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Breeding the Queen, Part 2: Taming the Hydralisk

A gust of hot wind blasted Sarah Kerrigan in the face as the membranous passageway opened, giving her passage to the surface of the alien planet Zerus. Slowly, she took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with her very first exposure to the heavy, humid atmosphere. She let the air out slowly, steadying herself as her mind began to feel a little dizzy. Using some salvaged terran equipment from a derelict spaceship, she had confirmed the atmosphere of Zerus to be breathable before landing, but the higher oxygen levels would definitely take some getting used to.

She took her first step on the planet's surface, finding the ground to be soft and springy on her feet. She glanced around her. The organic landing pod had cleared what used to be a patch of vibrant fern-like plants, the likes of which no terran had ever seen before .... and probably will ever see again.

Kerrigan squinted as she casted her gaze far, seeing nothing but lush jungle foliage from here to the clear horizon. She had never expected the birthplace of the zerg to be so ... pretty. For some reason she had imagined something more akin to a hot, arid, and desolate planet like Char, the current homeworld of the Swarm.

"Zerus indeed bears little resemblance to Char, just as the Swarm bears little resemblance to the primal zerg that still roam this planet."

Zeratul's voice, if one could call it that, echoed in Kerrigan's mind. The protoss race--gifted in psionics but lacking the ability to vocalize--communicated almost exclusively through telepathy. The templar had made landfall just prior, and although she couldn't see him, her psionically-tuned mind could feel his presence.

Kerrigan folded her arms over her chest and huffed in disdain at the voice interrupting her thoughts. She didn't like Zeratul's insistence on accompanying her to Zerus. She didn't like him. Didn't trust him. And she had more than a fair reason to be wary: he had tried to kill her many times in the past, back when she was still the Queen of Blades. Back when-

"Back when the ancient Xel-naga Amon's tainted influence still guided your will. But now you are free from his curse, and the circumstances of our meetings have changed."

The very air began to warp around her, and in a puff of ethereal black smoke, Zeratul "blinked" into existence right in front of the terran. Still wearing the traditional ragged, frayed, and torn garb of his displaced people, the Dark Templar, he nonetheless retained his perpetually intimidating and mysterious look as his cloak rippled in the wind and his piercing, green glowing eyes locked with hers.

"My sole desire now is to aid and protect you. For I have seen what comes to pass, and your role in the inevitable confrontation with Amon's abominable Hybrid will be-"

"Spare me your fanciful prophecies and fairy tales, Zeratul," Kerrigan coldly interjected. "The only thing I am concerned with is harnessing the power of the primal zerg on this planet. The sooner I regain my full ability to control the swarm, the sooner I'll be heading back to Korhal ... to deal with Mengsk."

Unflappable as ever, Zeratul simply bowed his head. The protoss was well aware of the heavy heart Kerrigan bore from the reported news on Jim Raynor's execution at the hands of Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. "If you are in haste, then perhaps we should begin our diplomacy with killing the ambush lurking in the brush."

Kerrigan smiled despite her best intentions. Okay, so maybe the dark templar had the occasional moment of likability.

"Perhaps we should," Kerrigan replied. She had sensed their presence as well, not long before she had made landfall. Feral. Bestial. Their auras were definitely zerg. But she also sensed a surprising cunning and intellect. And the creatures were brimming with a vibrant life force that both fascinated and intimidated the terran. These primal zerg were definitely not the same zerg she was used to.

With a flex of his arm, the ancient protoss templar activated the energy-based warp blade on his wrist. Kerrigan readied herself, gathering psychic energy into her palms until it began to crackle off her fingertips.

With another puff of ethereal smoke, Zeratul disappeared, and instantly, off in the thick jungle, a squeal of pain from some unseen creature sounded out. The first one's death quickly prompted the other four to attack. Suddenly crashing through the thick foliage came a gang of unfamiliar beasts. Trodding on four muscular legs and bearing massive teeth on a snouted head with a row of three eyes on each side, these primals looked to be over four hundred pounds of pure muscle and bone. Charging forward with an intimidating roar, they crushed woody saplings and entire bushes under their foot like they were merely twigs.

Had Kerrigan been anyone else but herself, she might have been afraid.

Curling her upper lip in a snarl, she unleashed her charged energy. Arcs of purple bolts struck the closest beast, ripping fissures in its hide as the raw psionic energy tore the creature apart. It stumbled and skidded to the ground as the second primal bounded near. Kerrigan felt her spine and skin tingle with energy as she produced a guided shockwave which blasted the second creature off its feet and into a copse of trees. Before she could finish it off, she had to react to the third creature as it closed in on her, leaping in the air with claws extended. Reacting instinctively, she just managed to catch the beast in mid-air with a telekinetic grip, stopping it merely inches away from her face. Clasping her hands together, she concentrated hard, focusing all her psionic might on the creature's skull until it violently imploded, leaving the body to instantly go limp.

Kerrigan turned to her left to find Zeratul effortlessly finish off her second creature, eviscerating it in a single, graceful swipe. Without losing a second of momentum, the protoss then made a short-distance teleport to the last primal, blinking into existence right in front of it. He nimbly avoided the creature's swiping claws and--grabbing onto one of its long tusks that came only inches away from impaling him--he used the leverage to somersault onto the beast's back and drive his warp blade down into the base of its skull, sending the rest of the primal's body crashing to the ground.

Slowly, Zeratul stood up, deactivated his warp blade, and nonchalantly adjusted the harness on his chest, looking as if he had instead spent the last few minutes quietly appreciating the jungle landscape.

"You know," Kerrigan began. "You move well for being over a thousand cycles old. What's your secret? Diet? Exercise?"

"They will likely return in much larger numbers. You would be wise to set up a forward base with some of your ground forces." Zeratul suggested, completely ignoring the comment. Kerrigan pursed her lips. Of all the things the Protoss were known for, appreciation of humor was not one of them.

"There is only one guiding principle on Zerus: the strongest will rule," Zeratul continued. "The primal zerg will see you as a rival, a source of power to consume and feed on. Our presence will not be tolerated."

"Oh, they'll tolerate it," Kerrigan assured the templar with a cheeky smirk. "Once they see I'm the strongest."

"Do not underestimate the power of the primal zerg," Zeratul warned. "The more powerful a primal grows, the longer it survives on this harsh planet. And there are beings here that far surpass even me in age."

Kerrigan's smile slowly faded. "Noted." Joking aside, the terran was smarter than to assume Zerus would be a walk in the park.

Kerrigan once again surveyed the surrounding area, thinking hard. "There's lots of biomass for my existing forces to feed off of, but I'll need a source of minerals and vespene gas to increase the size of my standing army," she surmised.

"Zerus is a planet rich in resources. There are mineral nodes and geysers leaking vespene gas not far from here."

"Good," Kerrigan nodded. "Take me there. I'll have a hatchery rooted into the ground within the hour."

--=-=--

Zeratul's warnings had not gone unheeded: the primal zerg were formidable opponents even for the Swarm. Despite lacking any form of technology whatsoever, they were intelligent, cunning, and communicated with each other well. Like all zerg they were innately psionic creatures, and some of the older, more powerful ones were sentient enough to telepathically converse, though their words to Kerrigan were never pleasant. Surprisingly, the Primals' ability to evolve and adjust to battlefield conditions far exceeded the Swarm's own capabilities. Kerrigan was certain they were able to alter their bodies and evolve new traits within the span of minutes: severed limbs quickly began growing replacements, exposure to acidic bile of her roaches prompted the secretion of insulating mucus, and even the toxicity of her hydralisk's spines quickly lost its potency as the Primals evolved complicated antigens in their bloodstream.

Whatever traits and abilities the Primals could not match, they stole: for every member of the Swarm that fell, groups of primal zerg would pounce on the corpse and feast on it, taking in the DNA of a hydralisk, or a roach, or a zergling. Once absorbed, the Primals were able to assimilate the DNA to their own genome until they began to resemble whatever strain they had just consumed. The entire process could happen in a short time frame, and it wasn't long before she was facing primal roaches, primal hydralisks, and primal zerglings more deadly than her own troops. Kerrigan felt fortunate that they had not replicated her banelings as of yet: banelings exploded upon death, leaving no trace of their body to consume.

But Kerrigan had one advantage the primal zerg could not replicate: the Swarm's hive mind. Utilizing her unique mental link with the zerg under her control, she commanded the Swarm as one unit, transmitting her orders to her numerous overlords and overseers, which each directly micromanaging a small portion of her forces.

