The infected Craftworld was relocated to Planet Zerg, the seat of the Overmind.
One by one, new Ultralisks were born. The Craftworld was also outfitted with multiple Hives; those vast dome districts were perfectly suited as nesting grounds. Creep had already covered most areas of the vessel, with only the core regions left untouched by the Overmind's design.
Currently, near the Swarm's home planet, many non-Zerg fleets had gathered. Infected Imperial ships and this newly corrupted Aeldari Craftworld would provide significant support to the Swarm's navy.
Next, the Swarm would first have to fight a naval battle.
The sea of stars is still a sea, and naval warfare is an absolute necessity. Whether the Swarm's fleet was to invade the Tiamat System or bully the T'au, they would need a massive number of vessels. The T'au fleet lacked quality, but they possessed overwhelming numbers.
The Tyranids were an even greater concern; the previous Hive Fleet they encountered was merely mid-tier. A truly massive Tyranid fleet could literally blot out the sun. The main issue was still the Zerg's current scale—even with constant production and an seemingly endless sea of bugs, they were still several orders of magnitude smaller than the full weight of the Tyranid Hive Mind.
However, the Great War with the Tyranids hadn't been without its rewards. Aside from a mountain of biomass, the Swarm had gained new enhancements.
"Overmind, I have integrated the genes of the enemy Cerebrates with our Overlords. Without compromising the Overlord's function as a command unit, they now possess limited psionic offensive capabilities."
When Abathur reported this, even the Overmind was stunned. Who would have thought Abathur would merge the genes of an Overlord and a Cerebrate?! Now, the Overlords could actually hit back!
The Overmind examined the new Overlords. Their appearance hadn't changed much, though they were slightly larger. They could indeed wield various psionic powers, including psionic scans, psionic blasts, and psionic shields.
† They have shields now; that's good. †
Overlords were traditionally defenseless units. Now, with shields and a degree of psionic offense, along with enhanced scouting range, they were quite an improvement.
† So, Abathur, what is the cost? †
"The Overlord's transport capacity has been reduced to two-thirds of its original volume. However, the detection capabilities of Overseers remain unaffected."
The Overmind thought about it. The reduction in transport capacity was a slight drawback, but acceptable. Originally, an Overlord could carry one Ultralisk at most; now, it simply meant they couldn't carry Ultralisks at all, though other units were still fine. Besides, did the Overmind ever really have the chance to "drop-Ullies" in actual combat anyway? He wasn't one for "Hidden Cow" tactics!
† Produce these new Overlords alongside the originals at a 1:4 ratio. Observe their combat effectiveness before deciding on full mass production. Overlords that can use psionic attacks... not bad. †
"The race similar to the Swarm still possesses many usable traits, yet the Swarm cannot fully utilize their biomass."
"It doesn't matter, Abathur. They will be conquered by the Swarm sooner or later, " the Queen of Blades interjected. "We will encounter the Tyranids many more times. Abathur, I need you to evolve the Swarm to counter them—especially their toxic spores. Next time, I want the Swarm to be able to ignore the enemy's gas."
"I shall not fail."
Abathur accepted the task and returned to his work. He would be busy—very busy—lately. Within his laboratory, countless test subjects were letting out agonizing screams. The modification methods were so brutal that even the most sadistic Biologis in the Warhammer 40K world would gasp in horror. The Evolution Master of the Swarm only cared about the most convenient and fastest way to achieve results; nothing else mattered.
Yet, an Evolution Master like this was reliable.
"Overmind, what is our next objective?"
† The Tiamat System, my daughter. You will lead the Swarm to clear out the Tyranids there. Cerebrates Kanth and Ak, along with Queen Isha, will assist you. Furthermore, you are granted the authority to produce Queens. †
"The Tiamat System... I know of it."
The Queen of Blades was aware of the system's reputation.
† I see. Another battle against Tyranid war-beasts? I will carry out your will, Overmind. †
Such loyalty. Even knowing the dangers of the Tiamat System, she didn't voice a single objection. Could the humans next door ever hope to achieve such devotion?
† Zasz, you will head to the Damocles Gulf and purge every living thing there. †
† As you command, Overmind. †
The Overmind himself remained stationary. He didn't need to act personally; the Cerebrates and the Queen of Blades served as the extensions of his will. The Tiamat System was in the southeast of Segmentum Ultima, while the Damocles Gulf was in the northeast, and both would involve contact with the Tyranids.
As long as the Zerg fought the Tyranids now, it was a win-win scenario. He intended to plug these two "spawn points" to train the Cerebrates' combat experience while securing enough resources.
† Depart. †
The Swarm's fleet began to move. Although the Overmind could open wormholes directly, he chose not to expose his full capabilities. The Queen of Blades took most of the Leviathans through the Webway routes toward the Tiamat System, while Zasz took the infected human ships and a small contingent of Leviathans toward the Damocles Gulf.
† Sigh, I have to say... if the Emperor had the Webway, the other factions wouldn't even exist. †
The Emperor still couldn't let go of his obsession with the Xenos. If the Overmind were the Emperor, he would have long ago enslaved the Aeldari just to have them keep the Webway gates open. The Webway was simply too convenient.
Before long, the Queen of Blades reached the outskirts of the Tiamat System. The star of this system was very stable and in its youth, providing steady light for multiple planets and allowing for rich biological resources. The Tyranids hadn't devoured these planets entirely; instead, they were consuming them slowly and methodically, preserving most of the local environment. It seemed they were intentionally using the system as a resupply station.
The Queen of Blades sensed the life signals on those planets, though her psionics were being affected—likely due to the proximity of that massive Tyranid psionic construct.
† Swarm, scout ahead. †
The Queen of Blades chose a small planet as a base, sending swarms of Mutalisks as vanguards to scout the various planets. Despite their humble appearance, Mutalisks were incredibly fast in the vacuum of space.
However, before the Queen of Blades could even spot a Tyranid fleet, she saw Imperial vessels. But the ship didn't look like an Imperial Navy vessel; there was only one, and the Imperial Navy rarely operated single ships.
† Oh, the monkeys are here too. In that case, let's take that ship first. †
A wise choice. For on that ship... it was crawling with Genestealers.