Broken Horn

Broken Horn
Physical
Race	Zerg
Gender	N/A (male personality)
Eyes	Yellow
Political
Affiliation	Zerg Swarm (?—early 2505 Naktul Brood (?—early 2505) Sarah Kerrigan's zerg forces (early 2505) Terran Dominion (early 2505, faux allegiance) Operation Blind Devil (early 2505, faux allegiance)
Occupation	Zergling

Broken Horn is a zergling who accompanied Sarah Kerrigan during the second phase of the Second Great War, later modified by Abathur to possess sentience.

Biography

Origins

The zergling finds its queen

The zergling was a member of the Naktul Brood, either spawned during the arrival of the former Queen of Blades on Phaeton, or a pre-existing organism. Regardless, it took part in the mission to eradicate the Terran Dominion presence on the world. After the battle, the zergling proceeded to enter the special ops dropship its queen was using. Kerrigan reacted with hostility at first, drawing a C-10 rifle on it, but lowered her weapon. It remained with her after she chose to continue her course of vengeance.

Hound of the Swarm

The following section contains timeline information which isn't necessarily in chronological order.

The zergling was present on Char when Kerrigan sent her forces against General Horace Warfield. The zerg overran Warfield's compound and Warfield was impaled on a support beam, disabling him. The zergling advanced on the terran, but stood aside to let its queen deliver the coup de grace.

The zergling and its queen sense Zeratul's presence

The zergling was present with Kerrigan when the Dark Templar Zeratul appeared inside her leviathan. It stood aside as its queen and the protoss battled.

Sentience

As part of his experiments to expand the mental faculties and independence of Broodmother Zagara, Abathur used the broken-horned zergling as a testing ground for the changes. He wrapped the zergling in a cocoon, and violently he tore out with his new modifications. Abathur stated Kerrigan should observe the zergling for any changes. The zergling however proved to resist Kerrigan's commands to join the other zerglings, continuing to follow her around unless she forced her will deeply on it. Abathur informed her that this was part of his experiment, as now it had more of a mind. As time went on, Kerrigan noticed it stayed apart from the other zerglings, opting to instead follow her. Kerrigan noted the fact that it was choosing to stay rather than being commanded to, a prospect she pondered.

As time went on and the broken-horned zergling displayed more independence, she brought it to Abathur. Kerrigan was angered that a zergling could be made to disobey her, which Abathur insisted that this was what she had wanted. Kerrigan's anger caused the zergling to attack Abathur without her orders. Kerrigan pulled the two aside, with the zergling leaving a gash in Abathur. She ordered Abathur away, and stayed with the zergling, figuring out what to do with him. She then decided to give it a name, "Broken Horn," to set it aside as an individual among the Swarm.

Later, the Swarm attacked the planet of Angdra, seeking information from Terran Dominion structures on the planet. Kerrigan sent waves of zerglings, and decided to send Broken Horn as well, giving him one of the central missions. Broken Horn landed and moved on the government building, going through the structure as Kerrigan gazed through his eyes. On one console, she found what she was looking for; a name and a map. However, immediately after the building was raided by terrans, who subdued Broken Horn. Kerrigan assumed that he had died in the conflict, but the zergling was instead captured and shipped off world.

Operation Blind Devil

Broken Horn was taken by the Dominion Center for State Security as part of their secretive Operation Blind Devil; an attempt to control the zerg using implants in their nervous system. Broken Horn awoke in their base, at first startled by his own reflection. He was hit by a white light that incapacitated him as terrans enter the room, and in spite of his instinct to attack, he was not able. The terrans burnt out part of his nervous system, before depositing him back in his cell. Disoriented, he only then realized he had been completely severed from the Zerg Swarm.

Broken Horn was taken gradually through surgery, a painful process where he lost a good amount of blood, and eventually discovered a creature he identified as their leader, Dr. Phillipa Broadhurst. Through her similarities with Kerrigan and her role as leader, he identified her as the "UnQueen," and though he was unable to move, realized that she was the target he must kill.

As surgery went on, Broken Horn's implants allowed the terrans of Operation Blind Devil to send him commands directly to his nervous system, though his modifications made him able to resist. He tried to attack one of the scientists, but was forced down by the lights they had that could harm him, the impact of his collapse crushing his sickle-limbs. Broadhurst continued to study Broken Horn by planting wires and technology in his body. However, she realized that the zergling was resistant to her commands, and possessed some modified brain structure. She took Broken Horn in for further study, keeping his brain scanned as she talked, and realized he had brain activity when she spoke to him. Using a cap that interfaced her mind with his nervous system, she was able to relay her intentions to Broken Horn: she would find a way to control him.

Broken Horn pretended as if the further tests had broken him, and followed along with her orders as she gave them. Eventually, the project stopped using security measures to control him, confident that they had him under their heel. Then, when they least expected it, Broken Horn attacked the scientists, killing the ones in the room. Broken Horn smashed against the barrier between him and Broadhurst as she pleaded for her life with him, but the zergling broke through, tracked her down into the outside of the base, and ripped her apart. Broken Horn then took in his surroundings and the night sky outside of the base, realizing that though he could not feel her, Kerrigan was still out there. However, he felt a squeezing in his chest, and his vision went black.

Game Effect

Broken Horn can be seen in the story mode space of Heart of the Swarm, pacing around the main characters between missions. The zergling will change accordingly depending on which evolutionary path is chosen in the game, though its appearance in cinematics will appear the same.