Distress Call from the Colonial Fleets

"I have many ties with the Kaczynski Family. I have already met your uncle Jordan in Mar- Sara. He is still leading my team researching extraterrestrial remains."

Augustus scrutinized the young man Viktor Victor Kaczynski and noticed a resemblance to Milo Kaczynski, the character from the Game who frequented the bridge, hangar, and bar of the Hyperion. They were, after all, brothers from the same family.

Viktor had a broad face, a low, flat nose, and grey-brown eyes. He had short hair, only an inch long, and a short tuft of beard on his chin. The young college student was dressed in a loose, light blue casual outfit and blue and white striped flip-flops, looking as if he had just gotten out of bed.

"Uncle Jordan is a good man, but after we lost the war against the Terran Confederacy, he had to flee Moria to avoid getting involved in the family's internal strife." Viktor's voice was as low as that of many Moria.

The Kaczynski Family is a large family with many members, and internal power struggles are constant.

"My other uncle, Abraham, forced me to leave through his dictatorship within the family, and if nothing unexpected happens, I will also leave Moria in the next few years to join a resistance army against the Terran Confederacy. As far as I know, the Freedom Revolutionary Army, the Fist of Redemption, the Sons of Abram, and the Korhal Revolutionary Army are the most well-known military organizations within the Confederacy that are still resisting its brutal rule."

"There are still many resistance groups in Kel-Morian, such as the remnants of the Haigolong, the Hydra, and the Border Sentinels; they still possess considerable military strength." Augustus asked Viktor, "Why don't you join them?"

"Most of them lack support; their supplies and equipment come from donations from civilian organizations. Within a few years, they will collapse from within, disband on the spot, or degenerate into uncontrolled pirates." Viktor answered Augustus's question seriously, "The board of directors of the Kel-Morian Combine only provides assistance to the resistance organizations they support; they keep their distance from the rest."

"The resistance in Kel-Morian only sees the recapture of lost territory as their ultimate goal—but I will fight for only one purpose: the complete destruction of the Terran Confederacy and the overthrow of their brutal rule in the Koprulu Sector."

"Very good." Augustus glanced at Viktor, categorizing the latter as one of their own. They smiled at each other, agreeing immediately.

"But I need to know your strengths to assign you a suitable position. What did you study at Sakai University?"

"I've already earned my degree in mechanical engineering, graduating early—I'll be eighteen in nine months, but according to Moria's tradition, I'm considered an adult at sixteen," Viktor said with a smile.

"I loved being around explosives when I was a child. When I was three, I blew up Uncle Abraham's favorite cherry tree with a detonator. After I turned ten, I started to learn about and study Spider Mine, booby traps, and naval mines," he said confidently.

Viktor remained composed and respectful in front of Augustus. As a member of the Kaczynski Family, he had met elites from all walks of life in the Kel-Morian Combine and important figures in the Guild since he was very young.

This vast family's influence extends throughout Moria and most of its affiliated colonies, controlling the transportation industry, shipbuilding industry, and high-end weapons research and development. It is a collection of elites, and its influence is rooted in every screw and engine of the spaceships manufactured by the Kel-Morian Combine, just as every refined crystal ore produced by the Kel-Morian Combine is marked with the Moria Mining Combine's label.

"I am an expert in this field, and I have already obtained several upgrade patents for the Spider Mine."

"Your enlistment application is approved." Augustus agreed to Viktor's request to join the Revolutionary Army after a brief moment's thought; to him, Victor was indeed a rare talent.

Augustus had heard about his nephew Viktor's extraordinary life from his uncle Jordan. Viktor had already skipped grades and entered the most prestigious university in the Kel-Morian Combine, Sakai University, at the age of thirteen. After a year, he dropped out to participate in the Kel-Morian Combine's research and development work on the Spider Mine.

Viktor Kaczynski's breakthroughs in materials for Spider Mine have made these mines much cheaper, and his development of blade-like auxiliary legs has enabled Spider Mine to penetrate deeper into the earth.

During the Four Year War, one in four Confederacy soldiers who died from the Kel-Morian Spider Mine should be blamed for Viktor's achievements.

