The Death of a Cerebrate

Char, in the northern hemisphere, is the landing point of the Revolutionary Army.

A gold-red shuttle lowered its landing gear over the vast plains that the early colonists and the Confederacy had named Mirror Plains, its cushioned thrusters kicking up a cloud of dark gray debris and ash.

Like other spaceships that travel between the surface and space of various Outer Colonies year after year, this shuttle appears old and worn due to its long service life and wear and tear, always making people worry that it might suddenly fall apart.

These aircraft may have been used by the people of the Terran Confederacy's Edge World and the miners of the Kel-Morian mining family as early as twenty or thirty years ago. Their history is as long as that of the rise of some colonies, and to this day, this type of shuttle remains a very reliable flying vehicle.

The Revolutionary Army's ships were either new vessels built during the Korhal IV era or obsolete ships that Angus and Augustus painstakingly acquired from other sources, but their performance was more than worth the price of refurbishment and refitting.

With a hissing sound as the hydraulic system started up, a somewhat old-looking gangway was lowered. The lights in Augustus's cabin came back on, and the soldiers, under the orders of their sergeants, picked up the green canvas backpacks from the overhead racks and prepared to exit the cabin.

The female-voiced intelligent Adjutant is reporting to the Revolutionary Army soldiers on the humidity, temperature, and radioactive content of the landing site; it must be said that these data are quite outrageous.

In Char, the highest temperatures can reach 800 degrees Celsius during the day, and the scalding air can burn the throat of someone who inhales it without any protection. Areas that have been bombarded by nuclear weapons from the Terran Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine Fleets filled with deadly radiation that even Power Armor cannot withstand.

Faraday, walking to Augustus's left, was the first to walk through the narrow passageway of the shuttle and disembark. A team of fully armed elite guards followed closely behind. Their crimson CMC-300 Power Armor and the gleaming gold wolf head insignia were the reason for the soldiers' immense pride and honor.

Augustus only stood up from his seat after confirming the situation of the landing forces through the communication channels of multiple landing forces, and followed several Revolutionary Army Red Devils Firebat dressed in huge armor toward the gangway.

Because Tassadar's Protoss Expeditionary Force tied down a large number of Zerg in the high orbit of Char, the Terran landing forces did not suffer serious casualties when entering Char's almost non-existent atmosphere, which was also within Augustus's expectations.

In the cargo hold at the rear of the shuttle, several squads of the Revolutionary Army and mechanics were untying the chains binding two Arclite Siege Tank and opening the spare hatch.

Upon stepping onto Char's soil, Augustus's legs sank deep into the thick volcanic ash, the ash layer possibly exceeding five feet in depth. The air was distorted by the extreme heat; merely being exposed to the intensely radiating light of Char's sub-white dwarf and irregular variable star binary system, the shuttle's landing gear was hot enough to cook an egg.

Mirror Plains was once a smooth, mirror-like lowland plain, but its current appearance is vastly different from what it once was. A network of red lava rivers, like spiderwebs, separates the white plain, which was shattered by nuclear bombardment, like flowing orange flames.

If a human soldier were to fall into such a lava lake, there would be absolutely no chance of survival.

Further away lies a scorching world of massive black rocks, craters, volcanoes, and lava lakes, with fiery red flashes rising from the ashes like sparks in the embers.

Besides the lava lakes, there are numerous holes of varying sizes on the ground, all emitting plumes of gray smoke. Sometimes, the smoke billows out like oysters exhaling sand from their shells, resembling smoke rings from a pipe. Most of these holes are extremely dangerous, as the heat they emit can scald a person to death.

Scorching heat, desolate desolation.

Augustus believed that some of the burrows were dug by the Zerg, because in front of those burrows were small mounds of ash and excavated substrate soil, and in some ways the Zerg's habits were not much different from those of groundhogs that enjoy digging.

Augustus observed the surrounding scenery and used the built-in sensor scanning system inside his Power Armor to create a three-dimensional map of the area, marking several pre-selected marching routes on the map.

He took a deep breath of the air inside the armor and felt himself sweating. The condenser in the Power Armor was still working, its cold fusion core providing an inexhaustible supply of power to the armor's life support system, keeping the internal temperature and the quality of the recirculated air stable for weeks on end.

The ground is shaking, a sign that a terrible volcanic eruption is imminent. Flowing lava lakes will soon reclaim the low-lying areas of Mirror Plains, devouring everything in their path.

