Karax and Abathur still had some work to do to ready the Keystone for our plan. I still did not understand how they managed to interact with the thing at all. It's not as though it had a user interface. But I remembered the old Earth proverb: never look a gift alien artifact in the mouth. Okay, I knew that wasn't actually the saying and the artifact didn't actually have a mouth, but it's not like anyone in the Koprulu sector had ever ridden an Earth horse. Sometimes proverbs need updating. In any case, Abathur assured me he would have the Keystone ready to begin charging itself with the energy necessary to emit a void-dissipating pulse within the hour.
I guessed that Artanis was spending that time conversing with his advisors, commiserating with Rohanna about the loss of history, foreseeing with Vorazun the loss of Dark Templar traditions, chatting with Alarak about their mutual reluctant respect for one another, and so on. I decided to similarly chat with my own advisors. With Warfield and Zagara guarding Char and Ulnar and Nova missing, there were three remaining: Stukov, Dehaka, and Kerrigan. Well, there were also the Abathurs, but they weren't much for idle conversation. Still, there was one thing I wanted to ask them before I moved on to the others.
"Abathur," I quickly broadcast a telepathic message. "Question: how many of you remain? I know we've lost a lot of the original one thousand or so over the years."
"Approximately 220 remain," an Abathur answered quickly. "Exactly 87 Abathurs work with current Zerg forces on Leviathan."
"Is that enough?" I inquired.
"Quantity more than sufficient," Abathur answered. "One Abathur can evolve Swarm alone. Numerous Abathurs create numerous ideas, disagree, conflict difficult to resolve. Numerical advantage slight aside from speedier infestation. Regardless, work continues. Carapace upgrade in progress."
"I see," I responded. "Good to know. Thank you for the update." I ended the telepathic connection and made my way towards the Leviathan's bridge, thinking. I doubted that having so many evolution masters could present as little an advantage as that Abathur would have me believe. But it did seem like the Swarm's evolution had been slowing lately. Perhaps the Abathurs had had some internal conflict. Eventually I might have to figure out a way to get them to evolve themselves past their overly demanding egos. But that was a problem for a much later time.
For now, I reached the bridge and I contacted Stukov's infested battlecruiser. "Stukov, my friend," I began my next conversation, "We have come a long way together."
"Indeed we have, Cerebrate. Or should I, too, call you Magis now?" came Stukov's response as his face appeared onscreen with the bridge of the Aleksander in the background.
I nodded. "Yes, I believe our relationship has passed the point of titles and reached the point of nicknames"
Stukov chuckled. "I swear, if you start calling me 'Stu' I will abandon you to Amon."
I smiled. "No fear of that, Stukov. Besides, you're still part of the hivemind. You cannot refuse me."
Stukov grimaced, but composed his face quickly. "Yes, though more than that, it is clear that if you and Kerrigan fell in battle, Amon's influence would take control of me along with the rest of the Swarm. So my threats are empty."
I frowned. "That's true. I promised you once that we would infest you properly, didn't I? So that you could have wings and an exoskeleton like me and Kerrigan? It is a shame you were not with us when Abathur unlocked the secrets of primal infestation on Zerus. When this war is over, we will give you the gift of primal infestation as well, you have my word. Then you need not fear such influence, even in the event of the deaths of myself and Kerrigan."
Stukov smiled slightly, but there was a glimmer of hesitation in his eye. "I have grown used to my pockmarked human skin and enormous infested arm. I dwell in a sort of intermediate state between the human I once was and the truly alien Swarm. To become more fully zerg, as you and Kerrigan are… the prospect both excites and frightens me. I must confess… I miss Earth. And further infestation feels like further abandonment of my home… my family."
Right, Stukov must have had a much happier home life than myself, Kerrigan, or Nova. He still has his attachments to humanity, though he's set them aside as futile. Hmm… how to handle this? Thinking carefully, I replied, "At this point, the best thing you can do for your home and your family is remember them. You can treasure them in your heart as a Zerg, I know you can, and what is more, when you have the protections of a fully zerg body, you will be able to treasure them for eternity. They will never be forgotten so long as you live, and that is a greater honor than anything possessed by many long dead kings, who are lucky to be mentioned once as an aside in someone else's story. Infestation is not an abandonment of humanity. It is an immortalizing of it."
Stukov's smile grew wider. "I know of your philosophy concerning infestation, and I confess I have seen the benefits of it myself, which I would never have expected when I was the vice admiral of the UED fleet. I will think on your words. For now, time grows short, and I must return to preparing my forces."