After the end of the Guild Wars, Viktor returned to Sakai University and completed all the studies he should have taken four years to finish in less than a year.

"I heard you have a younger brother named Milo," Augustus asked Viktor. --Augustus's avatar in the Game is Milo Kaczynski.

"Oh, that child, he just turned ten this year." Viktor looked at Augustus with a puzzled expression.

"I'm curious what made Milo stand out in the eyes of a Revolutionary Army marshal. He was mischievous and loved playing pranks, but we all liked the kid."

"It's just that Jordan often mentions his nephews and nieces to me, so I've remembered your names," Augustus shrugged.

"If you've truly decided to the Korhal Revolutionary Army, then you'll likely need to prepare to leave Moria with the Revolutionary Army Fleets soon. It could be a week, or it could be as early as tomorrow."

"I told you, I graduated early. I talked to my family months ago about my plans to leave the family and hometown after graduation, and my indifferent relatives couldn't be happier for me to pack up and leave now," Viktor replied.

"What are you planning to do with me? I can start as a private."

"I want you to spend some time in the Revolutionary Army's engineering corps." After talking with Viktor for a while, Augustus already had a plan in mind about what position he should be assigned to.

"I will assign you to be the deputy to the Fleets's chief engineer, Rory Swann. He is a Kel-Morian of Meinhoff descent and should be fairly friendly to the Moria people. After some time, I will assign you to the physics research laboratory to participate in the development of new types of landmines," he said.

"I'm very satisfied." Viktor smiled. "So when can I start my work? If possible, I would still like to go to the front-line troops fighting on the front lines."

"Today, you are already a private in the Revolutionary Army." Augustus thought to himself that the Hyperion's engineering team was basically complete, and now only Captain Matt Horner Matt Horner was missing.

"You will have the opportunity to go to the battlefield, young man."

After saying this, Augustus patted Viktor on the shoulder, gesturing for him to follow him out of the meeting hall. "You'd better take some time to pack your things in the student dormitory. We might be leaving this university this afternoon, and then you won't be able to find us anymore."

"No need for all that trouble, I don't need any luggage, we can leave now." Viktor and Augustus walked side by side toward the conference's exquisitely patterned spiral corridor.

Upon hearing this Augustus immediately turned to Faraday beside him. "Make sure to register him properly, and have the logistics officer issue Mr. Viktor a set of uniform and an M-3 backpack... plus two sets of bedding and a military sonic razor."

By this time, most of the students in the meeting hall had left, leaving only a few people still standing there. A very small number of them were preparing to leave Moria with the Revolutionary Army that day, while the rest were just standing there watching.

After today, news of the Korhal Revolutionary Army's speech at Sakai University will spread throughout the Kel-Morian Combine's news network, and the media of the Terran Confederacy will also sniff out clues about Augustus Mengsk's reappearance after defeating the Alpha Squadron.

By the time the Terran Confederacy's naval Fleets arrived in the Kel-Morian Combine's star system, Augustus have already been gone for some time. The Kel-Morian Combine government would immediately declare that he was merely a clown impersonating Augustus Mengsk to gain fame and fortune.

"Your speech will surely go down in history. If anyone mentions the great freedom fighter Augustus Mengsk, they will inevitably quote what you said today," Faraday said excitedly as Augustus walked out of the meeting.

"Don't praise me too much. The old folks in my hometown always say that honest advice is hard to swallow." Augustus was speaking, the electromagnetic watch he was wearing suddenly began to vibrate slightly.

This watch comes from Umojan's intelligence department and is mainly used to equip their agents who are infiltrating various worlds. Under normal circumstances, this carefully designed watch can also serve as a communication device.

Augustus had already descended the stairs and gestured for his entourage to stop. As Augustus flipped open his watch, a giant projection screen, about eight inches long, appeared before him.

"Listen, Augustus, we're in big trouble." The one speaking to Augustus was Jim Raynor from the bridge of the Hyperion.

"..." Augustus frowned, looking at Raynor's serious face, realizing that this matter was unusual.

"What happened? What could be worse Harnack putting his stinky socks on Tychus's ketchup?"

