The Destruction of Mar Sara

The journey out of the gravitational field of the planet Mar- Sara was long and dangerous in Augustus's eyes. Hordes of purple Mutalisk chased after their easy prey, spewing out swarms of Raptor symbiotes from their giant mouths.

Once these ugly little monsters land on a human spaceship, they use their sharp teeth to bite through the outer walls and bury themselves inside, waiting for a spectacular explosion a fraction of a second later. Given enough time, the Raptor can even bite through the thick armor of Behemoth-class Battlecruiser.

Once the shuttle breaks free from Earth's gravity and leaps into orbit, the pilot must carefully maneuver to avoid the various shipwrecks hurtling at extremely high speeds in the geosynchronous orbit. Some of these wrecks are enormous, clearly belonging to a Confederacy battlecruiser or a garbage collection ship.

The battle in space was drawing to a close, as the Protoss Fleets had intervened several hours earlier in the Revolutionary Army Fleets's aerial battle against the Jormungand Brood in outer space.

The Protoss Fleets delivered a powerful blow to the Jormungand Brood, driving their flying creatures off the battlefield. The massive Protoss Expeditionary Force never left the system.

In the shuttle's external camera view, the three massive steel behemoths—the deep blue Hyperion and its sister ship Norad II —are anchored in deep space, resembling blue whales in the deep sea.

The shuttle carrying Augustus entered the tarmac through the docking hatch on the side of the Hyperion and came to a stop under the guidance of ground crew in orange uniforms.

The artificial atmosphere inside the Hyperion smelled of engine oil and sweat, but it was still more tolerable than the stench of corpses on the surface of Mar- Sara.

The tarmac was now filled with Sara refugees who had just walked toward the transport ships and shuttles. These disheveled people had faces full of relief at surviving such an ordeal. Since this was not the first time the Hyperion had handled refugee relief missions, these refugees were being orderly arranged into various emptied cabins.

In this situation, no one cares whether the living environment is too crowded.

Viktor Kaczynski, the deputy to the Revolutionary Army's chief engineer Rory Swann, who was in charge of command and dispatch in the Hyperion dock, immediately gave Augustus a brief report on the damage to the Hyperion's hull.

Augustus lingered on the tarmac for a few minutes, instructing the sergeant major in charge of the refugee resettlement at the dock to arrange for all the refugees to be settled as soon as possible, distributing water and rations to each person. As for the children, they might have a chance to receive a piece of candy or military chocolate.

Then, Augustus, along with Sarah Kerrigan, Tychus, Tychus, and the Faraday, went straight to the bridge of the Hyperion via the ship's elevator. Commanding the ship was Jim Raynor, the first mate, a Korhal IV graduate of Tarsonis Naval Academy.

Upon returning to the Hyperion, Augustus immediately assumed command of the battlecruiser.

He requested a report on the operational situation from all the ship captains in the Fleets, including the Fleets commander-in-chief Horace Warfield, on the bridge's command channel, and received immediate responses on all channels.

According to reports from the various battlecruisers and their accompanying formations, all the transport ships carrying refugees have returned to port. As for those that did not return, their crews can only be listed on the missing persons list.

"I'm so glad you're back, Augustus. If something had happened to you, with so many people, morale would have completely collapsed." On the main screen of the bridge in front of Augustus was Warfield's dark face. At this moment, he had grown a mustache, and his majestic general image was completely natural.

"Insects can't kill me, General."

Augustus looked at Warfield on the main screen and asked, "How much damage have been done?"

"We lost two Mammoth-class and Giant -class transport ships, as well as a number of shuttles and APOD ships. At least two hundred A-17 Wraith and many more Avenger crashed in battles in low Earth orbit and space, and none of the ace pilots on board came back," Warfield said.

"If it weren't for those troublemakers from the Omega Squadron, we wouldn't have lost so many men," he said.

"The Martin and Gothic were severely damaged, but with the engineers' repairs, they are fully capable of keeping up with the Fleets and completing the warp jump."

