The first Baneling strain site was on a more twilight world as Abathur spoke. "Planet Nelyth. Unique lifeform present on surface." The vision zoomed down to the planet where a curious beetle creature resided. "Mitoscarab. Organism has evolved elegant survival mechanism." A pair of Zealots arrived and Kerrigan almost wanted to call the trial off before she stopped to take further notice of the armor and appearance of the Protoss.
They were more... sinister with black and red, they were more fanatic than religious as they killed the mitoscarab, but it just erupted with a pair of sacs and two more mitoscarabs had taken care of the Zealots as Abathur summed it up. "Decentralized nervous system. Upon death, remains become two lesser creatures."
That could be handy as a Nydus Worm emerged with unleashing several Banelings as Kerrigan commanded. "I want the mitoscarab essence assimilated before the Taladrim know we're here." The Banelings headed out to kill, killing a mitoscarab and its spawn before Abathur spoke.
"Require additional essence. Prime mitoscarab, near." That makes sense as they found the Prime and killed its two rounds of spawns before more Banelings were delievered and were contained in eggs as Abathur spun the sequences in. "Spinning sequence into baneling strand. Augmented banelings ready for combat." The emerging banelings seemed to glow a bit more green than before as Kerrigan spoke.
"Excellent. Let's introduce the Tal'darim to our new friends." Abathur eplained it as the new Banelings attacked the Tal'darim forces.
"Splitter strain. Splits into two smaller creatures upon detonation. Occurs only once." So Kerrigan had to make use of the single split, but it was good fortune that Abathur sent more to join the force as the Protoss fought the Banelings.
"They are unending!" More joined the attack as they headed for the shrine where the Tal'darim must be guarding something, some of the architecture being that of the Daelaam as the Tal'darim tried to hold out. "Defend the shrines! Lord Amon commands it!" There was that name again, this time from the voice of a Protoss, just who was this Amon that it could have inspired such fanatic wishes or means from Terrans and Protoss alike?
She didn't put that thought further along as the last of the Tal'darim were destroyed and the trial was complete for the next. "The Tal'darim are finished. Ready your next experiment, Abathur."
The next planet was more of Char's taste as Abathur spoke. "Scoria. Volcanic resource world. Hostile terrain." It zoomed in and Kerrigan already suspected Abathur's plan. "Thousands of Banelings, subjected to lava. Extreme conditions used to guide evolution." No kidding as the lava killed off the Banelings in surges on surges of the volcanic matter rising up.
"Over many cycles, adaption occurs." She watched as several Banelings had learned and had became violet in color as they leapt up the cliff face in escaping the lava as Abathur spoke. "New strain emerges. Can leap up cliffs to avoid lava."
"That's useful."
"Successful specimens scattered on surface. Must gather." She nodded as she rallied the Banelings to move out and leapt across the cliffs with collecting more of the Zerg forces for action. "Survivors located here. Must be collected." But Kerrigan held back from going further along as Abathur voiced the continuation of rising lava.
"Lava surges at regular intervals. Utilize high ground." That was a good plan to keep in mind, but the Dominion was an issue as a lone Marine spoke with getting out of the Medivac once the lava subsided.
"Got some movement out here. Gonna check it out..." That was his last mistake as the Banelings jumped and splashed acid, the pilot making an escape before those things got on or, dare even say it, managed to slam into the ship and explode as the force moved on and collected more Banelings before hitting a small Dominon encampment.
"Those things can jump?" Saving the force was in vain so the officer commanded for the MULE to get onboard.
"Get that Hercules back to base, now! Zerg forces inbound!" The large transport lifted up and headed back to the base as the Banelings continued on with collecting more of the new strain and killing a few more Marines before Abathur had Kerrigan focus on the operations of the Dominion on the planet.
"Dominion mining camp. Extracting minerals."
"I see them. Let's test out these new banelings." But Abathur warned against it as the frontal path was covered by Bunkers, Marines, and Marauders.
"Front entrance heavily fortified. Banelings unable to pass." But Kerrigan used the new features to her advantage.
"The base is built into the cliffs. Our banelings can travel overland and drop in from the back." So with that plan, the Zerg moved out and struck at the mining line before the Dominion could react to their planetary fortress getting doused in acid.
"Where are they coming from?" But it was far too late as Abathur concluded the test with the Dominion quickly using the arriving Hercules to get out of there with what little minerals they had already collected.
"Dominion mining facility destroyed. Experiment successful. New essence discovered."
Kerrigan took a look at the arid world before them as Abathur spoke. "Planet Tora. Rare species essence found." They zoomed in to find an arachnid-like creature attacking local wildlife, but its acidic spit was doing something else as some of the animals completely running for it or were suddenly stunned in place as Abathur spoke. "Unique Tora arachnid can stun or terrified wildlife. Kill arachnid. Acquire essence for experimentation." Kerrigan was given the Banelings and she spoke, not sure how this well turn out.
"I'll make sure that they are used well for this essence." The Banelings charged and Kerrigan found that she lost control of some of them when the creature had hit them, stunning them and removing her control over them or sent them skittering away, but she killed it and Abathur used that to make new forms for the Banelings.
"Essence collected. Spinning toxic substance into Baneling strain." What emerged from the coccoons were more spiky Banelings with violet-black acid sacs as Abathur continued. "Test site for new strain. Dominion research facility located close by."
"Let's take it out of commission then." There were garrisons close by that guarded the entrance, but Abathur marked them for getting attacked by the Banelings, so Kerrigan sent a few to see what happens before the garrison screamed and panicked.
"Wha?! There's Ultralisks!" Then they just started to fight amongst themselves, coming a panic through the outlining base as Abathur explained.
"Terrorling. Release toxic compound upon death, makes foe fears come to life. Hallucination forces infighting in panic state." Kerrigan smirked as it was time for the Dominion to be torn up a bit with some infighting as the Zerg primed an invasion of the world. More garrisons and even Bunkers were hit by the Terrorlings with the same result as the Officer exclaimed to the sudden chaos.
"What's going on!? Why are our own soldiers firing on each other?!"
"They're everywhere!" A Marauder yelled in firing at everything before the unaffected had to put them down, but it still was total chaos as a Firebat torched everything that he could in the panic.
"Get away from me!" Kerrigan really was enjoying the sudden break down of personnel before swarm pods landed in delivering Roaches to clear out the unguarded facility, the Baneling test having been concluded.
"Dominion Research outpost destroyed. Returning to Evolution Pit."
"Sequences ready for integration. Await decision." Kerrigan took a look at all of them and decided on their features.
While the Splitter strain was useful in mass numbers of acidic explosions, it didn't have the same kick as she thought it would.
The Hunter Strain was different in that it did allow the acidic bombers to get through and explode on enemy forces before the Zerglings and others could get their kills in, but that was sort of ripping off the Raptor Zerglings and she didn't want to have copycats right now, so she focused on the Terrorling Baneling.
Chaos, panic, and still sporting an acidic explosion, she beamed as, combining this with the Baneling's Rupture and enemy forces would be panicking on the daily as she chose. "Integrate the Terrorling, the other two will still have their purpose, but I want our enemies to know fear and that calls for more than just the Zerg attacking."
"Acknowledge, Strain accepted into Swarm." Kerrigan nodded as she had a world to investigate, the home world of the Primal Zerg, Zerus, as the Leviathan left Char behind to travel beyond the Koporulu Sector and arrive to the world where the Swarm came from and where the Primal Zerg awaited her and where Zeratul of the Protoss was also waiting for her...