Liberating Antiga

"I never expected it would be you who came. You're from the Revolutionary Army! Sons of Korhal!"

Duke's Alpha Squadron advanced and soon dispersed the Garm Brood Zergling insects near Norman Town, clearing a path for Augustus to reach the town.

Not long after, Augustus met the Magistrate of Northum outside an old gas refinery on the outskirts of town.

The local Magistrate was wearing an old-fashioned CMC-200 alloy steel Power Armor, speckled with light purple paint. He carried a P-180 pistol and had a somewhat worn shotgun slung over his shoulder.

"We happen to be nearby. Officer, what happened here? Where are the Confederacy Marines?" Augustus, accompanied by Kerrigan and the others, approached the dutiful town Magistrate. Asking a knowledgeable local would help Augustus figure out what had happened.

Behind Augustus stood a row of guards in deep red Power Armor with gold insignia. A massive Goliath Combat Robot stood beside it, its machine guns beneath the cockpit sweeping across the purplish-red bushes swaying in the wind on the reddish-brown earth with the whirring of its servo system. The bushes here still bloomed with pale yellow flowers, but those on the ground covered by the Creep had withered.

"The mayor of Ansadar has transferred all the troops here to guard the city. They've left us to those monsters, leaving the people of Norman Town to fend for themselves." A sigh came from behind the Magistrate's open mask. A bald face with a long, grizzled beard appeared before Augustus.

"We tried to escape into the city, but the monsters came too fast. The day before, we only heard that some monsters with worm-like eyes had attacked a self-operated mine, and the next day, monsters were swarming into town, overturning garbage cans and oil drums." He looked very old, probably even older than Augustus's grandfather.

"When the officers heard that a large dog had knocked down a child, I rushed over with my men. I've lived for over sixty years, and I've seen a woman dismember her husband, and I've seen cannibalistic demons in the northern city-states of Antiga, but I've never seen a corpse half-eaten and covered in worms like that."

"We all know how terrifying those alien Zerg are; they eat people. This might not be because of hunger, but simply to satisfy their primal hunting instincts." As Augustus spoke, he handed the Magistrate a Confederate Marine Corps No. 4 ration—a bland energy bar, but good at quickly replenishing energy.

Most importantly, this military ration was quite filling.

Behind the elderly law enforcement officer were Alpha Squadron soldiers and militiamen who were withdrawing from the Norman town. Behind the tall soldiers were hundreds of townspeople, some of whom were carrying children who could no longer run.

As the soldiers of Alpha Squadron walked past Augustus, the bewildered and dazed looks in the eyes of the rescued children deeply pained him, which convinced Augustus that he was doing the right thing.

"Can you still keep up with us, Magistrate?" Augustus asked the old man.

"Join us, Magistrate. Every Zerg you kill could save someone. The Confederacy doesn't care about the lives of the Antiga people, but we do, we have Augustus Mengsk's Revolutionary Army." Raynor smiled, clearly indicating that the person in front of him was the Marshal of the Korhal Revolutionary Army.

"What could be more fun than killing bugs?"

"Those who join us are good people and freedom fighters," Kerrigan added.

"Of course, we've had enough of the oppression from those Confederacy people. If you give the order, Commander Mengsk, most of Antiga will rise up in rebellion." The Antiga Magistrate didn't eat the energy bar that Augustus him, but instead handed it to a child who was walking by.

"Ever since you defeated the Alpha Squadron in Mar- Sara, tarnishing the Duke Family's reputation, many people here have been hoping that you would come to Antiga someday. Now all the people of Antiga are hoping that someone can rebuild a new order and fulfill the promises that the Terran Confederacy has failed to keep," he said with a smile.

"I have a bucket of red paint at home, but unfortunately I couldn't bring it with me." The Magistrate pointed to the soldiers behind Augustus, then took out a poster from the storage unit on his Power Armor. It read: Augustus Mengsk, the best Heaven's Devils, hero of Korhal, savior of the Terrans!

