The Pickaxe of Justice

"Oh-ma- Sara, the latrine of hell, and we are nothing but worms in that latrine."

Tychus Finley donned his custom-made CMC Power Armor, its deep red paint adorned with a variety of miscellaneous patterns and badges: nothing more than nude women, cigar brands, and beer bottles. The old man also had a penchant for gambling, so several dice were painted on the Power Armor's shoulder armor as well.

Behind Tychus were several columns of the Revolutionary Army soldiers. The insignia of the Sterling Wolf Hunters and the Korhal Revolutionary Army on their Power Armor had been erased and repainted in rust color.

These Revolutionary Army soldiers numbered just over forty, equivalent to a full platoon. At this moment, they stood amidst a tall thicket of thorns, all with the searchlights on their armor chests turned off, and their communication channels remaining completely silent.

"Come on, Tychus. Apart from Korhal and Tarsonis, every other planet is either a latrine or a pile of shit in your eyes," Jim Raynor said with a laugh, wearing a crimson CMC-200 Power Armor.

"Sometimes they're not even as good as a pile of poop; even my pee looks more comforting than that."

Raynor and Tychus chatted as they awaited Augustus's orders. About half a mile ahead lay a secluded, dry valley that was difficult to spot. According to Kerrigan, a local gang of about sixty members Pegasus Brotherhood, was hiding in an abandoned mooring post and several huts in the valley.

The members of this local gang come from all walks of life; some are robbers, petty thieves, or homeless Mar-a- Sara cowboys, while others are residents of the local town.

In such a remote, uncivilized Edge World, many things are not simply black and white. Even the most impartial and selfless judges and their Magistrate are not without flaws and impeccable records.

The Pegasus Brotherhood mostly handles shady dealings for their backer, Gustav Pharmaceutical Group, in their local branch. These shady activities include kidnapping, deceiving, or trafficking minors for experimental materials used in live experiments, or smuggling drugs from Starport to Deadwater Base and delivering them to their clients in the Confederacy Army.

The Pegasus Brotherhood often set up transit points along their land smuggling routes to transfer their smuggled goods, Augustus was aware of one of them.

However, such lucrative jobs are not always available. As the gang gradually swelled to an astonishing eight hundred members over the years, their ambitions also grew along with their power. Gradually, the Pegasus Brotherhood set their sights on the crystal mining areas around Hilo.

Of course, the Pegasus Brotherhood never intended to take over the mining area from the Revolutionary Army. They only wanted to use force to make them pay some "protection money" so that they could extract a large cut of the mine's revenue without incurring any costs.

Unfortunately, the rebels mentioned by the Terran Confederacy are actually the most vicious and notorious terrorists in the entire Confederacy's territory.

Just as they were merely scouting ahead and hadn't even kicked a hornet's nest, the hornet's nest came crashing down on them.

"If I rush in first and take down all those third-rate cowboys, then the best loot will be mine." Tychus was eager to try, completely disregarding the enemy. The gangs here had at most experienced regional gang warfare, and the Power Armor was a gap that was difficult to bridge.

"Watch out for Tychus." Augustus stood between Raynor and Tychus, his crimson Power Armor indistinguishable from the others. "The Mar- Sara people are not to be trifled with."

"This is the battle plan." He opened his mask and said to Raynor, Tychus, and Faraday beside him.

"We've already provided drones to scout the terrain of this gang's hideout. The riverbed isn't deep, and once you get down there, the hideout has no cover or Bunker except for a few bushes. They have two sentry posts, but Kerrigan will take care of all the Sentinel."

"As usual, Raynor will lead a squad from behind them—we'll start at the same time, a thousand yards apart, and jump into the riverbed simultaneously," Augustus concluded. "I'll take Tychus from the front."

"These people aren't necessarily all heinous villains, but if anyone dares to fight back, we'll riddle them with holes."

"Augustus right," Raynor told the 1st Squad before leading them away. "Make it quick. These Mar- Sara bandits have no protection except for a few reindeer skin coats for warmth. Their weapons are a mixed bag, including P-20 pistols, revolvers, and shotguns, but those things can't touch our armor."

"Let's get started." Augustus flexed his wrists beneath his Power Armor, feeling a surge of anticipation. Since becoming the leader of the Korhal Revolutionary Army, he had rarely led troops into battle personally.

