†Oh, we've caught something good!†
The Overmind was inwardly delighted when he saw the Succubus.
†This kind of prize isn't something you find every day.†
A Succubus is a Dark Aeldari Wych who has performed in countless arena duels and survived. No one who can survive the arenas of Commorragh for that long is a simple character.
†Abathur, this sample is precious. Do not discard her once you're finished.†
"As you command, Overmind."
Abathur's secondary limbs unfurled, preparing to begin his experiments on her psychic potential.
It's worth mentioning why the Overmind insisted on capturing a local rather than simply creating a psionic unit from scratch. This is much like asking why the Chaos Gods, despite their immense power and use of Warp technology to create Primarchs, couldn't just create their own "Angels" instead of trying to steal the Emperor's. In fact, all four Chaos Gods fought over just one! When they couldn't have him, they flipped the table in a fit of rage.
The truth is, they simply can't. If they could, they would have long ago.
Abathur proceeded to activate the Succubus's psychic potential as he usually did. "Experiment beginning."
The result was exactly as the Overmind expected: the stronger and older an Aeldari is, the more potent their psychic power. Once the Succubus's potential was triggered, the entire Evolution Chamber shook violently. Waves of psychic energy radiated outward in pulses. This level of psychic strength already exceeded that of a typical Craftworld Aeldari Farseer.
†Yes, this is it! With the right modifications, even if she doesn't become a Queen of Blades, she'll be close to that level of combat power!†
†Begin the transformation, Abathur. Make her your finest masterpiece!†
"Yes, Overmind."
Abathur was going to be extremely busy for a while, and the Overmind didn't intend to disturb him. He looked forward to the final result with great anticipation.
However, there was still a problem...
Because of the Swarm's rapid expansion, several Imperial worlds had already discovered traces of the Zerg. Furthermore, there were the Necrons. Many planets the Overmind assumed were devoid of major powers turned out to be Necron Tomb Worlds, resulting in hives being wiped out before they could fully mature.
†I don't even know who the "bugs" are anymore.†
The Overmind now felt a sense of disgust, as if every step he took caused a swarm of cockroaches to scurry from beneath his feet—and some of those cockroaches would fly up and smack him in the face.
†This universe really is a cesspool. Every step is revolting.†
The Overmind could never imagine what kind of planet lay behind each Webway gate, which made him lose the desire for rapid expansion.
†Let's try one more wave. Let's see if we can find a few good planets to develop.†
The third batch of Overlords and Drones was ready, and the Swarm began to expand once more. Then, the Overmind learned the hard way that "a cesspool is a cesspool; never hold onto hope."
Out of a hundred Overlords, every single one lost signal within a day.
†It seems the fact that a few dozen from the first wave managed to develop wasn't due to bad luck, but incredible good luck. Every kind of monster and freak is coming out of the woodwork now!†
Looking at the data from the new hundred planets, the Overmind wanted to curse. For instance, one planet looked like a perfectly normal Agri-World. The Overlord had seen human structures in a medieval style—the kind of planet that should be incredibly easy to take over. Yet, just as the Drone began to root itself to transform into a Hatchery, the Overlord spotted hundreds of Imperial Knights appearing on the horizon.
An Imperial Knight stands nearly ten meters tall—an Imperial unit much larger than a Dreadnought. These things are hard to fight even with a small swarm, and hundreds of them appeared at once! That poor Hatchery was blasted to smithereens by the Knights' arsenal.
The unluckiest Overlord had just passed through a Webway gate only to find itself in the middle of a massive war zone between Orks and Tyranids. It saw dozens of Stompas and Great Gargants. That Overlord was instantly pounced upon and killed by a swarm of Harpies before it could even signal a retreat.
†Sigh... in terms of sheer scale, the Zerg Swarm still can't quite match these heavyweight factions.†
With fewer than a thousand Ultralisks and barely ten Behemoths, this was the current peak of the Zerg's combat strength.
†And why haven't I seen any sign of those two suckers from the Terran and Protoss factions? Could they be gone already? The Protoss mofo has a slow production speed; with the universe being so big, it's normal not to see him yet.†
Even if the Protoss player spent a whole year producing units at full capacity, they wouldn't have that many. Even with the Spear of Adun, it wouldn't be enough for total coverage. But quantity doesn't equal quality; the Protoss are likely the hardest of the three factions to actually eliminate.
†The Protoss guy is probably fine, but as for the Terran guy... I wonder if he's passed the "Artificial Intelligence" hurdle yet.†
The Overmind knew that while StarCraft 2 Terrans might seem like they could cooperate with the Imperium, in reality, given the madness of the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy, the Terrans would have the hardest time fitting in. StarCraft Terrans use AI technology—the Adjutants are a classic example. And AI is something the Emperor would simply order to be "purged."
Everything else might be negotiable, but explaining away AI is nearly impossible. If the Overmind were the Terran player, he would insist: "This is wetware! We are a lost fleet from the Great Crusade of the M30 era. We are loyal to the Emperor, and we pay our taxes!"
As long as he didn't run into a psychotic Inquisitor, that method would likely allow the Terran player to become a sector-level Planetary Governor. Leaning against the "dilapidated house" of the Imperium, the tough guys inside might actually look after a fellow Governor. Terrans might actually have it better that way—provided they could explain the AI.
Oh, right, there was one more concern.
†He wouldn't fall to Chaos, would he?†
After a moment's thought, the Overmind dismissed the idea. †Probably not. Many fall to Chaos passively, but those who join voluntarily are usually insane. Besides, he doesn't even need to enter the Warp.†
There was no reason for a Terran to join Chaos unless the Commander's will was weak and he was tempted by Slaanesh or Khorne. Slaanesh was the most likely candidate; the biggest flaw of most "transmigrators" is lust. In the world of Warhammer 40,000, if you are lustful and self-indulgent, you will eventually meet a Slaaneshi cultist. Those cultists have long since infiltrated the Imperial nobility. At that point, you're not far from falling to Chaos.
Khorne goes without saying—if you are warlike and constantly initiate conflict, Khornate cultists will eventually appear on your battlefield.
†I wonder when I'll meet my two 'bros'. When that time comes, we might be able to unlock some composite tech trees that only multi-racial alliances can access.†
The Overmind looked forward to the day the Hybrid army would be created. Then, he could show the world the true beauty of raw stats.