Chapter Twenty-Three: Turning the Tables

This swarm of insects carried the plump queen swiftly to the dead tree. Zeratul and his companions stepped back slightly, their curiosity piqued by the peculiar situation surrounding this queen. Once the queen was set before the tree, its eerie chittering resumed: “Ah, you damned vermin—oh no, please, spare me!” The curses abruptly turned to pleas for mercy as the tree inserted its branches into the queen’s abdomen. Through Zeratul’s senses, waves of dark energy began to infiltrate the eggs within her belly.

As the queen screamed in agony and the dark energy continued to pour in, she laid a multitude of eggs. The nearby insects quickly transported these eggs into the cavern beneath the dead tree.

“The situation has taken an unexpected turn; I need to discuss this with Tassadar.” Witnessing this scene, Zeratul found himself reassessing his views on this insectoid civilization.

Tassadar, deep in thought amid the mist, saw Zeratul and his party appear suddenly before him.

“What happened? What’s the status? Any discoveries?” Tassadar, surprised by their swift return, questioned Zeratul with curiosity.

Zeratul relayed everything he had witnessed. Tassadar listened, thoughtful. “You’re saying there are other queens on this planet? If the Swarm truly operates like a hive, then all its members should be born from a single mother. Yet she cannot possibly lay so many eggs. These queens, corrupted by dark power, could help spawn more offspring. That would make it difficult for us to detect the Swarm’s manipulation by the dark energy. It seems the Fang King learned from the mushroom incident and has begun employing more indirect methods,” Tassadar mused.

“What should we do then? Destroy the tree and the queen? Or eliminate all the insects here?” A High Templar, restless, asked. He had always detested these bugs and now saw the perfect opportunity to strike. “No, Maximus, I think we should leave the queen alive,” Tassadar said with a gentle smile. “Nor should we destroy the tree.”

“Why not? Isn’t this just treating the symptoms? What if the queen escapes and reports back?” Maximus was unconvinced. Although this was not the Fang King’s hideout, it was an important base for the dark energy. If they could quietly destroy it, surely the Fang King would be furious.

“Whether she reports back is irrelevant. In fact, if she does, it works in our favor.” Tassadar’s gaze was earnest. “I’ve been pondering how to lure out the Fang King. Upon hearing Zeratul’s report, I had a bold idea: why not let the Fang King come to us?”

Zeratul was taken aback. “But why would the Fang King seek us out?”

Tassadar replied with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the Dark Templar. “Because of you.”

“Even within the Protoss Empire, few understand the existence of the Dark Templar. The Fang King is even less likely to know. And even if he’s aware, he cannot grasp the methods you practice—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been detected so quickly when you arrived.” Tassadar explained.

The group pondered this.

“We now know of his plot, but the Fang King doesn’t realize we’re aware. Even if he discovers us, he’ll likely think the Protoss Empire is here to investigate the Swarm, or perhaps guess we’re here to assassinate the Overmind—but neither matters. By sparing the queen, we show no knowledge of the dark energy’s secret. By leaving the tree intact, we signal ignorance of his involvement.”

“And if he learns I am among you, with his arrogance and pride—having suffered a great defeat at my hands last time—he’ll want to kill me outright. He may arrange for us to fight through obstacles, and then, as we defeat the Overmind, suddenly appear to strike us down,” Tassadar continued. Though he had only faced the Fang King once, records and his own experience gave him a keen insight into the king’s mind: cunning, brutal, and supremely arrogant.

“Isn’t this too risky? What if he sends the Swarm’s army to overwhelm us?” Maximus voiced his concern.

“He won’t. If he did, we might call in the fleet, forcing him to flee. If he lets us follow his arrangements, he can weaken our resolve and lay traps ahead.” Zeratul added, “This information gap could let us catch him by surprise.”

“He thinks he’s set everything up in secret, waiting for us to fall into his trap, not realizing we’re playing along,” Tassadar smiled. “But this means our Dark Templar brothers must remain hidden.”