"Omega Squadron will have to pay the price, but now we need to leave the Sara System immediately. Order the Fleets to prepare for jump in fifteen minutes. The new coordinates are Fomorian System, 3,271," Augustus ordered in the Fleets's command channel.

"Received, the Thunder's Child is entering the pre-set jump channel."

"This is Duke, Alpha Squadron is carrying out this order."

"This is the Napoleon II, Captain Rick Kydd reporting for duty."

A series of responses immediately came through the Fleets's command channel, and the various battlecruisers began to return their space fighters and tactical attack aircraft to the dock.

"The Ernos is calling the Hyperion's bridge. This is Londerstein. The Protoss Fleets is firing on Mar- Sara!" Londerstein's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Connect the image to the main screen," Augustus.

The scene on the main screen seemed familiar: the Protoss Fleets's capital ships were bombarding the orange Mar- Sara. The white-hot beams of light churned Mar- Sara's atmosphere, and colorful radiation immediately covered the planet's surface, like a film of oil floating on water.

Mar- Sara, the planet that once sustained more than four million people, has now met the same fate as its sister planet Cha- Sara. Its surface is now covered with scorching lava lakes and billowing steam, and its oceans have been completely evaporated.

"The Protoss destroyed Mar- Sara, wiping out all life on its surface. This planet is no longer worth colonizing," Kerrigan said.

"The Protoss are ahead of all of us when it comes to burning bugs," Tychus said, standing behind Augustus.

"This is indeed the most effective approach," Augustus. "If the Zerg in the Sara System are not eliminated, they will soon use this system as a starting point to launch a full-scale invasion of the Koprulu Sector."

"The Koprulu Sector is just a small pebble in the Zerg's path; they will eventually devour the entire universe."

"That's right, they have to do it, otherwise the Sara System will become a breeding ground for Zerg." At this moment, Raynor walked in from outside the bridge. Behind him were Matt Horner Matt Horner and several Raynor's Raiders, almost all of whom were wounded. After a day and night of fighting, they had only managed to stay upright thanks to their youth and physical strength.

Augustus sighed softly.

"How are Elizabeth and her family?" he asked Raynor.

"They are heartbroken, just like all the people of Mara Sara. They are bewildered and don't understand why such a devout person would suffer such misfortune," Raynor sighed.

"People are cursing the Confederacy, deeply saddened by the destruction of their homes. Though I hate to say it, the people of Ma Sara and Cha Sara now are just like the people of Korhal IV in the past—filled with sorrow and anger, yearning for revenge."

"Hatred is a double-edged sword," Augustus.

"Among the people of the Sara System, there is a growing number of people who support separatism. I've heard many people calling for joining the Revolutionary Army to take revenge on the Confederacy, the Zerg, and the Protoss," Raynor said.

"If they want to join the army, I will accept them all," Augustus said, looking at Raynor.

"The Ma- Sara people are descendants of early pioneer miners and soldiers, while the Cha- Sara people's ancestors were jailers and guards. The harsh living environment tempered the people of the Sara System, making them even more battle-hardened than the Korhal people."

"What are your plans for dealing with the other refugees from the Sara System?" Raynor asked Augustus.

"Send them to Agria or somewhere else?"

"Agria is no longer safe." Augustus stared into Raynor's eyes. "The safest option is to move them to the vicinity of the Core World. Otherwise, if the Zerg invade the planet where the refugees are being housed again, we'll have to relocate them all over again."

"But the noble lords of Tarsonis won't sit idly by and watch the country bumpkins and peasants of the outer star sectors settle down. Nobody wants to take on the responsibility of settling so many people." Tychus chuckled.

"We know the Confederacy's style all too well; they only know how to shirk responsibility. The Confederacy will certainly promise to solve the refugee problem, but the funding bill might not be passed until all the refugees have died."

"Regardless, we must relocate the refugees to the Core World as much as possible," Kerrigan said. "Or somewhere outside the Terran Confederacy."

"The territory of the Kel-Morian Combine is not safe; we can only go to the Umojan Republic," Augustus. "Umojan is far from the battlefield and should be safer."

"Because the Umojan are not very enthusiastic about colonization, there are many planets within the United States that have not yet been colonized."

