Attack Char

Mid-October, Antiga Governor's Office.

After handing over the administration of Antiga to Mr. Brown, an administrative official dispatched from Umojan by his father Angus Mengsk, and ordering Londerstein become the commander-in-chief of the Antiga garrison, Augustus was sitting at his desk in the governor's office packing his belongings.

It included a thick photo album, a laptop case, a holster containing a P-20 electromagnetic pistol, and several sets of military uniforms that had already been prepared.

The album contains photos of Augustus walking with the people or the army in places like Turaxis and Mara Sara; these old photos capture moments from the past.

The computer contains letters from the family. To this day, the mother and Dorothy still write to Augustus, never missing a letter even if they can't be delivered on time. The Arcturus also writes to Augustus often, mostly about the current situation of the mines he runs, and occasionally about the old Korhal and Mengsk Family, reminiscing about the past.

Augustus would often read through these letters, reading every single word.

Raynor's son John was almost a year old, and his nephew Valerian had grown into a handsome blond boy at an astonishing pace, which made Augustus realize how quickly time had passed.

John Raynor ' Psionics are awakening rapidly as he grows older, causing concern among his family. Fortunately, the Umojan Shadow Guard is watching over the boy to prevent his overly powerful Psionics from harming others or himself.

With his wife Katherine by his side, Angus Mengsk has firmly established himself in the Umojan elected parliament and has regained his former popularity among his people by actively promoting policies that benefit the Korhal people.

Nineteen-year-old Dorothy Mengsk earned the titles "Dorothy of Korhal IV" and "Flower of the Empty Crown of the Mengsk Dynasty" in Umojan for her beauty, talent, and wisdom.

To protect the shipping lanes in the Koprulu Sector from space pirates, Zerg, and Protoss threats, Arcturus established an elite armed force comprised primarily of the Sons of Korhal, arming them with one-fortieth of the money he earned from mining.

Furthermore, Arcturus's mining operations extended to the desolate Dinaris Sector beyond the Koprulu Sector. To transport mined crystal ore, high-energy gas, precious metals, and other industrial raw materials, Arcturus also established a transportation company spanning the two sectors, employing approximately 800,000 Korhal and Umojan people.

Although Arcturus achieved his youthful ideals, he did not feel much satisfaction as a result.

Ariel Hanson of Agria, another territory of Augustus, would report to him every two or three months on the situation there. Apart from the Chimera Pirates and a few groups of Kemorian pirates visiting Agria, they had not encountered any insurmountable enemies.

Agria's remote location in the Koprulu Sector is no longer a major obstacle to its development; its unique natural environment has enabled agriculture and biotechnology to flourish.

After selling large quantities of food to the Kel-Morian Combine, which was experiencing a famine, crates bearing the white cross of Agria saved the lives of tens of thousands of impoverished Kel-Morian.

After Angus transferred some of Korhal's advanced technology to Agria and carried out targeted immigration, the planet's population has reached 5.6 million, and the economy is booming.

Some of these Email came from much more distant worlds, even across the Koprulu Sector.

Two years ago, the colony fleets that escaped from Korhal IV together had all landed on different planets and made contact with Umojan. Of the remaining five colony Fleets, one Fleets crashed into a single-helium white dwarf due to a navigation system malfunction. More than 200,000 people died in the accident, and the rest landed on the only remaining giant planet on that planet.

On this planet, which the survivors named Ingens —meaning "great" in Latin—the dead star was only twice as bright as Korhal IV's moons. The 150,000 people who landed there could only obtain light and heat from the star's geothermal activity and the vast high-energy gas mines on its surface.

The giant planet was very close to Sigma, the core world of the Terran Confederacy, so the people who landed there dared not call for help and could only establish a home on the spot. By the time they made contact with Angus, the immigrants had already lived there for two years and had tenaciously built an underground city built on a ring-shaped volcano.

On that planet, a day is incredibly long. Newborns are born without ever seeing natural sunlight. People there generally have fair skin and a high proportion of gray hair due to the loss of pigment in their hair caused by stellar radiation. Temperatures far from cities can drop to minus 140 degrees Celsius, and the area remains frozen under atmospheric pressure.

So far, the people of this planet remain loyal to Korhal, seeking both Angus's aid and cooperation with some of the nobles of Valhalla, the moon world of Sigma, in their quest for resources to survive. Angus has already dispatched support ships to the planet, but they are still en route.

The other colony Fleets was much luckier; they found a habitable planet comparable to Korhal IV before running out of fuel, and named it after Korhal, though with the designation V.

