Disclaimer: Look, I have stuff to do, mostly involving a lot of youtube videos that won't watch themselves. So, in summary, this fic is science as much as a horse can do arithmetic, which is to say not at all. Also, don't own it.

I'm pretty sure that horses can tell the difference between one carrot and two carrots. Horses are clever animals. ~f

Ok, but they can't tap out answers to written mathematical equations. Not because they understand them, at least.

But they can be trained, just like we train our kids in school to remember that 2 + 2 = 4. ~f

(Transitions go like...

Catalyst

The might of a full zerg brood was always a sight to behold. From a distance, the marching swarms were nothing more than an unstoppable tide of horns, fangs, and spines. In space, where the more esoteric forms reigned supreme, the Swarm become an eldritch force of nature, a haunting phantom emerging from the void. Fortunately for their enemies, the greater space creatures of the Swarm rarely saw the battlefield. Even for broods numbering in the millions, leviathans were costly and difficult to grow. Most of the Swarm's strains could be grown on the battlefield, but only the most expert weavers of essence would dare to grow a leviathan in combat. Even out of combat, they were notoriously tricky to maintain and birth, making them a rarity.

Daggoth, eldest cerebrate and lord of Tiamat brood, had a fleet of dozens of leviathans. Accordingly, he was the one who was sent retrieve the elder Evolution Master. On the orders of the Overmind, he split off three of his leviathans towards the inner arm of their galactic spiral. According to Abathur, the planet wasn't equipped for orbital combat, but they still had plenty of deadly weaponry. As such, despite his three leviathans Daggoth would be breeding troops and space-based strains en route.

A fleet of overlords finished transporting supplies into the leviathans, enough for extended interstellar travel. Their shells were filled with swarming masses, their bellies full of vespene, minerals and biomass. As the final overlord deposited its cargo, the leviathans lifted themselves out of orbit and towards the edge of the system.

(Transition)

Luna hadn't liked the Hog's Head. It was dark, small, and filled with the smell of humans. Fortunately, the DA's meeting there had been very brief. The leaders were certainly qualified, although she didn't know how good at teaching they would be. Luna had no reservations signing the contract. She had even less about leaving the dingy bar. Of course, she wasn't really sure about the rest of the people who had been there. They were humans, after all. The authority figures may have anything against her, but they wouldn't help her if things went bad.

Right now, she was making her way towards the meeting place, some room she had never heard of, which was likely perfect no not perfect never perfect for their purposes. It was rather out of the way, but Luna was close now, just one more corner and-

"Luna! I haven't seen you in forever. How long has it been?" said a form Luna never expected to see in the castle again.

"Aba- Thenabar!"

Thenabar winced. Don't call me that again, my Queen. My captor doesn't trust me to be alone just yet. he said, still smiling with a close mouthed. "Play along, for now. We're friends that haven't seen each other in nearly a year. Play the part."

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in months," Luna said aloud. "When did you get out?"

Apparently, my act was more convincing than intended, and the old man was stupid enough to believe I was actually human. Now I have to act in front of a crowd of hundreds, he responded. "I've been...sick, for a long time. I had to get treatment for a long time. I only just got out of the hospital."

That's the story you're going with? "Well, it's nice to have you back. You're just in time. I think I almost found proof of the Rotfang conspiracy! I'm on the way to get it now, do you want to come with me?"

It was the one I was provided. For now, I'm a pliant pawn. My loyalty must at least appear to lie with the old human. But rest assured my Queen, I act at your will regardless of what my mouth may say. "Maybe another time. I only just got back, and I still need some time to settle back in."

My Queen? "Alright, then. Maybe another time," Luna said, outwardly pouting. "Wait, are you back for good?"

You are a powerful psionic within the Swarm. It is the appropriate title. "I think so, but I'm not sure. You know how these things are. No one's ever quite certain what's going to happen next."

O...k. What's the plan, then? Abathur didn't plan for this. "Like expeditions to Norwegian fire swamps!"

I'll have to keep playing my role. What else is there to do? "...yes. Probably."

"Well, at least we can keep each other company, Luna said, You have no idea how annoying these humans-"

"Abathur!?"

