Agria's Protector

"Mercenaries from Moria?" Bernard Hansen and Augustus were sitting on sofas on either side of a glass coffee table, with several Agria warriors and Augustus's followers standing behind them.

The Agria warriors behind Bernard were all reliable, able-bodied men or spirited young men from the towns of this immigrant land. They were either farmers from large rural areas or interns at the Agria Scientific Research Institute. When these people surrounded the refined and amiable Bernard, they were like students or parents standing next to a teacher.

Tychus, Raynor, and Kerrigan, who were standing next to Augustus, were undoubtedly veterans of many wars. They wore blue-green and khaki military uniforms similar in style to the uniforms of the Kel-Morian Guild Guards or the Confederate Marine Corps. Their clothes were neat, their trousers were straight, and they had the demeanor of seasoned soldiers.

When they stood upright beside Augustus, they truly resembled soldiers and generals. Of course, Tychus and Harnack inevitably diminished Augustus's image, making him look more like a mafia boss than an ordinary businessman.

"You come from Moria, so you should know that Moria is far from Agria." Bernard stared into Augustus's unusually cold gray eyes. "We need a permanent mercenary force, so it would be best to seek help from the nearest Confederacy colony."

"Normally, the Terran Confederacy in Tarsonis should send a Marine Corps unit to defend the Outer Colonies, but they have clearly forgotten about Agria."

"No—they are not Moria," Augustus said, shaking his head.

Augustus paused there, and at the same time, Kerrigan, the red-haired Ghost operative beside him, leaned down and whispered something into Augustus's right ear.

After Kerrigan finished speaking, Augustus looked at Bernard.

"They are from Korhal."

"Korhal." Even though Agria was an information-scarce, marginalized settlement, Bernard was not entirely unaware of the Korhal rebellion that had occurred more than a year earlier.

In reality, the Tarsonis Confederacy was happy to announce to the world the fate of Korhal IV —the pursuit of freedom and independence would end in nuclear destruction, turning the world into a desolate nuclear wasteland.

Undoubtedly, the great rebellion led by Angus Mengsk shocked much of the Confederacy world and had an indelible and far-reaching impact. Many colonies that were originally dissatisfied with Confederacy rule were truly shocked by the horrors of Korhal, and only the bravest and most rebellious planets continued to openly oppose the tyranny of the Tarsonis Confederate Congress.

The inhabitants of the colony planets closer to the core world are as docile as sheep, and the Marines stationed there ruthlessly maintain the Confederacy's rule. The people there are heavily influenced by the Confederacy mainstream media, afraid of any association with the rebels, and terrified at the mere mention of the word "Korhal."

Fortunately, Agria is not currently within the coverage area of the UNN Universal News Network's broadcast channel, and the locals have little interest in the "live news" from two or three months ago. Most importantly, Bernard Hansen, the leader of the Agria settlement, is actually a Korhal sympathizer.

Bernard Hansen's decision to abandon his comfortable life and years of accumulated fame in Tarsonis to come to Agria was itself a different kind of rebellion against the Tarsonis government. He never thought of, nor dared to, lead the Agria in a rebellion against the rule of the Terran Confederacy, but he still admired the Korhal people who dared to do so from the bottom of his heart.

This is also the key information that Kerrigan obtained through mind reading and told Augustus: as the leader of the Agria immigrants, Bernard actually harbors goodwill towards the Korhal.

Augustus carefully considered his options before leaving, thoroughly researching Bernard Hansen's character and anticipating his attitude. Now, Augustus was relieved that Bernard was not a supporter of the Confederacy, and the situation had not deteriorated to the worst possible outcome.

"Are there any survivors in Korhal?" Bernard looked at Augustus, realizing that the man in front of him could not possibly be just a member of the Kel-Morian caravan.

"The UNN's reports mention that terrible disaster—it's ridiculous. The nuclear bomb destroyed Korhal IV, yet the UNN says that only a few hundred people were injured in this 'accident,' and the coverage of mourning the extinction of the species in Korhal Korhal outweighs the reports on the losses and casualties in Korhal."

"Yes, quite a few." Augustus was not surprised by the way the Terran Confederacy spread propaganda. The media controlled by the Confederate Congress and the Old Families had enough means and time to distort reports related to the facts. Confederacy media people usually disassemble real materials into different fragments, re-edit and rearrange them, and then add fabricated new parts to piece them together into what they wanted.

According to regulations, all media reports in the Terran Confederacy must comply with the Constitution, which does not conflict with the freedom of speech of Confederacy citizens.

"That's wonderful. No matter what the rebels have done wrong, no matter what heinous crimes they have committed, at least the people of Korhal won't suffer genocide." Bernard breathed a sigh of relief.

People in other colonies knew very little about what was happening in Korhal, and those without their own opinions were easily swayed by media reports—at least in the Confederacy, the Augustus Revolutionary Army had a very bad reputation, almost synonymous with cannibalistic demons and social scum.

Bernard's understanding of the Korhal rebels deviates somewhat from the facts, because the UNN cleverly avoids mentioning Tarsonis's exploitation and unlimited demands on Korhal IV and other wealthy colonies, focusing instead on portraying the Mengsk Family of Korhal IV as a decadent tycoon family that controlled Korhal.

UNN repeatedly emphasizes that Angus Mengsk's only aim was to establish a ruling dynasty belonging to the Mengsk Family in Korhal, and the uprising is described as an ambitious scheme and the rise of rebellious warlords.

"The Korhal fled Korhal IV before Doomsday. They endured countless hardships, wandering the universe in search of a new home," Augustus. "Later, some of the Korhal who armed themselves to protect themselves formed the Korhal Mercenaries, making a living as mercenaries while wandering the universe."

