."

"Who are you, who would speak out of turn about a matter that has no relevance to you?"

"I am Hector Brenst, firstborn son of Timothy and Rebecca, villager of Drex."

Elliot narrowed his eyes at Hector, and looked him up and down. His eyes fell on Sara, who was standing right in front of her brother. Elliot quickly drew his knife and pulled Sara away from Hector. He spun her around and put his knife against her throat.

"Do you value her life? If you do, I would listen very closely to what I have to say. You will send out retrieval parties to recover all the escaped prisoners, and you will hand them over to me."

Hector was about to respond when something incredible happened. A dull glow escaped Sara, which slowly built. Everyone stared in astonishment at her. Suddenly, she turned to Elliot, and grabbed him. Elliot yelped.

A moment later, he collapsed. Hector noticed that his sister's energy had just spiked another hundred units. He realized what she had just done. Then, before any of the Freylician soldiers could respond, Maria, in her Combat form, ran up to Sara and pulled her close. Hector stepped in front of them.

"These people are under the protection of the Zerg Swarm." At this, he gave a mental order, and four hundred Zerg emerged from underground. Hector, feeling confident, added, "This is but a fraction of the total number of forces under my command. If you value your own lives, you will surrender."

He needn't repeat himself. Many soldiers simply threw down their weapons and fled. Others sheathed their swords and knelt in defeat. Hector turned his attention to the quarter of the troops who had not simply run away, and from there, to the one man who had remained standing.

"Who are you, soldier, who would stand firm while your brothers-in-arms either flee before me or kneel in surrender?"

"Hector Brenst, I am Damion Shultz, son of Pauli and Christi, of the village of Helios. These men are my charges, all Adepts among us."

"Explain something for me, Damion. Why have your men decided to stay here and surrender? Surely your two hundred fifty Adepts could easily best my four hundred Zerg. Why, then, do you instead surrender?"

"We surrender, Hector, because we do not have the will to fight. We are all slaves, captured adepts forced to fight for Freylice. We wish not to fight against you. I speak on the behalf of these men when I ask you this: Will you accept us as warriors of Aetrix?"

"I regretfully slayed many Adepts when I came here, seeking revenge for the destruction of my home village. I believe I speak on the behalf of the people of Aetrix when I say that we would be happy if you would join our ranks."

Hector walked towards Damion, who started for Hector. The two met half-way, and embraced.

"Lead us as you would, Hector." Damion said finally.

"I am not your leader. Your leader is Chief Conrad."

"Then we shall serve him to our last breath."

"It is much appreciated."

Hector returned to his family. He got down on his knees and looked his little sister in the eyes.

"You OK?" He asked.

She nodded. "Mhm."

As the sun hung high in the air, Hector knew in his heart that he hadn't heard the last of Freylice.