Well, I finally understand why humans swear. It is because they are constantly wrapped up in stupid, unpredictable bullshit like this. Thenabar telegraphed to Luna. Outwardly, he put on a beaming expression and turned to face the brazen interlopers."Hermione, Ron, Harry! What a pleasant surprise! And it's Thenabar, actually."

"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since last year, you just disappeared out of nowhere. Did something happen to you? Did it have something to do with whatever happened to Professor Snape? Have you been keeping up with your studies? Are you going to be attending Hogwarts again?" Granger asked all of this without seeming to breathe. To Luna's surprise, Thenabar allowed her to finish, despite the increasingly intense waves of irritation she could feel emanating off of him.

"You have impressive lung capacity. It's quite admirable, really," Thenabar said in a mild tone, face set in a mild expression. Granger blushed.

"Seriously though, where have you been, mate? And why are you talking weirdly?" Weasley added. "Well, not weirdly, but for you..."

"Long story short, I was...ill. For a long time, far before I met you, even. I was only recently healed, and recovery is...ongoing," Thenabar lied. Take note, my Queen. Tell them anything remotely plausible with few enough details, and they'll fill in the gaps on their own. You would think they would have learned after the first thousand times.

"Sick with what?" Potter asked, before an elbow appeared in his ribs.

"Harry!" Granger hissed. "You don't just ask that!"

Clearly, there are exceptions, Thenabar commented, irritation flowing off of his mind.

"It's alright, I don't mind. If you must know, my illness was of the more...mental variety. I don't know too much about it myself, but it's apparently quite rare. Among muggles, I imagine it would have been easy to spot earlier. With wizards," Thenabar shrugged. "Well, you've seen the headmaster. Yo-We're a bit too quick to dismiss a bit of oddity as normal." An awkward silence spread over the trio. Of course, when vagueness doesn't work, misdirection and guilt are just as effective.

The awkward silence lasted for several long seconds until Potter eventually chose to break it. "Do you want to come to our study group?"

Thenabar was silent for a second. "Are you certain? If I recall correctly, we were on quite rocky ground before my absence."

"Yeah, but that was then," Weasley dismissed.

"I'm flattered, but as I was just telling Luna here, I need some more time to get settled in before I'd be willing to participate in such extracurriculars," Thenabar declined.

Won't they find that odd? Luna questioned.

No more than attending their little meeting and spending more time around those insuffera-no more than them discovering that I can't cast spells, Thenabar replied. Despite appearances, I am no wizard. Have faith in my abilities, my Queen. I was quite literally born for this.

"Alright then," Potter responded, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Do you think you could come another time?"

"Perhaps."

Another awkward silence emerged, during which Thenabar quietly excused himself. Luna thought she saw him shudder as he walked away, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. The rest of the humans had arrived for the meeting, and the organizers soon found themselves distracted, while Luna was pushed off to the sidelines.

When the meeting of Dumbledore's Army (a name Luna disliked immediately) actually began, she found it somewhat disappointing. They started with the disarming charm, one that she could replicate easily with telekinesis, or by breaking her enemy's hand. At the very least, the others in the room all but ignored her, letting her practice on her own. That was just about the best she could hope for from terrans.

(Transition)

After she had concluded her classes, Abathur summoned Luna to the Forest to learn more about the Swarm. Ignorance was an unacceptable trait for a commander of the Swarm.

"Past year, Earth Swarm...fragmentary, primitive. Now, can correct," Abathur explained, holding a small, armored worm suspended in a transparent green gel. His hands constantly merged in and out of the gel, folding and stretching it. Occasionally, he pulled a strand of gel out of his mouth, and worked it into the bubble.

"Larva. Foundation of Swarm. With stimulus, can become any strain," Abathur said. The larva bit its own tail. The gel it was suspended in darkened and formed an opaque, glistening shell. "Drone, equal importance. Gathers resources, evolves into structures." Abathur accelerated the drone's growth. The cocoon rippled as the claws, wings, and tail of the drone pushed and writhed against it. After a minute, it burst apart. The drone shoved aside the fragments and hovered in place, waiting until Luna had taken her time to observe it. She was enthusiastic in her inspection, lifting and pulling on every facet of the gatherer. It was a surprisingly thorough study, and Abathur couldn't help but to be pleased by it. The Queen of Blades had been a surprisingly adept essence weaver. He would be glad if Luna followed her example. When she was done, Abathur commanded the drone to his side. "Most important structure, hatchery. Produces more larva, more strains, spreads creep.