“That’s not wise,” Zeratul shook his head. “The Fang King is sly; if we stay hidden, it may arouse suspicion. Better to reveal some of the Dark Templar’s abilities—nine truths to one falsehood. As long as we don’t let him know we’ve detected the dark energy, he won’t suspect us.”

Tassadar nodded. “But in that case, we can’t directly seek out places saturated with dark energy. We’ll need to question the queen.”

“That way, the Fang King can better plan our ‘adventure route’ as well.” Zeratul and Tassadar exchanged knowing smiles. The Fang King had always plotted against them; now, it was his turn to taste his own medicine.

Without delay, Tassadar’s group quietly surrounded the canyon. Suddenly, they revealed themselves, unleashing a psionic storm that left nearly all the insects lying peacefully on the ground, save for the queen who was still laying eggs.

Terrified by the sudden lightning, the queen shrank back, waiting for death as she realized she was alone.

“I am Tassadar, Executor of the Protoss Empire. You are the Overmind Queen of the Swarm, aren’t you?” Tassadar and his party approached the queen. The air vibrated with psionic energy, but his words were intelligible to the queen. Though she didn’t understand ‘Protoss Empire’ or ‘Executor,’ she could guess the meaning of ‘Overmind Queen.’

“Hiss—you’re mistaken, hiss, I am merely a fallen queen,” she trembled, the lightning having stripped her of the courage to lie.

“You’re not the Overmind? Yet we watched these insects protect you, and you’re nurturing the next generation,” Tassadar frowned, lightning flickering in his hand betraying his inner turmoil.

“Hiss, I truly am not. Hiss, my children don’t obey me. Hiss, and this tree—hiss, this tree is the problem. Hiss, it’s what made me birth disobedient offspring, hiss.” The queen quivered, revealing everything she knew.

“Executor, its psychic response indicates it’s not lying,” Maximus interjected. “But the tree emits no unusual energy. I suspect it releases some substance affecting the Swarm. We should take samples back to Aiur for research.”

Tassadar nodded, signaling Maximus to cut the tree and collect samples. He then turned to the queen, “Do you know of any other queens like yourself nearby? We are here to rescue you from the Overmind’s control.”

“Hiss, is that true, hiss?” The queen seemed skeptical, but the strength of these beings surpassed her imagination. Perhaps they really could save her.

“Hiss, I know of a place nearby. Hiss, I and the other queens were kept there, hiss, only brought out when it was time to lay eggs,” the queen struggled to describe the coordinates. Tassadar nodded in understanding. “Then we will send you to the underground cavern. May you live well.”

Using psionic energy, Tassadar transported the queen back to the underground cavern. The insects previously inside had been slain by the psionic storm, but the eggs remained alive. The queen disliked these eggs, but needing nourishment to bear more offspring, she said nothing.

After bidding farewell to the grateful queen, Tassadar’s group headed to the coordinates she gave—a prison for queens within a mountain.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the planet, there stood a dark temple, hidden within an oceanic rift, perfectly blending with the terrain. Thanks to magnetic interference, it was nearly impossible for scanners to detect.

The Fang King was roused from his meditation by a familiar psionic fluctuation. He traced it with his senses and saw Tassadar leading his party into the canyon. The Fang King quickly withdrew his dark energy, hiding his consciousness within the tree roots. All the trees emitting dark energy were merely conduits he had established for energy transmission.

He then overheard Tassadar’s conversation with the queen. When Maximus cut down the tree, he did not react outwardly, but his face twisted into a cold, sinister smile.

“So it’s Tassadar. What a fateful encounter. Why did the Protoss Empire send him here? Have they found me? No, if they had, they would have bombarded the area with their fleet. Are they looking for the Overmind? Perhaps it’s their laughable compassion,” thought the Fang King, his smile widening.

Upon hearing the queen describe the location and confirming Tassadar’s group hadn’t discovered him, he burst into laughter. “Hahahaha, Tassadar, let’s see how you escape me this time.” It was not in vain that he had painstakingly devised a method to conceal dark energy fluctuations. If they wish to kill the Overmind, they can’t blame him for playing them at their own game.