Zerg

The Zerg began as a species of small, larva-like creatures living on the hellish world of Zerus. The key to their survival in such conditions was their ability to enter the bodies of host organisms, altering the host's physiology somewhat to provide themselves with extra nutrients.

The nomadic, advanced race known as the Xel'Naga arrived at Zerus some time after leaving a failed genetic experiment, which resulted in the species known as the Protoss. Disheartened by this failure, they saw the Zerg as an ideal starting organism with which to make a species that would avoid the flaws of their earlier creations.

The genetic and psionic augmentations given to the tiny Zerg by the Xel'Naga allowed them to take greater control over their hosts. Soon, the Zerg were modifying their hosts with various mutations, creating tougher, fiercer beings in the process. Eventually the Zerg would gain total control over the physical, mental, and genetic processes of their host organisms.

The great flaw that the Xel'Naga saw in the Protoss was the development of independent, individualistic personalities, which in turn led to internal conflict and disunity. To avoid this downfall with the Zerg, the Xel'Naga collected the consciousness of the budding species into a single 'Overmind,' which would direct the actions of the Swarm as a whole. This proved disastrous.

As time progressed, the native creatures of Zerus were all either assimilated into the Zerg's genetic structure, or hunted into extinction. The Overmind, growing in sentience and intelligence, recognized that there was nowhere left to expand on the Swarm's homeworld, and no creatures were left to exploit for the Zerg's single overriding drive: to become the perfect organism. With no further local species to absorb and utilize, Zerus was no longer of any use to the Zerg.

It was at about this point in time that the Overmind's senses finally detected the fleet of orbiting Xel'Naga ships. Severing the psychic link between the Xel'Naga and itself, the Overmind led the Swarm into space combat with their creators. Wave after wave of Zerg battered the apparently defenseless ships, and soon most were destroyed or boarded. Little of Xel'Naga civilization escaped intact.

The Overmind took captured Xel'Naga and absorbed them into itself, gaining access to their knowledge and memories. Growing exponentially in intelligence from this process, the Overmind learned of the whole history of Xel'Naga experimentation - including their greatest achievement, the Protoss. Thus began a long trek across the stars to confront and assimilate the Zerg's fellow near-perfect beings.

Along the way, the Swarm assimilated and eradicated countless other species, selecting a few for particular strength or usefulness. By the time the Swarm was within sight of Protoss territory, they were a ravening horde of biological combat units. Yet the Overmind perceived that this would not be sufficient to engage such powerful foes; the psionic abilities of the Protoss were deemed too great. Fortunately for the Swarm, the nearby Terran species showed budding psionic potential - if the Zerg could assimilate the latent psychic abilities of these mentally, physically, and technologically weaker beings, the Swarm would have the ability to engage the Protoss on their own terms.

The invasion of the Terran worlds of the Koprulu Sector began with the remote colony of Sau Chara. Seeding the planet with spores that killed off the native vegetation, the Zerg soon established larger colonies and began assimilating the local Terrans. Yet the Protoss were aware of the Zerg's presence, and incinerated the world's surface to destroy the infestation.

The Zerg were, however, ultimately allowed to infest several other worlds, eventually laying waste to most of the 13 Terran planets. Though the Zerg were initially defeated on the Protoss homeworld of Aiur when the Overmind's physical form was destroyed, the infested Terran known as Kerrigan took control of the Swarms herself and successfully worked to undermine her opponents.

It is worth digressing here to discuss the nature of the Overmind. According to reliable sources, the Overmind is the collective consciousness of the Zerg Swarm, and as such needs no body of its own. Yet it did make use of a body; it may be that a physical form allowed for more efficient communication with the Swarms, or that it only grew a body to make use of the powerful, psionic-energy-amplifying Khaydarin crystals on Auir. Whatever the case, its control over the Swarms was clearly disrupted by the loss of its physical structure, or by the Protoss psionic energies involved in that incident.

However, in the wake of this event, control was not restored to the Overmind. Many of the Swarms were left chaotic and feral, while a few came under the almost immediate control of Kerrigan. Later, Kerrigan thwarted the attempts of several Cerebrates (underlings of the Overmind) to merge and morph into a new physical body for the Overmind.

It is here theorized that Kerrigan's control over the Swarms, as a physical entity (and as a potent psionic being which had once been independent), was blocking the incorporeal Overmind's ability to regain control of the Zerg. Only by re-growing a new body, which would be far more powerful than Kerrigan's simple brain, could the Overmind and its loyal Cerebrates hope to wrest power from her.

In any case, Kerrigan was ultimately successful in destroying the new manifestation of the Overmind, and in foiling an attempt by the Terran UED to use several Zerg Swarms against her. At the current time, she and the Zerg are the dominant force in the Koprulu Sector.

Record 189 - group - Last update 14 Nov 2007, 09:34:23

Entry written by: Torvus

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