I nodded. "Of course. You serve the Swarm admirably, Stukov. We will speak more when the dust settles."
"Dosvedanya," Stukov answered in his mother tongue. I was only dimly aware of the change in language, as the hivemind easily translated words into comprehensible thoughts, but it did serve as proof that despite all that had changed for him, Stukov was still a patriot at heart.
I next turned my attention to Dehaka. His pack had adopted another, smaller Leviathan as their territory.
"This war has treated you well," I commented after pulling up Dehaka on the Leviathan's fleshy messaging screen. The primal zerg now stood at least three times taller than when I had first met him, and his hardened body was built like a tank.
Dehaka growled. "Much essence. I am grateful."
I nodded. "Have you given any thought to what you will do when this war is over, Dehaka? The Swarm does not intend to fight the Protoss afterwards, and maybe not even the Terrans. Would you stay with us, help us build a better Koprulu sector?"
Dehaka shook his mighty head. "Stagnation is death. I have taken essence from your swarm, from Terrans, from Protoss. Soon, this territory will offer little to my pack. We will leave sector, seek new essence. Continue evolution."
I frowned. It was good that he wouldn't be my problem for a long time, in that case. But now I had eternity to think about. "And when you've taken all the essence you wish from the entire galaxy?"
Dehaka chuckled roughly. "Then I suppose I shall move on to a new galaxy."
I cocked my head at that. Even at the fastest speeds known, warping to Andromeda would take centuries. "Dedicated, are you? So your plan is to just keep evolving forever? Assimilating essence wherever you can find it, for all time? Won't you eventually reach the point where there is no essence anywhere that can make you stronger? Somewhere along the way, you'll become a god."
Dehaka growled thoughtfully. "Doubtful. Successful adaptation changes with circumstances. Evolution's goal, can pursue, cannot attain. But if I am strongest creature, then, like Zurvan, I will rest. I will wait. Challenge will come."
"And when it doesn't?" I pressed. "When you've become not just the strongest creature in existence, but the strongest creature that can possibly exist in our reality? When one swipe of your claw could destroy a planet, what will you do?"
Dehaka chuckled throatily. "Then I will live. I will survive. More than that, I cannot say. But that is dream of newly hatched. The wise know, change continues always. Evolution endless."
I barked out an amazed laugh. "Well, we'll have to get back together a couple billion years from now and see if your opinion on that has changed. But I have to say, Dehaka, I think you should start asking yourself if your goal really should be just to live and survive, come what may, or if you should adopt a new goal, one which surviving will help you obtain, but is more than merely surviving against adversity. Something to think about during the next few millenia, at least."
Dehaka gave an amused snort. "And what is your goal, leader of Swarm?"
I smiled. I could not recall Dehaka ever exhibiting anything approaching intellectual curiosity before, and it gratified me to hear him ask even this small question. "Eternal happiness," I answered wistfully. "Endless bliss. Life happily ever after. Every religion promises it. The Zerg can deliver it. That is what I fight for."
Dehaka growled thoughtfully. "No power can grant that. Adversity makes us what we are. It cannot be forsaken. That is what Dehaka, leader of primal zerg, believes. But… we shall see who is right in the ages to come. For now, I must prepare my pack. The one who would cease all change, all evolution… must be destroyed."
I nodded. "Of course. I will talk to you later, then." I ended the video call, and then telepathically contacted the Abathur on the Spear of Adun, who informed me he still needed a couple minutes to finish preparing the artifact. I then took a deep breath, pausing a moment as I stood in the head of the Leviathan. Only Kerrigan remained. I had not had the opportunity to chat with her at any length since the war against Amon began, and her intensity usually made her a… taxing person to talk to. I took some time to gather my wits. Then I marched down the Leviathan's winding fleshy corridors in search of the infested telepath.
…
I quickly found her in the evolution chamber, speaking with an Abathur. Upon noticing me, Kerrigan broke off her conversation and strode over to me. "Magis," she began, frowning, "The Abathurs wish to take some guards and investigate the battlefield. Amon's host almost certainly evaporated completely, like all hybrid, but it is possible that some part of the Overmind's carcass survived both Amon's harvest of its flesh and our orbital bombardment. The Abathurs already collected some of the biomass from the UED's pet Overmind, after we killed it, for the sake of understanding its special sequences. But that was an approximation of an Overmind based on the genetic understanding of Daggoth and the other cerebrates. The Abathurs think we could learn something from the sequences of the original Overmind. Personally, I don't think we can afford the distraction." She looked to me then, implicitly seeking my advice.