The other three Fleets landed on different planets: one was an ocean world covered with vast amounts of liquid water, the other two were warm rainforest worlds and a lost world covered with numerous ancient civilization ruins and ancient Xel'Naga Gateway.

The proportion of habitable planets in the five sectors of the Koprulu Sector is much lower than in other parts of the Milky Way Galaxy. However, once you leave the Koprulu Sector, it becomes easier to find planets suitable for human habitation. Of course, explorers may also discover unknown mysterious ruins and intelligent races that were once protected by the Protoss but were eventually forgotten by time.

This was excellent news for Augustus, as the colonies were scattered in different locations, far from the points of the Zerg invasion.

It will take at least two or three generations for these colonized worlds to develop, but when Augustus wants to rebuild Korhal, people from the various branch worlds of Korhal IV will definitely send people to support the homeworld.

Aside from these matters, Augustus has recently been preoccupied with some trivial matters. Matt Horner Matt Horner, whom he brought back from the Taradorn System, is doing a good job as an apprentice sailor on the Hyperion, learning from Raynor how to command a battlecruiser.

Colonel Mira Khan, whom Augustus had his eye on, and Matt Horner Matt Horner belonged to different branches of the military, the Army and the Fleets, respectively. Their only means of communication was by radio, but Matt Horner never answered Mira's calls.

While Mira thought they could finally go on a date during their time off, Matt Horner would always volunteer to work overtime.

As for Egon Stetmann, this clumsy boy often made his teacher, Dr. Francos, turn pale with anger, but his talent would never be tarnished by such a flaw.

Francos told Augustus that the little boy, who wasn't very good at communicating, often cried, and that he, a bald, unmarried old man, was forced to act as both father and mother.

And Tychus Finley always wins at Antiga's casinos and is suspected of cheating, eventually getting into a fight. Raynor complains that Antiga doesn't offer the Number Eight Whiskey but refuses to try the expensive spirits in Augustus's cabinet, to which Augustus can only say that he's like a wild boar that can't eat fine chaff.

After Augustus packing up all the keepsakes, Sarah Kerrigan, dressed in a dark gray Revolutionary Army uniform, entered the room. Kerrigan's beautiful face was clouded with gloom; the last time Augustus seen her like this was when she was about to get into a fight with Lisa Cassidy, pulling her hair.

"Even if I figure out why you want me to stay in Antiga Augustus," Kerrigan was clearly throwing a tantrum, which was why Augustus had to pack his things himself.

But I don't want to be too far away from you.

"Psionics like you is an incredibly special existence for the Zerg. Even a PSI-5 Ghost operative is enough to drive the Zerg mad." Augustus reiterated why he forbade Kerrigan from going to Char: "Especially you, you are different. Your special connection with the Zerg is precisely what they are desperately seeking."

"Sarah, you've already read my memory of my conversation with the Cerebrate Sars," he said earnestly. "You know what the Zerg's masterminds are thinking."

"It said that if you handed me over, the world would be saved, but you refused." Although Kerrigan understood Augustus's actions, her frustration and worry for her lover still lingered.

"Of course I will refuse. Why do you doubt it? I will never abandon you, even if you are in the very heart of the disaster." Augustus picked up a red butterfly knife from the table and handed it to Kerrigan.

Do you like it?

"The weapon of death," Kerrigan took the ornately crafted butterfly knife. The deadly weapon immediately began to spin in her hand, clicking and whistling as it moved with the agility of an extension of her Kerrigan body.

"You can use it to peel apples, darling," Augustus said, kissing Kerrigan on the forehead, silencing all her complaints.

"Your mission is to accompany Warfield to rescue the Little Atticus and bring them to Antiga. You will serve as the General's Psionics advisor and investigate whether any Confederacy spies have infiltrated the refugees," Augustus said softly to Kerrigan —a tone Augustus men had only ever heard from his family.

"Then all you have to do is wait for me to come back. Don't worry, no one can kill me before I conquer this world," he said.

"But if I'm not here, who will protect you?" Kerrigan asked.

"Faraday's warriors and the Ghost operative of Alpha Squadron," Augustus. "Once I arrive in Char, I will sit side by side with the Protoss executive officer Tassadar and act together. If even his Templar Knights can't protect me, there's nothing you can do, is there?"

"You always manage to convince me," Kerrigan said, exasperated.

"Boastingly, this is why I'm able to lead those warriors." Augustus picked up his laptop, while Kerrigan took the rest of his things. The Power Armor and other weapons had already been moved to the armory on the Hyperion.

