Prophecy

The Zerg Command Structure

Document submitted to General Strassenburg:

Terran scientists only breached the surface of Zerg 'society' in the original report made by the Confederacy; with the wars having come and gone other 'cultural' nuances could be observed. Where the most apparent 'chain of command' would obviously place the Overmind on top, followed by its Cerebrates, then the mindless horde of Zerg, there is a more detailed structure. Thanks to information gathered by the Scantid Fleet previously-unknown details have come to light.

Mindless Zerg

It is apparent that the Zerg Swarm as a whole is suicidal; the mindless Zerg that make it up are not given much thought by those in command. Their lives are meaningless without the Cerebrate (or other command Zerg; see below), and, as such, will be used to the best the controller can exploit them. The higher strains tend to be valued more than the lesser strains, but this is known to vary among Cerebrates.

'Champion' Mindless Zerg

Although the lesser Zerg are far more common, every once in a while one may encounter a much more powerful strain of Zerg-- they are designated as 'Champions' for their immense combat ability. These creatures are far more resilient than their lesser brethren, and far more deadly in combat, but their major drawback is the amount of resources and time devoted in order to create them. Sometimes their costs make them wholly unfeasible, but more often than not the added ability can turn the tide of battle.

'Champion' Zerg, like advanced artificial intelligence, can carry out a number of tasks on their own, without the need for a controller to constantly monitor them. Some, such as the Torrasque, are monitored by the Cerebrate directly (this beast contains the same genes that make up the Cerebrate that created them, and is thus a physical extension of a Cerebrate's will rather than an extra strain of Zerg).

Experimental Mutant Weapons

Every once in a while a Cerebrate may experiment with a new strain of Zerg; these range from integrating new species into the Swarm, or modifying existing strains to boost their performance (many 'Champion' Zerg were likely created in this manner). The limit is the imagination or drive of the Cerebrate experimenting; some actively pursue advancing their experiments, while others prefer to let others do the work for them. New strains are introduced all the time; if they were not the Swarm would not be successful.

It is noted that mutations are valued highly, as their performance is monitored closely by their creator.

'Hunter' Zerg

Very few know of the existance of these 'Hunter' Zerg, as they are almost unheard of in the Zerg Swarm. They are notoriously dangerous to the Cerebrate who created them. Their original creator, Nargil, inteded to use remote agents in fulfilling his directive-- to hunt down and integrate, or destroy, new strains as candidates for the Swarm, thus the name. Unlike other Zerg, these creatures bear names, possess cunning intelligence, and have a limited degree of control over other lesser Zerg. However, unlike Cerebrates they are also highly-mobile, and are far more difficult to kill. It is unknown if these 'Hunter' Zerg have the ability to reincarnate, as very few have been documented or observed, and none have been known to be killed.

Only the Cerebrate Nargil appears to have had success with this type of Zerg; others have attempted to create their own 'Hunters,' but met with varying degrees of success. Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, is herself a 'Hunter' class; this is an example of how dangerous 'Hunters' can be.

The Cerebrates

These are the taskmasters that make the Zerg Swarm function; if the Overmind is the master, then the Cerebrate is the Overlord of a higher magnitude. Each Cerebrate was spawned in order to carry out a certain directive for the Overmind-- something that is not readily-apparent unless one observed a brood over a period of time. However, with the death of the Overmind these sluggish, gargantuan beasts have fallen into chaos, attempting to secure power on their own. Many Cerebrates, now free to do as they please, attempted to become greater powers themselves. However, most of the Cerebrates the Overmind left behind are now slaves again, under the banner of the Queen of Blades. Those free Cerebrates still remaining are in hiding, trying to cling to their newfound power.

It is said the Overmind's covenant with the Cerebrates is their inherent ability to reincarnate. This is achieved using an unknown, dark energy, and can only be severed by those wielding the same dark energy. With this knowledge in hand it is observed that Protoss assassins are dispatched specifically to terminate Cerebrates in order to weaken the Swarm, bit-by-bit. With this recent awareness of their own mortality the Cerebrates have focused on tightening their personal defenses, lest they fall victim to these assassins.

The Overmind's Proxy

This creature is a Zerg legend, if one could speak of it as that. Our information could not document any time which this 'proxy' could exist, but the idea exists in the Zerg Swarm. This being, creature... whatever it is, is empowered with the authority to act on the behalf of the Overmind, and the Cerebrates must follow this proxy as they would the Overmind. As, up until lately, the Overmind was directing the Swarm itself, there was more than likely no need for a proxy-- and there may never be one, save for those who are opportunistic.

The Overmind

The Zerg revere this being almost like God; perhaps he is God to them. The Overmind gave the Zerg Swarm a purpose-- a goal. However, with the destruction of its physical body the Swarms were thrown into disarray, leading into the Brood War that allowed the Infested Terran, Kerrigan, to emerge as the Swarm's new master. Perhaps this is a good counterexample to the Cerebrates' actual power in the Command Structure.

Personalities

Thakras. It is said that this beast was encountered before the Brood War, in a contest of power over the Argus Stone. Little is known about this creature, save that it apparently commands a similar range of abilities as Xaax.

Chaladar. The most well-known example of an Infested Protoss; it appears the Zerg have had trouble infesting this alien race compared to the Terrans. Cosmetically and mentally-scarred Chaladar remains mostly-unaltered by the Zerg compared to the extent Infested Terrans are. Other Zerg Cerebrates may have more varying-degrees of success in infesting Protoss, but such beings are not well-documented.

-- Document submitted by Dr. Mariko Shimozuki

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