While Zagara was leading her Brood into Augustgrad, Sweetie and Kerrigan retreated to the Leviathan to regroup and rest before the next part of the operation.
Kerrigan had some reasonable doubts about whether she will survive the invasion of Korhal, but Sweetie had faith that they would pull through. Kerrigan had known Mengsk long enough to know that he would stop at nothing to save his own skin, even if he had to sell out his own people to rule over what was left.
“Sweetie,” Kerrigan began, “If anything should happen to me, you will be the one to lead the Swarm. I know that you would prefer to stick with your own Brood, but the Swarm needs a leader. However, if you feel Zagara is ready to lead, you can let her have the Swarm if you wish.”
“Once the coming war against Amon is over, I intend to return to my homeworld and tie up any loose ends before I figure out how I can use my Brood to make my world a better place,” Sweetie responded.
“You intend to use that former human scientist to help you with your plans?”
“That’s one way.”
Kerrigan had a talk with Dehaka and discussed how much of an advantage having no psionic link would have against Mengsk. Dehaka boasted that he didn’t need the psionic link.
Abathur had time for one adjustment to the Swarm during the invasion and it was time for Sweetie to reveal one of her most devastating weapons to the Swarm.
In the evolution pit, Abathur awaited Kerrigan and Sweetie before demonstrating the improvements made to the Ultralisk Strain. The duo prepared to project their vision to Abathur’s target locations, which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be on Korhal.
The first location was a Dominion research facility that was codenamed: Metis. Kerrigan saw a lone Ultralisk specimen being restrained and guarded by a single Marine. When she ordered the beast to break free, it tore its restraints apart and sliced apart the unfortunate guard.
After killing a few more guards ahead, it found a couple more Ultralisk being restrained before breaking free, breaking open some containers of deadly gas in the process. Abathur saw great potential in the gas and bonded the compound into the Ultralisks’ genetic sequences, creating the Noxious Strain: a strain that adds poison to their attacks.
The Noxious Ultralisks went on a rampage throughout the lab while slicing and melting unfortunate guards into puddles of goo.
When the door into the facility was busted open, the guards outside were caught by surprise as a group of Ultralisks broke through and engaged the guards.
With the task complete, Abathur shifted everyone’s focus to a different battleground.
On the outskirts of Augustgrad, there was a plaza that housed military personnel and supplies. The plaza also held a Science Facility that housed experimental nuclear weapons.
A trio of Ultralisks advanced on a bridge guarded by Bunkers, Marines and a Siege Tank. When the Ultralisks moved against the defenses, Arcturus demanded that the scientists launch one of their experimental Nuclear Missiles on the beasts. The missile hardly did any damage at all against the Ultralisks.
Abathur analyzed the radioactive compound that was released with the Nuke and infected the Ultralisks. Finding a use for it, Abathur integrated the compound with an atrophied evolutionary path to revive the Torrasque Strain.
For some reason, the bridge in front of the Ultralisks activated, allowing the beasts to cross.
After dealing with a few more troops, Arcturus had another Nuclear missile launched which killed the Ultralisks, except that they reverted into cocoons and reemerged as good as new.
The Ultralisks continued rampaging through the district while Arcturus continued dropping Nukes all over the area.
Abathur delivered more Ultralisks to assist in attacking the defenses around the Science Facility. Taking advantage of their ability to revive themselves, the Ultralisks soon accomplished their task.
Once the demonstration ended, Kerrigan decided on the Noxious Strain for her battle against the Dominion.
The time had come for Sweetie to reveal her powerful weapon against the Dominion.
A heavily defended weapons manufacturing plant was Sweetie’s target. A large number of Siege Tanks defended the only entrance into the factory. Regular Ultralisks could not even get close to the defending Siege Tanks. While she could have unleashed her Blight Dragons against such a defense, Sweetie wanted to show what her Ultralisks were capable of.
The new Ultralisks that Sweetie sent were about seventy-five percent larger, had a humanoid torso as well as longer arms that ended in their trademark Monarch Blades which were larger to match the proportions of their new forms.
Once a beast got in the range of the Siege Tanks, it slammed its massive blades on the ground and sent a shockwave that momentarily disoriented the tank drivers long enough for the Ultralisk to get into range and start slashing away at the numerous Siege Tanks. By the time the drivers were focused again, another massive Ultralisk came in from behind the first one and unleashed a shockwave of its own. Since the two were massive, the shockwave didn’t affect the first Ultralisk. The two managed to cut down the large battery of Siege Tanks before a third showed up and smashed the weapons factory apart.
“While I admit that the massive bulk makes them more difficult to mass spawn, Only a few are really needed to cause such devastation. The tremors they create would allow them to easily breach most defensive emplacements. Their enhanced armor and massive size also makes them much more difficult to bring down than the average Ultralisk.”
“What do you call this strain?” Kerrigan asked.
“I call it the Colossus Strain. The essence used in making this one was no doubt a challenge for Discord to obtain. There’s only one being that I know that would have the essence capable of creating Ultralisks like this and he nearly destroyed an entire nation.”
“Admission: envy. Equus possesses many powerful essences. Equus Brood poses potential threat to Swarm. Recommendation: integration into Sweetie’s Brood,” Abathur said.
