Direct Strike on Tarsonis

6.21

Four days later, on the USS Norad II, at 0:27 onboard time.

When ships travel through transdimensional channels, people raised on planets often feel exhausted. Waking up from nightmares is commonplace; only those as thick-skinned as Harnack and Josephine can sleep soundly without being affected.

Augustus used to attribute the bizarre and fantastical scenes in his nightmares to his past memories, but now he knew it was because he had been thinking about them during the day and dreaming about them at night.

"Ever since you left the Dylarian Shipyards, you've been having nightmares." Kerrigan Sarah Kerrigan wore a form-fitting, dark gray Revolutionary Army officer's uniform. The Mengsk gold wolf pattern on her belt and epaulets meant she could freely enter and leave the captain's cabin of the Norad II without incurring the wrath of Corporal Faraday, the captain of Augustus's guard.

These days, Kerrigan been making a point of styling her striking, fiery red hair. Since becoming Augustus's personal bodyguard, this former Confederacy Ghost operative with terrifying Psionics powers has always sported neat, straight, flowing hair or a single ponytail, but today she has changed her usual image.

Compared to four months ago, Kerrigan looks very different; her fiery red hair now reaches down to her slender waist.

Kerrigan's smooth hair on the side of her forehead was parted in the middle and braided into two plaits, which wrapped around to the back of her head and tied into a ring, like a crown. Her long, soft hair trembled slightly as she wiped the sweat from Augustus's face with a cotton handkerchief.

Under the soft, light blue light of the captain's bedroom, Kerrigan's fiery red hair seemed to be veiled in a light gauze.

Although some people said that Augustus's excessive trust in a former Confederacy assassin would bring him misfortune, these rumors were ignored by the Revolutionary Army leader.

Soon another voice emerged: Augustus Mengsk himself greatly appreciated the Ghost operative's abilities, and he trusted him implicitly, immediately entrusting him with important responsibilities. There was no need to worry about the leader's safety, because he never confided in the Jackals.

However, Jurgen Shawshank, a Fleets correspondent for the Korhal Dominion Truth, believed that the truth was not so simple. He preferred to believe that our wise and mighty great leader Augustus also had emotions and desires.

After capturing Ghost operative Sarah Kerrigan, Augustus immediately transferred his Umojan Shadow Guard to his father Angus's side, allowing Kerrigan to take over their positions.

If no one can prove that nothing ever happened between Marshal Augustus and his young, beautiful personal bodyguard, then it is certainly true.

"Do you know what I dreamed about?" Augustus sat up still wearing his military shirt, maintaining the same sleeping habits he had as a marine in Turaxis. All his clothes, guns, and bullets were kept within easy reach, and Augustus sleep fully clothed if necessary. He remained a soldier who could get up and run at any moment, ready to draw his gun and fire.

However, perhaps because he had just woken from a nightmare, or perhaps because he was wary of a Psionics spying on his thoughts, Augustus's cold gray eyes staring intently at Kerrigan were truly as menacing as those of a real Sterling wolf.

This didn't frighten Kerrigan. She simply said calmly, "Just like three days ago, you had a dream about a huge planet that had become a radiated wasteland. I can confirm that it's Korhal IV. Sometimes, the radiated wasteland is empty, but sometimes it transforms into a massive metropolis. It's inhabited by many, many people, but none of them are Korhal."

"Oh—" Augustus rubbed his temples, feeling a sharp pain shooting through him. "If I do nothing, that's what Korhal IV is supposed to become. I'm just thinking this way, you know I always like to think the worst."

"No, you're not like that." Kerrigan simply shook her head, then said nothing more, "You never imagine me as a bad person or an assassin."

"I should get up." Augustus more, but as he put on his coat, he casually remarked, "Have I dreamt of you, my dear?"

Augustus never imagined what the future Swarm Queen, the Queen of Blades, would look like, in order to avoid giving Kerrigan any unfounded speculation.

Kerrigan can read minds. Although Augustus explicitly forbids her from delving into the depths of her own mind, she can still pick up on some sudden thoughts.

Given that Kerrigan remains completely unaware of Augustus's dark past, it's clear that she strictly adhered to this rule, even out of respect and trust for Augustus himself.

"You should ask yourself." Kerrigan seemed startled; she, who had always respected Augustus, momentarily forgot that a soldier should not shout at his superior.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"It's nothing, I was just saying I should get up." Augustus observed Kerrigan's expression and realized that she felt less offended and more embarrassed than embarrassed, as one would expect from a sixteen-year-old girl.

Under normal circumstances Augustus might have found this rather endearing, but he was preoccupied with concerns for Korhal, his father, and the soldiers still fighting against the Confederacy army, and his words were mostly casual and unintentional.

As Augustus buttoned up his coat, he was still thinking: if Korhal IV hadn't sent the coordinates and encrypted information according to the agreed schedule, the Confederacy Fleets must have already arrived in the Korhal system—much faster than he had anticipated.

Then the Terran Confederacy should prepare to be blown to bits.

"Even though you've slept for four hours today, you haven't slept for three days and two nights. Are you still going to keep working?" Kerrigan was trying to put a hat on Augustus, but she didn't realize she wasn't Augustus's personal maid until she was pushed away.

Augustus never needed servants, though he never mentioned it, but Kerrigan knew that he had no affinity for the aristocracy that had given him status and power, just like his father and brother.

"You should get some more sleep," Kerrigan to Augustus. "The bridge tells me the Fleets won't be able to jump out of the hyperspace portal and arrive in the Tarsonis system for another two hours."

"Then I shouldn't be sleeping." Augustus' eyes widened slightly, and he immediately said, "My warriors need me."

"But your smart health assistant shows you're very tired right now, and I can also sense that you're not in good spirits," Kerrigan said, pulling on Augustus's wrist. "You're sad; you're not as strong as they see."

