The Swarm stretched as far as the eye could see, their pulsing purple nests claiming the once-industrial wilderness of Volkus. In the surrounding systems, wars had ignited on several Imperial worlds as the Zerg expansion continued with unstoppable momentum.
The Overmind had no intention of being diplomatic.
In just a few months, he had devoured a world. During this period, the Overmind didn't even need to intervene; Zehaka operated with the autonomy of a Tyranid Swarmlord. Time passed in a blur of consumption and growth. Three years vanished in the blink of an eye, and then, a triumphant signal resonated from the Tiamat Sector.
"My Lord, the Tyranid presence in this system has been completely extinguished," the Queen of Blades reported.
The Overmind shifted his consciousness back to Tiamat. What was once the crown jewel of a Tyranid Hive Fleet now belonged exclusively to the Zerg. The cost of the conquest had been staggering, but the rewards were worth every drop of ichor. Countless units from both sides had been rendered down into the Great Digestive Pools, providing a mountain of biomass that now fueled the hatching of a new, more resilient generation.
"Well done, my daughter."
"Your praise is my greatest honor, Sovereign."
Surveying Tiamat, the Overmind saw the largest jungle planet completely smothered by Creep. Larvae hatched in staggering numbers; some matured instantly into Zerglings, Hydralisks, and Roaches to form a planetary garrison, while others remained in their larval state, waiting for the Overmind's command to specialize.
"Establish a fortress-network in Tiamat. This system's resources are perfect for the Swarm's long-term evolution."
"As you command, Your Majesty. Also, Abathur's research into the Tyranid 'Bio-Structures' has yielded results."
Whether those results were a blessing or a curse remained to be seen.
"Abathur."
"I am here, Weaver of Will."
"What have you discovered?"
Abathur was uncharacteristically quiet, offering no proactive report. This was his nature; he only presented the final, polished product of his twisted genius.
"Tyranid psionic architecture... linked to the Warp and the Sea of Souls. These structures act as focal points. They can amplify the Swarm's collective will in a localized area, enhancing combat efficiency."
"That sounds like a benefit, Abathur."
"Conversely," Abathur rasped, "the architecture is a conduit. It can be inverted to weaken the Will. Similar to the 'Psionic Emitters' used by the Terrans to disrupt Hive control."
The Overmind understood immediately. In the old universe, after the first Overmind fell, such technology could splinter the Swarm. But as long as he lived, his grip was absolute. Only a being of Amon's caliber could hope to hijack his subjects.
"If required," Abathur continued, "I can integrate this into a specialized strain of Brood Queens. They will lack transport capacity but will be able to manage Broods several times larger than standard."
"And can these Queens survive in the Immaterium?"
Abathur paused, his many eyes twitching in thought. The Queen of Blades answered for him: "Theoretically, yes. But the Warp is chaos incarnate. It is an environment beyond mere biological adaptation. The waves of the Sea of Souls drown the stable; the Swarm is ultimately too consistent to compete with the ever-shifting nature of Daemons."
The Overmind knew this well. The Daemons of the Warp were more complex than any biological predator in the real universe. But he was determined to fight them on their own turf.
"You have time, Abathur. If the Tyranids can cast a 'Shadow in the Warp,' there is no reason the Zerg cannot do the same."
"I will strive for perfection."
Abathur had effectively become a biological wishing machine. He had already successfully integrated the Tiamat Hive's anti-energy armor into the Zerg strains, increasing the general energy resistance of all units by 40%. If they could master the psionic flesh-architecture, the Swarm would finally be ready to invade that "damned cesspool" and fill it in before the Eye of Fear caused more trouble.
"My daughter, put aside your current tasks. I need you to confirm a rumor. Has the Thirteenth Black Crusade begun? And go to Ghamor—see if the 'Army of the Dead' has been raised."
"The Army of the Dead?" Having been a Dark Eldar in her former life, Sarah Kerrigan didn't recognize the term, but she didn't question her creator. "I will investigate immediately."
The Overmind also contemplated sending a splinter fleet to the Taiping Starfield in the Western Milky Way. He wanted to find the legendary "Interstellar Transmigrator" he had heard rumors of. Rebellions were constant there, and a new god—Saint Terra—had supposedly emerged.
"He had better not be helping the Imperium," the Overmind thought grimly. "If he sells psionic suppressors to the High Lords, our expansion will become much more difficult."
"My Lord, a message from Dehaka has arrived."
"Oh?"
After a long silence, the Pack Leader had finally checked in. If Dehaka didn't fear the Overmind so intensely, he might have been suspected of desertion. A specialized relay-organism reached the Leviathan, and through its neural link, the Overmind saw everything Dehaka had experienced.
Dehaka had successfully infiltrated T'au society. He and his Primal pack had paradoxically joined the "Greater Good."
"Improvisation," the Overmind chuckled. "A mimetic insect could never adapt to a foreign culture with such cunning."
Through Dehaka, the Overmind learned a startling fact: the T'au were currently engaged in a brutal war with another Tyranid Hive Fleet.
"The Tyranids are everywhere," he mused. The Imperium, the Orks, the Eldar, Chaos—everyone was fighting them. The galaxy was blossoming with chitin and teeth. But the Overmind no longer feared the Hive Mind. Unless a main-force fleet of unimaginable size arrived, these fragmented splinters were mere biomass.
Finally, Dehaka reported his greatest achievement. Using a parasitic stinger, he had infected an Ethereal—turning one of the T'au's spiritual leaders into a puppet of the Primal Zerg.
"The T'au are in more trouble than they know."