The Kaczynski Family
Augustus could not refuse the lavish hospitality of the Combine Board of Directors, but he did not swim with the beautiful Kel-Morian women in the pool. Instead, he put on his wide-brimmed military cap and followed the CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild toward the restaurant across the azure pool. The two Revolutionary Army, Raynor and Warfield, followed calmly behind him, while Faraday was busy communicating with the CEO's guards.
Meanwhile, the dozen or so CEOs of the various Moria Guilds also ignored these beauties. They had long heard that Augustus Mengsk, during his student years when he should have discovered the differences between men and women and developed an interest in the opposite sex, rejected all the girls who threw themselves at him, indulging in the typical life of a biker gang, and frequently racing through dangerous sections of the city and mountains of Sterling, to the point that people wondered if he liked men.
Moreover, the supreme leader of the Revolutionary Army should be a fairly upright person; in any case, Augustus should at least act like one.
The CEOs only knew from their spies and corporate agents that Augustus's old subordinates in the Confederate Marine Corps, Tychus Finley and Harnack Hank, were womanizers, and catering to their tastes was a common tactic of theirs.
Inflation and the ensuing Great Depression devastated many lower- and middle-class families in Kel-Morian. The wives and daughters of the fallen were left without care, countless businesses went bankrupt, and the sex industry expanded by about 150 times in a single year. Even the pampered daughter of a major Moria business tycoon was forced to wear veils.
The high-ranking elites of the Kel-Morian Combine enjoyed keeping these wealthy women as concubines to satisfy their peculiar desires.
As for Tychus and Harnack, they behaved exactly like uncultured and undisciplined peasant rebel leaders, blinded by the allure of the big city. They changed into their swimsuits in less than two minutes and plunged into the water like fish.
Just as Sarah Kerrigan said, she did indeed spend quite a while observing those sexy Kel-Morian women by the pool, using her extraordinary telepathic abilities to read through the thoughts and deeper memories of many of them at that moment.
It wasn't until Tychus jumped into the pool in his swim trunks that Kerrigan looked away as if she'd been stung by a needle, and started walking toward the restaurant.
"The Ripper Power Armor from the Four Year War era can be upgraded and have its appearance modified, and repainted." As soon as Kerrigan stepped into the opulent, palace-like restaurant, she saw Augustus clinking glasses with the CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild. Augustus handled this luxurious setting with ease, displaying the elegance and composure expected of a Korhal IV nobleman.
A waiter named Kel-Morian, wearing a blue rose on his chest, was handing over a napkin. Faraday stood straight behind Augustus, like a sword thrust into the ground.
Raynor and the others sat at several other round tables with a dozen or so other members of the Combine Board of Directors. They were surrounded by a group of waiters, and Kerrigan knew perfectly well that these people were all elite security personnel and family guards trained by the guild corporation.
Compared to the Terran Confederacy and the Umojan Republic, the Kel-Morian Combine's Ghost operative program was still in its infancy. Therefore, Kerrigan did not find even a single high-ranking Kel-Morian Psionics among the guild leaders surrounded by these guards.
"Wait a moment." Augustus saw Kerrigan approach and immediately apologized to the CEO opposite him. The latter didn't seem to mind and simply turned to tell his waiters to serve the food as soon as possible.
Whether it's the high-end restaurants of the elite aristocracy in the Terran Confederacy or the Kel-Morian Combine, they all emphasize the ritual of dining. Before the meal, there are many waiters and even poetry reciters to create an atmosphere where everyone is serving a very small number of distinguished guests.
"What have you found out?" he asked in a very low voice. "Are they spies, agents, or assassins?"
"I'm still investigating—it takes a little time, you know, in such a short time, I can only read the surface of thoughts." Kerrigan leaned down and whispered in Augustus's ear. Kerrigan's face was so close that to those around them it looked as if she were biting Augustus's ear.
"How long is 'a little bit of time'? A minute or a day?" Augustus was silent for about half a second.
Without waiting for Kerrigan's reply, Augustus moved her flushed cheek away and continued talking to the CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild sitting opposite him.
"Executive, let's get back to the point—performance is what matters, we don't need a stripped-down version of Power Armor. You see, the Ripper armor is designed to compete with the Terran Confederacy's CMC-200. If we cut it down any further, wouldn't we be regressing to the CMC-100?"
"Of course, we'll sell these retired Ripper Power Armor to you as junk. Even two hundred pounds of scrap metal will cost you five grotesques." The CEO didn't show much facial expression; he had a high alcohol tolerance, drinking one glass of red wine after another.
"We will not sell the latest Power Armor; these weapons, which have already shown a generational gap, will not be available on any arms market for at least five years."
"Okay, even a nearly repaired Power Armor is far superior to those Exoskeleton Armor and military uniforms made of cloth and dye. Of course, the price will remain the same as agreed. You can't expect me to buy secondhand goods at factory price; Power Armor doesn't appreciate in value."
In just a few minutes, Augustus closed another deal: 80,000 sets of Ripper Power Armor, refined over four years of the Guild Wars, enough to arm Augustus's remaining two Revolutionary Army legions.
The CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild stated bluntly that their factory could only deliver 20,000 sets of the latest Ripper Power Armor and 100,000 Kel-Morian 8mm Electromagnetic Rifle within two weeks. As for the tanks and aircraft, it would take several weeks or even months to deliver them to the Revolutionary Army, Augustus could not stay in Moria indefinitely.
Therefore, Augustus prepared to purchase a large quantity of Power Armor discarded by the Kel-Morian Combine after the Guild Wars —although many Guild Guards Ripper, valued the hard-won Power Armor, it was ultimately the property of the Kel-Morian Combine and guild enterprises.
