Zasz

"Greetings, I am Zasz. I too am a Cerebrate of the Overmind."

- Zasz introduces himself to the new Cerebrate.

Zasz was a zerg Cerebrate and the leader of the Garm Brood.

Zasz was one of the most clever Cerebrates, who never ceased to question his fellows in an irritating, sniveling manner. He coordinated the actions of multiple Cerebrates and also had powerful clairsentient abilities, enabling him to spy on enemies over great distances. While somewhat unstable, he was extremely loyal to the zerg Overmind.

The Garm Brood was part of the zerg Swarm's main attack wing, along with the numerically far superior Jormungand and Surtur broods. The brood made up for its relatively small numbers by employing guerrilla tactics, including surprise attacks and frequent raids. It was known both for its extreme ferocity and the speed at which it attacks.

Biography
Like all Cerebrates, Zasz was created to help the Overmind keep control over the zerg Broods.

The Overmind created a new Cerebrate in order to watch over its new prize, a Chrysalis containing the powerful psychic Sarah Kerrigan, whom the zerg had captured on a space platform over Tarsonis. The new Cerebrate guarded the Chrysalis in a small base on the surface of Tarsonis.

Zasz advised the junior Cerebrate that the remnants of Omega Squadron were nearby, and that they could threaten the Chrysalis. It told the junior Cerebrate that they must not leave here alive.

In order to prepare for the departure from Tarsonis, the junior Cerebrate took the Chrysalis to a space platform over Tarsonis. Zasz warned the new Cerebrate that protoss forces still lingered nearby. Following the battle, the zerg prepared to warp to the world of Char. Zasz warned the junior Cerebrate to prepare itself, because "your first jump through warp space could be... unsettling."

Deadly Planet
Upon the arrival of the Chrysalis to Char, its psionic emanations drew the attention of terrans, such as Arcturus Mengsk, who dispatched General Edmund Duke to recover it. Zasz was able to detect their transmissions and relay them to the Overmind. The junior Cerebrate's forces defeated the terrans, forcing them to retreat, and Zasz told it to find a new hiding place for the Chrysalis. The new location was discovered by another terran force, the Raynor's Raiders. Zasz, watching over the battle, warned the junior Cerebrate not to allow any terrans to interfere with its hatching.

Shortly after hatching from her confinement, the product thereof, Infested Kerrigan, revealed that the ghost conditioning which had been inflicted on her was still hampering her psionic abilities. She wished to infiltrate a terran Science Vessel, which held the secrets to breaking the conditioning, but Cerebrate Zasz was opposed to this action. Kerrigan disliked Zasz so much she threatened to kill him (even though such a death wouldn't be permanent). Zasz appealed to the Overmind, only to discover that it wished for Kerrigan to retain most of her independence.

Shadow Hunters
Infested Kerrigan's new psionic powers enabled her to detect the presence of protoss on Char. Tassadar contacted her and challenged her to single combat. Kerrigan accepted. Zasz detected something strange about Tassadar and warned Kerrigan not to fall for Tassadar's tricks only to be rebuked by her. Zasz told her she'd be the doom of all zerg.

The duel turned out to be a distraction. While Kerrigan fought Tassadar's illusion, Zeratul, the Dark Templar Prelate, got close to Zasz, claiming to know Kerrigan's weakness. Drawn into a false sense of security, Zasz ordered his brood away, allowing Zeratul to get closer to him. Zeratul said that the weakness will be the same as his death and then plunged him psi blade deep into, as the cerebrate's conscious essence tries to escape from his shell but Zeratul sliced it, killing Zasz. When Kerrigan heard about this, she gloated and stated that the Overmind would resurrect him, until Daggoth told her the truth: Zeratul's attack permanently slew the Cerebrate, somehow silencing the Overmind itself and driving the Garm Brood into insanity. Now the Hive Cluster was being threatened. The junior Cerebrate's forces destroyed the Garm Brood.

Consequences
While Zeratul's blade was stuck in Zasz's body, he and the Overmind were able to read each other's thoughts. Zeratul discovered the Overmind's origin, and the Overmind learned the previously secret location of Aiur. However, the attack temporarily injured the Overmind, and it did not recover until the destruction of the Garm Brood.