Below that were a few lines of smaller text, containing sayings by Augustus such as "the flames of revolution can start a prairie fire," and others that even he himself was unsure whether he had said.

"This looks like a propaganda poster drawn by the Pan-Terran Revolutionary Party, secretly printed by the Ogrub in various peripheral sectors. You're a celebrity now, Augustus," Raynor said, pointing to the poster.

"That's a really good drawing—that shadow in the background looks like me, and those faceless Marines must be Tychus, Hank, and Londerstein."

"This is what the people of Arcturus have been doing all along. My brother believes that achieving a great victory is only the first step to success; the most important thing is to spread the word." Augustus took the poster from the Magistrate's hand.

"The Old Families of Tarsonis controls all the mainstream media, so we have no choice but to use this clumsy method to promote our revolutionary ideals."

"He truly loves you, Augustus," Raynor said enviously.

"I have a good older brother," Augustus shrugged.

"As soon as we capture the radio tower in Ansadar, the people of Antiga will know we are here," he said.

"Overthrowing the Confederacy here would be a piece of cake, but I'm afraid we won't be able to hold this place."

When Augustus arrived in the Sara System, Cha Sara was already almost completely overrun, and the underground of Ma Sara was nearly hollowed out by the Jormungand Brood. The Zerg had only recently invaded Antiga, and although the Confederacy forces were almost completely wiped out, they had at least bought some time.

"In any case, if things don't look good, we'll leave immediately," Raynor said.

"Let's go to Ansadar first and take control of the city. Building defenses around the buildings will save more lives," Augustus. "This time is different; the Protoss will help us."

"Can you hear me? This is Tychus. Be careful, Marshal. We've encountered an armored unit of the Confederacy Army. It seems we're not the only force here."

"We're already outside Ansadar XC District, but they don't seem to welcome us." At that moment, Tychus's voice came from Augustus's helmet.

"I am Augustus Mengsk." Augustus turned his head and waved to the troops behind him, and the soldiers in formation immediately turned toward the distant Ansadar City.

"Tychus, it sounds like you're in trouble."

"A bastard just shot at me. According to the rules, does that mean I can return fire?" The sound of a laser lighter being turned on came from the other end of Tychus's line.

"I didn't say you couldn't do that." Augustus caught up with his group, while Raynor walked with the Norman Town Magistrate, asking him what methods he had been using to deal with the Zerg these past few days.

"Kill them."

"I love your decisive style—ah—follow me, fight until they surrender!" Tychus's roar and a chaotic burst of gunfire immediately came from the other end of the communication. Sharp screams and the sound of heavy objects hitting each other exploded in Augustus's ears, forcing him to shut down the communication with Tychus.

At this time, the Revolutionary Army was less than a mile away from Ansadar City. They could already see the airships circling above the city and the rising signal flares. The thunderous roar of cannons indicated that Tychus's troops had begun to engage the Confederacy forces guarding the city's entrance.

Joining Tychus in this attack were Harnack Hank's Red Devil Firebat Unit and Augustus's newly recruited Sara System militia under Pulaier Sara. Although these commanders had different personalities, their attacks were all known for their swiftness and speed.

As Augustus drew closer to the city, some enormous fossils came into view. The skeletons of these marine creatures had been buried deep underground, but had recently been unearthed by the Zerg.

"Advance, take Ansadar, and occupy the governor's mansion." Augustus stood a few hundred yards from an outpost, passing through a massive skeleton of an ancient Antiga sea creature.

Next to the outpost is a wide road leading directly to the center of Ansadar. The entrance is now fortified with Bunker and fortifications, and is covered with barbed wire and minefields.

On the other side of the city, Tychus's forces had already stormed into the city's streets, causing considerable chaos.

"If they couldn't even handle Tychus and the governor's men, how could they have held Ansadar City for so long?" Raynor said.