Psionically gifted even before the zerg infested her and radically altered her powers, Kerrigan had since childhood spent her life in the terran confederacy's ghost program, training to be a covert operative. Because of this, she was no stranger to battlefield stratagem. And though the primal zerg were fierce and powerful and intelligent in equal measures, they could not match the superior coordination and tactics of an experienced soldier.

But coordinating an entire army--especially an army telepathically tied to your consciousness--could become a taxing and exhausting affair. A day on Zerus was much longer than a standard day on Tarsonis or Korhal, and adding to it, the Primals did not seem to require much, if any, sleep and harassed her colony even in the dead of night, depriving Kerrigan of rest.

With Zeratul having retreated to his ship, the Void Seeker, to do ... whatever it was protoss do on distant, dangerous, alien worlds, Kerrigan was left to her own devices for the time being.

Before he left, Kerrigan had been instructed to search for the ancient primal zerg, Zurvan. Not even a week had passed and already Kerrigan was suffering from her constant efforts to control and guide the Swarm. Her mind ached and throbbed, her ability to focus was muddled, and her control over her minions was starting to slip. Making the decision to take a leave from Zerus, she boarded an overlord and returned to the Leviathan that lay in close orbit around the planet.

"Izsha," Kerrigan called out as she stumbled into her war room, clutching her forehead in hand.

The long, serpentine body of the once-human creature that served as Kerrigan's personal advisor descended from the ceiling. Izsha politely bowed her head and spoke to Kerrigan in her unnervingly ghostly, high-pitched voice.

"Yes, my Queen?"

"It ... I ..." Hissing in exasperation, Kerrigan shut her eyes tight and tried to think through the numerous zerg consciousnesses communicating in her head.

"Wake broodmother Zagara from hibernation. Tell her she is to take temporary command of the Swarm while I rest. Instruct her to hold my current position and to not move out under any circumstances. She is to focus on maintaining our defenses and hatching new troops to replenish the ranks until I return."

"I will do so at once, my Queen." Izsha paused, her pendulous form swaying slightly as she studied her terran leader. "You do not look well. Are you healthy?"

Kerrigan shook her head and leaned heavily against the organic walls of the Leviathan. "It's just stress and exhaustion. I'll be fine once I get some rest. Just make sure Zagara does not get overzealous with her autonomy. Her mind is not strong enough to effectively manage the amount of troops I have on the ground. Got it?"

"I will see to it, my Queen. Please rejoin the Swarm when you are ready. We will be waiting for your command."

Kerrigan nodded. Without further instruction, she made a hasty retreat to her makeshift personal quarters: part of a large terran ship that had been salvaged and integrated into the Leviathan's flesh. The flat, metallic echo of footsteps sounded out of place in the otherwise organic zerg flagship, though creep was starting to spread along the floor and walls of some of the more open spaces. Kerrigan entered the captain's room. As she walked in, the lights flickered on--being powered by massive neurons that had attached themselves to the ship's wiring--and inside, a lone zergling rose from his resting spot at the foot of the bed. The zergling buzzed his wings and chittered quietly upon seeing his queen. Kerrigan smiled as she saw him; the zergling had, for whatever reason imprinted on her long ago and had since then become a sort of pet to her.

"Hey, Tusky," Kerrigan greeted the zergling with a stroke across his forehead. Pressing the small button on the neck of her skintight Hostile Environment Suit, the fabric grew limp and peeled away from her skin like ribbons. Now nude, Kerrigan stretched as she stepped out of her suit, welcoming the sensation of real, actual air touching her skin for the first time in days. In seeing his queen strip, the zergling stood up and immediately came to her side, looking up at his queen in expectation. Kerrigan felt tempted, but she pushed the zergling away.

"Not right now, Tusky ... I need to rest."

Collapsing face-down on the bed, Kerrigan closed her eyes and focused. One by one, the telepathic thoughts, words, and consciousnesses were systematically purged from her mind until finally, the only voice within her brain was her own. Having closed herself off to the zerg hive mind at last, Kerrigan let out a sigh of weary satisfaction and sank into the pillows. Her furrowed brow and tightly shut eyes slowly relaxed as the terran let the comfort of soft blankets on her bare skin envelop her until all conscious thought was purged from her mind.

--=-=--

Sarah Kerrigan blinked and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She wasn't sure how long her nap had been, and part of her didn't want to know. Rolling onto her back, the terran let out a sigh of relaxation. A nice bed could do wonders on a tired mind and body. The zergling was at the foot of her bed, keeping watch.

Sitting up, the terran swung her legs over the side of the bed and yawned, getting a feel for her mental state. Clear and well rested, though a tad sluggish from sleep. Slowly, she opened her mind up. One by one, another consciousness joined her own, until she could sense every zerg aboard the moon-sized Leviathan. She stopped herself short of mentally reaching down to the surface of Zerus: such a long distance was difficult for the terran; and she'd rather not strain herself so soon after resting.

Most of the zerg still onboard the Leviathan were wrapped up in pupae or sleeping in hibernation, and had little brain activity. But there was one consciousness in particular that was being very active: Abathur. No doubt busying himself with his ceaseless experiments.

Abathur was an ancient zerg, a unique amalgamation of many species. He was a creation birthed long ago by the Overmind, the now-dead consciousness that had once served as the swarm's living will and directive. Abathur was created with the sole purpose of designing and evolving the various zerg strains. Each strain was built from the genomes of exemplary species with traits suitable to be assimilated into the Swarm. The zergling once was the small and savage Zz'gashi dune runner. Mutalisks were created from the vicious mantis screamer that once plagued the Dinares sector.

Kerrigan disliked Abathur, and it wasn't merely for the stench of putrid chemicals wafting from his evolution pit. But, as she stepped back into her Hostile Environment Suit, the terran considered dropping by anyway to see whether he was still working on developing any new toys for her excursion on Zerus. It was a largely needless task: Abathur would contact her when ready, like he usually would. Yet, Kerrigan was in no hurry to return to the surface. And while Zagara could not guide the Swarm as effectively as the terran, she had faith that the broodmother could hold her own for a little while longer.

Kerrigan glanced at the zergling patiently keeping watch. A hint of a smile began to show on her face.

"I'm going to go visit Abathur, Tusky. And no following me this time."

Looking up at the sound of his queen's voice, the zergling chittered in response and buzzed his wings.

"I don't want him trying to seize you for any experiments."

--=-=--

The fetid odors of primordial ooze, raw genetic material, and the remains of failed experiments were sharp and acrid on Kerrigan's nose as she approached Abathur's evolution pit. Inside the ribbed and bony walls resided a slug-like creature with numerous long, insect-like appendages, toiling amongst the pulsing and wriggling eggs of prototypes that lined the walls and ceiling.

Kerrigan approached the evolution master, who set aside the mangled flesh of ... something that he was fiddling with, and gave the Queen his full attention.

"The terran desires something." Abathur surmised, speaking to Kerrigan in his throaty, guttural, and broken tone.

"Abathur ..." Kerrigan's eyes narrowed. "That's not the remains of a primal zerg, is it?"

Abathur rubbed his talons clean of the mucus and slime covering his spindly appendages. "Correct. Studying primal zerg strains. See how they change, how they evolve. Must weave countermeasure. Protect Swarm traits from Primals."

Kerrigan shook her head. Abathur had become more than a bit upset upon learning his designs were being "stolen" by the Primals as they replicated traits. As far as she was concerned, imitation was the sincerest form of flattery.

"I thought I told you to stop obsessing over them taking your designs."

"Primal zerg must not steal from Swarm! Unacceptable. Must not let Primals-"

"The Primals can do as they please." Kerrigan coldly interjected. "Once my power grows strong enough, I'll have them on my side one way or the other." Kerrigan folded her arms over her chest. "Now, you were supposed to be working on giving me new strains from primal DNA. Is your swarm host ready?"

"Swarm host incomplete. Much work needed. Sequences must change, new strands must be spun. Mold new flesh, sculpt new bone."

Kerrigan wrinkled her nose. "Fine. So leave the primal corpse alone and work on it."

Silent, Abathur regarded the terran coldly but bowed his head in acknowledgement. Kerrigan couldn't help but smile as she sensed a twinge of resentment in the zerg creature's consciousness.

Abathur inched over to one of his many egg pods. "This one. Ready. Hydralisk prototype. Augmented adrenal system, derived from primal strand. Increased aggression, reflex speed."

