StarCraft: Tyranid Empire

The last days of the year came quietly as the people of the empire celebrated their victory at the Battle of Phaethon. In Augustgrad, the imperial capital of the Tyran Empire, which was decorated in a festive atmosphere, the first snow of winter arrived belatedly, sweeping away the haze that shrouded the city.

Augustus knew that the queen and their daughter Louise were waiting for him to return in the palace. Korhal and the people of other worlds were also waiting for their emperor to return victoriously, but he must be too late.

At this moment, Augustus was on the Imperial flagship Hyperion, and the battlecruiser that had been with him for ten years was on its way to the Imperial storage world Brokas Hur (storage world/Brokas Hur). , the distance from Keha is getting farther and farther.

Although mainstream media in the Tyranid Empire such as the UNN Universe News Network are promoting the victory of the Empire and the Kaimorian alliance in Phaethon, and the swarm has indeed retreated beyond the southern and eastern borders of the Empire in the Koprulu sector, the war The suffering brought by the war itself and the people of the empire on the border did not end there.

About 1/4 of the empire's territory was affected in the second total war. Nearly 10 billion imperial people were forced to move to a safer core world, suffering from uprooting and displacement. Even with the assistance of the Imperial Government's Bureau of Immigration and Refugees, various departments of the Ministry of Transportation, and the Imperial Army, the journey of exile was full of hardships, not to mention the horrific insect swarms that were always chasing behind them.

According to incomplete statistics, in just half a year, more than 400,000 refugees lost their lives while escaping to the core world, and countless people are missing. If they didn't just lose contact with the empire and get lost in the vast sea of ​​stars, they would be dead.

The tribulations and tests have just begun. The imperial army is on the border, ready to deal with the next round of the insect swarm's offensive.

To supply such a large army, the empire's finances are already quite tight, and the trauma left by the war on the empire has also brought about a series of chain reactions.

More than twenty imperial worlds were almost completely destroyed by the swarm, including prosperous agricultural worlds, resource worlds, and hub worlds. Even those worlds that were not destroyed by the swarm could not maintain normal production order. During a war, the rear area is also very tight, not to mention the war zone.

As a result, the food crisis and resource shortages caused by the war gave Augustus and his court ministers a huge headache. Currently, they can only transport resources and food from other worlds. At the very least, the refugees should be fed and then we can discuss the rest of the issues.

"Your Majesty, this is today's lunch." An orderly knocked on the door of the captain's room of the Hyperion and walked in dragging a coffee-colored tray with cups and saucers under the gaze of two Royal Guardsmen.

On the tray was a plate of roasted pigeon drizzled with sauce, a plate of carefully seasoned boiled bracken, an MRE ration as a staple food, and hot tea. The emperor originally insisted on eating the same rations as the frontline marines, but his appetite has been very poor recently and he can't eat anything. The first-class officer cook of the Hyperion can only rack his brains to try to get him to eat something.

"Put it here, Corporal Frank." Augustus just raised his head from his desk and was busy reading the backlog of documents. On the holographic projector in front of him was a rotating blue and white polygonal logo, which was the logo of the Umoyan Protectorate Army.

Augustus could only obtain a series of scarce resources such as food, medicine, and clothing from the nearby United States of Umojan. Although the Umoyan people have a small territory, their advanced biotechnology is enough to make up for this disadvantage. But compared to the Tyranid Empire, the main force fighting the swarm, Umoyan's life has not been good recently.

However, the Umoyan Council is very sensible and understands the path of death. For this reason, it has also provided a series of advanced high-end military products, such as laser weapons and AI-equipped combat robots and iron crows. Although it is just a castrated foreign trade version, it is still very advanced.

But this was in exchange for Augustus's guarantee that he would not make territorial claims to the Umoyan territory.

There is also some highlighted information on the panel of the holographic projector. For example, the evil Dark Archon Orega has enslaved a brainworm in some way today and imposed a cruel rule on the protoss' home planet of Aier. .

At the same time, a great pirate named Alan Schezar and his Scavengers have emerged in the southern territory of the empire where order has collapsed. Now, the Scavengers, Chimera and Kai The Moran Pirates have become the most notorious pirate force in the Koprulu Sector.