"That's the only way." Raynor nodded.

"To be honest, I'm starting to worry about my hometown of Shiloh and the people in the town. I have many classmates who are still there, following in their parents' footsteps, doing the work that generations have been doing," he said.

"I can't even imagine what a human tragedy it would be if the Zerg invaded Shiloh. There are hundreds of millions of people on those islands."

"How can we possibly save so many people?" Tychus said. "If the insects invade multiple planets at the same time, the people on those planets won't be as lucky as we are today."

"We're not firefighters."

"Wherever we are needed, we will be there. Tychus, I believe the Confederacy will not stand idly by. If the Zerg invade the Core World, they will definitely be driven to desperation."

Augustus was speaking, the image on the main screen suddenly changed. A magnificent bridge and a tall Protoss dressed in a purple and white robe appeared on the screen. He was tall and strong, with golden shoulder armor on his broad shoulders extending upwards above his head like shining metal wings.

The Protoss wore a soft, silken robe over smooth, golden armor, which, like all Protoss creations, possessed a natural, seamless beauty. Beautiful patterns were depicted on the gemstone and crystal embellishments that fastened the robe, and blue and purple crystals were inlaid at the hem of the armor cloak.

His body was covered with a shimmering blue aura, which was the plasma sparks emanating from his Psionics.

The technicians aboard the Hyperion were bewildered; it seemed the Protoss had somehow simulated human radio signals to achieve communication.

"I am Tassadar, a high-ranking Templar, the executive officer of this fleet." The Protoss voice, clad in shimmering armor, was deep and gentle, yet also like the roar of ocean waves and thunder.

The Protoss do not speak; their speech is a direct reflection of their thoughts and the most direct expression of their emotions. This seems incredible to humans, but it is how the Protoss are born.

"We are Templar Knights of the Protoss Empire, ordered to destroy the Zerg that have invaded the human world. I am deeply sorry, we arrived too late and were unable to save your people infected by the Zerg."

"I am the commander of this human Fleets, Marshal Augustus Mengsk of the Korhal Revolutionary Army." Augustus's expression remained unchanged.

"I salute you, Protoss Executor Tassadar. Your righteous act of saving humanity is witnessed by me and my fellow Protoss," he said.

"You really understand, I can understand." Tassadar's sky-blue eyes were unlike any human's, like flames burning. The flames in his eyes flickered with the fluctuations of his emotions, forming an expression in a certain sense, along with subtle changes in his facial muscles.

"You are unlike any other human being we've ever met. They hate us, they fear us. I can understand why they are like that, because that's just how humans are," he said.

"You can understand that we do this to save humanity, not simply to rampage and slaughter. Compared to death, being infected by the Zerg is the most terrible fate," Tassadar praised Augustus.

"You are an outstanding leader, wise and benevolent. You are a worthy hero even among the Templar Knights."

"Thank you for everything you have done for humanity," Augustus. "I hope that our experience fighting side by side in the Sara System will serve as a bridge to maintain the friendship between humanity and the Protoss Empire."

"In future battles against the Zerg, if the Korhal Revolutionary Army and the Protoss Empire's forces encounter each other on the battlefield, I believe we should not be enemies, but rather help each other to eliminate the Zerg threat together."

"After all, the Zerg are our common enemy."

"I believe it should be so. There is no need for the Protoss and humans to be enemies." Tassadar's voice remained as deep as the sea.

Although Augustus did not hear any laughter, he believed that if Tassadar were a human, he would be laughing at his words.

Because the Protoss Empire is far more powerful than humanity, they neither consider humanity a threat nor have any need to seek human assistance.

"We never expect gratitude, for this is what the Firstborn has done for countless ages: to protect the weak and maintain order and balance." Tassadar meant no mockery of humanity; he was magnanimous and tolerant, selfless and upright.

Most Protoss are arrogant and look down on humans, but Tassadar is an exception.

"Augustus Mengsk, I hope we never meet on the battlefield," Tassadar said.

"The remnants of the Jormungand Brood are fleeing; we must go and utterly destroy them. Now, we must leave."

"May Adun grant our enemies eternal peace."

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