Taking a single talon, Abathur pierced the egg and pulled down, slicing the membranous eggshell in two and causing a translucent, viscous fluid to gush out and pool around his slug-like lower body. As he pulled the egg open wider, Kerrigan caught sight of an adult hydralisk inside, curled up into a ball. Slowly unfurling as it awoke from incubation, the creature coughed and spat up more of the embryonic fluid before shuddering and shaking off the slimy stuff from its body. Slowly, it raised its serpentine form to full stature until it reached well above Kerrigan's head, dwarfing her in size.

"Sequence imperfect, heightened combat effectiveness temporary. Adrenal glands depleted of epinephrine quickly, must replenish stores."

"Sounds promising, regardless." Kerrigan mused. "So it goes into a kind of frenzy?"

"Correct. Activated by psionic trigger, can be saved for when needed most."

"I like it." Kerrigan smiled. "Let me see..."

Slowly, she circled the hydralisk, sizing the creature up. The serpentine zerg breed held itself at about nine feet high, though its hunched-over posture lowered the head to around Kerrigan's level. A pair of broad shoulders and pronated limbs were accentuated by several foot-long blades tucked under the forearms. They were equally effective for scaling terrain too difficult for slithering and for cleanly severing limbs from bodies. Its massive, hunched back was covered by interlocking triangular armor plates that could unfold to reveal the rows of spines it could launch as projectiles. A pair of fanged lower mandibles sprouted from behind its upper cheeks, flanking its smaller primary mouth. Each bore at the end an excessively large upward-pointing fang. Having grown too large to be practical for grasping food, the secondary mandibles were now used as powerful puncturing implements in close quarters combat.

Kerrigan stepped over the snake-like lower half of the hydralisk's body as she walked around its backside. Its underside was plated with interlocking ventral scutes that allowed the hydralisk to grip and slither across the ground in an "upright" posture. Still dripping embryonic slime from its incubation, the creature panted noisily through its mouth and watched its queen carefully, turning its elongated, shield-like head as she circled.

Kerrigan had never really taken the time to inspect a hydralisk up close before, noting that they were certainly complex and intricate members of the Swarm, terrifying visage aside. Reaching out with an extended hand, she beckoned the hydralisk close, laying her palm on the creature's forehead as it approached. The zerg watched its queen closely, rumbling softly in its throat and inspecting her with an intelligent, discerning gaze from its dark eyes as she circled round.

Kerrigan reached out with her mind to touch hers with that of the hydralisk, feeling an alert and surprisingly placid consciousness ready to take its first orders from its queen. She listened to the quiet, rhythmic panting of its breath as the tugging of its strong diaphragm filled its four lungs with air. She felt its multi-chambered hearts beating proudly in its chest as hot blood rushed through its veins. And then, as she locked eyes with the serpentine zerg strain, an unusual tightness formed in her chest, causing her breath to stifle.

Confused by this odd reaction her body was giving, the terran searched her mind, looking for answers. The bestial, yet intelligent gaze that studied her terran form seemed oddly familiar. Tusky, the zergling that she claimed as a companion, often gave Kerrigan the exact same look.

And then, the mental image of Tusky flooded Kerrigan's mind. Tusky, the very first zergling that had imprinted on her, that followed her incessantly and yearned to stay close for unknown reasons. Tusky, the zergling that she opened up to and had in turn used to hone her abilities to control the Swarm. Tusky, the zergling that imparted unto her the razor-edge balancing act between fear and trust as those bladed fore limbs wrapped around her waist, gripping her firmly as something hot and pulsing brushed up against her inner thighs, growling huskily into her ear as his hips began to thrust forward with a harsh, feral intensity that--

Sucking in a sudden breath, Kerrigan shook the lewd mental image from her mind, immediately breaking her mental bond with the hydralisk, who lurched as its brain was returned to its own possession. No, no no... not here, not now! Thoroughly embarrassed at her own thoughts, she turned away from Abathur's gaze and collected herself.

Surrounded by no one except her various broods, Sarah had been using the zergling to fulfill certain ... needs during the long periods of time in interstellar space while traveling between worlds. Pleasuring yourself in the shower or in bed was one thing, but it was unheard of to use a psychically-linked zergling to do the deed for you!

And yet, the shame of her own actions had not prevented Kerrigan from trying it again. And again. She told herself it was simply a matter of convenience: Kerrigan could control the Zergling's every move if need be, and even then that was rarely necessary: the creature instinctively kept itself from bringing harm to its queen.

But to think that there was more than convenience that drew her to the act, that there might be some pattern forming, some budding--

"Is the new strain disliked?" Abathur spoke up, causing Kerrigan to flinch. Slowly, she turned to face him, masking her distress under a stoic and critical expression. She was almost thankful for the evolution master to interrupt her thoughts.

"No," she replied, putting on a cool and collected demeanor and hoping the heat in her cheeks would dissipate. "I was just exploring the hydralisk's mind."

Reaching out with her psionic powers once more, Kerrigan grabbed hold of the hydralisk's brain, exploring the creature's inner workings.

"So how do I trigger it to ... oh, I think I feel it. Let's try ... this!"

The hydralisk suddenly flinched and doubled over. Kerrigan heard its breathing quickly become raspy and heavy. The zerg began to shudder. Rearing back, it let out a screeching roar and slammed both clawed arms into the ground, piercing deep enough to cause the organic floor of the evolution pit to bleed. Kerrigan felt the effects of the frenzy on the hydralisk's brain jump in her mind. Not expecting the extent of the surge, control of the creature was temporarily wrenched from her.

"Whoa!"

Kerrigan jumped back for her own personal safety, causing the keratinous, zerg-infested tendrils that was once her hair to clatter against each other. She struggled to get a good hold on the hydralisk as it began to thrash. It managed to shred through several of Abathur's egg cases, causing the contents to gush everywhere before Kerrigan wrangled the hydralisk's mind back into her control. Restraining the creature with her mind, she held on and pacified the hydralisk until the adrenaline finished working through its system.

When it finally began to calm, Kerrigan released her telepathic hold on the zerg, allowing it to move once more. Panting from exhaustion, the hydralisk hunched over and supported its self on its front limbs. Around it laid the spilt contents of several of Abathur's experiments. Half-formed zerg creatures--looking like unrecognizable masses of partially formed limbs and body parts--twitched and writhed as they were exposed to the dank air.

Kerrigan bit her lip. "I hope those weren't anything important."

Abathur waved the terran off. "Strands are intact. Can spin more. Opinion on hydralisk strain?"

Kerrigan shrugged. "I'll have to play around with it more before I make a decision." Her gaze returned briefly to the hydralisk before she forcefully pulled it away. She was now imagining a hydralisk instead of Tusky holding her down and .... The image carried with it equal parts revulsion and curious enticement, the latter of which Kerrigan was trying to ignore.

"So..." Kerrigan began, wracking her mind for something--anything to take her mind off the current subject.

"Tell me, is this hydralisk a male or a female?" Kerrigan immediately gave herself a mental kick in the rear for such a question.

"Hydralisk strain weaved from female slothien," Abathur replied simply.

Ah, there it was. A good change of topic. "Tell me about the slothien," she immediately requested, hiding her disappointment about hydralisks being female.

Abathur bowed in acknowledgement. "Progenitor species slothien among the first to be assimilated into swarm. Long before the creation of the Queen of Blades."

The Queen of Blades, meaning Kerrigan herself. Back when she was still infested and had little control over her own actions. Her memories of that time were foggy and distant at best. The Queen's reign of terror had killed billions of terran and protoss in only a few short years ... perhaps it was best that she couldn't remember the details, Kerrigan grimly surmised.

Kerrigan turned a palm up, expecting more information than that out of the slug-like Abathur. "Go on," she coaxed.

Abathur clicked his many spindly talons together. "Slothien ... small, non-aggressive herbivores. Long, worm-like body. Sluggish crawling locomotion. Inefficient. Lacked protective exoskeleton or tough epidermis, very fragile. Initial assessment: worthless species, expected fodder in native food chain. But slothien remained dominant herbivore on planet, no natural predators. Prompted closer look.

"Genetic sequence sloppy and crude, yet contained great potential. Slothien evolved intricate defense mechanism to compensate for lack of dermal armor or capacity to outrun predators. Many small utricating hairs stored on back."

"Utricating hairs?" Kerrigan asked. Having spent most of her previous life as a psionically-enhanced covert operative, biology was not her most familiar subject ... though she had been learning quite a lot since returning to the Swarm.

"Sharp, hollow," Abathur explained. "Capable of being launched as projectile. Used to deliver acrid fluid. Irritates soft tissue. Took it, weaved it. Molded it into something greater."

