175. Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

"Judge Eda, I have confiscated nearly three thousand copies of seditious propaganda pamphlets and leaflets, and have prohibited the residents of Echo Town from publicly printing and reading these illegally distributed publications. The Echo Town Immigration Police Department is taking all effective measures to prevent them from poisoning the minds of Confederacy citizens and to protect their right to read correct and lawful publications."

In the Magistrate's office of the Echo Town Immigration Police Department, Augustus was still on the phone with the only judge in the Echo Town courthouse. At that moment Augustus, dressed in a brown Confederacy police officer uniform, sat upright in his wooden office chair, his expression serious.

It was February 2490, Hilo region had entered a brief rainy season lasting from a few hours to a few days. Dense raindrops splashed on the blinds of Augustus's office, and dark clouds filled the orange-grey sky, with the rain curtain hanging like an inverted waterfall, pouring down.

The office, measuring a dozen square meters, was filled with bookshelves, some containing books on the legislation and politics of the Terran Confederacy, and many on the crystal mining industry. Behind Augustus's desk were three flags: the red and blue cross and stars of the Confederacy, the flag of the Mar- Sara settlement, and the conch shell flag of Echo Town.

This honest and loyal Magistrate also hangs a portrait of the current Confederacy prime minister, Mario Tagore, in his office to express his admiration for the prime minister.

"I will deploy police to prevent those rioters from storming the town hall and immigration courthouse—no, I have to do it. As Magistrate, it is my duty to protect the safety of all government employees."

"You can rest assured that my officers will not prevent you from communicating with the townspeople involved in the lawsuit. But I think you shouldn't go too far anymore, from Hilo to the Capital Region to the vast expanse of millions of square miles in Elrond, where people believe they no longer need the Confederacy. It sounds sensational, but it's true."

"Very well, I will do as the governor requests: arrest every traitor and put them in prison."

Putting down the old-fashioned landline phone on his desk, Augustus clasped his hands together and said to Sarah Kerrigan standing beside him, "Tell my staff and military advisors to draft a plan to attack the Planetary Defense Force outposts in the Mar- Sara capital region and sabotage the Confederacy train tracks. Make sure the Mar- Sara Governorate mobilizes the Planetary Defense Forces and militia from the outer perimeter to reinforce the capital."

By February 2490, the Governor-General's Office of Mar- Sara finally realized that the raging revolutionary wave had threatened their rule on the planet, with hundreds of thousands of people in several autonomous states and municipalities yearning for change.

Although these people who embraced revolutionary ideas, under the leadership of the revolutionaries, did not storm the government like the Korhal, the Confederacy could not turn a blind eye to this, especially since so many people refused to pay taxes that they considered "incomprehensible," in addition to the taxes that had been in place for hundreds of years. Tax officials who could not collect taxes were naturally furious and complained bitterly to their superiors.

In truth, these were all secondary matters. Governor Martha Sara, who indulged in pleasure all day long, never bothered with such things, simply leaving them to her subordinates. However, after the Korhal Rebellion, the words "revolutionary party" and "rebel army" were enough to make the Confederacy take the matter very seriously, even to the point of resorting to force.

Therefore, in early February, a crackdown on the revolutionaries was launched, led by the Mar- Sara Civil Defense Force and a small number of Federal Marine Corps.

Augustus's current task is to deal with the Confederacy army's encirclement and suppression while preparing for the next phase of the plan.

"Our governor is a cowardly, pleasure-seeking man. He fled his social gatherings back to the governor's mansion at the first sign of rebellion in Mar- Sara," he told Kerrigan. "We just need to scare him a little, and he'll reveal his true colors."

"Okay." Kerrigan didn't ask Augustus why he did that, not because they had developed a tacit understanding over the nearly one year they had spent together, but because Augustus never deliberately hid his thoughts.

As Kerrigan walked out of the judge's office to relay Augustus's orders to the chief of staff of the Revolutionary Army's command post in another sheriff's office, Augustus then connected to Jim Raynor's personal terminal.

"Jimmy? Pull up your pants and come to my office right now—you'd better take precautions, I don't think Elizabeth is ready to be a mother." Augustus shifted his grip on the phone.

"And call Tychus over too; you know where he usually hangs out."