As Corporal Frank left the captain's room, General Jim Raynor was about to walk in. The former immediately stood up straight and saluted him.

"Go about your business, boy from Nafu." General Renault is very easy-going most of the time, although that does not mean that he presents himself as a good old man in the military.

"Yes, General." The orderly walked sideways to the corridor outside the captain's room.

"Jimmy, what's the matter?" Augustus still didn't look up, just picked up the cup of hot tea and took a few sips.

"Can't I come to you if nothing happens?" Renault closed the door.

"You have never done this before." The emperor raised his eyelids and said, "Keep your paws away from my precious wine cabinet. You are committing a crime."

"Unless I'm a magician, I can't get the wine in the safe." Renault walked across the blue marble on the floor and sat down on a leather sofa next to Augustus. He stretched his legs in a very unsightly manner. He leaned up on the coffee table and carefully looked at the flower arrangements in the vase.

This made Augustus frown again. Since the last time a hungover Tychus rushed into the captain's room and drank all the water in the vase, these flowers picked from Albion It's almost withering.

"The communications duty sergeant on the signal bridge received news from Bennett and Hank that they have arrived at Zerus," Reno said.

"How are they doing now?" Augustus realized that he must have missed the news.

More than half a year ago, Augustus sent a fleet to Zerus, the home planet of the original zerg, with the purpose of seizing the original schism pool on the planet.

Zerus is located in the center of the Milky Way, much closer to the center of the galaxy where the stars shine. Even with a warp drive, it can only be reached through a long hibernation voyage. Counting the time, this almost forgotten fleet finally arrived in Zerus.

They were walking on the same road that the swarm of insects took from Zerus to the Koprulu sector, and the scenery they saw along the way was also desolate. Even if these unknown worlds and unexplored virgin lands that are far larger than Koprulu once gave birth to magical alien races, they have long since become smoke in the past.

"When sending the message, Bennett had only just done a preliminary exploration of Zerus and had not had much contact with the zerg above. But considering the time it took for the information to be transmitted, he had probably already communicated with the zerg on Zerus. The bug is in hand." Renault knew what kind of test this expedition fleet, which would be isolated and helpless, was facing, even if their commander was the emperor and his most trusted general:

"However, the situation on Zerus is much better than we expected. Since the original zerg escaped, the number of zerg on it has not been much. Although the number of zerg is still absolutely dominant, the original zerg also has its own disadvantages. Less. And the original cleavage pool is still well preserved. It seems that even the zerg need that cleavage pool to optimize their genes."

"Jaco Bennett is one of my best generals. Any tasks I give him will be resolutely implemented and executed." Augustus nodded and asked: "Where is Zeratul?"

"Zeratu appeared once." As soon as Renault finished speaking, expressions of dumbfounding appeared on the faces of both the monarch and the minister: "He jumped on Bennett's ship and left a stone to record his memory. Ian Crystal has disappeared.”

This Dark Templar elder, who is quite prestigious among humans and protoss, is a very special figure to people like Augustus and Raynor. Augustus and Zeratul were brothers, but he was also Kerrigan's half-master. Princess Louis called him grandpa, and the royal brainworm called him uncle.

For a long time, Zeratul has maintained contacts with the court of the Tyranid Empire. Korhal and Aiur are the two worlds where Zeratul visits most. This was a very strange thing, as Zeratul was often out of touch, and even his fellow Dark Templars were often unable to find him.

"I know that Zeratul is very busy, busy saving the world, but no one except Zeratul himself knows what he is busy with." Augustus shook his head and said:

"What exactly did he find in Zerus?"

"Perhaps Zeratul really received the revelation from the Xel'Naga. He just warned Bennett that the mysteries about Zerus, the original zerg and the original split pool are closely related to the dark future of Annihilation." Raynor replied .

"That's right, he likes to ask others to guess riddles, and then announces the answers when others are scratching their heads and wondering about the solution." Augustus spread his hands, and his appetite came up at this time. He grabbed the roasted pigeon next to him and started to chew on it. .