A knowing smile spread across Kerrigan's lips. "Ah, so you evolved those into hydra spines."

The spines of a hydralisk were close to a foot long and had special grooves which the air "pushed" against, causing the spine to spin and stabilize its flight path. Hooked barbs allowed the spines to stay firmly lodged inside of anything they hit. Incredibly dense and sharp, they could easily penetrate a marine's standard issue CMC powered armor suit due to the sheer amount of inertia compared to a tiny bullet. They could even pierce the neosteel armor plating used on vehicles and starships. And, to her knowledge, terran scientists still had not figured out how to neutralize the venom they injected because the chemical composition was constantly evolving and changing. If wounded by a hydralisk on the battlefield, sometimes amputation was the only option ... though cybernetic prosthetics could serve quite well as replacement, if one could afford it.

Abathur continued, becoming more animated as he talked. "Slothien body molded, shaped. Potential brought out through controlled evolution: Newly-spun muscular augments and interlocking scutes on ventral surface able to grip ground, push off. Slither. More efficient. Augmented tension-locked muscular spindles spun into upper carapace. Can launch spines great distances. Reticulated neurotendinous ganglion network relays feedback directly to spinal cord, improves effective reflexive accuracy to several hundred times body length. Biological projectile system unrivaled amongst all known species in Koprulu sector. Hydralisk accuracy, range, and rate of fire able to outmatch terran handheld projectile weaponry."

There was more than a little twinge of callous dismissiveness in Abathur's reverberating, guttural voice as he mentioned Kerrigan's own human race, colloquially known as the terrans.

Kerrigan folded her arms and smirked. "Abathur, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you sound proud of your work."

Abathur jerked back slightly. His strange, slit-like mouth flapped as if trying to form words that wouldn't enunciate.

"Pride, hubris, arrogance, conceit. Emotions ... terran traits. Overrides critical and logical thought. The Overmind did not spin me to express such traits."

Trying to hide a smile, Kerrigan smacked her lips together. "But not all traits are spun, Abathur. Some are learned." Kerrigan knew the truth behind this only too well, having discovered that Tusky--the zergling that she claimed as a pet--was learning to fit its role quite well. And Zagara, the broodmother, had also learned and changed much since her re-assimilation into Kerrigan's Swarm.

"No!" Abathur protested, lurching forward. "No. Factual statements remain: effectiveness of hydralisk strain comes through careful design. Your terran matter cannot compare: Strands are longer, yet contain less information. Sloppy, messy, disorganized. Primitive and redundant. Susceptible to negative, random mutations, some fatal. Many patches of inaccessible code, dormant genes never used. Wasted strands code for useless traits: hair, eye color. High variance of facial features: pointless code! Psionic potential hampered by recessive traits. Unnecessarily exaggerated desire of sexual reproduction distracts and overrides logical thought, psychological weakness in strain."

Kerrigan did her best not to make a face or reactions, but her hot cheeks betrayed her intentions. Now she was doubly sure not to let Abathur know what she was considering. He was already on a heated rant from just mentioning terrans ... who knows how peeved and grouchy he would become if he saw the leader of the Swarm giving into her "unnecessarily exaggerated desire of sexual reproduction!"

Abathur continued talking, oblivious of Kerrigan's thoughts. She wasn't sure if he was even paying her attention.

"Bulk of terran strands: wasted, useless space. Inefficient. Zerg retrovirus can do little to improve sequence: poor base material yields poor final product. But..." Abathur brought a hand to the base of his slit-like mouth. He then stretched two of his arms wide, and it took Kerrigan a second before she saw an almost invisible spider-web-like filament held out in front of her.

Kerrigan squinted her eyes in mild confusion, and after a moment of recognition they opened wide. "Wait, is that really-"

"Hydralisk strand, carefully spun from many threads." Abathur brought the several foot-long strand of DNA--thinner than a human hair--close to his tiny eyes and traced a claw along the length of it, as if counting the individual genes within. "Sequence is efficient, clean, complex. Free from negative mutations, recessive genes. Organized, able to replicate faster, more efficiently than messy terran strands. Constructed with clear purpose, designed to maximize potential. Hydralisk sequence is elegant, efficient, effective..."

He paused briefly, as if to consider his next words as he stared at his filamentous creation.

"... beautiful."

Yup. Definitely proud of his work, Kerrigan thought.

"Well, Abathur, this all has been very ... enlightening," Kerrigan began, choosing her words shrewdly. The terran bit her lip and stalled. She knew what she wanted to ask of him, but she thought herself silly and embarrassed for it.

That mental image of the hydralisk, though ... Her chest began to tighten once more. Kerrigan took in a deep breath and finally resigned herself to her unspoken wishes.

"I have a task for you," she began. "I'd like you to make me a special kind of hydralisk. One with ..." Kerrigan hummed to herself as she pondered.

"One with a few adjustments, to satisfy my curiosity."

Kerrigan suddenly had the zerg's attention. He quickly tucked the strand back from where it came. "Adjustments, yes. Hydralisk strain not perfect. Never perfect, always more potential, always seeking improvement. Legless locomotion limits movement speed, easily hampered by terrain composition. Full-bodied protective dermal plating impossible due to torso's required range of movement, hydralisk life expectancy low. But, these things, many things ..." Abathur held his claws out plainly. "Difficult to improve without complete re-design."

Kerrigan shook her head. "I'm not worried about combat efficiency. This hydralisk won't be used for fighting. It's more of a ..." Kerrigan furrowed her brow as she searched for the right words.

"An experimental design change."

"What change?" Abathur asked.

Kerrigan bit her lip in hesitation. Here we go, she thought.

"I want you to make a male hydralisk."

Abathur hesitated, pulling back his many spindly arms close to his body as if recoiling in confusion.

"No." Abathur replied simply. "Impossible."

Kerrigan frowned. "Why not? Don't you have tons of genetic code lying around waiting to be used or something?" Kerrigan wasn't sure how Abathur always performed his work, but she had assumed he would have massive stores of genetic code somewhere. She probably didn't want to know exactly where.

Abathur bowed slightly in acknowledgment. "I spin many strands, keep them. Store them in me. But male hydralisk strand lacked potential. Progenitor species slothien exhibited sexual dimorphism. Female larger, stronger. Better sequence to spin strands from. Male strands discarded."

Kerrigan frowned. She sucked on her cheek for a moment. "But the female would still have the code for male genes, right? They're just dormant?"

Abathur bowed in acknowledgement. "Some traits, kept. Too messy to remove from strand. Stays dormant without male chromosome."

"Would it be possible to ... take the missing male genes from, say, a zergling, and put them into the hydralisk?"

Abathur pondered, absentmindedly working and weaving a strand of something with several of his spindly hands, perhaps similar to how a terran might drum his fingers on a desk.

" ... Perhaps. Progenitor species of hydralisk and zergling operated on primitive hormone system for gender expression: parallels in strain exist. Possible, but difficult. The reasoning is unclear. Hypothetical male hydralisk inefficient. Combat prowess-"

"I told you I don't care about fighting skills." Kerrigan interjected. "This one won't be used on the battlefield."

Abathur's many eyes narrowed. "Unclear. What is this creation's purpose?"

Yikes. Kerrigan put on her poker face and tried to ignore the blush forming on her cheeks. "It's called terran curiosity, Abathur. I want to explore this new strain's abilities. Perhaps there's some use to those dormant male traits not seen in your female strain."

"Unlikely."

Kerrigan pursed her lips. Seeing it was difficult, if not impossible, to convince the evolution master, the terran instead tried a more direct approach. Kerrigan's irises lit up as she grimaced and let out a mild shockwave of psionic energy. The effect startled Abathur, who shirked back in fear.

"Just do it before I make you do it," she ordered. "I don't need to sit here and argue with my minions, I need them to obey my wishes."

Abathur went silent for a moment.

"... Very well." The zerg creature bowed his massive head.

Kerrigan let out a quiet "Humph" under her breath, smiling to herself.

"Will begin work immediately," Abathur said. He slithered over to the prototype hydralisk. The serpentine creature dwarfed Abathur's size.

"Good, because I-"

Showing a surprising speed and strength, Abathur seized the larger hydralisk with his many spider-like appendages, and--to Kerrigan's horror--he began to rip into the creature's torso, which screeched and thrashed in his grip.

"Stop, stop!" Kerrigan yelled, her face pallid from shock. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Looking up, Abathur released the injured and bleeding hydralisk, which collapsed to the floor. "I am doing what you requested. Repurposing hydralisk gamete production tissue to produce spermatogonia," he explained as innocently as one could look whilst blood dripped from their claws.

