Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!-Chapter 225
---Victor POV---
Entering the bioship with additional crew members we picked up along the way, we carefully stepped out onto an unstable catwalk to look around. The Tyranids had meticulously arranged hundreds of their chemical vats in a warehouse a few hundred feet below us. Watching the morons carelessly approach the edge of the catwalk, I gave them a friendly reminder about what was below our feet.
“This goes without saying, but please be mindful of where you stand.”, I cautioned the Devilukeans. “Some of the vats below us are filled with bio-acid. Take a tumble into one, and you will be dissolved before you can scream.”
Taking a healthy step away from the edge, the crew sheepishly thanked me for the heads-up before spreading out to explore the immediate vicinity. While they looked around, I prepared to send out a fleet of drones to perform a detailed survey of the bioship’s internals. As I was performing final checks, Zastin walked over with a camera in his hands.
“This place is far more organized than one would expect from mindless killing machines.”, Zastin commented, snapping pictures for their scientists to review later. “You know… I just realized something. How exactly are we supposed to know what makes this bioship so unique? To my knowledge, no one has ever boarded a bioship and come back alive. This is completely new territory for all of us.”
“That is incorrect, the Imperium of Man has boarded bioships on dozens of occasions over the years.”, I answered, sending the drones off. “I have detailed notes about every structure within this organism. All we need to do is find structures I have no data on. Those are the ones we will investigate in more depth.”
Surprised to learn the Imperium had such invaluable information, Zastin inquired if I would be willing to share it with them. Agreeing to share the data, I promised to give him a holodisk copy before departing from Terminus.
“We should get moving; I can only maintain the time freeze for a few hours at my current proficiency.”, I said, turning toward the stern.
Looking over at the crewmen, I was horrified to find them poking and prodding their surroundings. Wondering if the entire Devilukean race was made up of oddballs, not just Lala and her sisters, it was clear they all lacked a proper sense of danger.
‘This feels like I am babysitting a group of fully grown children…’, I thought, clearing my throat to get their attention. “I will only say this once: please do not touch anything while we are exploring. You could end up becoming an unwitting host to a parasite or poisoning yourself.”
Stopping what they were doing immediately, the Devilukeans moved to the center of the catwalk with awkward expressions. Satisfied they would mind their surroundings for the foreseeable future, we pressed onward to the next section of the bioship. Blasting a hole through a thick membrane that served as a bulkhead, a pleasantly warm breeze rushed out to greet us.
Passing through the opening, we found ourselves in the Tyranid’s birthing area. Curiously looking around the space, when their eyes fell upon the Norn Queen, all hell broke loose. Releasing horrified screams, several crewmen fainted from fright while others simply vomited on the spot. Shaking my head in disappointment, I could not understand why the blobby creature was eliciting such a strong reaction from them.
“Lord Stark, what is that hideous creature!?”, Zastin questioned, looking away as he snapped some pictures.
“That is called a Norn Queen. They are responsible for producing every Tyranid lifeform in a Hive fleet.”, I answered, glancing over my shoulder. “Are you going to be alright?”
“Could… Could we please quickly move on to the next area?”, Zastin requested on behalf of their group.
Looking around the chamber for abnormalities, everything seemed to be just as the reports described. Seeing no reason to linger here, we hurriedly moved on toward the next chamber. Punching a hole through the membrane once again, instead of seeing a nursery, like I expected, I found a reinforced wall of chitin. Double-checking the Imperium’s database for references to a chamber like this, my search yielded no results.
“Hmm… It would appear we have found what we are looking for.”, I remarked, minimizing my HUD screen. “Stay on your toes; I have no idea what we are walking into.”
Opting to move a safe distance away, Zastin and the crew gave me a thumbs-up once they were satisfied. Winding up my swing, I swung Stormbreaker around and delivered a tremendous blow to the wall. Ripping a gaping tear along the rear portion of the ship, daylight began flooding the bioship.
“Holy shit! Did you really need to put your back into it?!”, Aldos gasped, adjusting his collar nervously.
“What are you talking about? That was a light swing…”, I refuted, giving him a serious look. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
“That… That was a light swing…?”, Targin gulped, dabbing the sweat from his brow.