“Not happening, Abathur. I am already my Brood’s Queen, Broodmother and Evolution Master. Besides, I have no intention of bringing the entire Swarm to Equus. Either Kerrigan or Zagara will need you more than I will after Amon is dealt with.”
With the last demonstration ended, Sweetie and Kerrigan return to the command chamber.
A transmission was received by the Dominion communicator that was still in the chamber. <”Kerrigan, Sweetie. Look at what you have wrought. Thousands dead, all for your revenge.”>
“Pretty sure nearly all of them were your troops that were forced to follow your orders. Of course, the killing can easily come to an end if you surrender your throne to Valerian and accept your punishment for your crimes against humanity, especially the innocent souls that you sentenced to death on Tarsonis in your megalomania,” Sweetie said.
<”It was the Zerg that took the lives of the people of Tarsonis. Humanity needed a leader and I was going to make damn sure that it was me. I’ll hand my throne to my son when he is convinced that my way is the only way to rule humanity. But enough prattling, I simply came to give you both your final farewells.”> The transmission ended.
Zagara was caught by surprise and relayed that the outlying broods were being eradicated by a device called a Psi Destroyer that was corrupting their hive mind and ripping Zerg apart from the inside.
Kerrigan had Zagara hold the front line while Stukov screened the flanks of any Dominion offensive. Dehaka was given a special task of taking out the power source of the Psi Destroyer.
Kerrigan sent a few Mutalisks to test the effectiveness of the Psi Destroyer and found that the field generated was quite effective.
Dehaka infiltrated the platform where the first of three power links were located. The Dominion and Arcturus were confused by the creature that was unaffected by the Psi Destroyer.
Dehaka went on a rampage and was able to manipulate its own essence to heal itself whenever it was taking damage from Dominion weapons. The Dominion were unable to bring down the Primal Zerg and lost the first power link to the Psi Destroyer.
As the field began to collapse, Dehaka broke into a ventilation shaft with a declaration that it will gather its pack.
Meanwhile, Kerrigan and Sweetie began constructing a hive cluster to deal with the Dominion on the platform. Sweetie spawned some Zerglings and Mutalisks that mutated into Blight Dragons before joining in the attack against the Dominion base southeast of the hive cluster. Kerrigan spawned a force of Zerglings, Hydralisks and Ultralisks and joined them in an attack on the Dominion base northeast of the hive cluster.
Sweetie built a hive cluster in the ruins of the base that her forces destroyed.
By the time both bases were wiped out, the Psi Destroyer was ready to reactivate. Kerrigan pulled her forces back to her hive cluster to avoid losing them to the field.
Arcturus taunted Kerrigan and Sweetie as Dehaka arrived at the platform for the next power link to be destroyed, along with a group of Primal Roaches.
While Sweetie and Kerrigan built up their forces, Dehaka made its move. It launched a tentacle at a nearby Siege Tank on a lower level and dragged it up to it. Dehaka and the Roaches tore the tank apart while the driver was disoriented.
Dehaka and the Roaches carefully took out the Dominion forces group by group, tank by tank. It took advantage of the elevations to prevent it from being seen by others on the lower level while dragging tanks to it and smashing them with its large arm.
Once the defenses were overcome, the power link was torn apart by claw and acidic saliva.
Dekaha and his pack escaped into the ventilation shaft once more.
Sweetie and Kerrigan went on the offensive once more. Sweetie decided to bring a number of Infestors and Swarm Queens to join the offensive. While Kerrigan took the left side of the next base, Sweetie took the right. The Infestors took control of a few Thors and Siege Tanks while stunning a few infantry in a fungal growth before exposing them to the Blight Dragons, infesting them.
When the Dominion tried launching Nukes on the Zerg, Sweetie quickly took out her rifle and redirected the missile targets to hit the Dominion base instead.
It was when they had just started moving into the base that was protecting the main hub of the Psi Destroyer that Kerrigan ordered everyone back to the hive clusters. Sweetie complied and everyone ran back as fast as they could, Sweetie dealing with any pursuers by impaling them on chitinous tentacles.
Dehaka returned just as the Psi Destroyer activated again. This time it started spawning miniature versions of itself to help deal with the Dominion. A pack of Primal Roaches and Hydralisks soon arrived to assist Dehaka.
With the number of Zerg assisting it, Dehaka pushed forward against the Dominion and using its spawn to add more firepower to their group. The fierce firepower of the Dominion was soon overpowered by the brutal savagery of the Primal Zerg. The elite Thor guarding the last power link was no match for Dehaka and his pack and the power link was demolished, bringing the Psi Destroyer offline permanently.
Sweetie unleashed the might of her Colossal Ultralisks against the remaining Dominion on the platform, fighting alongside Kerrigan’s group. As they fought the Dominion, Dehaka showed up to make sure the Dominion and the Psi Destroyer could not threaten the Swarm again.
With the Psi Destroyer totaled, Zagara and Stukov began pushing the Dominion forces into the Imperial Sector where Arcturus’ palace is located.
While Kerrigan knew that Arcturus still had the Xel’naga artifact near him as a last line of defense, she was confident that Sweetie had a plan to make that a non-issue.