Kerrigan threw her hands up in the air. "Spermato... what? You're supposed to put a dick on a hydralisk, not eviscerate one!"

"Phallus is not necessary. The shape of genitals do not determine gender, the type of gametes produced does. Sperm or ova." Abathur's eyes narrowed, as if he was insulted for having to explain such a rudimentary concept.

Kerrigan buried her head in her hands. "Oh, hell ..." She sighed, feeling embarrassed to have to be more obvious about her intentions. "Abathur, I want you to make me a hydralisk with a functional ... phallus," she blurted out.

"Do not understand." Abathur stated plainly. "No code exists for slothien male. Cloaca functionally similar in both genders."

Oh, great, Kerrigan thought. Sighing in frustration, she brought a hand to her forehead. "Just ... do it. Okay? Make one if you have to."

Abathur thought for a moment as the bleeding hydralisk slowly writhed on the ground. "Female slothien utilized ovipositor. Code currently dormant. Can ... repurpose anatomy into penetrative male organ."

"Ovipositor?" Kerrigan quizzically asked.

"Common reproductive strategy. Used to insert eggs into other objects: nest, plant, other organism."

"Insert eggs into another organism?" Kerrigan shuddered at the mental image of what such a hydralisk might do to her. "Ew, no thanks. Let's keep this male hydralisk egg-less, okay? Sperm only, and with a functioning ... phallus." Kerrigan bit her lower lip in hesitation.

"Very well." Abathur bowed. The simplicity of the answer pleasantly surprised the terran.

Kerrigan waved a finger at the slug-like creature. "Good. And I want you to grow this one from scratch. No eviscerating hydralisks for spare parts. And ..." Kerrigan glanced down at the injured hydralisk, which was still twitching in a puddle of its own blood. "And fix up that one. I'll want to practice using its frenzy later."

"Spare prototypes exist. Easier to-"

"I said fix that one you hurt. Do it." Kerrigan's eyes narrowed, flashing briefly with psionic power.

Backing off in deference, Abathur grumbled to himself. "Empathy and compassion, weakness in terran strain."

Begrudgingly, he bent down to the injured hydralisk. Again showing a surprising strength for such spindly appendages, Abathur turned the hydralisk over. Kerrigan wagered it had to have weighed more than Abathur himself. Cradling it, he began weaving a silky, webby material with two claws as two more claws tucked back in the various entrails that had been ripped out.

"Recombinant male hydralisk strain minor change, but difficult. Will require time to spin and weave. Prototypes must be made." Abathur stated as he started mending pieces of torn flesh together using the webbing as fixative. Another pair of claws began applying a translucent ooze from a pustule on the wall, which Kerrigan presumed was some sort of stem cell matrix to aid in the healing of any "surgical" experimenting. Kerrigan watched in fascination at the incredible speed and precision at which Abathur and his many limbs worked.

"Fine." Kerrigan nodded as she turned back to the exit. "Send the male hydralisk to me when it's hatched. I'll be in my war room."

"Understood."

--=-=--

Kerrigan was not without her reservations. She knew full well what she was about to do with a zerg creature and tried not to be too self-aware about it, before she started having second thoughts. Instead, she distracted herself by coordinating with Zagara the excursion all the way down on the surface of Zerus. With Kerrigan still aboard the Leviathan, she communicated with the broodmother telepathically, using overlords in low orbit as a relay to speed up and strengthen the message transfer over such a long distance.

By all rights, Zagara seemed to be doing just fine on the surface as "interm" Swarm leader, though the flying guardians seemed to be giving her trouble. Kerrigan was trying to wrap the broodmother's mind around the concept of baiting to draw the primal fliers within range of her hydralisks.

Hours passed with Kerrigan barely taking a notice. It wasn't until the membranous door to the war room opened with a hydralisk slithering in that the terran remembered her plans. She got up and circled the zerg newcomer, inspecting it. This hydralisk certainly was a little smaller than she was used to, however ...

"Hm, you don't look any different from other hydras," Kerrigan noted. The creature looked positively normal save for the wet sheen of embryonic fluid from its newly-hatched state. It let out a hiss and bowed its head slightly upon seeing Kerrigan, recognizing the terran as its queen and leader.

Kerrigan smirked. "Let's hope you're different where it counts."

Nearby, Tusky regarded the new member of the war room with curiosity, chittering quietly to its self. Kerrigan chuckled and gave the zergling an affectionate pat on the head.

"Don't worry; Tusky... you won't be getting replaced. But for now I need you to stay here." She turned to the hydralisk, who regarded Kerrigan with a quiet, droning hum.

"As for you ... come." Kerrigan beckoned the hydralisk. "Your queen desires something of you."

As she heard the soft gliding sound of the hydralisk's slithering body behind her, Kerrigan allowed herself to giggle a bit. In her old life as a psionically-imbued covert field operative--long before the zerg had ever gotten their clawed hands on her--she was more used to taking orders than giving them. But though it hadn't come naturally to her at first, she found that adopting this "Queen of the Swarm" persona could be a bit fun at times.

Kerrigan walked down the chambered passageways of the Leviathan, taking long, confident strides. There weren't many places for a terran to comfortably sit or lie inside of the massive, spacefaring zerg creature, but one place in particular came to mind: the brooding chambers. It was a massive, cavernous area filled with millions of pupae lining the walls and floor, each containing a dormant zerg in hibernation, ready to be awoken and called to the battlefield at a moment's notice. Many of these Kerrigan kept as reserves for emergencies only. Not every planet was rich in the resources required for hatching new troops.

Silently, Kerrigan strode on as she and the hydralisk weaved through the rows of dormant zerg brooding in their pods. Even ultralisks were stored here: their gargantuan, towering capsules dwarfed the lithe terran and her hydralisk companion. It did not take Kerrigan long to find a once-occupied pupae attached to the bony walls of the Leviathan. It looked like a roach once hibernated here, judging by the size of the pit. Silently, she ordered the hydralisk to rip the casing out, which left an ovoid recession in the wall that was big enough to comfortably sit in. The recession was several feet off the ground, which seemed to be perfect for what she wanted the hydralisk to perform.

Kerrigan let a devious smile play across her face as she regarded her zerg companion. She drew a finger under the creature's mouth and delicately raised its chin to look at it in the eye. "Now, hydralisk ... your queen wishes to be bred. And it is your purpose to satisfy her. Do you understand?"

Of course the hydralisk didn't understand her, as only Abathur, Izsha, and her various broodmothers were sentient enough to converse. Though intelligent, this hydralisk--like any other--merely responded to her psychic thoughts and commands and could not innately understand spoken words. But Kerrigan liked to pretend that they did anyway, often talking to them as she telepathically conveyed the same information in thought form. Maintaining the illusion that they were responding to her words made the creatures feel a bit more relatable and human, both of which were traits that Kerrigan long missed in her travels with the Swarm.

Slowly she began to circle the hydralisk, reaching up to her neck to press a button on her Hostile Environment Suit. Growing limp, the nanofabric began to peel away from her skin. As she walked, Kerrigan let it fall to the floor around her, deftly stepping out of the boots and placing her bare feet onto the warm, organic floor of the Leviathan. Now in the nude, Kerrigan walked up to the hydralisk and took its head in her hands, staring directly into its fearsome, fanged face.

Running her hand delicately over the hydralisk's forehead, Kerrigan's eyes began to shine as she imparted her will into the creature's brain. The hydralisk shuddered and looked down to meet her gaze as its mind was filled with silent thoughts and wordless commands. Its eyes began to narrow, as a heavy, reverberating rumble began to resonate in its throat, acknowledging its orders.

"Sound's like someone's ready," Kerrigan chuckled.

Kerrigan hoisted herself up into the recession in the wall and laid against the back. Beckoning the hydralisk close, Kerrigan guided its head down her body, bringing it to bump softly against the front of her crotch. Her soft and pink skin brushed up against the hardened, keratinous carapace of the hydralisk's face.

The hydralisk took in a deep breath, smelling the scent of terran femininity swirling around its nasal pores. It looked down at its queen's most intimate of places, studying it with a discerning gaze. Kerrigan felt its hot, humid breath warm her inner thighs.

She then reached into the zerg's mind and telepathically conveyed two short words:

"Now, lick."

The hydralisk was silent, but Kerrigan felt its mandibles spread and press against her inner thighs. A long and narrow purple tongue covered in thick saliva lashed out, and Kerrigan let out a gasp of pleasure as the hot and slimy organ drew across her slit. Fingernails dug into the hydralisk's head, where they scraped harmlessly on the dense chitin.

