Marching Towards Aiur

"Cerebrate Alpha, a high-level Psionics creature, the mastermind of the Swarm, the ultimate choice in the Swarm's millions of years of evolution."

After the elevator descending to the ground floor laboratory came to a stop, Dr. Francos and his student Egon Stetmann led Augustus to the central demonstration platform, where soldiers and researchers respectfully made way for their marshal.

The modern laboratory is equipped with workbenches, high-precision research facilities, and glassware such as test tubes. Researchers in white robes wear gloves, while soldiers remain on high alert.

The temperature and humidity in the laboratory are controlled within strict standards. The air is fresh, and the machines running under blue and white lights emit a soft hum.

Some workbenches were being used to prepare certain medicines, while others were being used to assemble sophisticated electronic devices. On the walls of the lower-level laboratory, a dozen different screens monitored the latest progress of each group. Inside the laboratory, two crossed Revolutionary Army flags stood, each flag always kept clean, tidy, and flawless.

"Capturing a Cerebrate is extremely difficult and requires immense sacrifice. I might never have the chance to see a second Cerebrate captured by humans in my entire life," Francos said as he walked.

"It is priceless."

"A single Cerebrate is a Swarm," Raynor said. "A single Drone can create an army of Swarm; thankfully, it didn't fall into the hands of those with malicious hearts."

"For example, the Confederacy."

As Augustus listened to Francos's words and nodded to the people present, he walked toward where Kerrigan and Zeratul were standing.

Kerrigan was staring intently at the Cerebrate bound by a hemispherical energy shield in the very center of the laboratory, while the Cerebrate inside the shield was also watching her with its many pairs of eyes.

It was a peculiar scene: a gigantic, whitish, obese worm stared at a beautiful woman with long, fiery red hair. Kerrigan's green eyes were bright and piercing, while the Cerebrate's many small eyes gleamed with ferocity.

"You despicable two-legged Drone!" Augustus could hear the Psionics howl of the Cerebrate clearly even when he was in the upper laboratory.

This Cerebrate is in dire straits. The environment and light here are far removed from the warm, humid, and soft nest it once knew. It is confined to a small cage for human research, having lost all dignity as the Swarm's leader.

This place is also extremely far from Char. The Hyperion has long since sailed out of Char and headed towards Aiur. The Cerebrate can no longer sense the thoughts of its own kind or other Cerebrate. Without the help of its own kind, even a few Hydralisk could easily kill a Cerebrate.

All the Cerebrate can do is use language as a weapon to attack its enemies. It has tried to please these humans or deceive them into releasing it, but the results have proven that any schemes and tricks are futile in the face of humans.

"You just hide behind that shiny shell, like a Char rock dragon," it snarled. "Let me out!"

"You think this metal hive can hold a great Cerebrate? Ah--"

"Then try to get out from inside." Kerrigan crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please, please don't eat us all after we get out."

"Ah--" The Cerebrate let out a terrifying scream that sent chills down everyone's spine and made their hair stand on end. Even with the energy shield blocking it, it made those around it feel dizzy and nauseous.

The Cerebrate clumsily tried to support its upper body with the small, non-existent limbs on its abdomen, only to crash headfirst into the energy shield, but it clearly failed after a series of futile struggles.

So it simply rolled over.

The Cerebrate straightened its posture, pretending nothing had happened, and angrily emphasized:

"You wait!"

"It's so cute!" Augustus laughed heartily, and the researchers and his entourage around him also laughed.

"You actually treat a Cerebrate as a joke." Cerebrate are creatures with extremely strong Psionics. They can hear the thoughts of others, just like high-level human Psionics, let alone something as simple and easy to understand as mockery.

These weak humans could be easily killed by a single Zergling, which would rip them apart and leave a trail of blood. Now, not only did they find it amusing, they actually laughed out loud using their noisy vocal organs.

"I won't let you get away with this! I won't!"

"This guy looks pretty energetic; I was worried he'd die," Augustus said with a shrug.

"The Cerebrate lacks the ability to defend itself. In this constantly monitored cage, it can't even commit suicide." Hearing Augustus's voice, Kerrigan turned her gaze away, walked to Augustus's side, and grasped Augustus's left hand with both of hers.