Augustus was wearing the general-purpose CMC-200. The military technology of the Terran Confederacy continued to advance rapidly after the Guild Wars. Compared with the power armor that Augustus had come across at the Turaxis training camp, this Power Armor had added some new features, such as alloy combat boots with computer-controlled stabilization devices and ammunition storage units.

The general-purpose CMC-200 and CMC-300 models have added heat shielding capabilities, which prevents the enemy from tracking soldiers wearing Power Armor using thermal signature detection devices.

As the indicator light on the Power Armor's HUD display remained green, Augustus began running across the crimson sands of Mar- Sara. The servo system, connected by cables and a sophisticated array of sensors, gave him tremendous power, and he covered the half-mile with almost no effort before leaping into the riverbed. Meanwhile, the Pegasus Brotherhood on one side of the riverbed remained dimly lit, and the Brotherhood members seemed to be fast asleep.

Augustus then realized he had overestimated the gang's fighting strength. He assumed all the enemies were elite Confederacy troops or Kel-Morian forces, but the Mar-a- Sara thugs, who usually fought fiercely and called themselves cowboys, were shocked to realize that Augustus's men were Confederate Marine Corps.

At this time, the CMC Power Armor had not yet been widely distributed to the planetary defense forces and police departments of the Outer Colonies; it remained an iconic symbol of the Federal Marine Corps.

They believed they had not committed any crimes punishable by death or life imprisonment and did not want to be convicted of attacking soldiers, so they immediately surrendered.

Not only that, the fraternity members also conscientiously handed over their weapons and squatted down against the wall of the abandoned dock.

"Guys, move your asses or I'm going to kick that spot." Tychus ignored them, kicking several Brotherhood members into a corner and starting to search for loot.

"I am Caesar of the 321st Confederate Marine Corps. You have five minutes to disclose the other strongholds of your illegal organization, or we have plenty of ways to make you tell the truth," Augustus said calmly. "If your brothers confess more than you do..."

Soon, almost without hesitation, the Brotherhood members rushed to betray their brothers, while Faraday noted down all the locations and sent them back to the Revolutionary Army camp, where dozens of the Revolutionary Army squads were already ready to go.

"Frankly, this isn't something we should be doing." While waiting for the armored personnel carrier to arrive, Raynor Augustus, "Besides, what are we supposed to do with these men? Hand them over to the local Magistrate?"

"This isn't like you, Jim. Once we've dealt with these scoundrels, the locals will have an easier time." Augustus looked around and saw that the buildings constructed by the Pegasus Brotherhood were indeed solid and reliable rock structures, and were also made of concrete and slag.

Similar to the planet Meinhoff of the Kel-Morian Combine, the developed mining and quarrying industries are the main economic pillars of Mar- Sara. At the same time, the service industry, which provides for gold prospectors from Cha- Sara and other planets in the Confederacy territory, is also relatively developed.

"Perhaps, with fewer bad guys, life will be easier for good people." Raynor thought this made a lot of sense, "But it shouldn't just be that; you must have other reasons."

"We're still short a few workers at our construction site. Temporarily." A glint seemed to appear in Augustus's cold, grey eyes. "It's much more comfortable here than in Mar- Sara's prison."

"Hopefully, they can use this time to reform themselves and become law-abiding Confederacy citizens."

The Revolutionary Army's mine is located in a misty valley with sheer, smooth walls on both sides. Even during the day, the sun is rarely seen inside the valley, and it is dark for most of the day. This valley was once a tributary of a long river, and tens of thousands of years ago, the valley floor was filled with rushing water.

Hiram Fick, a former Heaven's Devils's Demons, piloted a brown CSX-410 harvesting robot, twelve feet (about 3.6 meters) above the ground, through the dense darkness of Mar- Sara. Fick sat in the open-air driver's seat, suspended high above the ground, with only a windshield in front of him to shield him from the howling wind. Two beams of white light shone in front of the robot, illuminating the dark thorns and jagged rocks.

This type of harvesting robot is commonly found in the agricultural colonies of the Terran Confederacy. It has a double cutter on the front and a tall threshing drum on its back. The harvesting robot uses bipedal servo-powered legs for locomotion and is often used to harvest rye in rugged mountainous areas and ravine-filled plateaus where giant harvesters cannot reach.