This is the most inhospitable planet Augustus has ever visited in his life, and it's unlikely that any planet will ever surpass Char. Char is the complete opposite of planets like Blesis and Sigma, which are perpetually covered by solid glacial plates.

In parts of Char, the air is safe to breathe, but not in Mirror Plains. Augustus must wear two helmet visors to look directly at the world he inhabits; otherwise, Char's extreme environment would kill him in no time.

The landing site of the shuttle that Augustus was traveling on was the same location as the ships of Raynor and Tychus, with about forty APOD-33 transport ships and shuttles landing nearby.

More high-spirited Revolutionary Army soldiers, along with Goliath Combat Robot with red backgrounds and gold badges, Arclite Siege Tank, Rattlesnake Hover Tank, heavy tanks, and railguns, were systematically deployed to the ground. In just a few hours, the number of troops that landed reached eight thousand.

This elite force was capable of defeating any planetary defense force on the Edge World the Terran Confederacy, but it was no match for the Zerg on Char. Char had become the Zerg's stronghold in the Koprulu Sector, and the number of Zerg here far exceeded that of any other planet previously invaded by the Swarm.

Half of the Revolutionary Army's engineering regiment was driving T-280 SCV to construct Bunker, forward positions, and deploy Psi Disrupter at the landing site. A makeshift field hospital tent was quickly erected. Other transport ships brought ample supplies and water, which were far more precious on Char than Ardien Crystal.

As Augustus looked up at Char's gray sky, he saw an incredibly bright sun, its heat and light enough to kill a person. From the ground, he could see a planet gleaming with golden light; it must be Char's closest companion planet.

"Faraday," Augustus called out to his elite guard captain over the channel. This young man, who was quite ordinary in appearance and family background, followed him loyally and was a devoted protector of the Mengsk Family.

"Marshal." Faraday was ordering his guards to change into shotguns and grenade launchers, weapons that were highly effective against the Zerg's tough carapace.

"The Observer didn't detect any signs of life from the Zerg nearby; they're probably underground or in the main nesting area further away," he said. "That's really strange."

"It's only been a few months since Char fell; the Zerg shouldn't have completely taken over the planet yet." Augustus n't surprised. "Char's environment is also harmful to the Zerg now. Summon my guards; once we find the underground nest, we must move out."

"Hey Augustus, guess what we found at the landing site? A few mushrooms, what amazing nature! Looks like we'll be having mushroom soup tonight." Jim Raynor walked towards Augustus from the direction of another shuttle, holding a few grayish-white mushrooms in his hand.

"If we're stranded on Char because our supply lines are cut off, we might be able to survive on these native fungi."

"Well done, Jimmy. Elizabeth is incredibly lucky to have a husband like you." Augustus smiled, his words carrying no meaning other than praise, "But hopefully your jinx won't come true."

At that time, although Raynor had lost his comrades, his family was still happy and his parents were still alive. His consistent optimism and cheerfulness always enabled him to maintain hope for everything in the most critical moments.

With Augustus's help, his wife would not die of grief over their son's accident in the Terran Confederacy Ghost Program, and his parents would not die from the heavy work and cheap, diseased food on the farm.

"Shiloh's an old saying, 'Prevention is better than cure,'" Raynor shrugged—though that wasn't an easy thing for someone wearing alloy Power Armor.

"It's hard not to support him." Tychus walked over from the other side. "If I'm starving, I could eat tons of roasted insects and drink their blood like liquor."

"Then let's forget about it. Take the Mutalisk for example, its blood after it dies is almost like sulfuric acid." Augustus shook his head.

"So, Tychus, are you satisfied with Char?" Raynor asked Tychus.

"I couldn't be more satisfied." Tychus's voice was almost coming from between clenched teeth. "I've been to many places in my life, barren lunar planets, outer space stations full of metal and scrap iron, desolate desert planets with only a few pieces of land remaining in the ocean world, but I've never been to a place like this."

"Char's lava is practically burning my butt. Hopefully, what we gain here will be worth the price of admission; we're not going to do something that loses us money."

"It's possible that the first planet to give rise to Zerg -like creatures was originally like Char," Augustus.

"If there is a hell, Char is it."

This world, covered with orange-red lava rivers and thick volcanic ash, is a forbidden zone for life, a true lava world. Even the Redstone of the Kel-Morian Combine cannot compare to Char's extremely harsh natural environment.