Outside the Governor's office, the sun shone brightly, and a golden-red flag of the Revolutionary Army fluttered in the wind. The force fields of the Psi Disrupter continued to protect Antiga's capital city, Ansadar. Thanks to Rory Swann's efforts, the force fields of dozens of Psi Disrupter had covered major settlements, military bases, and farms.

A group of the Revolutionary Army generals were waiting for Augustus, including Edmond Duke, Jim Raynor, and Tychus Finley from the Alpha Squadron. As for Governor Mar- Sara Pulaier, Harnack Hank, and other generals of the Heaven's Devils, Augustus had sent them to other nearby planets to rescue refugees there.

Antiga Prime home planet of the Zerg invasion, was originally considered by Tarsonis military analysts to be the most dangerous place in the universe after Zar- Sara and Ma- Sara. However, after the Psi Disrupter were put into use, Antiga transformed into a gap in the vast sea of Zerg sweeping across the Terran Confederacy.

Antiga Prime, once a planet destined for destruction by the Zerg and Protoss, has suddenly become a safe haven and transit center for refugees, with large numbers of people being transferred to Antiga by the Revolutionary Army from Swarm -ravaged lands.

Even without Augustus's command, the Revolutionary Army generals, who were already capable of leading independently, could accomplish this task. The current situation is that, with the Swarm ravaging the Terran Confederacy territory, both the Confederacy Fleets and the Revolutionary Army are doing everything they can to rescue people.

However, the Confederacy only wanted to hold onto the important planets and was unwilling to care about the fate of those underdeveloped and remote worlds, because they could rebuild such colonies at any time. What Augustus's Revolutionary Army did was exactly what the Confederacy was unwilling to do: rescue those refugees who seemed to have no value.

During this period, Augustus the goal of "rescuing refugees as much as possible" above overthrowing the Confederacy. This man, who had received compulsory education, was well aware of the principle that winning the hearts of the people is the key to winning the world, and was well-versed in the art of dragon slaying and the theory of kings.

Augustus never proclaimed himself a savior; he was simply doing what the ruling class of the Terran Confederacy was unwilling to do.

"The shuttle is ready, Marshal." Tychus, dressed in a Revolutionary Army uniform a size too big, Augustus, "Damn it, of all these people, I think you must be crazy. Antiga, teeming with insects, isn't enough, now you want to go to Char's deadly fiery world."

"Those people have gone mad, as if running off to some hellhole full of Zerg and lava is something to be happy about. During the Guild Wars, the Confederacy and the Kel-Morian were almost nuking Char."

"But you still went along." Duke's Viper- like triangular eyes glanced sideways at Tychus: "Only I am utterly loyal to the Marshal and volunteered for the mission."

"That's great, old man," Tychus quipped. "Nobody's stopping you from doing this. Hopefully, you won't trip over your own feet and fall into a steaming lava lake."

"I'm not that old, man," Duke retorted without backing down. "I hope you don't end up with your head in Antiga's crotch."

"Shut up, gentlemen. There are plenty of people willing to pay a few credits to listen to your bickering, and maybe even a few bananas." Augustus said, turning to say a final goodbye to Kerrigan behind him.

Augustus and Kerrigan a gentle farewell kiss, which drew a chorus of frivolous whistles from the soldiers.

"Great!" Harnack clapped his hands in praise.

"We will meet again." Augustus stroked Kerrigan's luscious red lips with his fingers. "By then, I will have surely found a way to kill the Swarm Overmind and the Cerebrate."

"I hope everything in this world goes as you wish." Kerrigan kissed Augustus again.

"Then I wish for world peace," Augustus said with a smile.

At this moment, several propaganda airships were floating above the Governor's Mansion, and the sharp-edged Protoss fighters with blue tail flames were gradually disappearing into the distance over the ring road of Ansadar's main city.

"Let's go, sir. I've had enough of the sand and red clay of Antiga," Tychus Augustus.

Augustus boarded the shuttle and slowly ascended into the air, he could see the city below, separated by a highway ring road and maglev train tracks. It was morning, and the people of Ansadar were walking along the city's pedestrian streets, while those heading to work or school boarded the reopened maglev buses to leave their homes.

People have adapted to life with the threat of the Zerg gone, and after a while, the men will have time to drive their families on vacation as before. Even the park in the city center has been renovated by Swann's men, with flowers and grass replanted.

The Ansadar City, shimmering with a bronze glow under the sunlight, is by no means magnificent among the many cities of the Terran Confederacy, but for Augustus at present, its value surpasses that of the wealthy and prosperous capital city of Tarsonis.

Putting aside those troublesome class contradictions, a world where people live in peace and contentment is what Augustus hoped for.

