EPT~~~~~~~~~
Ren’s thoughts spiraled aimlessly as he allowed the warp to overtake him. He knew that any travel would be instantaneous compared to his eternal life span, but still he felt anxious to arrive and achieve his objective. Throughout hundreds of special operations, this operation alone instilled worry in the cerebrate’s old neurons.
Go to the human planet of Antigua Prime, Ren. There you will find a youngling of their kind, with exceptional psychic prowess. You are to take her alive, and instill the given strain into her DNA to accelerate growth, mutation, and inevitably evolution. You are then to defend her until she is capable of traversing the warp, and delivering her back to Char. Her life shall be your life, her honor shall be your honor. Your failure, will be her failure. Be wary, the Protoss may have become aware of my plan, we anticipate their arrival in the system soon. By any means necessary you are to bring this youngling to me. Go, now. Carry the will of the swarm.
The Overmind had felt anxious as well as it transmitted its orders, eager for change within its children. This made Ren the most uncomfortable, why did the swarm need change this much, with such urgency? The Protoss were on the run, the Terrans proved to be pitiful opponents, and the creators were nowhere to be found. He examined the strain for what felt like the thousandth time. Accelerated growth, perfected immune system, introduction of lithium cell bonding, memory retention, intelligence retention, psi amplification.
Why retain its memory and intelligence, it’s a human, that’s what is mainly wrong with them. A new breed of cerebrates perhaps?
The objective's purpose eluded Ren for the last time, as the warp finally shattered, and he found himself in orbit above Antigua Prime.
The only other cerebrate within close telepathic range was Daggoth, who had been assigned to some activates in the same sector which Ren was not aware of, nor did not care to become aware of.
Greetings, welcome to the sector Ren. I know why you have been sent here, but know that I cannot directly assist your operations. The time has not yet come for the humans to know we plan to destroy them all.
Replying quickly and curtly, Ren severed all telepathic communications and began his operation. Initial set up had proved easier than he had believed would be possible, there was an entire dust sea that the Humans had marked as “inhospitable” and as such their satellites didn’t even bother scanning over it. The hive cluster developed quickly, the ground was rich with minerals and gas that the humans hadn’t even bothered to prospect, let alone mine. Such a truly sad and lazy race thought Ren offhandedly, determining the best method of finding the child. Rooted deep within the sea of creep in his hive, he expanded a telepathic signal over the entire planet, looking for points that attracted the signal. There had been several small pings within settlements skirting the Cerebrate’s dust sea, although there was one massive ping within a city 500 kilometers away. Positive of the youngling’s existence now, Ren accessed the Human’s central database via their satellite, looking for the child.
Ahh. Here she is, Clarisse Tinim. Records and reports strongly point towards psychic prowess, although her parents haven’t registered her as such yet. The central government has a specific document regarding her special gift.
______
***CLASSIFIED***
Ghost Academy (Tarsonis)
Operative Li Yung
April 20th, 2049
Subject: Clarisse Tinim
Age: 12 Standard Years
Location: Antigua Prime
COP (Class of Psi): 6
I have been observing Miss Tinim for several days now, following her around her school, the playground, even into her own house. Her parents remain completely unaware of my presence, but Miss Tinim has stared directly at me multiple times while my cloaking field has been active. Her psychic awareness is very far along in terms of development, almost too far to consider bringing her into the academy. On several occasions I have probed her mind, forcing myself to not put a slug between her eyes due to her minds obvious mutation. In terms of her “normal” routine, she sits comfortably at the top of her class her on Antigua Prime, having never missed a point yet. She is popular with the boys, although I’m not sure if this is from her psychic abilities helping her, or if it is simply natural charm. Regardless, both would be good characteristics for an operative. I recommend immediate capture and transport to Tarsonis to commence training and rehabilitation of the mind.
______
Why have they not captured her yet if she is so highly valued by them? I will never understand the inefficiencies of their bureaucracies; it is a miracle that they can even travel through space under these conditions. Regardless, I have acquired my target and will now commence retrieval and evolution for the swarm. The city itself is under martial law right now from rebels, so I’ll have to lure her out into the country side before I can bring her here.
Once more, Ren extended his thoughts towards the girl. It was a vile, slimy feeling, interacting with a human’s conscious. The emotions they hold make them so much more difficult to understand, making control nearly impossible to any but the strongest of psi-users. Got her.
~~~~~~~~~
“Oh my god, my head! Get out, get out, get out!”
“For goodness sake Clarisse, quiet down! The neighbors will hear, and I don’t want to have to explain anymore of your episodes! I’ve had just about enough of this foolishness for one night!”
