Next Stop, Taradorn System

Thinking back to when he was very young, he said things like "I love my older brother the most," Augustus felt that he was about to add another entry to his notebook full of embarrassing stories.

As Augustus and Arcturus walked and talked, they reminisced about their experiences since their last separation at Meinhoff. The brothers were filled with emotion as they recalled their childhood. Arcturus had indeed become an explorer and prospector, Augustus had achieved his dream of becoming a marshal—albeit a rebel.

Even now, Arcturus has to admit that his father Angus may have been right, though he still harbors resentment towards him.

The two men chatted amiably, while Kerrigan, Raynor, and the others who followed them listened attentively, feeling the warmth of family in Augustus and Arcturus, the brothers ten years apart. The Mengsk Family valued family highly, and this was especially evident in these two.

The gloom brought about by the Hydralisk going out of control was temporarily dispelled, and Augustus was no longer frowning.

The area where the captured Taldarin Protoss was "imprisoned" was the eighth section of the polar research station. Arcturus found the Taldarin Protoss smoking methazine in a room decorated in the style of Taldarin architecture.

The enclosed room was constructed with soundproofing panels and had no windows except for a tall door. The only light source inside was a scarlet crystal, making the room dim and eerie.

"What's his name?" Arcturus asked Augustus, standing in the wide-open doorway of the dimly lit room.

"Okan," Augustus, "He would feel a certain degree of satisfaction if you called him Master Okan."

"With his help, we have gained some understanding of the social structure, political situation, and religious beliefs of the Tal'darim," Augustus.

"The Taldarim worship gods called the Xel'Naga, and internally, they revere high lords as their supreme rulers. All Taldarim follow a hierarchical system known as the Chain of Ascension from birth, with each Taldarim occupying a position within Chain of Ascension. From slave to high lord, from lowest to highest, the inferior must obey the commands of the superior, bowing and scraping in submission," he said.

"The Tal'darim's technology far surpasses ours, but internally they follow a system equivalent to human slavery. And their worship of gods is, as it stands, unbelievably fanatical."

"Come out, Master, and meet your guest." Arcturus knew the other party could read his mind, so he didn't bother with any pretense, and his tone was far from respectful or polite. If it were a human, even a prisoner Arcturus would have been more patient in talking to him—if that person had any value worth his time.

"You should be glad you're not being greeted by Psionic Blade spurred on by rage—you hate the Protoss." A Tal'darim with one of his limbs replaced by a black alloy prosthetic emerged from the dimly lit room, enraged by Arcturus's insolence.

After being captured by humans, this Tal'darim was treated far better than the Taldarim Dragoon. He regained respect among the humans and was invited to participate in alien research projects. At least here, most of his requests were met, and he had an inexhaustible supply of Terrazine.

"I know what you want to ask me." The Tal'darim Okan learned from Arcturus's mind about the disappearance of his exploration fleet in the Sigma Quadrant: "I know the answer."

"That location was a base of the Taldarim Expedition, where there is an ancient Xel'Naga Worldship, the ship the Creators traveled through the stars at the dawn of this universe," he said. "Knowing my people as I do, your men and workers have no chance of survival."

"A massive expeditionary Fleets is anchored there, and if you seek revenge, you are only courting death. A single Taldarim Mothership could destroy all of humanity's scrap metal."

"..." Arcturus simply nodded in silence, acknowledging the Tal'darim's statement.

"We'll settle accounts with those Tal'darim sooner or later. We lost quite a few men in Bhekar too," Raynor said.

"I've heard that the Tal'darim are powerful warriors, skilled in close combat and fond of using melee weapons." Arcturus nodded, turning to the Tal'darim Okan. He suppressed his anger and said calmly, "We can practice."

For a long time, Arcturus's knowledge of the Protoss was limited to images and autopsy reports. Some even believed that they were simply a race that had become extinct millions of years ago.

Arcturus looked directly at the Giant, who was three heads taller than him. "I brought a sword."

"Arcturus, Master Okan is our honored guest and eternal friend." Augustus not want his brother to be defeated by the Tal'darim in a senseless duel, even though the Tal'darim had to rely on a prosthetic limb to walk, he was a long-lived species with hundreds of years of combat experience.

"Don't worry, this is just a polite exchange."

"Give him a sword." Arcturus took his own sword from his guard—a gleaming double-edged sword with a crimson jewel set in the hilt.

"I've long wanted to have a showdown with the Protoss."

Arcturus was just over thirty years old that year, and his energy and physical strength were still at the peak of a man's life. Arcturus was curious about the Tal'darim's fighting style and wondered if the Protoss's fighting skills were necessarily superior to those of humans.

Arcturus was hailed as a master swordsman in his youth. His honing of his skills with cold weapons was precisely to prepare for situations where he lost his firearms, because this man always believed that his own strength was far more important than relying on external forces.

"We often call people like you 'the strongest among them'," the Tal'darim Okan said arrogantly. "I could defeat you even without weapons, but out of respect, I'll defeat you with human weapons."

The Tal'darim took a rough, unsharpened training longsword. The sword was only about 2.7 feet (1.24 meters) long, and in the hands of this tall Protoss, it looked like a slightly longer dagger.

Augustus shrugged, resigned to letting his brother challenge the Protoss.