Amused by their reactions, I cautiously entered the unknown chamber ahead of them. Taking a few steps in, my eyes fell upon a vaguely familiar sight from my previous life. Huddled around twelve mini cerebrates, several dozen Zerg Queens were preparing to use themselves to protect their commanders from the impending impact. Confirming what I had long suspected, there was no longer any doubt: the Tyranids were a mutated variant of Zerg. Unsure how or why this came to pass, my best option was to converse with the mini cerebrates telepathically.
“Lord Stark, is it safe for us to enter?”, Zastin called out.
“Yes, just be mindful of the creatures in here.”, I warned them.
Shuffling into the room, the Devilukeans began documenting everything they saw. Taking samples of the chitin wall and dozens of detailed photos, it took them a minute to notice the Zerg frozen before me. Rushing over to investigate, they encircled the unknown creatures and began talking amongst themselves.
“Are these a strain of Tyranids?”, Zastin inquired, snapping more pictures. “The armored ones look like a mix of several strains, but these squishy-looking ones are completely new to me. Any idea what they are?”
“They are called Zerg, not Tyranid.”, I corrected him, drawing everyone’s attention to me. “Zerg boast potent regenerative abilities, possess the ability to evolve mid-battle, and utilize warp travel like the Imperium of Man. I had my suspicions that they had a connection to the Tyranids, yet I never found any evidence to support my theory. My knowledge of their species is quite limited; in my region, they are considered mere rumors.”
“Lord Stark… Please say you are joking. If such creatures were real, no place would be truly safe from them.”, Targin gulp, rubbing his arm uncomfortably.
“Sorry to say, I am not joking here. The Zerg are very real, and you are looking at some of their higher-ranked strains.”, I said, watching their faces darken in terror. “Allow me to share with you what little I know about them…”
Zerg were once a primitive race of insectoids native to the Zerus star system in a distant galaxy beyond the Human Galactic Empire. A chance encounter with a small group of ancient xenos, the Xel’naga, resulted in them becoming unwitting pawns in the xenos’ plans. Using their advanced technology and ancient knowledge, they genetically manipulated the Zerg into the abominations they are today. When their brethren discovered what they had done, they launched an all-out war to destroy their creation. By the time the dust settled, the Xel’naga were nearly extinct, and the Zerg obtained much of their ancient knowledge.
“So… Where does the Hive Mind fit into the picture then?”, Zastin questioned, writing this all down.
“The Zerg were not the first race to suffer from the group’s evolutionary intervention; the Protoss were. When the Protoss realized what the Xel’naga had done, their people rose up and violently threw them out.”, I stated. “To prevent the past from repeating itself, they created the Overmind to control the Zerg. Most were brought to heel, but some managed to avoid their psychic collar and went into hiding.”
“I see. So, does that mean the Hive Mind and Overmind are one and the same then?”, Zastin inquired, jumping to the logical conclusion based on what he knew.
“Not necessarily; the Overmind does not possess the strength to assert dominance over every Zerg under its control. To keep the Zerg in line, it utilizes a rather simple commander structure to ensure absolute obedience. Directly below it in the hierarchy are creatures called cerebrates; they assert control over entire broods of Zerg.”, I elaborated, motioning to the tiny grubs. “Since cerebrates are slow, fragile creatures, you will never find them anywhere near a battlefield, if they can help it. In their place, they will send miniature copies of themselves that serve as psychic repeaters.”
Turning their collective gazes at the small grubs, Aldos suggested killing them here and now. Doing so would collapse the invasion and make the Tyranids easy targets for us. While his suggestion would normally be perfectly acceptable, I rejected it on the basis that it was only a temporary fix. More Hive fleets would come without knowing where the cerebrate was, and we'd be right back here in a few years.
“If killing them is not an option, what do you suggest?”, Targin asked.
“The cerebrate and their miniature clones should be able to telepathically communicate with us.”, I asserted. “With that in mind, our best course of action is to haul them back to the safe zone for interrogation. One way or another, I will get us the information we are after.”
Accepting my decision, Targin and his men gingerly lifted the fragile grubs up from their pedestal for transport. Recalling the drones, I opened a portal back to the safe zone for us. Having the Devilukeans step through first, I took one more look around the space before stepping through myself.
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