"Don't the ritholisks do that?" Luna asked. It was a reasonable question, given that her only exposure was to the modified birthing acromantula.

"Have been repurposed," Abathur responded, escorting the drone over to a pile of fresh biomass. It had surprised him how easy it had been to regather it. Reclaiming useless biomass was usually a much slower process. Perhaps some inherent trait of the acromantula's makeup? He would have to investigate that later.

The drone wallowed its way into the center of the biomass. With a thick squelch, the webbing between its wings slid off and over the drone, covering it and the biomass in a fleshy dome. Under it, Abathur could see the drone, now skeletal, twisted and thrashed within. Its maw bit into the biomass repeatedly, consuming the flesh and growing rapidly. From the outside, it looked like a shark, swimming in thick red water. Speaking of which, Abathur should really collect some of the aquatic predators. They were remarkably efficient killers.

The bubble burst open without preamble to reveal a rising spire, a crown of thorns and flesh. Creep raced across the open ground. Where it touched plants, they withered and died before being consumed by the purple carpet. That wasn't ideal. With a quick twist of will and a burst of power, the creep ignored the remainder of the plant life. As much as Abathur would have preferred to consume everything nearby, the first hatchery had only just formed. Discovery remained unacceptable. Of course, he may need to invest in active camouflaging techniques anyway. The hub of flesh was already poking its way above the treeline. If they were any closer to the castle, Abathur was certain even the humans' lackluster eyes could see the hatchery just by looking out the window.

Luna, meanwhile, had sprinted over to where the first larva had just crawled out of the hatchery's side. With a cry of glee, she lifted it up to her face. Tentacles curled around from Luna's back and around the larva's carapace. The larva squirmed contentedly in her grasp. Abathur was reminded of the various humans he had seen cuddling their unintelligent companions. Pets, they were called.

Well, affection was valuable. Abathur himself was living proof of the ways motivation improved efficiency. But the demonstration wasn't done yet. "Luna. Release larva. Requires creep for survival." Luna released the larva like it was explosive, letting it fall to the ground with a metallic clack, then immediately glanced down in concern.

"I didn't hurt it, right?"

"Larva, extremely durable. Could not harm unintentionally," Abathur informed her. "Hatchery will produce continually. Form basis for new brood."

"Does this mean we'll have more zerg soon?"

"Yes," Abathur said. Another larva slid out of the hatchery, ready to morph. While it fed on the creep, one of the dragons' shadows passed over it, casting the ground below into darkness .

Cerebrate: It's like a cerberus, but with five heads instead of three. They're very, very scary puppies. Fortunately, they're also about 3 inches from snout to tail, so they're easy to deal with in small numbers.

Cerebrate: Before broodmothers, cerebrates commanded the broods of the Swarm. They served under their maker, the Overmind. Each cerebrate commands its own brood, which it shapes into a specific tool, utilising specific tactics and niches within the swarm. Examples include Jormungand brood, lead by Cerebrate Araq, which specializes in ground based combat and direct confrontations; Fenris brood, led by Cerebrate Nargil, which served as the hunters of the Swarm, continuously tracking down new essence; and the titanic Tiamat brood, led by the eldest cerebrate, Daggoth, and specializes in advanced species and orbital combat and largely serves as the personal guard of the Overmind. Each cerebrate's physical form is that of a large, bloated larva, although this is merely the outer shell. Within, each cerebrate appears as a ball of light suspended by tentacles. The cerebrates were created by the Overmind, and the Overmind can return them to life; barring some causes of death which prevent this. In the event of true cerebrate death, the brood it commands is thrown into chaos, and must be destroyed by the other broods. Cerebrates are totally reliant on the Overmind, and could not survive long after its death. To counter this, several cerebrates may merge together and form a new Overmind. While this is an effective means of continuing the Swarm, the new Overmind can be weak and susceptible to outside influences during its infancy. Each cerebrate serves as an instrument of the Swarm's will, and the brood as an extension of their own. A cerebrate may not have its own weapons, but it is no less deadly for it.

...this. Next arc, fuckers!)

That doesn't make the joke longer than the chapter, Strandshaper. That just means that no one will understand the joke except for you and maybe Grimjaw.

You're an idiot.

~f