"Arcturus is not one to give up easily; he likes to prove his strength in this way. During the time of Korhal IV, few could rival him," he said.

"In the end, Arcturus was able to easily defeat his swordsmanship teacher, until he finally believed that no human could possibly be his match."

"Isn't it because, apart from you nobles, no one else uses swords anymore?" Raynor asked the probing question. "In Shiloh, people only use axes, hammers, and sickles; longswords are at most art collectibles. You can't expect marines to use swords and shields."

"I am also a renowned swordsman in Sterling. Whether it is useful in actual combat or not, it is the practice of swordsmanship that has honed our bodies." Augustus coughed, signaling Raynor to focus his attention on the duel between humans and Protoss.

"Facing an enemy who can read your mind means that every move you make, whether it's an attack or a retreat, is anticipated by him."

Arcturus was a man even stronger and more robust Augustus, as strong as a bull. He held the elegant longsword, which was over four hundred years old, with unwavering stability, while the Tal'darim merely made a ceremonial sword flourish before dragging his mechanical prosthetic leg closer to Arcturus.

Without any warning or alert, Arcturus's sword strike was as fast as a bowstring being released, precise and swift, the sound of the blade cutting through the air accompanied by a whistling sound. The Tal'darim Okan, however, blocked Arcturus's attack with a single, deflected swing of his sword using only his remaining hand, the strength in his arm overwhelming Arcturus's sword-wielding hands.

The Tal'darim's strength, speed, and timing were far beyond what humans could achieve. He deflected Arcturus's blade and with a single, lightning-fast strike, sent Arcturus staggering backward.

The Protoss are a race that draws energy directly from starlight through their skin. They have no fat deposits on their bodies, and all their muscles are designed to unleash tremendous power.

Okan's blow was far more powerful than the swing of a grown man's sword, almost causing Arcturus was barely managing to parry, to drop his sword with both hands.

Without any superfluous techniques, the Tal'darim defeated Arcturus with a single, decisive blow, forcing him to retreat until he stopped at the throat. If given a Psionic Blade, this Tal'darim could undoubtedly kill everyone present with ease.

"Trying to outmuscle the Protoss is madness. The only way is to use artillery fire against them." Staring at the blade that seemed capable of piercing his throat at any moment, Arcturus sheathed his sword and uttered these words.

"If a few Protoss could train our warriors in military academies and camps, that would be wonderful." Augustus envisioned such a scenario: humans could learn from the Aiur Protoss the techniques of suppressing and coordinating their own Psionics powers, while the Dark Templar could train Augustus to create the deadliest assassins in human history.

"Good idea, but beware of their betrayal. Humans themselves are not trustworthy." Arcturus sheathed his sword, walked up to Okan Tal'darim, and presented him with the longsword that had been with him for many years.

You deserve it.

"No, I have no need of a human's sword." Okan refused Arcturus. The Taldarim would not give gifts to others; those who did so usually harbored malicious intentions.

The Tal'darim lost interest and turned to walk back into his dark and cold room. Protoss have lifespans of over a thousand years, and they might spend decades or even centuries honing their combat skills, far surpassing those of humans.

Arcturus silently sheathed his sword, feeling rather uninterested. Most Protoss lacked any sense of humor and did not recognize or respect human etiquette, making conversation with them a particularly troublesome task.

"Let's go, I've already got the answer here," he Augustus.

Augustus nodded, and after giving new instructions on the work of the research station, he and Arcturus and others headed towards a helipad inside the station.

"If you or I were to encounter a Taldarim assassin, things could get very different," Arcturus Augustus as they walked through the corridors of the research station. "Not to mention they have Psionics."

"Don't worry about me, I have Kerrigan to protect me." Augustus pointed to the red-haired female ghost behind him and said, "I sent a Ghost operative to protect you, why did you refuse?"

"I don't like those Psionics," Arcturus said.

"Because they can read minds?" Augustus asked him.

You don't like others knowing what you're thinking.

"Yes. I don't like it," Arcturus replied. "More importantly, I don't like people who can't be fully controlled."

"I agree with your point of view," Augustus.

"So, are you going back to your exploration Fleets?" he asked his brother.

"I plan to stay in Umojan for a while," Arcturus said. "The exploration team is temporarily led by a few of my old men from the 33rd Ground Assault Division. Our mining area is already large enough; we don't have enough manpower and machinery to mine any more."

"I will build a new army in the Sons of Korhal Korhal," he said.

"Without an army, my exploration fleet is helpless against enemies like the Protoss and Zerg." Ultimately, the problem returned to things like mining. Unbeknownst to him, after Augustus took over the leadership of the Revolutionary Army, Arcturus gradually went further and further down this path.

In the process of exploring new mineral veins, Arcturus unknowingly unearthed the remains of many unknown civilizations and even found a planet that was barely habitable.

"In that case, we won't have much time left to meet," Augustus. "Next, my army will head to Tyrador IX, which you mentioned. It's one of the core worlds of the Terran Confederacy, and they'll never guess that it's the Revolutionary Army's next target."

Augustus remembered that the legendary Captain Matt Horner Matt Horner and Chief Scientist Egon Stetmann of the Hyperion were in the Taradorn System, which meant he had assembled his team. Before the Zerg and Protoss arrived, he needed to accumulate as much power as possible.