Zerg Preparation and Discussion

TO: Blaze of Glory Posting Board
FROM: Crono Arinborn
SUBJECT: Zerg Information Collection

On Sunday, February 14th, Cadet Shaila Swiftblade and Genevieve Derrison gave a presentation on one of the Void aligned subjects, the Zerg, after our verification of their presence on the oceanic planet of Arsha in the Sha System. Recording and recap for those who were unable to attend will be posted here, as well as discussion surrounding our recent encounter during orbital bombardment on February 15th.

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Recording of the meeting.
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The Zerg are likely to be the most ruthless, uncaring foe you've ever come across. They are lead through a hive mind, controlled without care for their individual well being. Show no mercy, for you will receive none. They hold no families, will not be scared, will not be demoralized, they will not be reasoned with. One must be ready to face them with equal resolve. Leaving any trace of them will only result in their later return.

In summary - Type breakdown:

Zergling

Spoiler:

The bulk of the Zerg army. Fast and vicious, their goal is to overwhelm, working with little restraint for their own survival. While they look intimidating, they focus on mobility, and their armor will not protect them from heavy fire. Recommended shredder, incendiary, or explosive ammunition. In melee combat, a fighter's focus should be to end the unit quickly or cripple and disengage. If you are tackling one, it may go down easy, but you cannot allow it to keep you occupied long enough that its allies have already circled around you. Protruding scythes focus on keeping the target near the maw, slashing inwards. Goal in turn becomes timed avoidance of head-long pounces, side-stepping, and either disposing of it at the vulnerable point behind the neck, or striking the unarmored, rear leg such that you can continue to disengage for ranged combat. Capable of burrowing.

Hydralisk

Spoiler:

The Zerg's answer to ranged combat, ground based. While capable of using their arms as weapons, these units are particularly clumsy melee fighters. Their primary danger is their ability to fire dangerous spines stored within their upper carapace, covered in poison. Flaps along the head will draw back when preparing to fire, giving a moment's notice before any incoming volley. When capable, combatants should close distance, and strike at the vulnerable flesh beneath the neck. Even if this does not bring the foe down for good, it will prevent their firing mechanism from retrieving a spine to fire. Capable of burrowing.

Lurker

Spoiler:

An evolution of the Hydralisk, Lurkers are clumsy above ground, but are terrible when allowed to burrow beneath. They become difficult to target, and plunge their spines through the ground underneath to pop up at the enemy above. Because of their vulnerability above and danger below, if ever caught in the open, they should be dealt with swiftly.

Mutalisk

Spoiler:

The Mutalisk is the primary aerial unit of the Zerg forces. They attack clusters of enemies with a small creature known as a glaive worm, which will degrade in an explosion before bouncing to another opponent, making several leaps before fully dissolving. Their flight is a weakness, however, in the fact that they are lightly armored in comparison to their ground counterparts to keep afloat. Weak points on the wings are noticeable, and will make them drop quickly, but are difficult to target. If left at a moment's notice, focus on the body rather than wasting precious moments, as it will fall quick regardless, and due to the nature of their wings their horizontal acceleration is weak compared to its vertical. Stay clear from beneath, their blood is acidic, though they are only protected from this inside, harmful to them likewise upon wounding.

Guardian

Spoiler:

The Guardian is the Zerg equivalent of a bomber, a mutation of a Mutalisk. They are slow, hovering more so than flying, but have incredible distance in firing globules of explosive acid. Given the opportunity, leave these to aerial units of our own to safely take them down.

Devourer

Spoiler:

Another mutation of a Mutalisk, these are also slow fliers, but are the Zerg's answer to air defense. They fire slow moving, but devastating acidic globules onto aerial targets. Recommended hit and run tactics to avoid heavy damage. If hit, this glob will serve as a revealing chemical to the Zerg, keeping stealth units visible by other Zerg even with full systems activated.