The two auxiliary robotic arms of the CSX-410 robot piloted by Fick were equipped with T-60 Gatling guns and synthetic resin shields, respectively, while wisps of white steam rose from the two pressurized cooling tanks behind the driver's seat. These modifications, added by Chief Engineer Rory Swann, made the rumbling bipedal machine even more cumbersome, but successfully transformed it into a savage war machine.

When not engaged in combat, these robots can also assemble power clamps and welding machines for repair and mining operations.

"New miners? I heard even the kindest among them sold drugs to minors, so I feel a little less guilty ordering them around. Hopefully they'll go home soon and turn themselves in to the police—want some donuts, honey?"

As Fick rounded a corner, the mine lights finally dispelled the surrounding darkness, and he heard the voice of his good friend, Rory Swann.

When Fick brought the harvesting robot to a stop, he could see a huge drilling rig occupying the center of the valley. Amid the roar of the rig, dark soil was continuously transported out by conveyor belts. Even in this deep soil being transported out, some glittering pale blue Ardien Crystal could still be seen.

The crystal reserves buried beneath this vast mining area are so enormous that workers inside the pits can unearth a crystal with a single hoe stroke. Even a crystal the size of just one cubic meter can make an ordinary person rich overnight.

Unlike open-pit mines above ground, these crystal mines, buried miles underground, are extremely difficult to mine. Even the hardness of open-pit crystal mines is beyond the reach of small laser welding guns.

"What's going on, my friend? Where did the Marshal find these people? They don't look like ours." Fick found his friend Swann beside a tent piled high with green storage boxes and worn-out drill bits. The short, stocky, muscular Kel-Morian man, wearing a thick vest and tan goggles, had a trembling mustache, clearly because he was focused on eating a honey donut.

"Oh, Boss Mengsk took down a local gang." Swann grinned as he watched Fick leave. After their first meeting on Norad II, they quickly became good friends due to their similar professions and interests. Swann was shorter than most of the Korhal Revolutionary Army, while Fick was a "dwarf" standing less than four feet tall, so the two of them were known as the dwarf and hobbit under Augustus Mengsk.

As for Augustus' other capable henchmen, they also had their own titles, which varied in terms of praise and criticism depending on their popularity. For example, Raynor was known as the cowboy and Mr. Justice at Joey Ray's bar, while Tychus Finley was Augustus Mengsk's vicious dog.

It has to be said, that's quite apt.

"These people are not trustworthy. They are unlikely to follow military discipline like our Revolutionary Army soldiers. We will have to find extra people to guard them."

In many cases, Outer Colonies are synonymous with backwardness, poverty, and barbarity. Resources are scarce, and people become as fierce as wild beasts.

"Many of these people aren't really that bad. To paraphrase Tychus Finley, a few lashes and they'll be as obedient as a hen brooding over her nest—good heavens, that's terrible." Swann shook his head. "It seems Mengsk is planning to open more mines and needs more miners, while the Revolutionary Army fighters also need to maintain the warships and train."

"You're too kind. We don't need to be so lenient with criminals," Fick said with a smile.

How many mines does he plan to build?

"It seems right now—a lot," Swann said. "The entire Mar- Sara region is his mining area."

"That's amazing." Fick couldn't help but chuckle, clearly not believing Swann was telling the truth, "We couldn't mine that much unless we hired all of Mara Sara's people."

"Who knows?" Swann was skeptical as well. "It seems he was just looking for some kind of rare crystal, so he's been searching the whole planet."

"Okay, what are we going to do with those bastards? Treat them like slaves?" Fick stopped asking and pointed to a few bewildered local cowboys.

"In our mining area, these thugs will live a regular life, going to bed early and getting up early, having three meals a day at fixed times and with balanced nutrition, and attending night school before they finish work and rest."

"Classes? So, what will you teach them? Literacy?" Fick asked in surprise.

"They'll be studying art and philosophy, taught by political commissars from the Pan-Terran Party. I hear they'll also be learning about revolutionary spirit, revolutionary traditions, and Revolutionary Army discipline—I doubt they'll ever get out of here."

"The textbooks were Mr. Angus's * Korhal and Revolution* and Heinz's * August and Angus Doctrine*, each five inches thick."

Thank you for the generous donation, Master! Thank you for the recommendation tickets and monthly tickets, brothers!