"If they want to stay, Agria will help them build their own home," Bernard said.

"I'm willing to help them."

"Aren't you afraid that the Korhal will launch a new rebellion in Agria?" Augustus probed Bernard's attitude.

"Why would they do that?" Bernard shook his head. "There is no Terran Confederacy here, and no injustice or oppression."

"I knew it," Augustus said with a smile. "Where there is oppression, there will be resistance."

"Ariel Hanson, you are a good person."

Augustus nor Bernard noticed that Ariel Hansen seemed interested in Augustus, but Kerrigan, with her powerful telepathic abilities, immediately sensed it.

Kerrigan sensed the other's vague fantasies about Augustus, her jade-green eyes fixed on him.

Although Augustus didn't perform any heroic rescue, he was undeniably handsome and charismatic.

"Heh--How many of them are there?" Ariel Hanson was indeed an honest and kind person, but he hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Even if there are one or two thousand people, it doesn't matter. Agria has no shortage of land, and we have a professional construction team," he said confidently.

"Quite a few," Augustus. "The wandering Korhal bring their families with them, using the colony Mothership as their shelter."

He rattled off a series of numbers.

"The exact number is approximately 2,126,722."

"You must be joking." Bernard Ariel Hanson took a deep breath, incredulous.

If this is true, then it must be a very large group of wandering mercenaries, most of whom could only enter cryogenic chambers; otherwise, the wandering Fleets's ships could not possibly support so many people.

In an instant, Bernard thought he had guessed the truth. This so-called mercenary group was actually a group of fugitives who had narrowly escaped their doom. Augustus probably called them mercenaries only because he was worried that he wouldn't accept these Korhal and that they would become a burden.

In reality, Agria, which was in the process of pioneering and development, desperately needed a large number of immigrants, and Bernard was exactly looking for such a large-scale immigrant population.

The only problem is that if these Korhal settle in Agria, their numbers will far exceed the planet's original population.

The people of Agria behind Bernard were also shocked; they had never anticipated so many people moving in. Bernard's daughter Ariel, who had been listening attentively, also went to her father's side. Everyone knew that this was a momentous event that would change the future of Agria.

Bernard remained silent for more than ten seconds before finally nodding.

"To attract new settlers, I promised that whether they are Terrans, Kel-Morian, or Umojan, Agria welcomes them as long as they are willing to build a new home with us." He took a deep breath.

"Let me meet with their representatives; arranging accommodation for so many people is no easy task," Bernard said.

"I still need to discuss this with representatives of other immigrant families. And the Korhal people would be better off not mentioning their past. When the Confederacy remembers Agria, the Confederate Congress will likely send officials to form a government."

"I will contact them," Augustus.

"These Korhal people come from all walks of life in Korhal," Augustus continued. "Among them are scientists, engineers, doctors, construction workers, architects, and artists. These people will bring new opportunities for the development of Agria."

"You don't need to worry about what happens after they land in Agria; they bring their own tents and food, and have their own engineering team and agricultural expertise."

"Hmm—" Bernard pondered, then suddenly stood up and Augustus, "I will arrange it as soon as possible, if all goes well."

Bernard picked up his personal terminal, apologized, and made a call to convene a meeting of the most respected family leaders of the immigrant communities and the town's leaders.

As the first leader to set foot on Agria and establish a settlement, Bernard was always the one to make the decisions on this planet. However, he couldn't leave such a significant matter undiscussed without consulting the other settlers and ensuring that the people of Agria were prepared to welcome the new immigrants.

If mishandled, the Korhal immigration issue could escalate into a refugee crisis, crippling Agria's economy and consequently impacting the planet's order and the status of its established leadership.

"You've really given me a wonderful gift," Bernard said, sitting back down in his seat after dialing one number after another.

An ugly smile appeared on Bernard's face.

"Alright—I'd like to see the strength of this mercenary force so I can calculate how much to pay them." Bernard had already given up hope on the strength of this so-called mercenary legion; even if these battle-hardened Korhal exiles were tough warriors, their equipment wouldn't be much better Agria.

"Very well, I'll inform them immediately." Augustus said a few words to Raynor beside him, who then immediately left the Hansen's living room. As Raynor turned to leave, everyone watching him could see the revolver tucked into his waistband.

This was a gift from Augustus to Raynor, Raynor treasured it greatly and was very fond of the pistol. Compared to the exquisite cold weapons that Augustus gave to other officers, this finely crafted revolver was incredibly powerful, even capable of penetrating the visor of CMC Power Armor.

This is a legendary weapon; Raynor used it to end the lives of many villains and corrupt officials.

Augustus then spoke with Bernard for a while longer, until Raynor returned to the living room and told him that a Revolutionary Army battalion, repainted in Power Armor, had landed in Agria and was awaiting his inspection. Augustus immediately invited Bernard and his men to the landing site, and Bernard gladly accepted.

However, as Augustus stepped out of the Hansen's house, Kerrigan said to him, "Did you notice?"

"What?" Augustus seeing Kerrigan's serious expression, "Are there Confederacy spies here?"

"No, it's Ariel Hansen, Bernard's daughter, who's been watching you. She's very fond of your type of man—mature, stable, with leadership qualities and the charm of a reliable man."

"When she grows up, she'll find this longing for mature men ridiculous and will be ashamed to recall this memory." Augustus said in a questioning tone, "Of course, that's not the point. I thought you were trying to figure out Bernard Hansen's attitude through telepathy, instead of focusing on a little girl."

"You're being too sensitive," Augustus.

"She's up to no good," Kerrigan said. "My sixth sense and Psionics intuition tell me this woman is dangerous."

"God, I think Ariel is a good girl," Raynor said.