After finishing speaking, Augustus put down the phone, picked up a draft of a "Notice Warning Town Residents to Avoid Traveling During the Rainy Season" that he had prepared, and prepared to put it into his storage bag.

At that moment, Kerrigan, dressed in a khaki police uniform, walked in again. She didn't like wearing high heels, and instead wore a pair of leather boots that clattered on the wooden floor.

"Your orders have been relayed to the Revolutionary Army camp staff, and they will submit a detailed plan to you within a standard Mar- Sara period."

"Hmm." Augustus nodded and fell silent, gazing out the window into the torrential rain and flashing lightning, lost in thought.

"Any news about Umojan and those six colonial Fleets?" Augustus asked Kerrigan a few seconds later, but his gaze was fixed on two framed photos on the desk: one was a group photo of the Heaven's Devils, and the other was a photo of the Mengsk Family along with their butler.

After being reorganized, the dozen or so colony Fleets that had left the Korhal system were consolidated into five Great Fleet centered on Korhal, Fleets with more than two million people, the largest having as many as three million five hundred thousand. They were led by Zander Max, Connor Ward, Amy Brandon, Ilya Kulovsky, and Rick Kydd, all former high-ranking generals of the Heaven's Devils.

These colony Fleets are traveling through the universe at faster-than-light speeds. Except for the navigators, they have all entered a state of hibernation. They may not find a habitable planet for several years or even longer. Before that, the colonists must face the unknown and dangerous universe.

Currently, the closest force to Mar- Sara is Rick Kydd's colonial Fleets. This Revolutionary Army has not entered hibernation but remains awake, sending a location signal to Umojan every three months.

"Four colony Fleets are sailing in the middle section between Korhal and the edge of the Koprulu Sector, and one Fleets is about to leave the Koprulu Sector," Kerrigan replied.

"As for Umojan, two weeks ago, the Gamma Squadron and Sigma Squadron of the Terran Confederacy clashed several times with the Umojan Protectorate Fleets on the border of the Umojan Republic. Both sides have conflicting accounts of who emerged victorious in these conflicts."

"What is the real situation? We should be able to get information that is closer to the truth." A sense of urgency welled up in Augustus's heart, because his family and more than 20 million Korhal were still on Umojan.

"The truth is that the Umojan Protectorate did not gain the upper hand," Kerrigan said. "The Confederacy Fleets lingered in the Umojan Republic territory for two whole weeks before being driven away by the Umojan Protectorate Fleets. The combat capabilities of the Umojan Protectorate navy were questioned by the legislature, but the public was completely unaware of this; they still believed their army had won a victory."

"If the Confederacy Fleets were to swarm in, Umojan would certainly be overwhelmed." Augustus's mind flashed with images of the Terran Confederacy's battles against Umojan: "But for the Terran Confederacy to swallow Umojan whole is nothing short of a pipe dream. It will take them at least several years to completely conquer Umojan. Coupled with the unwillingness of the Kel-Morian Combine to accept defeat and the rebels on the mainland, the Confederate Congress does not dare to launch Total War for the time being."

"We've rested for too long; it's time to make some noise." After more than six months of rest, the Augustus Fleets's combat power has been fully restored, and it's time to get the Tyrannical government's nerves, which have become relaxed, on high alert again.

"Get the Terran Confederacy's naval Fleets moving. Once they're exhausted, that's when we can concentrate our superior forces and defeat them one by one."

If Umojan goes to war with the Terran Confederacy, the Revolutionary Army will likely lose its biggest backer, and the crystal mines he and Arcturus have collected will have nowhere to be sold.

Just then, Jim Raynor and Tychus Finley, both wearing waterproof cloaks, pushed open the door and entered. As soon as they entered, Augustus could hear Tychus's disgruntled grumbling. "What happened? I'd like to know what made old Tychus whip his horse around and turn back."

"Are we going to war with the Confederacy's army?" Raynor knew Augustus very well.

"Jimmy's right." Augustus glanced at Tychus. "Finley, nobody cares how much time you spend on those pretty girls."

"Next time you should give advance notice." Tychus didn't dare to lose his temper with Augustus: "Today, all those nice things I prepared to spice things up were useless."

"Then we'll do it next time," Augustus interrupted Tychus, knowing full well that the latter would whine and complain for another half hour if he didn't stop him.