I hmmed. "We wouldn't have to commit much to the search, and a piece of the Overmind might be useful. I admit I'm curious myself as to how a mental entity became physical. Sure, send a couple Abathurs with a small escort to investigate the glassed battlefield. Instruct them to retreat immediately if they encounter any significant remnants of Amon's forces."
Kerrigan, frowned, nodded, and I overheard her telepathically communicate with the Abathurs. Then she sighed. "Do you feel it, too?" she asked me.
Confused, I furrowed my eyebrows. "Feel what?"
Kerrigan's expression turned mournful. "The… weight, I suppose, of the Overmind's absence. I've been ignoring it, but ever since we arrived at Aiur I've felt a lingering pull from that part of my soul that was formerly taken up by the Overmind's governing presence. Speaking so flippantly about that great creature's genetic sequences… it almost feels blasphemous."
I cocked my head. Now that she mentioned it, it did feel rather like I was standing in the graveyard of a great hero, discussing whether to rob the grave. It was the sort of quiet sensation I wouldn't have noticed if Kerrigan hadn't pointed it out. "Huh, you're right," I commented. "I feel that too." I smiled slightly. "What power he must have wielded to make us, his victims, still mourn him years after his death and after our complete deinfestation and primal reinfestation. It's the sort of lasting impact most tyrants can only dream of."
Kerrigan frowned. "It worries me. You know I never possessed extreme anger and bloodlust before the Overmind took us on Tarsonis. But I was a vicious creature when I first emerged from that chrysalis. I calmed down somewhat after the Overmind died, and our conversations have influenced me towards examining my rage more carefully. Still, I'm not completely back to normal. But I also don't know that I should be - after all, Mengsk betrayed us and killed Raynor, and Amon seeks to destroy everything we love. I have a right to be angry."
I paused, thinking through my response. "Well, it encourages me to hear that you're thinking carefully about the legitimacy of your own emotions. And you're right: you'll never go back to the person you were before the Overmind took us, but you shouldn't want to. We've lived through a lot since then, and it is good for our experiences to shape our behavior. Individuals evolve in response to changing circumstances just as species do. It doesn't really matter if it was the Overmind that first filled you with rage to make you into his weapon, or if your fury arose naturally from the wrongs done to you. What matters, I think, are the following two questions. First, should you let go of your anger? I have told you multiple times that I believe you should. Second, are you capable of letting go of your anger, or is the anger originating from a part of your soul still firmly in the Overmind's dead grasp?"
Kerrigan scowled. "I don't know. And you, do you not feel that the Overmind has corrupted you in the slightest?"
I paused thoughtfully, than shook my head. "No, I do not believe so. And I must point out that you avoided the question." I took a deep breath, bracing myself for a potential hostile response to what I was about to say. "I think you're scared of letting go of your anger, Kerrigan. It's been a constant companion for so long, you're not sure what would motivate you without it. So you're trying to convince yourself you cannot let go of your anger, that the Overmind built it into your nature, so you don't have to change. That's just an excuse. I know you, Kerr, and I believe in you. You can overcome the darker parts of your nature."
Kerrigan's brow furrowed in anger and her eyes flashed. Her mouth opened to retort, then closed again. Finally, she spoke softly. "We'll see. Right now my anger is justified. Let's annihilate Amon, then we can talk about the future."
I smiled. "Alright. But just remember: character growth has a way of sneaking up on you."
Kerrigan scoffed, but smiled slightly. "Oh, Magis, you think you're so wise."
"Aren't I?" I asked cheekily.
"Wiser than some," Kerrigan conceded. "But not as wise as you think you are."
"I just call it like I see it," I said, shrugging. "But I'm well aware I make mistakes." I turned to look out one of the Leviathan's transparent membranes that served as a window, staring down at Aiur. "I'm worried that infesting Nova was one such mistake. She disappeared during a mission on Korhal a while back, and I haven't heard from her since. I suspect she's defected to the Dominion."
Kerrigan frowned. "I was wondering why I hadn't sensed her with you since you joined me at Ulnar. I had assumed she was on some covert mission, but I see I shouldn't have been so trusting. I never did like that ghost. Once this is over, we'll have to retrieve her and infest her properly."
I shook my head. "I promised her if she didn't like the Zerg she could return to the Terrans. I will hear an explanation from her, though. I must have closure."
Kerrigan smiled slightly. "You ever think, Magis, that maybe it's not me who's too vindictive - it's you who's too soft? You have a tendency to trust people you shouldn't, if you haven't noticed. The Confederacy, Mengsk, Duran, and now Nova. Perhaps even Artanis will prove no different."