If Augustus purchase these secondhand Power Armor, not only would the supply be plentiful, but the price would also be much lower. Most importantly, Augustus urgently needed to arm his more than 100,000 Revolutionary Army. Regardless of the reliability of these armors, it was far better than sending his soldiers into battle in cotton uniforms, wielding rifles and entrenching tools.
"In addition, I need at least two thousand Kel-Morian Goliath Combat Robot and five thousand heavy tanks to arm my armored forces."
After that, Augustus added, "Similarly, we can prioritize purchasing the Goliath and chariots from the Four Year War —we will modify them ourselves."
"Once the contracts are signed, these Power Armor, Electromagnetic Rifle, and Goliath can be shipped to the Revolutionary Army Fleets today." As he spoke, a waiter handed a large stack of arms sales contracts to the CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild.
Augustus glanced at the contract and handed it to Faraday behind him, Faraday in turn passed it on to his entourage, so that professionals could examine the legality of the contract terms and identify any potential pitfalls.
No matter how compliant the contract is, both parties could break it at any time in such a huge arms deal, not to mention that the Kel-Morian people might not even be able to contact the Revolutionary Army Fleets that is currently roaming the Koprulu Sector.
"I will pay a partial deposit first," Augustus said to the CEO opposite him. "Of course, it will be through the National Bank of the Umojan Republic. Neither the Confederacy Bank nor the Kel-Morian Combine Bank is safe."
"I'll likely purchase another batch of new weapons during this period, such as deflection field generators—my engineers are very interested in these new technologies from Kel-Morian. Finally, I think the Moria foundry can start operations tonight; we need to recruit enough workers and get the machines running as soon as possible."
"No problem. The board will provide you and your generals with top-tier hotels and the most stringent security during this time." The CEO of the Kalanis Transport Guild smiled. "You can stay in Moria for several more months. Even if the Confederacy Navy Fleets comes knocking, they won't dare to enter the Kel-Morian Combine's territory."
"We can't stay that long." Augustus certainly didn't believe the Kel-Morian Combine would actually dare to confront the Confederacy Fleets: "We'll leave once we receive the first batch of weapons. After that, I'll arrange for specialists to receive the subsequent batches of equipment."
"That's a real shame," the CEO said. "I still feel we haven't done enough as hosts. I was planning to take a few hours off my schedule to go hunting with you on the plains of Moria —I've heard the Mengsk Family are avid wolf hunters."
"That happened decades ago. Now, only a few hundred Sterling Wolf remain at the Umojan Republic. Zoo."
Before all the dishes were served, Augustus had a long conversation with the CEO, discussing everything from astronomy and geography to economics and politics.
Augustus barely touched the food on the table, only chewing on a head of cauliflower. He ignored the snowflake-textured Umojan beef, the French-style baked snails, and the thinly sliced Umojan beetle meat, and spent the rest of the time drinking.
Both sides were very satisfied with the talks; Kel-Morian got the money, while Augustus got the equipment he wanted.
"If I have the chance, I would still like to go back to Korhal." As Augustus spoke of how he tamed a caged Sterling Wolf when he was sixteen, the CEO sitting opposite him glanced at his expensive mechanical watch. "I'm sorry, I have to rush back to Hermes for a meeting."
"If you would like to visit our foundry or experience the local customs and culture of Jacob City, I will arrange for a private car and driver to take you there." He pointed to a male waiter behind him, dressed in a black suit and blue tie.
"He is my managing director, and he will be in charge of all your affairs in Moria." With that, the CEO, who seemed to be busy all day long, hurriedly left. The other guild directors also left one after another, leaving Augustus and his subordinates behind.
"You may tell us your travel plans in Moria, and we will arrange for someone to accompany you. Or you may tell me if you have any other plans." After the CEO left, his managing director immediately approached Augustus.
"You don't need to worry about me, my warriors will protect me." Augustus stood up and walked towards the pool outside the restaurant, with the managing director following closely behind him. Raynor, who had eaten and drunk his fill, and Warfield, who had only had a little wine, also went outside the restaurant to gather their guards.
As he swept across the shimmering pool, Augustus calmly watched Tychus, displaying his imposing physique, and Harnack, equally muscular, as they nimbly chased after the scantily clad Kel-Morian women, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Have they always been this ridiculous?" Kerrigan frowned as she looked at Tychus.
"Well, it's not always like that," Augustus after a moment of contemplation, then suddenly clapped his hands and shouted.
"Gentlemen, the Game of hide-and-seek with the girls in the pool is over. You'd better climb out before I get angry, or I'll put you in solitary confinement and make you memorize an entire book of Angus's quotations before you can come out."
Augustus's words quickly had an effect; Harnack immediately climbed ashore and ran off to change, while Tychus was half a minute late, coming up with a bunch of women's swimsuits in his hands.
"Harnack is a kind-hearted bad boy, while Tychus is a combination of evil." At this moment, Warfield, who had walked behind Augustus, gave his timely assessment. He had started growing a beard, but it was always only a few inches long.
"Where are we going next?" Raynor didn't care about these questions. He was still young, energetic, and never idle, as if he had inexhaustible energy.
"I'm planning to visit Sakai University, Moria's most prestigious university, one of the world's top universities of science and technology," Augustus. "Let's go there and see—we need top talent, and young people are most receptive to new things and revolutionary ideas."
"Remember Jordan Kaczynski, whom we recruited when we were excavating that alien artifact in Mar- Sara? I heard him say that he has quite a few nephews and nieces studying there, graduating this year."
Augustus learned from his conversation with Jordan Kaczynski that he had two nephews named Miro and Viktor.
Jordan Kaczynski's nephew, Milo Kaczynski, was the future genius starship engineer of the Raynor Raynor's Raiders Hyperion, while his other brother Viktor Kaczynski, was the inventor of the future famous Widow Mine.
Thank you for voting.