Ultralisk

Spoiler:

Precisely as they appear, Ultralisks are a gigantic cluster of muscle and scythes. Heavily armored, equally heavy weaponry will be required to down them. Avoiding these up close will take full priority - receiving a blow from one will bring a combatant to their knees almost certainly. Despite their size, while their acceleration from a stand still is low, their top end speed is not to be underestimated. Move swiftly, side step when able. If forced into close quarters, work the underside. While heavily armored above, a well placed grenade beneath the underbelly or strikes to the underside of thighs are your best chances.

Overlord

Spoiler:

The Defiler holds no lethal danger of its own, yet regardless of this, it is a strong addition to the Zerg arsenal. It is capable of spitting spores upon in a wide cone that will penetrate armor and clothing, which upon contact will weaken the foes in question to the brink of collapse. Combing this with their usual swarming tactics, weakened foes are put into grave danger. This ability is something our medical experts would like to develop a counter measure for, and with that in mind, please be open to the possibility of collecting a sample from the field, presuming it is safe to do so.
Their second ability is to spread a cloud that is known as a 'Dark Swarm'. This swarm shelters the Zerg within, giving them increased defenses. Trying to focus on foes within this swarm is difficult, and that difficulty should be considered when prioritizing targets. While these abilities are heavily taxing on a Defiler, they are also known to devour their own allies to regain their strength, allowing them to continue use of these abilities. It is best to deal with them before they are allowed to cause too much chaos amongst the rest of the swarm. They are also capable of burrowing.

Queen

Spoiler:

Queens are atrocities within the Zerg hierarchy. They focus on biological warfare in a number of ways that present a great threat. They are capable of spewing a snare onto clusters of enemies, slowing their mobility. On top of this, they are able to fire a parasite that will attach itself to a host and linking back to the Zerg command, 'seeing' through the eyes and ears of the host. This parasite is an outer attachment, however, and should be visibly noticeable. Their final two abilities, however, are far more devastating. They are capable of firing spores into an enemy that will serve as a breeding ground for a small creature known as a broodling, a near instant birthing-process that has resulted in death of the victim in every recorded case. They are also capable of infesting enemies, turning them into mindless zombies working under the Zerg influence. All of these abilities are something we would like to be able to study and develop protection or reversal of, so please keep this in mind when working on the field. Given the desire to study the infestation process, please do your best to avoid doing anything you can't take back to any infected.

Along with this information, a formal request has been made by our medical staff, shown here, so please take the time to review this, likewise.

On the eve of February 15th, the Blaze of Glory made an early move on the Zerg forces found on Arsha, in the Sha System.

Due to Observer-gathered imagery of Zerg Creep spreading into the planet's waters, a landing team was sent to install a monitoring probe to gather information on the situation beneath. The unit was successfully installed, and is now in the process of gathering the required information. After the team's removal, orbital bombardment of the surface forces began.

The Blaze targeted five clusters of Zerg hatcheries, destroying each thoroughly and sending the landing team to each to ensure clean up of any retreating units that would seek to rebuild. Despite initial success, however, a frightening development presented itself as the combat continued. From within the waters where the Creep was located, enemy units emerged - flier units, which were sent into orbit in counter-attack. While the initial waves were dismissed, the final mass of Scourge sent nearly breached the ship's defenses.

Brief observations are as follows:
-The counter attacks upon the Blaze came in waves, starting simple but amassing into a gigantic swarm that specialized in attacking an orbital enemy. This gives some credibility to the thought that this might have been a purely reactive defense. If that's the case, the Zerg has substantial processing power beneath the waters.
-Upon both the ground and aerial assaults, Zerg units displayed new behavior that was unseen in the past. Coordination and formation - reaction to fire, spreading and evading. Whatever is the cause of this is up in the air - evolution in tactics or more direct control from an outside source. Whatever the reason, however, it should be stressed that the Zerg are proving themselves even more dangerous than they have in prior encounters.

That in mind, any who are still unfamiliar or uncomfortable in combat against them are encouraged to run some of the Blaze's simulations. We have enough information on them to provide a realistic challenge in preparation for continued struggles against them. Coordinated Zerg forces were programmed into simulations by the Captain's request after our last encountering of them upon Seron, and should be a suitable comparison now.

Thank you for your efforts,
Crono Arinborn