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed across the sky as a magnificent supervolcano erupted. Volcanic ash was spewed thousands of feet into the air, the ash so thick it blotted out the sun and cast a deep shadow over the land below—a eruption nearly as devastating as that of Mount Vesuvius, which had wiped out Pompey.

Fortunately, it was quite far from where Augustus was, but volcanic eruptions of this scale were very common in Char.

"Send out scouts to locate all the Zerg main nests, including those hidden underground," Augustus ordered his officers.

On the Mirror Plains lies a Tier 3 main hive and three secondary main hive hatcheries, with numerous Mutalisk Spire indicating that this main hive area primarily hatches the Swarm's air force. This is also the main reason why Augustus chose to land here.

Augustus's purpose for this trip was simple and clear: to help the Protoss assault Char to greatly alleviate the pressure on the Confederacy's Edge World, as he had always regarded those worlds as the foundation for his rise.

Furthermore, Augustus convinced that he was merely an accessory to Tassadar's Fleets, and that the powerful Protoss Empire expeditionary force did not actually expect much contribution from the weak and backward humans.

However, Augustus's experience fighting alongside the Protoss executive Tassadar in Char will undoubtedly become a form of political capital for Augustus in the future. As long as Augustus seen as different from other humans in the eyes of Tassadar and other Protoss, that is enough.

The Protoss Empire is a force worth uniting with for Augustus, but currently, forming an alliance with the Aiur Protoss, who are in power at the Conclave, to fight the Zerg is merely wishful thinking. The Protoss Arbitrators in the Conclave are undoubtedly among the most arrogant and stubborn people of this race.

For a long time, the Protoss Empire they led had been plagued by outdated and corrupt ideas that had spread among the members of the Conclave. The Arbitrators were by no means ignorant of politics. Even with the Khala, political struggles and factional infighting existed among the deep-thinking and unknown members of the Arbitrators, because concealing one's thoughts was a skill that rulers had to learn.

"Now is the perfect time to use those spider-like detection robots the Umojan sold us."

Augustus was not entirely unprepared. After more than half a year of fighting the Zerg, various weapons mainly targeting the Zerg were developed, including the Confederacy's biological and chemical virus weapons.

Considering the complex habit of the Zerg to nest underground, Augustus commissioned a spider-like robot with a certain level of artificial intelligence from the native Umojan, eliminating the need for remote control via other devices and reducing the chances of it being detected.

The export version of AI alone surpasses several of the machine servants of the Tarsonis Old Families, the Terra Family. Its unique algorithms and programming enable it to perfectly perform most reconnaissance missions, and even if damaged, it can restart the system via a routing loop.

These spider-like detection machines are only 2 feet wide and can easily navigate the intricate underground tunnels of the Zerg using their flexible mechanical limbs.

Redesigned by Viktor Kaczynski, the Spider Mine designer for the Kel-Morian Combine, this spider-shaped detection machine is equipped with a detonator and chemical explosives, as well as alloy resonant burrowing claws. Once caught by Zerg Sentinel, these new devices, made of several metal and titanium alloy blades, will immediately destroy themselves along with the enemy.

In other words, these spider-shaped AI mines no longer need to be manually deployed by soldiers or riders in Vulture; they can infiltrate the Zerg's main nest or the Confederacy's military bases on their own, giving the enemy a surprise.

Currently, Viktor has already registered the copyright in the Umojan Republic. Whether it's the Umojan Protectorate Guard, black gold merchants, or mercenaries, they are all very interested in this new weapon, but most of them want to use it against their own people.

At this time, the Revolutionary Army's camp was beginning to take shape. Fortifications built with alloy protective panels separated the landing point from the main position, and orbital satellite base stations and anti-aircraft missile towers were erected to provide a defensive foothold for the subsequent landing troops and the defending forces.

"Marshal, I've received a signal from a Protoss ground force." At that moment, Faraday approached, carrying a portable projector. The projector was encased in a white, protective insulating layer to withstand extreme environments.

"Open it," Augustus said immediately.

As the Holographic Projection screen unfolded before Augustus, a Protoss Templar Knights wearing a golden crown appeared on the screen. This Templar Knights looked much older than Tassadar, and the wrinkles on his skin resembled the surface of a frozen sea.

The Protoss Templar Knights's head was submerged deep in blue nutrient fluid, and his withered limbs indicated that he was a Dragoon hero who had been thrown into a carapace after being severely wounded.