"We received a distress signal from the first colony Fleets, sent two weeks ago. They were attacked by an unidentified enemy on the edge of the Koprulu Sector —the enemy appears to be invisible; they come from the jungle." Raynor's face was grim.

After the Confederacy Fleets destroyed Korhal, six colonial Fleets carrying half of Korhal's population have been at sea for over a year, carrying the colonists' dream of finding a new home.

"Explain in more detail," Augustus said, while Kerrigan and Faraday beside him ordered the guards to form a horseshoe-shaped perimeter around him.

"I remember the first colonial Fleets was led by Rick Kydd. The Fleets consisted of transport ships and a small number of escort ships, and carried more than 3.5 million immigrants, almost all of whom were civilians."

Viktor Kaczynski, who had a fairly congenial conversation with Augustus, consciously distanced himself, believing that he shouldn't know too much before becoming Revolutionary Army.

"About two weeks ago, the colony Fleets's research and reconnaissance ships discovered a planet not marked on the official star map of the Terran Confederacy. This planet has a stable ammonia-nitrogen atmosphere and more than 70 percent jungle cover. Geological activity and extreme climates are within a stable range, with an average temperature below 24 degrees Celsius. Only a small number of arthropods have been found, and there are no large Predator," Raynor said.

"A pleasant, green world, with pristine Watering Hole in the lowlands nestled among dense jungles. It was an ideal colony; they almost thought it was another Korhal."

"They were attacked after the colony was established?" Augustus saw the crux of the problem. "Were the attackers the Confederacy army or pirates?"

"Rick has four divisions with 80,000 men, plus nearly 220,000 reservists and militia. Although they only have about 2,000 CMC-200 Power Armor, that's enough to deal with any pirate group."

"Look, they don't even know what attacked them. The enemy appeared from the shadows and disappeared just as quickly. Nobody ever saw what the enemy looked like. These are the images and pictures they sent back—God, who can figure out what they encountered?" Raynor sent a series of data packets to Augustus.

Augustus swiped his fingers across the Holographic Projection screen on his watch, and a series of images that appeared to be stained with blood appeared before him.

One by one, chests were ripped open or sliced in two by some deadly blade, the wounds covered with black marks as if scorched by flames. The dead were all Revolutionary Army in their prime; there were no old people or children. Their bodies were piled up in front of the houses built by the Korhal colonists using prefabricated panels, row after row, one next to another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The gruesome sight of several victims was Augustus to bear. Their chests and abdomens had been ripped open, their bodies completely dismembered, flesh and bones separated, and skulls and other skeletons were nowhere to be found. It seemed the attackers were using these people for dissection practice, until they became more skilled at dissecting humans.

An indescribable sorrow and anger surged through Augustus's chest; he realized that those who killed these people might not have been human.

The only alien races Augustus knew of were the Protoss and the Zerg. The charred wounds came either from the Protoss's Psionic Blade or from the Zerg's acid, but this method of attack was completely different from what the Zerg were used to.

If they are Protoss, among their many branches, only the Tal'darim are likely to massacre humans.

"They were hunted down; over ten thousand died, all of them Revolutionary Army soldiers and officers—they seemed to particularly target our commanders," Raynor continued. "The hunters came from the jungle; they killed everyone who ventured deep into the jungle."

"Cancel all leave. Tell the sailors who are vacationing in Moria that we must depart immediately."

Augustus, "We're the only ones who can help them. Until then, all we can do is pray that Rick's men can hold on."

During this period, the first batch of weapons that Augustus purchased in Moria had been delivered to the Revolutionary Army and were being gradually deployed to the army. These were all stockpiled weapons, while the rest would require several months or even longer of overtime production.

"Wait a minute." Augustus suddenly remembered something. "Viktor, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble you to come with us to Jacob City."

"We need some elite troops at Moria's mercenary market to handle emergencies."

Thanks to my good brothers for voting and supporting me.

The group was discussing holding a small competition during the National Day holiday, with events including a cooperative mode and PvP multiplayer brawls.

The prize money is sponsored by the book's leader (I Just Miss You), with a total of one thousand yuan plus movie tickets for the first, second, and third place winners.

This is an event to give back to our fans. If you're interested, you can join the group to participate. Playing StarCraft is more fun with more people.