"After all, it's still a very young Cerebrate." Dr. Francos smiled, his eyes shining as he looked at the Cerebrate.

"This baby is only a few months old," Kerrigan hummed in agreement.

"Greetings to Adun, elder, you have brought a generous gift." Augustus glanced at Zeratul, who was standing not far away, and thought to himself that he could not ignore this distinguished guest.

Zeratul would sometimes visit the Hyperion, a routine as casual as dropping by a neighbor's house. He even knew the Hyperion's layout better than some of the newly arrived engineers.

"Salute to Adun." Zeratul's voice was as deep and weathered as ever. "It was Shadow Master Vorazun, who led the Dark Templar, who brought back this Cerebrate, and it was she who thought of our human friends first."

"Vorazun is the leader of the Dark Templar, cold on the outside but warm on the inside." Raynor, who was talking to Dr. Francos, looked at Zeratul and said, "Where's she?"

"Vorazun has returned to the Dark Templar homeland of Shakuras with the sacred relic of my race, the Kalis Crystal, which was lost by the Nerazim long ago," Zeratul replied. "It is said that this crystal was a sacred relic given to the Protoss by the Xel'Naga, a visitor from afar."

"It's the Xel'Naga again." Raynor expressed his true feelings. "Ancient, mysterious, and powerful, their history can be traced back to the beginning of chaos, to the birth of the universe, but where did the Xel'Naga go in the end?"

"No one knows," Zeratul replied succinctly. "The Xel'Naga are long gone, leaving only the ruins of their once glorious city. But the Dark Templar have always believed that the Xel'Naga still watch over us, and the revelations from the Void are proof of that."

"Perhaps the Xel'Naga are just asleep; they've taken a nap, and countless civilizations have risen and fallen," Augustus said, offering his opinion.

"The Xel'Naga, the Swarm utterly destroyed their entire Fleets." Upon hearing this, the Cerebrate, which was still spouting trash talk, immediately spoke through sharp telepathy.

"How is that possible?" Zeratul immediately retorted, "The Zerg, you actually attacked your own creator."

"That's right, that's the image etched into the Overmind's memory when he created me," the Cerebrate said proudly. "And yet, you still dare to ignore a Cerebrate?"

"We haven't ignored you," Augustus said, shrugging.

"You have." As a newly formed Cerebrate, α was far less experienced than the older Cerebrate like Sath and Daggoth.

"What exactly happened back then?" Zeratul seemed to have no doubt that the Cerebrate was lying. Among the Protoss and Zerg, there have never been as many lies as among humans.

"We, the Swarm, destroyed all the Xel'Naga Fleets in orbit around Zerus," the Cerebrate said. "Then I tore them apart and devoured them. The knowledge and wisdom of the Xel'Naga became the Overmind, and the Swarm grew stronger until we traversed the galaxy."

"Your god has been eaten by us."

"Absurd!" Zeratul couldn't accept this fact at all, and he refused to believe that all the Xel'Naga were gone.

"The Xel'Naga, they must still be here, they are immortal." He asked the Cerebrate, "Are all the Xel'Naga dead?"

"I don't know, after all, I'm just a newly born Cerebrate." The Cerebrate thought for a moment, "Besides, I don't need to answer your question."

"That's exactly what it means to know nothing at all," Augustus shook his head.

"They should all be dead," the Cerebrate emphasized. "I'm sure."

"Deeply saddened," Zeratul sighed, a sound that resonated in everyone's hearts. "If this is true, it will be a devastating blow to my people."

"If the Zerg can completely destroy the Xel'Naga Fleets, just how terrifying must the Protoss's enemy be?"

"Therefore, I have reason to believe that the Xel'Naga created the Zerg after leaving Aiur, and were then devoured by the species they created. That's why they never returned."

"Look on the bright side, maybe they just don't want to go back to Aiur," Augustus comforted Zeratul.

"Hmm." Zeratul remained silent.

Augustus observed the Cerebrate once again through the transparent energy cage and found that it was significantly smaller than the Garm Brood Cerebrate Sars he had seen before, and its white, moist skin was much softer.

Admittedly, aside from the sharp, tiny teeth in this Cerebrate's mouth, the Cerebrate doesn't appear to pose any threat.