"Oh god, how long is that thing?" Kerrigan gasped as the tongue seemed to drag across her lips forever. She pulled her hips back to glance at the hydralisk as if expecting an answer, but the zerg that had curled down between her legs merely stared back in silence as it tasted its queen for the first time. Kerrigan wondered what could possibly be the reason a hydralisk would have such a tongue. The slothien were herbivores before they were assimilated into the swarm ... perhaps they sucked nectar or sap?

Whatever the reason, she was glad for it. "Do it again," Kerrigan commanded, leaning back against the wall so she could angle her hips more forward. She nudged her crotch back in the zerg's face. "And don't stop."

Again the tongue snaked out of the hydralisk's mouth, and again Kerrigan's mouth dropped open in a silent moan. What reservations the terran had were quickly slipping from her mind. This little bit of pleasure was over-due. It was a distraction from days of constant killing. A respite from the endless war and carnage that was always nipping at the terran's heels. This hydralisk could take some of the weight off her shoulders, release the pent-up stress ...

She needed this.

The slick purple organ was hot on her skin as it teased her vulva and the thick, alien saliva quickly spread across her mound. Another swipe of the tongue, and another. Kerrigan let out a quiet sigh of satiation. The long, bifurcated tongue of the hydralisk felt almost as thick as her wrist and boasted a flexibility that allowed it to trace every curvature of her slit, which delighted the terran thoroughly.

"Harder," Kerrigan demanded, inching closer to the hydralisk's face until its wicked, fanged mandibles were pressing against her sensitive skin. Uncomfortable, unfamiliar, alien sensations. Kerrigan shook them out of her mind, trying to not think too much about what she was doing. After all, her psionic link with the hydralisk let her control the creature's every move. That made it not much different than... than...

Than using a tongue-shaped toy. Yeah. That sounded a lot better, Kerrigan thought.

Kerrigan's toes curled as the long, snake-like tongue of the hydralisk drew across her labia, parting them slightly, unintentionally teasing the terran at the places it could go. With every flick of its tongue, the sound of wet licking became louder and louder, mingling with the husky breathing of a deadly zerg creature and the soft tenor groans of Kerrigan's own voice.

Impassioned from the delectable licking, Kerrigan's mind ran wild with what other broods she could experiment. Drones? Too many spikes around the mouth. Not roaches, as their saliva was incredibly corrosive. Zagara and the other sentient broodmothers had been designed to communicate using telepathy, absorbed creep for nutrition, and didn't even have mouths ... Broodling?

Kerrigan shuddered at the thought.

Using her mental link with the hydralisk, she instructed it to seek out a spot slightly higher, at the apex of her slit. Kerrigan stuck a pair of fingers down her legs, using them to spread her slit wide and expose the most sensitive part of her body for her minion to pleasure.

"Right ... there. Ah!" Kerrigan cried, swearing loudly as the long tongue swiped across her clitoris. "Yes, there ..." She bit her lower lip and stifled a moan.

Furrowing her brow in concentration, Sarah reached down and grabbed a hold of the two large upward-pointing fangs on the hydra's outer mandibles and pulled them closer, causing the surprised zerg to grunt. She puffed out a breath of hot air. No, that still wasn't quite right. The creature's mandibles were digging into her inner thighs, getting in the way and causing discomfort. Kerrigan's mind raced. She needed better leverage, a better angle. Then suddenly an idea came to her.

Lifting one leg up and leaning back against the ribbed, curvy walls of the Leviathan, Kerrigan twisted her hips to the side. Then, she brought her knees to her chest and notched one foot in the crook of the hydra's mandibles, carefully placing her bare toes aside the row of sharp teeth. There! Now her legs were better spread, giving the zerg unrestricted access.

After a few more minutes of licking, Kerrigan let the creature close its mouth and swallow. Breathing hard out her nose and feeling giddy from excitement and arousal, Kerrigan braced herself for what was to come next.

"Stick it in," she silently commanded.

Kerrigan's grip on the hydralisk's fangs tightened in heavy expectation as the snake-like tongue pressed against her labia, putting pressure against the entrance to her passage. She looked down to see the zerg creature's piercing gaze staring back at her just as before. And then, her breath was stolen away from her as the muscular organ wormed its way in between her slit lips and slipped inside. Her legs buckled and quivered as her inner passageway was forced open. A moan escaped her mouth, being far louder than she would have wanted as it echoed in the quiet, cavernous brooding chambers.

"Oh god!" Kerrigan gasped as the muscular organ wormed its way deeper. Inch after inch of veiny, purple tongue disappeared between her legs, until finally the hydralisk could penetrate no further. Kerrigan's took a moment to collect herself. The terran found her mouth locked in a silent groan and closed her lips. She had never had anything penetrate so deeply in her life!

Wiggling her hips in an attempt to get more comfortable, Kerrigan pried the fingers of one hand off the long spike of a fang and grabbed ahold of a nook in the walls for balance. Testing herself, she slowly clenched around the tongue within, humming as she savored the firm resistance the muscular organ gave her. The hydralisk let out a rumble and attempted to retrieve its tongue, but Kerrigan stifled the creature's wishes through her telepathic control.

"Nuh-uh," Kerrigan shook her head, letting a taunting laugh escape her lips. "Your tongue is mine, now." Looking up at the terran, the much-larger hydralisk droned quietly in its throat as it acquiesced to the wishes of its queen.

For a while there was no sound but the soft panting of the terran as she acquainted herself with the long tongue so intimately inside of her. She squeezed around it a few more times, delighting in the feel of its occasional twitch or flinch.

"Well?" Kerrigan finally asked the creature after a few moments of silence. She yanked the mandible in her hand, causing the hydralisk to grunt in discomfort. "What are you waiting for?"

Telepathically imparting her thoughts unto the hydralisk, the serpentine zerg breed slowly began to withdraw its worm-like tongue until its bifurcated tip finally slipped out from the terran's legs. The hydralisk closed its mouth to swallow and coat a new, thick layer of saliva on its tongue. And then, the zerg dutifully began the task of pleasuring its queen.

Kerrigan sucked in a sudden breath as the tongue slipped inside of her once more. It worked its way deeper inside, pushing open her inner walls, and slipped back out effortlessly. The hydralisk repeated this act, going slowly at first, but gaining speed as it grew used to the unfamiliar ways of using its tongue.

"Mmf," Kerrigan mumbled to herself. She felt her cheeks run hot with blood. Not even the dank, humid scent of the brooding chambers was bothering her much anymore. She cupped a breast in hand, teasing herself with fingertips along the nipple, finding they had already grown firm from arousal. Hot saliva was collecting around her stretched-open slit as the purple tongue traveled deep within her. At this rate, it wouldn't take long. Not with this creature catering to her every whim, able to work her body at the exact pace she wanted, with the right amount of force she wanted ... all with a mere thought.

As the minutes wore on, every thrust of the tongue had the terran growing weaker in the knees. She felt her heart racing, her breath quicken. Her hips began moving, rocking, pushing her feminine slit against the hardened carapace of the hydralisk's face. Between her legs, the hydralisk let out a reverberating, bestial hum as it continued to pleasure its queen.

Sitting on her side, Kerrigan raised her leg, pulling it to her chest. She snuck a hand down between her legs to rub at her clit, humming in satisfaction all the while. The thick tongue spreading her hole wide was sending her mind reeling. And all this, from a hydralisk--an alien creature notorious even among other zerg strains for its sadistic, bloodthirsty nature!

Kerrigan could no longer hold back her moans. Her voice echoed loudly in the long, chambered tunnels of the brooding chambers.

The hydralisk down between her legs let out a low growl. The zerg was starting to better understand its role, and identify what needed to be done. It began to lick and lap with more assertiveness, running its taste buds against the inner walls of Kerrigan's vagina, exploring the folds and wrinkles within as it tasted the flavor of its queen.

"God, that's such a long tongue," Kerrigan hissed in satisfaction.

The experience was electrifying for the terran as the long, snake-like muscle steadily pumped in and out of her. Every flex of the tongue, every wet slurp by the hydralisk was driving the terran closer to orgasm. She could feel her first climax coming on as that familiar filling sensation began to blossom within her. Kerrigan bit her lower lip as a whine escaped her throat.

The terran threw her head back. "Ha ... harder," she moaned, beginning to rub her clit with a feverish intensity.

