EPT
Because you're a Starcraft Zergling...
Lieutenant: Commander, you were looking for me?
Commander: Ah, yes. I had heard that a Crackling has written several letters to me recently?
Lieutenant: Yes sir. He is a Crackling originally from Control Group 2.
Commander: Well, what of the letters? Why haven’t I seen them?
Lieutenant: Well, you see, I had thought that you had so many things on your plate, I skimmed over these letters and screened them a bit. His letters seemed to be filled with complaints and demoralizing sentiments, so I didn’t show them to you, and replied myself.
Commander: I want you to show me these letters now. Yesterday, I heard an Ultralisk say that this particular Crackling was quite a good writer, and that his letters have spread widely amongst the troops, and are representative of many of the thoughts of the troopers.
Lieutenant: Yes sir, I’ll get them right away.
Seven thick letters sit on the commander’s desk. He picked up the first one:
2’35” The first batch of Zerglings
Mr. Commander, sir, I’m very proud to be a part of your first batch of Zerglings. When I first arrived in this world, I had expected myself to be nothing more than a Drone, and was already planning to move towards the mineral lines. But then you said that we are the first warriors, and it is our duty to protect the homeland. The honor and glory I felt when I first heard the word “warrior!”
4’25” The first expedition
Not long ago, I was just one of the first Zerglings you nurtured. In what seems like no time, we now have an entire platoon! I’m a part of Control Group 2. Because I had been directed to scout, I have much more experience than the other ‘lings. I had hoped that perhaps this would’ve merited me a special assignment, or perhaps a platoon leader role. But no, we have no leader or superiors, you personally control our every move.
The first expedition – the target is the enemy base. We run through the darkness, opening up paths of light for you.
The enemy has appeared! Not only do they possess devastating attacks, they even have armor. Even our razor-sharp claws are useless against their heavy defenses. The blood ran in rivers as more and more ‘lings fell with a scream. But we did not relent. We continued to throw ourselves at them, tearing at them with all our might. We finally banished them from this world…Literally, they left this world. Like fairies, they vanished in wisps of beautiful blue smoke in front of our eyes.
5’30” Our base is under attack
In these times of war, there is never a moment of rest. Right before we left on this expedition, our base was attacked.
Thoughts of the war at our homeland drove us to run even faster now. I am a strong Zergling – galloping across the map did not tire me, and it even healed some of my wounds. We are warriors, and our duty is to protect the homeland!
The first sights when we returned tore at our hearts. Our mother is bleeding, and a group of men with guns are firing ruthlessly at her. Surrounding her everywhere is the blood of deceased Drones. These defenseless brethren of mine…this sight hurt us more than any enemy fire ever could…
With vengeance, we threw ourselves at the enemy. Despite our best efforts, these men, with the backing of their women, seemed to have inexhaustible life, and blocked wave after wave of our assault.
As the battle drags on, we are dying one by one. My wounds are deep. I closed my eyes and waited for the end. But suddenly, spikes lurched forth from the ground beneath me, and both the gunmen and the women were torn apart. An entire row would fall at once! Turning around, I saw a Lurker stick its tongue out at me. I survived again.
8’40” Enjoying every day as a Zergling
Commander sir, it’s been a while since my last letter. To be honest, I was quite relaxed for a very long time. Why? Because one day, I realized that us ‘lings are just meat shields to charge the frontline. No matter how many enemies we kill, how much experience we have, we still remain nothing more than frontline infantry. I began to slowly linger about behind the main forces, and wait for the other ‘lings to pave the path in front of me. Their hearts burn red hot and pure, like mine used to. But now I find their efforts laughable. But you need not worry sir, not many of the ‘lings are as cynical as I am. After all, how many can survive as long as I have?
But there are perks to being a ‘ling too. You must be puzzled at why me, a mere ‘ling, stuck at the very bottom of the chain of command, can write so honestly to you. The reason is simple – because you don’t know me. You’ll never know me. I have no name, I have no characteristics. I am just another unit in a sea of Zerglings.
10’20” A Message to Garcia
Sir, I suddenly remembered the first letter I ever wrote to you, all those minutes ago, where I expressed my heartfelt gratitude. Looking back now, it seemed almost foolish. The ‘lings I knew back then no longer exist, and I have no desire to make the acquaintance of these newbies. Everyone knows that I’m a veteran, but hardly any dare to believe that I am already 10’20” old. I am also starting to understand your commands better – you have little regard for our lives, but you also don’t hold many expectations for us. After understanding these thoughts, it is really quite easy for me to live out my life.
I’m writing to you today because a few very young ‘lings said some things to me that I thought were just adorable, so I thought I’d share them with you. Once, you sent some of us to an island mission. When I discovered that the island had no way back to the mainland, I just stood there and waited. The other ‘lings were very angry, and told me that I should help find a way back, and even had the nerve to scold me! ‘Have you never read A Message to Garcia? How can you ever give up? I smiled softly and said “I haven’t read it, you guys keep working hard.” As I laid there on the shore, soaking up the rays, they ran around the entire island, searching for a way back, until they finally came back to where I am, exhausted. Then, the Overlord came, and took us back home.
11’30” Of Burrowed Zerglings
I have to admit, I am a very ambitious Zergling. During my time here, I discovered something interesting – Mutalisks can evolve to Guardians! Mutalisks, those lucky bastards who already live a life of kings, soaring the skies, can advance even further! This ignited a flame in a heart that I long thought dead. I am not greedy – I don’t strive to become a Mutalisk. But I do wish to become a Hydralisk. One who can spew acid everywhere, without needing to resort to claws and teeth. Just one shot can kill an enemy from the distance – how cool would that be! But of course, you reply is “nope, I can only give you the ability to dig into the ground.” Ok, fine, I’ll take what I can get. After all, I can kill people from wait like the mysterious Lurkers. When the upgrade finally completed, I realized that when you said I could dig into the ground, I could really dig into the ground – and that’s about it…
13’16” The end?
I think this will be my last letter to you. Ever since you granted me the ability to burrow into the ground, you forgot about me. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust they say – but of course, I’m not dead. But I am quite peaceful here, just lying in the dust on my own. Thank you, commander, and farewell.
After seeing these seven letters, the commander was silent for a long while. Then, he turned to his lieutenant, and asked “What did you reply?”
“I, I…” the lieutenant stammers, “I only said one thing – Because you are just a Starcraft Zergling, if you have any complaints, please reborn yourself as a Warcraft Hero.”
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There are seven more so far, including stories of HTs, Obs, SVs, Mutalisks, Medics, and Tanks. Any interest?
I also have to say that the original was very well written, and I think I only managed to capture a part of the mood conveyed in the original Chinese. If anyone knows Chinese, I urge you to read the originals, which I would say probably far surpasses my translation in quality.