"Hey, you should lose some weight, chubby boy," Raynor said, stroking his stubble.

The Cerebrate ignored Raynor.

"Of all the Cerebrate I've ever seen, Cerebrate Alpha is the most extraordinary," Augustus, looking at the Cerebrate. "It might even be the most intelligent and the most deadly."

"All it lacked was time to grow," he said. "If you hadn't brought it back, it would likely have become the most powerful enemy ever faced by humanity and the Protoss."

"Sweet talk." The Cerebrate paused. "You think these sweet words can please me... Go on."

"Francos, what are you going to do with this Cerebrate?" Augustus changed the subject.

"I heard you all like to do sliced research, the kind where you cut one half and put the other half in nutrient solution to continue the experiment," Raynor said in a low voice.

The Cerebrate's head, which had been shaking, stiffened for a moment, and it shrank back into the corner, knowing that the humans were bluffing.

"If you have the guts, then kill me," the Cerebrate said.

"Once the Cerebrate dies, it won't be long before it revives around the Overmind," Francos said, adjusting his glasses. "Therefore, we must always keep it alive."

"I believe that there has never been a Zerg individual that has died of natural causes due to old age." His gaze into the Cerebrate's eyes never wavered. "I swear, after I die, my students, and my students' students, will continue to guard it! Even if it cannot bring any benefit to humanity, it must never become a monster that brings countless destruction and death."

"Weak, feeble limbs, degenerate, functional decline." The Cerebrate spoke incoherently in extreme anger, "I curse you, your body will age until you die, this is the pathetic state of humanity, for mortals must die."

"Relax, kid, there's nothing wrong with having a bunch of babysitters," Raynor said with a smile.

"The initial plan was to transform this Cerebrate into a Cerberus cyborg Cerebrate, so that we could easily obtain a Swarm," Dr. Francos continued.

There are two very different plans for controlling the Zerg. One is top-down, which involves controlling the Zerg by manipulating the Cerebrate or the Overmind. The other is bottom-up, which involves modifying the vast Swarm and artificially creating a mastermind to control them.

Cerberus Project was originally a bottom-up project, Nayak said it was only because they couldn't capture a Cerebrate and could only experiment on some low-level Zerg individuals.

"What are the chances of success?" Augustus asked.

"Cerberus Project has already been able to control Zergling and Hydralisk, but the Cerebrate is completely different from those lower Zerg; it's a Psionics being," Dr. Francos said. "Even the people at Cerberus Labs can't guarantee they'll succeed on their first try."

"What is the other option?" Augustus. "If the chance of success isn't one hundred percent, then it's failure."

"Let me take control of it," Kerrigan suddenly said at that moment.

"You can do it?" Augustus believe Kerrigan's Psionics power could exceed that of a Cerebrate.

"I'm trying to do that." Kerrigan nodded. "Just like how I control the Drone, I can feel the connection with this Cerebrate."

"This is a challenge to the Overmind's authority." The Cerebrate shifted its body, shocked by Kerrigan's words. "The Overmind is the creator of all Cerebrate; we are extensions of its will and a part of its body."

However, it could easily pretend to be under human control first, waiting for them to lower their guard.

"The Cerebrate will never betray us."

"But what if the Overmind dies?" Augustus looked into the Cerebrate's eyes.

"The Overmind will not die," the Cerebrate declared with an unquestionable tone. "The Overmind is eternal."

"..." Augustus glanced at the Cerebrate a few more times, then said to Kerrigan, "Let's try doing that first. My suggestion is to see how circus animal trainers tame tigers and lions."

"I won't let you get away with this!" The Cerebrate trembled all over from the unprecedented humiliation it had suffered.

"Let's do it this way. You're a smart Cerebrate; you know what's best for you right now." As Augustus spoke, the Hyperion's hull trembled slightly.

This is the first time the Hyperion has entered the physical universe since it entered the Hyperspace Pathway from the Char system. They will make a brief stop in Luria, a mining world of the Kel-Morian Combine, before heading to the Protoss homeworld Aiur after completing their final ammunition resupply.

This is also to fulfill the promise that Augustus help Tassadar and the Protoss to protect Aiur. To resist humanity's enemies, they must also kill the Overmind in the Battle of Aiur.

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