The alien creature growled in response and began working its tongue aggressively, pressing its face up against the soft outer lips of its queen and plunging it deep within her slit. Slimy drool was running from the hydralisk's open mouth, dribbling from its sharp teeth and dripping to the ground with wet sounding splatters.

Kerrigan swore loudly as her first climax consumed her mind. Pulling hard on one of the hydralisk's lower tusks, she rocked and bumped mindlessly against the hardened plates of the alien's face as her vagina began to erratically spasm and clench around the purple snake-like tongue. The hydralisk, in recognizing it had accomplished the unique task given to it, drummed and droned in its throat as its queen delighted herself with its tongue.

Pearls of clear fluid began to drip down the hydralisk's tongue as Kerrigan came down from her intense high. She had the zerg remove its tongue slowly, giving herself time to savor the thick organ sliding out of her well-used hole. When she finally felt the bifurcated tip pass from her slit, she put her leg down and collapsed against the arched wall of the brooding chambers. The hydralisk backed up and rose to its full nine-foot-tall stature, panting and letting its tongue hang limply from its mouth.

Breathing heavily through her nose, Kerrigan looked up as a smirk began to spread on her lips. "That was a good start ... but I'm not done with you yet. Come."

Hopping down to the ground, she beckoned the serpentine zerg creature with a hand. Grunting in acknowledgement, the hydralisk followed its queen to an open area of ground amongst the resting pupae of various hibernating zerg. Kerrigan felt the hydralisk's saliva stick to her inner thighs as she walked. The terran drew close to the hydralisk and brought a hand to its forehead, running her fingertips across the hard chitin once more.

"Are you ready to mate your queen, hydralisk?" Kerrigan asked it.

The hydralisk hunched over, planting its bladed arms on the ground. Its upper carapace began to slowly expand and unfold like budding flower pedals, revealing rows of barbed spines partially embedded within the soft flesh underneath. The spines began to extend slightly as the skin around it tightened, and a low humming noise reached Kerrigan's ears as if a massive colony of wasps had suddenly been stirred up. It was the sound of hundreds--if not thousands--of muscles contracting and relaxing many times a second. It took Kerrigan a moment before she realized what it was doing: the hydralisk was stretching its back muscles after having to bend down to her height for so long.

Kerrigan tilted her head as she studied the creature. "Come on ... Tusky would have been pacing with impatience by now, and here you are stretching instead. Abathur may have removed some of your genes, but your instincts to mate... they should still be there, right?"

Placing a hand flat on the creature's hardened, armored forehead, Kerrigan put the hydralisk in a deep trance. The serpentine zerg creature closed its eyes and grew still. Kerrigan listened to the sound of its breathing, waiting until it had slowed to a quiet huff.

"There you go. Now..."

Closing her eyes, Kerrigan reached out with her psychic powers, linking herself with the hydralisk. Focusing hard, she explored its mind, searching for long-dormant parts of the creature's brain. After a few quiet minutes, she whispered an "Ah ha!" as she sensed a dead zone of neural activity.

Furrowing her brow in concentration, she began to awaken parts of the hydralisk's brain that had been inactive in the strain for many, many years. As Kerrigan's psionic power surged through its skull, the creature began to form new neural pathways, strengthen dendrite synapses, and boost dopamine receptor output until its ravenous, bloodthirsty temperament was replaced with an equally ravenous lust.

Kerrigan pulled away her hand, and immediately the hydralisk shuddered and reared back. Letting out a snort and a quiet grunt, it cradled its head in its claws and swayed a bit, no doubt experiencing an uncomfortable mental fogginess.

Kerrigan didn't even know where its male equipment was, expecting it to slip from some slit at the bottom of its torso. Looking at the creature now, she saw nothing, not even a place for it to appear. But a glance at the hydralisk's tail end gave her the answer. It had turned the last few feet of its body on its side. From that end, a few inches of a ribbed, crescent-shaped purple organ were beginning to peek out of a crease between its ventral scutes. Its pointed tip looked harmless enough, but the organ grew in diameter further down the length of the shaft. Kerrigan felt her cheeks burn hot with taboo excitement at the organ and what she was about to do with it.

"Looks like Abathur did his job well enough. You look sure look like a male to me. Hopefully, the thing shoots sperm instead of eggs," she muttered.

Kerrigan bit her lip as the creature's phallus throbbed and began to grow, suddenly feeling unsure about what she was to do. She did not know what to expect out of the hydralisk: how he would behave, how he would act. She didn't know how he would be able to mount her without legs, or if he would be able to keep hold of her without those massive blades on the end of his arms causing injury. She looked up at the hydralisk, who seemed to be eyeing her with a predatorial gaze. Patiently, he waited for his next order, droning quietly in his throat.

Kerrigan took in a deep breath. Now or never, she thought.

"Alright ..." Kerrigan's eyes narrowed as a grin spread across her face. "Your queen is ready to be bred."

Silently, she imparted her will to the hydralisk. Kerrigan had no idea how to proceed with the legless creature, so she signaled for him to take her in whatever way he pleased, hoping he still had the instincts to know how. Widening its mandibles and growling deeply, the zerg slithered close, drawing to the terran's side. He circled Kerrigan closely, causing her heart to thump with expectation. The creature panted softly, billowing hot air onto Kerrigan's neck and bare breasts. He flexed his set of long, sword-like claws. And then, the hydralisk struck.

Before Kerrigan could even figure out what happened, she found both feet were off the ground. Crying out in surprise as she tumbled, the terran felt something thick wrap around her body. The hydralisk laid back, having constricted his lower body around her like a snake. Hissing, the creature brought his queen to his plated chest. Kerrigan felt the zerg's ventral scutes flexing and shifting against her naked skin.

"Hey!" Kerrigan cried out, struggling with the serpentine creature until she managed to free both arms. She quickly found that there were few places to put them that didn't rest on a spine or a blade. Her chest was pressed tightly against that of the hydralisk, who reared back to look down at its queen with a thundering growl. Kerrigan's breasts were painfully pressed tight against hard carapace and the terran arched her back to push against the zerg's body and give herself some space. She then saw both bladed arms reach down to grasp her, causing pangs of fear to well up her throat. But to the terran's relief, the creature tucked his several foot-long claws under the wrists and held her with the flat of its blades.

Just as she was beginning to wonder where to go from here, Kerrigan felt something hot and slimy press up against the back of her thighs. She couldn't see it, but the tail end of the hydralisk had snuck behind her and was feeling its way up her legs. The hydralisk continued to contort and squirm as it adjusted his grip of his queen.

Growling quietly, the hydralisk poked and prodded with his phallus, which by now felt at least a foot long to Kerrigan and seemed just as thick as the zerg's tongue if not thicker. Kerrigan's breath stifled in her chest as the organ slipped up in between her legs from behind, looking for the entrance to her slit. It brushed across her feminine mound, the wet tip already leaking slick pre cum and smearing it on the inside of her thighs where it mixed with the alien saliva that still lingered there.

There was no time to prepare: as soon as the hydralisk felt certain he had hit his mark, Kerrigan felt him slide the end of his tail upward, forcing the tip of his phallus inside and causing the terran to gasp. She swore as more and more of the hot organ was shoved inside of her, reaching quite deeply, with more length to spare. The hydralisk's cock was covered with ridges, and as the bumps slipped inside of her, Kerrigan threw back her head in a silent moan. Above her, the alien creature hissed in satisfaction.

Kerrigan let out a stifled grunt as the zerg's phallus pressed deeper within her. It felt hot inside of her, as if the alien's organ was warming her up from the inside. It seemed to the terran that the hydralisk filled her quite nicely, though she felt a bit stretched wide near the base.The crescent-shaped pillar of flesh throbbed regularly, depositing small amounts of pre cum and smearing the fluid along her inner walls. So this hydralisk had inherited the drippy nature of an aroused zergling. Which meant that Abathur had succeeded in combining zergling and hydralisk DNA. Not bad, Kerrigan thought.

Flexing his many muscles, the hydralisk began to undulate his body, constricting in waves around the terran. Kerrigan gasped felt the powerful muscles under the alien creature's ventral scutes pulse and throb as he worked. With each wave, the hot shaft between her legs was forced deeper inside of her, only to slide out again as the hydralisk relaxed. Immobilized and held against the serpentine zerg's chest, Kerrigan clung to the hydralisk tightly as she was mated by the alien creature, with breasts and cheek pressed against unfamiliar hardened armor plates that felt smooth and cool on her bare skin.

"God, that feels good," she hissed. "Keep going."

