Agria

The people of the August Colony, protected by the Revolutionary Army soldiers clad in crimson Power Armor and armed to the teeth, are boarding shuttles and transport ships that have been lowered from the Revolutionary Army base to the surface of Bhekar. Meanwhile, workers among the settlers, along with the Revolutionary Army engineering corps, are dismantling the settlement's modular building components and recycling all usable materials, led by Rory Swann.

Although the revolutionary army gained the upper hand in the battle against Baisher Tadarin, Baisher was no longer suitable for human colonization.

The Tal'darim Fleets and forces possess advanced cloaking technology, and as long as they do not reveal themselves, the Revolutionary Army cannot completely eradicate the Tal'darim of Bhekar.

At the same time, a planet with blurred territorial boundaries is bound to become the cause and trigger for many wars. Augustus would rather leave than let his people be subjected to killing and war again.

At this very moment, Augustus was standing in the central square of the August Colony, watching the busy workers.

Augustus and his guards stood in the wide square, while workers used laser melting guns, pliers, and screwdrivers to retrieve everything they could. Fortunately, the buildings in the settlement were designed for rapid construction and recycling.

Just then, Augustus received news of Alpha Squadron's victory, followed by a string of more good news.

"The Fleets detected fluctuations in hyperspace and traces of space folding at the edge of the Bhekar system. Based on the scale of the jump signal, it should be a Tal'darim Fleets," Kerrigan reported.

"So they've given up on Bhekar?" Augustus said in surprise. "That's not like the Tal'darim."

"I thought they would at least say something harsh before they ran away."

"Yes, indeed." Kerrigan paused. "The Taldarim of Bhekar sent a message to our command center before their retreat."

"They say the Taldarim will surely return, and humanity will face the wrath of the Highlords, while the Taldarim's Blood Hunter will hunt Augustus Mengsk to the ends of the earth."

The Revolutionary Army obtained a great deal of intelligence from the captured Taldarim Dragoon pilot, and linguists are gradually deciphering the Protoss script. Meanwhile, Augustus also learned that these Taldarim were merely a Fleets exiled from the mainstream Taldarim world; they had occupied many lost worlds of ancient civilizations, including Monlyth and Typhon, and those planets likely harbor fragments of Xel'Naga Artifact.

"I'm delighted," Augustus. "I'll write this down and return it to their high-ranking lords verbatim."

"Since we don't know when Taldarim's retaliation will come, then Bhekar is even less likely to stay."

He said, "We need to find new settlements. There may be more Taldarim planets in this direction, so we must change the Fleets's course."

"None of the star systems near Bhekar have planets capable of supporting life," Kerrigan said.

"Then let's move the people of Bhekar to remote colonies within the Koprulu Sector," Augustus.

Which are the closest habitable planets to us right now?

"Kalis, Marik V, and the remote Confederacy settlement of Agria," Kerrigan replied.

"Kalis and Marik V are both undeveloped, uncolonized worlds, inhabited only by tens of thousands of pioneers and soldiers—according to official reports from the Tarsonis Immigration Bureau, they will develop these worlds within five to ten years."

"But given convention and the efficiency of Confederacy officials, unless there's something lucrative to be gained from colonization, they won't be very enthusiastic about it. Only those who are restless and ambitious will dedicate themselves to the colonization of the endless Sea of Stars, and these people are usually those who have suffered religious persecution, retired soldiers, or even pirates."

"List these two planets as potential colonies," Augustus. "Send a colony of at least half a hundred thousand men to each of these planets and station at least one army division there, and build space stations and interplanetary ports in the planets' synchronous orbit."

"The rest of the people—" Augustus pondered, knowing full well the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket.

"From what I understand, colonies like Agria, which have only been developed for a little over a decade, are almost semi-independent because they are too far from the Confederacy of Tarsonis. Even at the fastest speed, information from there takes three standard calendar months to reach Tarsonis. This is why the Agria are called barbarians, because they have long been forgotten by the civilized world."

"Yes," Kerrigan said. "Agria was founded by Ariel Hanson of University of Tarsonis, who, along with his followers, established the first settlement and the first biological laboratory on that bountiful planet."

"Since this colony was established by a group of immigrants rather than by the Terran Confederacy, the Confederacy has not yet established a permanent office there or dispatched a governor to the immigrant territory."

"Currently, Agria has a population of less than 600,000, but this pristine virgin land is becoming the top choice for immigrants from all over Koprulu. The local government also encourages new immigrants to move in and has formulated many preferential policies for this purpose."

Augustus nodded but said nothing more; he was weighing the feasibility of migrating to Agria —or taking the planet over to his own.

"Is there anything else to report? All I've heard these past few days has been bad news."

"General Duke sent men here overnight to deliver some machinery discovered at the Taldarim base." Sarah Kerrigan nodded. "They found a large number of neatly cut Ardien Crystal and high-energy gas canisters shaped using some kind of energy in the Tal'darim buildings. This indicates that resources of immense value to us are equally important to them."

"The Tal'darim use intelligent machinery to harvest resources such as Ardien Crystal and Terrazine. Their high-energy gas extraction facilities are extremely advanced, seemingly capable of directly transferring gas to their storage facilities. This is very useful for Swann's research; through a clumsy imitation of the Tal'darim's high-energy gas extraction facilities, innovation in extraction technology could greatly improve the efficiency of our gas refineries."

"While we still cannot fully comprehend how the Tal'darim can instantly deploy their forces on the battlefield, their space technology can help Swann complete the final design of the orbital drop pods and drop Bunker."

"Rory Swann is a treasure to humanity." Augustus nodded and said, "Recruiting him may be the wisest decision I've ever made."

"That's just one of your many wise choices," Kerrigan disagreed with Augustus's statement.

"You too," Augustus.

"Where are my generals now?" Augustus asked again as Kerrigan paused for a moment.

"Duke's Alpha Squadron is still sweeping the other side of the planet. Raynor and Hank discovered an underground prison where the Tal'darim were holding human captives, including nearly 50,000 abducted settlers. The Tal'darim were keeping them in sealed spaces Terrazine to observe the effects of these gases on humans."

"You've already told me about this before— the Terrazine." Augustus sighed, as if mourning for his people.

"Their minds have been damaged by the Terrazine, they are controlled by the gods they imagine, and they can no longer escape the Terrazine," he said.

"A new cult has been born in Bhekar; they see Bhekar as the mother and savior of all mankind." Kerrigan shook her head repeatedly. "Our doctors are helpless; they can't save a person's spirit—unless they cut open the patient's skull."

"These people don't want to leave with us, do they?" Augustus asked regretfully.

"But they remain loyal to you, loyal to the Revolutionary Army," Kerrigan said.

"About how many people want to stay?" Augustus asked.

"There are about 120,000 people, a significant portion of whom are soldiers, and even some Pan-Terran Party," Kerrigan told Augustus.

"Let them stay," Augustus.

"Give them everything they need for survival and development, and communication equipment to contact us. I will personally appoint a government to manage the Bhekar settlement later."

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