Note: Much of the story of this campaign deals with completely new elements for 1) So free reign could be had over the characters and settings, and 2) Because my knowledge of StarCraft lore isn’t complete. So though I tried to isolate this story as much as I could from any established lore, if there’s anything contradictory to canon it’s due to lack of knowledge.
The mission pack idea I had for “Apex” was picking up some time after the One-Day War, wherein Abathur attempted to rebel against Overqueen Zagara by usurping the peace between the three species, believing that the zerg could only effectively evolve in conflict. “Apex” expands on this idea, with Abathur creating an entirely new zerg organism named Varask.
Varask is the main hero of this mission pack and offers a true zerg character (rather than an infested version of something else). Throughout the mini-campaign, you assume control of Varask and evolve him as well as work with Abathur, along with a renegade broodmother named Sassan, in establishing a new swarm separated from Zagara’s influence. As Varask is a newborn creature engineered with specifics from Abathur, he encompasses the ferocity of the zerg but also has an almost childlike curiosity. He is equal parts ravenous in his drive to devour and grow as he is fascinated in exploring the sector and encountering the other species. He sees Abathur’s renegade brood as his own, and will go to any lengths to protect them.
“Apex” uses a unique character and army customization that’s become the norm of SCII’s campaigns. Throughout the missions you’ll have the options to collect Evolution Points to evolve Varask and Mutagen to upgrade your selection of units.
Although I don’t think that mission packs have to follow the same nine-mission in three-parts structure that Nova Covert Ops did, since it’s the only frame of reference we have “Apex” is structured with this in mind.
Story
Part 1: Birth in Flames
Believing the Swarm to have become weaker since their truce with the other two species, Abathur has been working on creating a new, more powerful generation of Zerg that can defect from Overqueen Zagara’s broods. Among his experiments, he has created a unique Zerg organism that he calls “the Metamorph” or “Newborn”. With his new creation, the Evolution Master now sets into motion the birth of his new Swarm.
Planet: Char
Conflict: Abathur’s defection
Mission 1: Genesis: Returning to Char, Abathur unleashes the Newborn larva into the gene caverns below a major hive cluster to observe whether it’ll be strong enough to overcome and adapt to the hazards there, or be too weak for survival.
In the first part of the mission, the Newborn navigates to the central hive and, using the biomass it collected, starts its metamorphosis. The native brood senses a disturbance and moves to destroy the invader. In the second part of the mission, Abathur sends a contingency of his own growing brood to defend the chrysalis. Successful, the Newborn hatches into its adult state, taking the name Varask.
Mission 2: Harvest: Abathur directs Varask to a series of Terran Dominion outposts set up on Char, wanting to purge their presence from what should be a Zerg-controlled world. Aiding Varask is Sassan’s brood, a broodmother modified by Abathur.
The mission revolves around using Varask and building up your forces to infiltrate each of the Terran outposts. You’d go inside with Varask and whatever army you brought to eliminate the terrans inside while collecting the biomass and mutagen within. This alerts Zagara though who, enraged by the betrayal, prepares to eradicate the rogue brood.
Mission 3: Exodus: It is deduced that, in order for Varask and the rogue brood to survive, they must escape the Swarm and find a world of their own so they can grow. Unfortunately, all the current Zerg leviathans are under Zagara’s control, and Abathur must reconstitute a new one.
This mission is a defense one, wherein you must hold your position while Zagara’s brood and Dominion squadrons try to stop you. There’d be an option to go on the offensive to destroy the Terran forward positions to take them out of the fight as well as either disrupt or take control of Zagara’s hives. At the end, Zagara offers Varask the chance to join with her, but he denies. With a newly reconstituted leviathan, Varask, Abathur, Sassan, and their rogue brood escape to parts unknown.
Part 2: Next of Kin
Having successfully escaped Overqueen Zagara’s swarm and the Terran Dominion, Varask and the rogue brood have traveled to the edges of the Koprulu Sector looking for a suitable planet to claim as their own. They come across Sidortha, one of the planets the zerg had at one point occupied when they first entered the Koprulu Sector. Far from the reaches of the known superpowers and with potential essence to recover on it, the rogue brood sets down on it to begin their growth.
Planet: Sidortha
Conflict: Eradicating the Fel’torin and taming the zerg remnants
Mission 4: Prey: The rogue brood arrives over Sidortha, a violent and chaotic planet. Sidortha’s jagged landscape is constantly battered by wild plasma hurricanes. This world, as decided by Abathur, is perfect for continuously pushing the Swarm to new evolutionary heights. Scouts though report a Protoss presence there, a group not quite like any protoss faction yet encountered, stationed within the Sidortha system. They are led by a powerful psionic master named Ir’rahk. An outpost on Sidortha’s moon house many still in stasis, and Varask, both curious to finally meet the protoss and ready to set a new home, leads a strike on it to set up a forward base and destroy the Protoss’s main relay point.
Mission revolves around destroying these Protoss outposts. The Fel’torin, as it’s learned they’re called, would require a new skin set. An offshoot of the Tal’darim, they are a group that have developed a religion around the Xel’naga cycle and their practices involve some sort of fetishization of the zerg, particularly those from before the creation of the Queen of Blades (whom they see as being corrupt, and anything that came after her to be a perverse echo of the “true” swarm). Uncovering some of these secrets while fighting them, Varask manages to eliminate most of the Protoss on the moon. Once that’s done, he and Sassan prepare to assault the ones still on the planet.