As Clarisse’s mother sat in her armchair watching a hologram regarding the current unrest, Clarisse herself writhed on the pseudo-linoleum floor. Sweat beads began to form on the crest of her blonde hair roots, rolling down her pre-teen face. As she writhed, Clarisse managed to kick over the hologram stand which her mother had been so interested in just a moment ago. Rage welling up inside from the interruption, Clarisse’s mother stood up and began yelling once more.
“You stupid child, your father works 14 hours a day just so we can have something nice, and you even manage to screw that up! You’re long overdue for the switch, get over here you little rat!”
Brandishing a bamboo switch, Clarisse’s mother’s favorite, she struck Clarisse’s bottom with all of her strength, leaving a line of red across her lower thighs. Beginning to cry, Clarisse retreated into the corner of the trailer, managing to be as docile as possible to avoid another turn of the switch. Still infuriated, her mother threw the switch into the sink, and stormed out of the trailer in search of another hologram to watch. Having forgotten all about the episode which had invoked her mother’s rage, Clarisse put her head between her knees and began to escape into the comfortable part of her mind which no one else understood.
Here we are, safe at last. Damn that woman and her infernal stick, someday I’ll escape and find my own switch, just for her. One of these days.. One of these days… The feeling of mental safety cooed Clarisse to sleep, allowing a brief reprise from the harsh reality of a human life.
~~~~~~~~~
Well, she’s all alone now. I never thought that a Human psyche could be so complex, it felt like I was trying to control another cerebrate. Luckily her mother was not nearly as complex, allowing for an easier target. Now that her mother is off in search of entertainment, and her father is still at the mineral mines, the girl is in perfect position for capture. Go now, my minions, retrieve the girl without any attention drawn!
Quickly and silently, a pair of zerglings were hatched, and they began to bound toward the city which housed Clarisse and her family. The journey would have taken at least 5 hours by dropship, but the zerglings managed to arrive just as the clock struck 2am, and the cover of darkness had fully fallen upon the city. Clarisse’s mother had long since passed out in a bar near their trailer park, and her father had decided to spend his hard earned money in a brothel in an even less reputable part of town. However, the rest of the town was far from asleep. Gunfire shook the city, a constant buzz in the night’s air. Every so often, there as an audible tear in the sound barrier as an arclite shell exploded.
This isn’t an uprising, this is a war. Their propaganda is so misleading that one of the humans could be walking around thinking it’s sunny when their mother star has just gone supernova. I wonder how many of them have died not knowing who is fighting, or why they are fighting, I suppose it really doesn’t matter, as long as I can accomplish my mission nominally.
Bounding and weaving through the concrete jungle that was one a city, the zerglings managed to completely avoid detection and miraculously avoid certain death. However, there was one slight complication in Ren’s plan. Two fully suited and armed marines stood in front of Clarisse’s trailer, rifles drawn and aimed towards the door. Fearing for Clarisse’s life, Ren took a massive risk. He opened a direct psychic dialogue with her.
Youngling, Clarisse, wake up! There are two of your kind outside who plan to do you harm! Quickly, please, get up!
Who is there?! How dare you invade my private space
within my mind, I never invited you inside of here!
I will explain everything to you later youngling, but the matter at hand is more pressing!
I can feel them. Two men, both about 23. They hold a warrant for my death, due to “abuse” of psychic abilities. What does this even mean?
It means that you’re going to die quickly if they don’t!
You want me… to kill them? I don’t have a rifle, or even a kitchen knife! They have full combat suits, I couldn’t penetrate even if I had a diamond drill.
You must use your mind youngling. Feel this connection between you and I, and replicate it, connecting instead with them. Urge their bodies to simply die, suits are useless without hosts.
I will try, give me a few moments. Clarisse severed her connection with Ren, and began establishing a connection with one of the marines. It felt extraordinarily simple with his recultured mind, everything was so simple and predictable. Stop beating heart. Stop thinking brain. Burst. There was an audible thump outside of the trailer as the combat suit hit the pavement, void of life and thought. Slugs started tearing through the walls of the trailer soon after, creating the illusion of a starry night sky from the streetlight outside poking through the bullet holes. “Die, Witch!” The marine burst into the trailer, firing randomly and skittishly. Obviously driven insane from the death of his comrade, the remaining marine proved to be an even easier target for Clarisse’s connection. No. You die. And so he did, denting the floor of the trailer, ruining the psudo-linolieum for ever.
Ren reentered Clarisse’s mind.
Impressive youngling, but you’re not safe yet. I have some friends who can bring you to me, where I will be able to teach you to control your mind and use it for purposes far above simple executions. That, or you can die when they send train psi-troops after you when they realize you have developed beyond them. It’s your choice.
Anything is better than this place..
~~~~~~~~~
To be continued yo