"Ansadar has never been subjected to a full-scale attack by those monsters," said the Norman Town Magistrate. "The mayor may have claimed when appealing for help that the city was under heavy siege, but we all know that's not the case."

"This is perfectly normal; we shouldn't have too high expectations of these fools," Augustus.

"General Duke, order our artillery to prepare to fire," Augustus said to Edmond Duke beside him.

However, just as Augustus ordered the attack, a white flag suddenly rose from the Bunker.

"We surrender!" a weary voice boomed from a loudspeaker in the Confederacy defense fortifications.

Immediately afterwards, hundreds of Confederacy soldiers emerged from Bunker, artillery emplacements, and tanks, raising their hands in surrender to Augustus's forces. Just by seeing their uniforms and weapons, Augustus and Raynor could understand why they hadn't fought to the death like the Resocialized Soldier.

Some militia members didn't even have decent Power Armor, and many more were just police officers in black tweed uniforms from the colonial police department, along with some Ansadar citizens who volunteered to help with the defense.

"They surrendered sincerely," Kerrigan to Augustus. "We should accept their surrender."

For a long time, the red-haired female ghost Sarah Kerrigan, along with more than twenty Ghost operative in the Revolutionary Army, has been tasked with verifying the loyalty of recruits for the recruitment department, the Revolutionary Party, and the Ogrub. Among these ghosts are the seven Ghost operative from Victor V and more than a dozen Psionics from Alpha Squadron.

Prior to this, the Confederacy treated Psionics as assassins and human weapons, preventing them from engaging in political and religious vetting within the government and military. This was because Confederacy officials neither considered it necessary nor trusted powerful Psionics who had been brainwashed or coerced into serving them.

Augustus the first to do so. However, among them, Kerrigan was the one Augustus trusted the most.

"Once we take over this position, we will continue to advance until we capture all the Confederacy officials," Augustus.

When Augustus gave the order, the Guard Division charged into the streets after a full-speed run. Unsurprisingly, the soldiers surrendered as soon as they saw the flag of the Korhal Revolutionary Army, as they had long harbored resentment towards the Antiga Confederacy.

A red Revolutionary Army flag followed a Revolutionary Army Vulture into the city, and the hastily organized Confederacy troops fled at the first sign of trouble.

"Isn't everything going a little too smoothly?" Raynor said. "I have a feeling things aren't that simple."

"Perhaps the enemy we're facing is simply not as formidable as Alpha Squadron and Omega Squadron," Augustus said, as he walked towards the group of Confederacy bunkers built along the highway under the protection of Kerrigan and the others. He found the highest-ranking Confederacy officer there—a second lieutenant who had just graduated from military academy.

"We have been longing for your arrival day and night. The people of Antiga have endured far too much oppression." The Confederacy lieutenant grasped Augustus's hand.

"Marshal, I've read your book. Its words have deeply affected me: If this is the only way, we must rebuild a new order and laws on the ruins of the Terran Confederacy. If the Confederacy's rulers have forgotten everything they promised their member colonies, then it is up to me Augustus Mengsk, to complete that task."

"I'm glad these words can be of help to you," Augustus said, glancing at Kerrigan beside him. His eyes clearly conveyed: I remember those words, but when exactly were they said?

"Yes, that comes from your speech at the Revolutionary Army's third recruit training camp Graduation Ceremony last time." Kerrigan nodded.

"Good heavens, you didn't actually write everything Augustus said into the brochure, did you?" Raynor's reaction was similar to Augustus's.

"Every word the Marshal says is a profound truth," Kerrigan affirmed, a staunch Augustus fan.

Just then, Augustus's Power Armor received a communication signal from an unknown source.

"Listen, rebels on the ground, I am Jack Haller of the Terran Confederacy Nova Squadron. Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, or you will pay the price for damaging the Confederacy military base."

"Damn it, if it weren't for us, the infection would have spread to the whole of Ansadar. If you guys hadn't taken your time to wander here, we wouldn't have been needed at all!" Raynor cursed.

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