"En Taro Adun, Human Commander, I am Archon Taldarin, and I salute all the warriors." The Dragoon said, "My warriors report that your landing site is not far from one of my forces. If you encounter any danger, please seek help from my warriors."

May the twilight guide you.

Before he could finish speaking, Taldarin cut off the communication.

"That's cool, those damn Protoss aliens." Tychus cursed. "Who needs your help? They might even ask us to rescue those idiots who have their noses practically in the sky."

"They're certainly arrogant enough. They might even think we're here to make things worse and hold us back," Raynor reminded Tychus. "But the Protoss don't have noses."

"Come on, at least they're willing to provide us with assistance." Augustus knew of the formidable reputation of the dragon knights Tal'darim.

He is said to be Templar Knights has survived since the time of Adun, and his name means "the one who has been forged a thousand times." Taldarin is also the first Dragoon in the history of the Protoss Empire.

This valiant warrior is said to have served under the great Protoss Empire Executor Adun in countless battles. He was the bravest of the brave, the warrior among warriors. After being mortally wounded in a battle, his Taldarin remains were placed in a stasis field for centuries, thus avoiding the fall of Adun, until the advent of the Dragoon allowed him to return to the battlefield.

This Templar Knights from the Golden Age of the Protoss Empire deserved to be so proud; even Adun held him in the highest esteem when he was still Zealot fighting bravely against the enemy.

"Marshal, the Taldarin have provided us with the coordinates of the Protoss forces and several nearby Zerg hives. They have also marked all the entrances to the Nydus Worm and the patterns of nearby volcanic eruptions," Faraday reported.

"How thoughtful," Raynor said.

"Just like my mom," Tychus said.

The others had never seen Tychus's mother, but they still considered Tychus to be the kind of villain who would sell his own mother for alcohol.

"That's how the Protoss are," Augustus said to Tychus. "They're arrogant, but they'll always pull you up behind your back. We usually call those kinds of people..."

"There are bugs!" A cry of alarm interrupted Augustus's words.

The initial calm turned out to be merely a harbinger of an impending tsunami, as hordes of Zerg surged forth from the openings Augustus had previously noticed. Huge Hydralisk, using their forelimbs tipped with sharp, bony scythes, roared as they burrowed through the ash covering the openings, and massive numbers of Zergling swarmed towards the newly arrived humans.

These Zerg are also different from those seen by humans. They have dark brown exoskeletons and light golden eyes. Whether this is a mutation caused by the extreme environment of Char is still unknown.

"A new hive," Raynor said. "Who knows what they're good at, happily rolling around in lava?"

"My favorite thing is grilling insects. Barbatos Barbecue can't function without me." Tychus summoned his Sterling Wolf Hunters officers, picked up a heavy machine gun, and led the soldiers with white wolf insignia away.

In the distance, the reconnaissance force Augustus just dispatched was retreating. Fortunately, they were driving incredibly fast Vulture. However, it seemed they wouldn't be able to test their new weapons.

"Get ready for battle, lads! Bring out our 'cannons' and let's go big with the bugs!" Raynor shouted.

Augustus's expression was serious. He wasn't entirely without negative emotions when facing the Zerg, but he never showed them on his face. One should have fear of terrible things, but Augustus could not.

Whether leading a platoon of Marine recruits on Turaxis II or now commanding a Revolutionary Army of over 200,000 men, Augustus must remain calm and project an image of unwavering confidence. Otherwise, even the slightest hint of panic will be amplified a hundredfold by his subordinates.

The landing site was fortified with numerous landmines, and this weapon proved to be quite effective against the Zerg.

The Revolutionary Army's frontline troops quickly engaged the Zerg, the rustling of running footsteps gradually being drowned out by the roar of artillery fire, as the Mutalisk and Overlord appeared on the horizon.

However, a few minutes later, these enraged Zerg abandoned the humans in front of them and suddenly turned around and ran in another direction.

At the same time, a Char Psionics scream echoed across Char, sweeping over the lava and ash. Even Augustus and Raynor, who didn't have much Psionics talent, clearly heard the scream and felt dizzy.

"What happened?" Raynor, who was standing next to Augustus, said, "It sounds painful. Like... crying."

"Cerebrate." Augustus looked in the direction the dark brown Swarm had gone. "Jimmy, I guess it was attacked."

"Wow, they'll all be resurrected anyway." Raynor raised an eyebrow. "I guess it was the Protoss who did it, but it's all for nothing. The Cerebrate will be resurrected in Char soon."

Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader and Helmsman: 6/44

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