Then Augustus looked at Raynor: "Jimmy, I have to transfer you to Lorenzana State to lead the troops there. Take your Raynor's Raiders and travel light. I have definite news that Governor Mara Sara is preparing to order the defense forces to hunt down the revolutionary comrades there. I need you to crush them."

"Similar encirclement operations will also be launched in states where we have the advantage, such as Hilo State. A planned, large-scale encirclement against us is about to begin."

The reason Augustus knew so much was mainly because he, as the local Magistrate, had received advance notice, and he had cultivated a fairly good personal friendship with the governor of Hilo State by ingratiating himself with him. His agents and intelligence network were also monitoring Mara Sara's outdated communication network.

"Dealing with those militia shouldn't be that difficult." Raynor hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"You can't bear to part with your girlfriend?" Augustus smiled slightly.

"I'm reluctant to part with her, and it sounds like I'll have to leave Hilo for a while." Raynor didn't mince words; he was always very honest with Augustus.

"I understand." Augustus nodded to Raynor, turned on the wooden Holographic Projection projector on his desk, and a vertically standing map appeared before everyone present, interwoven with colorful light and shadow.

The map background features red and yellow landmasses in Mara Sara. This is a map of the southern hemisphere of Mara Sara, which is home to two-thirds of Mara Sara's population. Since this planet doesn't even have a vast ocean, but only dust oceans resembling lakes, land covers a huge proportion of the surface.

Compared to this vast land area, the area suitable for human habitation and land reclamation is very small. Hilo State and several neighboring provinces still have a touch of green on the map, and the capital region even has a considerable amount of green vegetation. However, on the map, this touch of green is surrounded by large swathes of yellow desert. Although the inhabited areas are also quite extensive, the population is scattered in towns that are far apart.

"We already have over three thousand party members in the Hilo region, scattered throughout various towns and cities." Augustus took down the map and unfolded it on his desk, pointing to the fan-shaped Hilo Autonomous State on the map. "At the same time, the combined number of the planetary defense forces and civilian militia in this region is less than that of a full battalion, and more than half of them come from the civilian defense forces of Echo Town."

On this map, Hilo State, New Columbia State, Lorenzana State, and the Capital Region form a highly irregular polygon. The first two states are already highlighted in red, indicating that they are actually under the control of the Revolutionary Army. Lorenzana State is transitioning from green to red, while the Capital Region has scattered red markings, indicating strongholds established by the Revolutionary Army within it.

Sara is not a completely barren world. Some areas have a few oases and a considerable amount of green land that can be cultivated. Several underground river systems nourish millions of Sara people and life on the planet. Higher latitudes have tundra and sparse grasslands, and the planet's poles even have glaciers.

"The situation in New Columbia State is not much different from that in Hilo State. Although we do not control the local police and government, we have established three mining areas there. These mining areas can assemble a brigade of the Revolutionary Army, and our forces can take the initiative in these areas."

"Which state am I responsible for?" Tychus looked thoughtfully at Augustus. "To be honest, I'm already tired of those tacky girls in Echo Town. Perhaps other places could..."

"You must stay by my side," Augustus. "I need you to lead the charge."

"How could those militiamen of Ma Sara, who have never even seen blood, possibly be a match for us? My men have faced death countless times, confronting the fiercest and most elite troops of the Terran Confederacy." Tychus said proudly, "You can't do without me, Mengsk."

"I really don't know what you would do without me."

"Yes, I can't do without you." Augustus happy to joke with Tychus, and as long as the other party didn't cause any trouble, he didn't plan to keep a straight face.

"However, while those militiamen are no match for us," Tychus said seriously, "Once I give them a good beating, the Confederacy will send in the Marines next time. Mar- Sara doesn't have a full-fledged Marine force, so they'll definitely mobilize their Fleets."

What are you going to do then?

"This is exactly what I wanted. Then we can ambush them on Mar- Sara's synchronized orbit," Augustus. "The siege of Tarsonis is still fresh in the minds of the Tarsonis nobles, and they won't send almost their entire Fleets like they did with Korhal."

"I hope it's that Viper Duke who comes, this time I'm going to kick his ass hard!" Tychus said viciously as the torrential rain outside the window gradually subsided.

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