The shuttle safely ascended into space and entered the Hyperion's docking orbit. As the shuttle slowly entered the dock, Augustus could still see several Mammoth-class and Hercules-class transport ships passing through Antiga's atmosphere, fully loaded with refugees from other planets.

This means that at least tens of thousands of people have saved their lives.

However, the ensuing problem was that Antiga's scarce reserves could not support the large influx of people into Antiga. As a result Augustus had to seek help from his old mercenary friends Hill, the Kel-Morian Combine, and the Umojan government, requesting them to provide ships and supplies.

Of course, even the "minimum wage" and "cost-price supplies" based on humanitarian principles amounted to an astronomical sum, which was more than the money Augustus had earned from mining over the years, and he had to rely on his Arcturus to pay for it.

It is worth mentioning that some planetary inhabitants who did not receive timely rescue managed to escape in time through their own efforts. They used every means at their disposal, either repairing the old and ancient immigration ships left by their ancestors or seeking help from trade fleets or even pirates passing through the star system.

Augustus led Raynor, Duke, and others up the ship's internal ladder to the bridge of the Hyperion. As they passed through the bridge gates that automatically recognized their identities and opened, Swann, who had been waiting on the bridge for a long time, immediately walked towards Augustus.

"Boss, I analyzed those Protoss things they call Kydarin Crystal —they were taken from the Protoss buildings in Antiga that were destroyed by the Zerg. I don't know if that counts as stealing, but who cares?" Swann was still wearing his orange-gray wool work clothes, with bright goggles perched on his forehead, and his Meinhoff accent was mixed with a lot of Korhal's.

"Guess what the result will be?"

"I bet you've had a great success, old friend," Augustus said with a chuckle.

"Good morning, Swann," Raynor said. "Do you have any beer?"

"What has that shiny dwarf head of yours discovered?" Tychus said.

"Thank you, Jim. If you'd like a drink, I have plenty of beer and brandy in my cellar," Swann replied to Raynor.

"We've discovered a lot of interesting things, such as the Kydarin Crystal, which, like the Void Crystals we found in the Sara Purgatory Corridor, contain inexhaustible energy," he said.

"Kydarin Crystal is definitely not naturally formed. How should I put it, it actually contains an intricate matrix structure, one ring after another, with a tight structure, comparable to our most precise micro-circuit electronic components. No, I should say that our electronic components are comparable to theirs, ah, they are not even on the same level."

"Can you imagine? The Protoss etched a sun into a crystal."

"I can roughly imagine it," Augustus nodded. "Perhaps the gap between us and the Protoss is like the gap between a paramecium and a human."

"You must have gotten some inspiration from the Protoss's Kydarin Crystal, otherwise you'd rather stay in the armory smearing your face with filthy engine oil than come here," he said.

"By applying the energy storage and utilization methods of the Kydarin Crystal to our own technology, I might be able to improve the efficiency of the Hyperion's energy and weapon systems, making our energy shield more durable and robust enough to withstand the terrifying solar winds," Swann said.

"The fusion strike cannon you asked me to research, capable of destroying a city with a single shot, has achieved a breakthrough in the Umojan weapons lab."

"This means we will soon have powerful ship-to-ship weapons," Augustus exclaimed with delight.

"So."

"I know what you're going to ask." Swann scratched the back of his head. "The Umojan say that calculations show such a weapon could destroy a city in just a few shots, but nobody knows if that's true, since there's no real city to test the shots on."

"Alright. You're right." Augustus said to the navigator on the Hyperion, "Prepare to warp, Captain."

Outside the bridge window of the Hyperion, the Alpha Squadron's Norad III and another capital ship were entering the dark, twisted hyperspace passage.

Considering that two Confederacy Fleets were still lingering near Antiga Prime, Augustus took three capital ships and several hundred vessels with him to Char.

Augustus also ordered Londerstein strengthen the defenses in outer space orbit, deploying a large number of space mines and Mag Mines along the Confederacy Fleets's inevitable route to guard against surprise attacks and orbital bombardment by the Confederacy Fleets.

Further away lay the magnificent Tassadar Protoss Expeditionary Force Fleets, with over 150 Carrier alone, and tens of thousands of Protoss fighters and transport ships surrounding their Mothership. Such a massive military force could easily overwhelm the Confederacy's main Fleets.

Aside from the fact that the Zerg had not yet established a foothold in Char, this was also the source of Tassadar's confidence in leading his army deep into the Swarm territory.

The magnificent and dazzling Protoss Fleets will arrive at Char ahead of Augustus's human Fleets; they are the main force fighting the Zerg.

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