Mission 5: Feast: The invasion of Sidortha commences, with Varask leading the brood from their moon hive cluster to assault the Protoss base below.
Varask must start with a small base and cut through protoss defenses to clear areas so that Sassan can implant more hives, which are used to continue the assault. Amidst the chaos though, a third-party in the form of zerg remnants, like living fossils from the original zerg swarm, rise. These zerg evolved independently and have incorporated the plasma energies of Sidortha’s hurricanes. They attack both sides, and you can choose to try to quell them and collect their essence for study. For the final part of the mission, in a last-ditch attempt to stave off the attack Ir’rahk unleashes several powerful archons enhanced by the power of the native plasma hurricanes. Despite their power though, Varask manages to destroy them and continues the hunt into the mountain caverns where Ir’rahk and the survivors have retreated.
Mission 6: Pursuit: While Sassan infests the surface of Sidortha, Varask leads a hunting pack through the jagged mountains to destroy the Protoss survivors.
The mission revolves around navigating dangerous terrain and climates to pick off the Fel’torin survivors, with the option to open new passageways to allow Sassan to send reinforcements. Ir’rahk uses hallucinations to throw Varask and the Zerg off, and all along the way more powerful zerg remnants are awakened and attack you. The Protoss survivors eventually are picked off and the beasts assimilated, but Abathur requests Ir’rahk’s body be brought back. Sidortha goes under the control of the new swarm.
Part 3: The Swarm War
Several weeks on Sidortha and the neighboring planets have yielded great results. Abathur’s swarm has rapidly evolved, and Varask continues to grow stronger as he hunts stray Fel’torin and zerg remnants. They all know they will not be left alone forever though, as their enemies are searching for them and draw ever closer. Though Sassan suggests stripping the Sidortha system of its resources and moving further away to continue to evolve in safety, Varask vies to stand their ground to make Sidortha their new homeworld and crush any opposition that comes their way. Abathur meanwhile has been concocting new breeds, pushing the zerg’s potential farther than ever before.
Planets: Sidortha, Terim, and Irin
Conflict: The Swarm War
Mission 7: Legion: The new swarm has overtaken Sidortha and thrives even upon its violent surface. Abathur has continued to work on this brood, as well as continually torture Ir’rahk, resurrecting him for information then slaying him only to repeat the cycle. Varask proves to be a successful organism, slaying even the mightiest remnants of Sidortha. Because of his success rate, Abathur seeks to create more like him, and has been cultivating an entire legion of breeds like him, planning to one day unleash them and send the Koprulu Sector into another great war. However, in one of Ir’rahk’s resurrected states, he managed to send a distress call that reaches a Protoss fleet. When they arrive, the second battle for Sidortha commences.
At first it is only the Protoss that arrive, and Varask must eliminate them as they warp in and set up bases in orbit. When this protoss fleet realizes they’re dealing with a coordinated zerg brood here, they send a signal out. This eventually reaches Zagara, and with Abathur’s location realized, she sends her brood to Sidortha as well, causing the start of the Swarm War. Varask, Sassan, and their brood then need to hold off an attack from multiple angles to keep their foothold. They manage to drive both invasion forces back, but great losses are had, including Varask’s developing brethren being destroyed in the attacks.
Mission 8: Survival: The loss of the “Varask breed” disappoints Abathur and enrages Varask. Now questioning the viability of Varask, Abathur tests the Zerg creature by sending him to Terim alone to deal with the intruding protoss and zerg encampments there.
This begins as a solo hero mission, with Varask having to use any abilities gained and employing cunning strategies to take out entire encampments of enemy zerg and protoss. When Varask proves his worth again by claiming the zerg there and eliminating the protoss presence, Abathur is affirmed of Varask’s strength. Next part of the mission has Sassan sending waves of your own zerg to finish off the remaining bases, and Varask leading the charge. By the end, it is learned Zagara has set up a hive cluster on the edge of the solar system on the planet Irin, and from here will soon strike Sidortha again with the full might of her swarm. With the enemies so close, Varask, Abathur, and Sassan decide to go on the offensive to remove the threat.
Mission 9: Divergence: Varask and Sassan set up their hive clusters on Irin. Opposite to them is Zagara’s swarm.
Together, they assault Zagara’s forces, and a battle between the two Zerg broods rages across the surface. First part of the mission is a large-scale battle, with Sassan and Zagara sending wave after wave of innumerable zerg at each other while Varask and a large force of his own zerg assist to claim forward positions. As the mission progresses though, Zagara’s allies arrive - the Protoss fleet called by Ir’rahk, and a Dominion squadron sent to assist in eradicating the rogue brood. A combination of purification beams and tactical nukes force Varask and Sassan back, and they must battle three enemies at once. Mission involves three distinct bosses that’ll also periodically enter the fray: Overqueen Zagara, psionic constructs of the Fel’torin, and large Dominion mechs that must be dealt with quickly unless all three appear at once and completely overwhelm your forces. Clearing out spots will allow Abathur to send in reinforcements and call in waves of indoctrinated zerg remnants. Despite the odds, Varask and the new swarm eventually destroy all three opposing forces and drive them out of the star system. Although it is inevitable that the enemies will return, this pleases Abathur, as new conflict will only strengthen the Zerg. Varask makes it his purpose to defend his brood from all threats and eagerly awaits the next time he can hone his savagery against the enemies again.
The End.
For more detail about Varask and army upgrades, I’ve outlined them here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b_Sgf1jbaIL16nh75qpvpf1R6OjwjhzGS-9VAe0Tcbs/edit?usp=sharing