Although it is said to be a pigeon, it is actually just a species of bird unique to Albion. The small bird, which resembles a pigeon, lives in the caves between the ledges. It is a dexterous and extremely curious species. The birds were bred a century ago into a fine breed of small, free-range chickens because of their delicious meat.

"Zeratul likes to tease people like this. I think he can't quite figure out the Xel'Naga's true intentions." Raynor's ability to accept is relatively strong.

"But Zerus is too far away from us. Launching an additional war there may completely bring down the empire." Augustus thought for a while and then said: "I think there is only one way now. First split the original We’ll wait until Chi moves back, and by the way, let Yaco and Harnak pack some of the original Zerg Chieftains.”

"I've seen it. That splitting pool is not small, and it's not that easy to drain. Besides, you think the zerg above will watch us steal their, um, um, holy pool." Renault paused:

"And I don't understand, running all the way there just to get a piece of the pond?"

"There are too many things you don't understand, Jimmy." Augustus smiled: "This is a big project. First, drain the water out of it, and even dig out three feet of mud from the pond. Ya. There are several Karai phase technicians in Co's fleet - if they have the warping technology of the protoss, it will be twice the result with half the effort."

"Don't worry, Dehaka will help us."

"I didn't expect that we would steal the Zerg's things." Renault shrugged. But he thought the plan was good.

"Damn it, Jimmy, what do you think I built this empire on?" Augustus put the tea cup on the table.

"People's hearts and minds come first, and the benevolent are invincible." Renault immediately gave the standard answer: "Determination, courage, and belief."

"It depends on concentrating resources to build an invincible army and arming them with ideas. In order to maintain the army, sometimes we have to steal, cheat, and rob." Augustus was really hungry. He even gnawed two pigeon legs.

"The best solution right now is to move the pool back."

Sarah Kerrigan has not experienced the steps of being transformed by the Overlord into the Queen of Blades and then being planned by the Xel'Naga artifact, but in other words, she has not been controlled by Amon's influence at all and does not have to go through the artifact. Wash away that part of the swarm's genes.

For Xel'Naga Orus, as a candidate for a pure form, the human Kerrigan has not been affected by the Xel'Naga Amon at all. He is the purest natural product of the reincarnated universe, not the protoss who has been influenced by the Aemon. A race that has been fostered by dredging up its seedlings.

One of the rules of Xel'Naga guarding the endless reincarnation is that the creator cannot interfere with his own creation.

Humans are lucky because Eamon doesn't look down on them at all. The primordial zerg were also lucky, surviving on Zerus.

But the question is whether Kerrigan now meets the requirements of a pure form. If she achieves this, she can directly absorb the energy of the original split pool to become an incarnation similar to the original Queen of Blades, and she will be qualified to become Xel'Naga Kerrigan.

To deal with Eamon, we still need new Xel'Naga. Augustus did not have this talent, but he had a wife.

In Augustus' view, there was only one person who was qualified to become a Xel'naga and actually succeeded, and that was Sarah Kerrigan. Augustus would not risk sending anyone else to the position of Demiurge, as no one else, except Kerrigan, had ever succeeded.

What's more, Xel'Naga is the creator and can both create and destroy the world. The new Xel'Naga must be someone Augustus absolutely trusts.

And even though Kerrigan's psychic power has now reached a level that even her teacher Tassadar would admire, whether her current human body can withstand the energy of the Primordial Split Pool, and even the powerful primitive Zerg can't. It is possible to be strangled to death.

This requires step by step and a little testing. A slight mistake may lead to disaster, which is definitely not something Augustus can afford.

"Where are you going to put the original split pool?" Raynor asked.

"Of course Korhal - we can build another zoo with original zerg in it, like Jurassic Park." Augustus said. "The money we make from admissions and zerg shows can keep us going. Operation."

"Thank you for thinking it through. It sounds like a good deal." Renault pondered for a moment: "I hope it doesn't get messed up."

At this time, the Hyperion trembled slightly, but the sofas and chairs fixed to the wall and the ground did not move at all: "Your Majesty, Brocas Hel has arrived."

"Let the governor come to see me." Augustus said to the other end of the communicator.