The sound of soft grunting and hissing filled Kerrigan's ears as the hydralisk continued to breed her. With eyes bugged out and mouth locked open, the terran did her best to acclimate to the strange feeling of being so tied up in hydralisk flesh. Her body was constantly moving, constantly being pushed and gripped and pressed from different angles as the hydralisk alternated constricting and relaxing around her. The serpentine zerg's grip was rough and even painful at times, and Kerrigan wagered he would probably be able to crush her if he so desired.

Suddenly, she was all the more thankful for having a mental hold on this alien creature's actions.

The hydralisk rolled, and Kerrigan's vision spun as she found herself on her back, with the upper body of the hydralisk towering over her. The creature planted his claws in the ground for better traction and hissed in satisfaction as he continued to squeeze his phallus up and into the parted lips of his queen's slit.

Kerrigan shut her eyes tight as she felt the hot, husky panting of the hydralisk blow across her face. Mating with the hydralisk was turning out to be quite an unusual experience for the terran, but as time wore on, she began to find an exotic thrill in the tensing muscles wrapped around her body and between her legs. Coaxing the hydralisk closer, Kerrigan grabbed him by one of his upward-pointing fangs, causing the creature to grunt as his massive head was forcefully pulled to her own. Fearlessly, she looked the intimidating alien organism in his dark, watery eyes with a piercing, shining gaze and silently spoke.

"Your queen desires more."

Growling, the massive hydralisk conceded to the terran's wishes, redoubling his efforts and causing Kerrigan to moan as her body was rocked and rutted. For such a large creature, the hydralisk's body muscles were unsurprisingly strong, and while the zerg lacked rhythm, there was considerable force growing behind each thrust, causing her breasts to jiggle and bounce in the dank, warm air of the brooding chambers. The ridged, alien organ inside of her pulsed with energy and life. Hot pre cum was starting to leak from her legs. Above her, the hydralisk looked down at Kerrigan with a primal glint of lust in his eyes, growling constantly as he took his queen for a mate. The reverberating sounds of hydralisk breeding was loud enough to drown out the terran's own moans.

Yes, it wouldn't be much longer, Kerrigan thought. The terran's eyes began to shine again as she looked into the zerg's mind, grabbing hold of its actions. Feeling another orgasm approach, she mentally urged the creature on, her mind being in a feverish daze and wishing to feel the zerg's climax alongside her own.

The hydralisk's undulating thrusts became stronger, more erratic. Kerrigan felt electrified to be in the grip of this serpentine creature, his curved shaft penetrating her deeply, causing her body to jolt from the sheer, bestial force. She sensed her insides tightening up, the rush of endorphins beginning to course through her body.

And then she felt it. The hydralisk hunched over, growling deeply in its throat. Tightening his grip around her, the zerg contorted and twisted with a bellowing roar, ramming his shaft deep within his queen one more time. The creature flinched and twitched as his shaft stiffened, and Kerrigan gasped as a sudden burst of hot cum filled her depths. She felt her insides squeeze and spasm as a powerful orgasm rushed through her body. Her clear fluids mingled with the streaky white alien cum, coating her passage thoroughly. Kerrigan held onto the hydralisk's chest for dear life as the thick shaft filled her, adding more fluids with every throb.

Slowly, the hydralisk's actions abated to a few errant twitches of his purple cock, and then, nothing. Kerrigan listened to the ragged panting of the alien creature above her. She stayed tied up in the serpentine zerg's coils for several minutes, resting against the hardened armor plates of its chest. The terran was exhausted, messy, and sweating. And she felt amazing. Kerrigan breathed out a long, satisfied sigh. After this, she would have to return to the surface of Zerus, returning to the killing and the carnage. But those thoughts seemed like a distant dream to her now.

For now, the terran was content to rest in the constricting embrace of the hydralisk that had bred her and enjoy the afterglow.

Kerrigan felt the hydralisk's shrinking phallus slip out from her as the organ retreated to the inside of the zerg's body. Now empty, the terran felt hot fluids leak out of her, where they dribbled down her legs and onto the ground. The powerful, muscular body of the hydralisk then relaxed, loosening around her until the serpentine zerg had let go completely, leaving Kerrigan on her hands and knees as more white cum oozed from her slit.

"God," Kerrigan moaned. "That was intense."

Kerrigan reached a hand between her legs, finding her fingertips coated with thick, alien semen, and traced around the sensitive and well-used entrance to her slit. She then glanced to her right, seeing the hydralisk that had just mated her on the ground, panting heavily. The terran let out a satisfied sigh and collapsed against the creature, resting her back on the hydralisk's expanding chest.

"I guess ..." Kerrigan paused to swallow and wet her mouth. "Tusky has some competition now. I suppose I'll need a name for you, too. How about ... Slither?"

Tired and limp, the hydralisk let out a quiet drumming from its throat as it continued to pant.

Kerrigan closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the pacified creature, causing her keratinous zerg-infested hair to clatter against the hydralisk's hardened carapace.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Kerrigan let herself smile. Tusky, Slither ... Great names, as far as she was concerned.

--=-=--

"Is the terran pleased with new hydralisk strain?"

Hours later, Kerrigan found herself back in Abathur's evolution pit. The hydralisk he eviscerated earlier was nowhere to be seen. Kerrigan hoped Abathur had done as she asked and fully mended the creature, but it was more than likely that he instead used it for some experiment and later discarded it.

"I am pleased, Abathur." Kerrigan smiled. "But I'll need more field testing with this new hydralisk. I don't think I've fully explored its abilities yet."

Abathur flippantly dismissed the notion. "Recombinant male hydralisk strand weaved from female strand. Much difference ... unlikely."

Kerrigan laughed to herself. It was apparent that Abathur still had not figured out her intentions, despite it being rather obvious in her opinion. Even Izsha would have probably deduced the truth by now, but Abathur ... he had no idea how to think like a terran. Perhaps he never would.

"Oh, I've seen a few differences your narrow-minded little zerg brain hasn't discovered," Kerrigan jeered.

Abathur regarded his queen suspiciously. "Unclear."

Kerrigan gave Abathur a straight look in one of his many, beady eyes. "It's because of terran resourcefulness, Abathur. It's something you lack. The zerg are focused on constant improvement. They're always evolving into something new. But us terrans? We're good at using what we have in creative ways. And that's what I am doing with your hydralisk, Abathur. I'm unlocking its potential through ... creative uses."

Abathur was silent for a moment as he pondered Kerrigan's words.

"Then it is good you rule the Swarm," Abathur reluctantly admitted. "We grow, we evolve, we adapt. Always have, always will. But now, new perspective. New vision. New purpose. Because of that, we thrive."

Kerrigan let herself smile. "Is that a compliment, Abathur? A compliment for a terran?" She tilted her head.

Abathur broke eye contact, choosing to look away for the moment and think.

"...I do not honor the terran. I honor the leader of the Swarm."

Kerrigan chuckled. That was probably the closest she would ever get to hearing Abathur speak highly of her race.

"Very well." The terran turned around and made her way to the exit of the evolution pit. "Keep working on that swarm host design. I have to leave."

"To where?" the zerg asked.

Kerrigan sucked in a deep breath, and as she let it out, a proud and confident expression appeared on her face.

"To the surface of Zerus, Abathur. To take my rightful place on the battlefield and command my broods."

Abathur bowed in acknowledgment. "Do as you must. You are Queen of the Swarm."

THE END

--=-=--

Post-story notes:

~Whew! Thank goodness Abathur was there to make that male hydralisk! Otherwise we'd have some weird and freaky oviposition story.

~That scene where Abathur shows Kerrigan the strand of hydralisk DNA ... That's inspired by real life. I've had biology labs in college where I had to isolate a single strand of DNA from fish cells. After doing that, I put the DNA in a test tube and wrapped it around a glass probe. Then I pulled the probe out of the tube and attached to it is this several foot-long strand of DNA that can be seen by the naked eye. It was definitely one of the cooler labs I've done.

~Abathur's character was very fun for me to write. I definitely got to flex my biology muscle in this story. Much of it is all based on real-life biology, though there's some StarCraft lore and technobabble thrown in for good measure (err ... technically, that would be "biobabble").

~For instance, the scene where the hydralisk stretches is based on the lore of hydralisk anatomy in the videogame. Same with the description of the spines hydralisks can fire from their backs. And Abathur's rant is true: our DNA is full of useless, dormant code called introns!

~Before you ask, no, I am NOT planning on writing any more StarCraft porn stories! I hate perversing Kerrigan because she is a very serious character and I cant imagine her actually doing the things I write about!