"I will not fall," Augustus tidied his appearance in front of a mirror. "Never."

Before Kerrigan could say anything more, Augustus's resolute expression finally made her give in.

"I know what you're trying to say," Kerrigan said, rubbing her forehead. "After all, I'm not your mother, am I? Would you still say that if Lady Katherine were standing right here?"

"That's a false premise," Augustus chuckled, as humorous and natural as ever. "She can't possibly be here, and I won't allow that to happen."

However, Augustus's heart grew heavy again, and he couldn't help but worry about his mother and sister.

A week earlier, news had reached the Hyperion that Augustus's Arcturus Mengsk, had arrived at the Pasteur Estate in Umojan National Bank and met with Juliana and his son, along with a large sum of money that had been deposited into Umojan's account at the Hyperion.

Nearly a month has passed since that message was sent, Augustus no way of knowing whether Arcturus has been able to reconcile with Juliana after such a long time, or whether he only stayed for a little over a week before hastily returning to his comfort zone in the mine.

It is impossible to know.

From Arcturus's heartfelt yet actually disgruntled letters, Augustus learned that his brother was not satisfied with his nephew.

However, since Augustus had already taught Valerian what a true Mengsk man should be like, and since he had never relaxed his self-discipline since his uncle left, diligently practicing swordsmanship and training his body, Arcturus wouldn't call his son a sissy and a bookworm as he did in the original timeline.

Although Arcturus used many words to describe Valerian as far less clever and tenacious than Augustus as a child, and complained that his mother, sister, and Juliana dressed their son up like a little princess, this still had a fairly positive effect on bridging the rift between father and son caused by their long separation.

With Katherine present, Arcturus could at least feel the warmth of family, which lessened his anger when he resented Juliana for hiding things from him. Besides, Augustus hoped that his brother could settle down and start a family, or at least develop some relationship with his nephew. A family feels broken no matter which member is missing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned them," Kerrigan said apologetically.

"I know you're saying this because you care about me," Augustus said Kerrigan a relaxed smile. "You're a telepath; you know what I'm thinking and feel what I'm feeling."

When the heavy airlock doors of the captain's cabin of the USS Norad II opened, Faraday, dressed in an officer's uniform, was already waiting for Augustus, with four Sterling Strikers in CMC-300 Power Armor standing behind him.

Faraday was a stern-faced man, a typical Korhal with a broad chin, a high nose, and deep-set eyes. Just a few months ago, Faraday was an ordinary Confederacy citizen, but now he had become a favorite of the rebel leader.

Faraday repaid this with absolute loyalty, never believing he possessed the talent to deserve his position. In return for Augustus's appreciation and decisive promotion, this young Revolutionary Army from Korhal devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Korhal revolution and to protecting Augustus himself.

Augustus Mengsk never misjudged anyone. To prove that Augustus's eye for talent remained unchanged, Corporal Farid treated every task assigned to him by Augustus with rigor and seriousness.

Whether it was fetching a slice of toast or commanding an army, even Augustus him to guard Korhal alone, and Corporal Farid was determined to do his best.

Unable to contact other battlecruisers while in a hyperspace jump state, Augustus headed straight for the ship's internal corridors leading to the lower decks and holds. Augustus first spent some time at the armory of Norad II, where a cousin of Rory Swann was in charge of the facility, replacing the engineers from Alpha Squadron.

Swann's brothers all look very similar, but one of them is that Swann's cousin lost a leg in an accident at a mine in the New Apollowen Community and has to replace it with a metal prosthesis.

"Good morning, sir, if we consider it morning." Thorin Swann, a burly woman named Meinhoff, said in a deep voice, "Is there anything I can do for you? I've listed all the available upgrade options for the ship's weapons, armor, and shields on the control panel. You can choose the future upgrade direction and projects for the Norad II, and then let me know."

"And then you'll upgrade this battlecruiser according to my requirements?" Augustus asked.

"Of course, provided that..." Thorin was interrupted by Augustus, who rarely interrupted others—unless he couldn't help it.

"The prerequisite is having money." Augustus shrugged, as if a thousand Game announcers were telling him, "You don't have enough crystal mines," "You don't have enough military funds."

"Okay, I have some good news to tell you all: I'm rich now."

Thanks to his Arcturus, Augustus had a large sum of money at his disposal.

Augustus's only concern was how to convert this money into real revolutionary capital. He didn't need to be too frugal, because as long as Arcturus still held onto that incredibly rich mine, Augustus's account would see a string of zeros every month, all in Umojan citizen points—currency that was not easily depreciated and directly linked to the crystal mine.

In addition to the Kel-Morian Combine and the Umojan, Augustus also had to purchase weapons, ammunition, and warships from the black market on the outskirts of the Koprulu Sector. At the same time, Augustus overcome the disadvantage of being highly dependent on procurement for military equipment and relying on the Umojan Protectorate for support.

The Korhal Revolutionary Army needed a new base, and Augustus pinned his hopes on the dozens of Korhal colony Mothership en route to distant star systems.

After that, Augustus went down to the lower deck to inspect the armed and ready-to-fight Korhal Revolutionary Army soldiers, and addressed the officers and soldiers with a rousing speech, giving a general mobilization speech for the battlefield.

Augustus arrived at the bridge only after the Norad II and a Fleets of more than twenty Behemoth-class Battlecruiser had leaped out of the hyperspace jump channel.

On the star chart, Tarsonis was rotating at its own speed, and the far lower-than-expected Confederacy ship jump signals indicated that the Tarsonis garrison had not noticed a large Fleets rapidly approaching.

Since Tarsonis became the beacon of civilization in the Terran Confederacy, it has never experienced the ravages of war.

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