"You trusted them too, more or less," I scoffed lightly. "And it's not like you can go through life just not trusting people. We could never have come this far without the help of allies. I try to be selective, but some betrayal is inevitable. The only question is, how do you react when betrayal occurs? I say forgiveness is generally wiser than fury."
"And I am not so sure," Kerrigan answered. "Fury is more likely to stop anyone from betraying you again. Forgiveness tells them they can get away with hurting you or someone else a second time."
I shook my head. "You'd think so, but I find it's the opposite. Fury tells them you can't be befriended in the first place. It drives away allies, whom you need to survive in this universe. Forgiveness tells them you're safe to trust. Some may try to take advantage of that trust, but you can be smart about it. It's not as though I would trust Duran with a zerg operation again. And if I don't welcome Nova back with open arms, then I was wrong to say that we could ever be a family for her." I smiled, then. "Kerr, once Amon's dead, all you'll have left to decide is what version of yourself you want to spend eternity with. I think you'll be happier with a more peaceful version of yourself."
Kerrigan growled, then sighed. "We'll see, Magis. Between the Overmind's lingering influence and all the wrongs done to me, I am not sure peace is within reach for me. But I know your thoughts on the matter already, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we should prepare ourselves for the battle to come."
"I suppose you're right," I nodded solemnly.
…
"The Keystone is ready, Magis," Artanis informed me shortly thereafter. "Now we must simply guard it while it charges to its full power. I am about to address all the templar. I know not if you Zerg present orations before battle, but you may wish to have your own forces listen in."
I nodded. "I enjoy a rousing speech as much as the next man. The Zerg listen and stand ready to assist in the fight ahead."
I contacted the other Zerg leaders, and together we listened as Artanis began to passionately speak through an open channel.
"My brethren, hear me!" he pleaded. "For there is little time left. All that remains of our race, our civilization, are those that stand beside you now... and those corrupted on the surface below. Our kind once stood as stewards of a galaxy full of promise. In our pride and division, we failed that sacred change and fell to ruin. The Khala, designed to bring unity, ultimately only aided those divisions. Its hope was a lie. Today, that lie must come to its end, and with it, our prejudice and arrogance must become a thing of the past. For we now fight in the belief that our kind has not seen its end. That we Protoss can stand bound by a belief in unity. And that we Protoss will forge a great and mighty new civilization! Trust in each other in the fight ahead. Khalai, Nerazim, Tal'darim, and even Zerg: strike as one will! Let our last stand burn a memory so bright that we will be known throughout eternity!"
His people cheered. I focused my mental attention on Rohanna. With the aid of the psi amplifier, I picked up a quiet telepathic muttering from her. "The Khala's hope was not a lie," she grumbled. "It did unify the tribes and brought an end to the Aeon of Strife...the only division it aided was the division between those who chose the Khala and those who refused it." She sighed. "But perhaps that is enough. Perhaps… perhaps our race has matured enough to no longer need the Khala to avoid conflict. If we can trust each other even without the Khala… maybe we will not usher in a second Aeon of Strife..."
I agreed with her initial thoughts. The Khala was a kind of hivemind. The Terrans had had hundreds of thousands of years, on Earth and in the Koprulu sector, to learn how to stop fighting amongst themselves. They never did. Their "Aeon of Strife" was ongoing. The only thing that could permanently stop it, that could ensure peace amongst the Terrans, was infestation. Sharing a hivemind would ensure no Terran harmed another, for in so doing they would harm themselves. The Khala did the same for the Protoss. If all my infested Terrans became uninfested humans again, would they fight amongst themselves once more? Of course they would. Would the Protoss prove any different?
I paused. Well, actually, maybe they would be. The Protoss can live forever if they aren't killed. For millennia, at least, Protoss would survive who remembered this moment of unity, who cling to it even in the face of whatever political struggles emerge between Protoss factions thousands of years from now, and they will do all in their power to prevent it from descending into open warfare, instructing the young to remember and celebrate the time all Protoss came together to end the greatest threat the galaxy had ever faced. But when enough of those old Protoss die by whatever accident or murder, and Amon passes into myth… will Protoss civilization stand united, or descend into open warfare, like every Terran society before them?
Perhaps it would depend on whether they had a common enemy, or only one another to blame. Perhaps it would fall to the Zerg to provide that common enemy.
A problem for another time. Artanis' speech was both heartfelt and thought-provoking, but the time for battle had finally arrived once more.
