Snitch

The flagship of the Nova Squadron was severely damaged and veered off course due to the impact of kinetic energy. If this warship was a fish in the ocean with half its body bitten off by a shark, then the flames and parts gushing out of the crack were its internal organs and blood.

The other two Nova Squadron warships abandoned their pursuit of the Thunder Child and instead lowered their hatches to receive the lifeboats that were being launched from the flagship's catapult. The other Confederacy warships began to move rapidly toward the flagship's starboard side, their cannons firing a barrage of orange-red bullets as they moved.

Colonel Haller's flagship, the Nova Terra, had its main engine room completely destroyed. The violent explosions were tearing the badly damaged ship apart and dismembering it; its sinking was only a matter of time.

Directly beneath the bridge of the Star Shuttle, dozens of Protoss shuttles were speeding toward the Nova Terra amidst the glow of the carrier's traction matrix, escorted by thousands of Scout and Mothership interceptors, resembling a golden torrent.

"You're going to participate in this landing operation?" Tassadar asked, gazing at the battlefield ahead.

When speaking face-to-face with the Protoss, they not only project their thoughts directly into Augustus's mind, but also their emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

Destroying a Behemoth-class Battlecruiser that humanity is so proud of is no more difficult than crushing a flying insect; the gap between the Protoss Empire and human civilization is as vast as the gap between humans and monkeys. Thousands of years ago, Protoss Mothership were already cruising on the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy; they could manipulate time and even create a brief black hole.

But in Tassadar's eyes, the Protoss, as the Firstborn, slaughtering inferior and backward humans was tantamount to blasphemy against the Dae'uhl Doctrine. Tassadar would never attack human ships that had not yet been infected by the Zerg unless absolutely necessary.

Tassadar is unwilling to kill innocent people indiscriminately, but that doesn't mean he won't take action against humans.

"No matter what, I never refuse to show off," Augustus replied humorously to Tassadar's question. In Augustus youth, Augustus was a flamboyant racer and a fan of flamboyant Matt Horner, but the Augustus of today is completely different from the one of his past.

Others attribute this to his military career and the dramatic changes in Korhal, saying that the hardships and deaths of his comrades shaped Augustus Mengsk into who he is today.

"There's no time to lose," Raynor said. "Let's go."

"I never refuse any suggestion to beat the Confederacy bastards to a pulp." Tychus chuckled slyly. "Ah, fun time is about to begin, I can't wait to get started."

"In the past, the Nova Squadron was only fit to lick Alpha's boots." Duke remained as arrogant as ever.

"Ladenanix, take these humans to the teleportation platform," Tassadar said.

A Protoss Templar Knights clad in golden armor led the way for Augustus, placing him on a movable platform. With a resonant hum of the Crystal Matrix, Augustus, Raynor, and the others were teleported to a larger platform, now accompanied only by Corporal Faraday's thirty-odd Marshal Guard and elite Alpha Squadron soldiers.

This teleportation platform is located in the central ridge area of Star Shuttle. Its dome is a single crystal arch, reflecting the dazzling starlight. Hundreds of Templar Knights in golden armor and blue robes stand proudly, like statues.

When Augustus and the others appeared on the teleportation platform, all the Protoss turned to look at them.

Silence, indifference.

"Hey buddy, good morning. Are you also rushing to catch a ride to the Nova Squadron?" Tychus chuckled awkwardly. "What a coincidence."

"It's an honor to fight against people like you." Raynor nudged a Templar Knights next to him with his elbow, drawing an angry glare from the man.

"Don't be like that, I know you're happy too."

"You stepped on my foot, you damn blue-skinned alien! I'm going to throw you in jail!" The fearless Duke pointed at a Templar Knights's long chin and cursed. Although Duke's opinion of the Protoss had changed a little, he still considered these aliens to be a dangerous bunch, not even as good as country bumpkins.

"Give me a gun." Augustus thought to himself, how could he possibly overthrow the Confederacy with such a large group of people?

The Protoss, especially the Templar Knights who are the warrior class, are always very serious, and it's absolutely impossible to expect them to understand human boasting and nonsense.

For a fleeting moment, all the Protoss simultaneously turned their gaze away from the suddenly appearing human, and a blue light descended from the sky, enveloping Augustus's head.

The next moment, the sounds of Gauss Rifle fire and explosions reached Augustus's ears. They had appeared on the upper deck of the Nova Squadron flagship, an area primarily consisting of mess halls, restaurants, and entertainment facilities. A matrix network generated by the Kydarin Crystal Tower Matrix spread out around them, covering all areas within sight.

This was a main passageway connecting the transit service cabin to the crew quarters, with relatively wide spacing on both sides, enough for four Marines to pass through simultaneously. However, facing the Templar Knights ' charge, this space prevented the Nova Squadron soldiers guarding it from forming a crossfire network. All bullets and grenades were deflected by the Templar Knights ' plasma shields—they were facing a brutal, one-sided massacre.

Augustus quickly adjusted to the lighting and prepared to fire, the Templar Knights around him drew their gleaming blue blades and charged forward, their powerful legs propelling them forward, their figures becoming almost imperceptible phantoms.

Augustus searched for a target with his rifle, he witnessed a Nova Squadron soldier being sliced in half at the waist by a blazing blue Psionics, as easily as cutting through tofu. Another Nova Squadron soldier, overcome with fear, began firing wildly, decapitating a comrade before his own head was severed.

The battles of the Protoss Templar Knights are accompanied by dazzling swordplay and frenzied charges, and the human battle lines are quickly and swiftly torn apart.

Human Power Armor might be able to handle most caliber firearms, but the Zerg's claws and Psionics blades can still easily slice through it. The Protoss's attack methods are often one-hit kills, while the Zerg's are far more brutal.

Every time Augustus aimed at a target, the enemy was instantly sliced in two by a charging Templar Knights. It was as if the Protoss had read Augustus's mind and didn't want to share the glory of the kill with him.

Gaining the approval of the Protoss is no easy feat.

The battle in the ship's passageways lasted only a few dozen seconds before the battlefield was littered with corpses. The Templar Knights followed the retreating Nova Squadron soldiers into the passageways, leaving behind a trail of human bodies.

"My goodness," Tychus said blankly, holding his heavy machine gun, "I haven't even fired a few shots yet!"

"Follow me! Leave no survivors!" But he immediately shouted, not wanting to be left out, and Duke, equally fired up, led the soldiers of Alpha Squadron to catch up with the Protoss forces that were almost gone.

The bronze deck was covered in blood and streaks of Nova Squadron soldiers killed by Psionics blades. Their purple armor was neatly sliced open, the cuts as smooth as mirrors. There were more than a hundred people lying on the ground, all dead, not a single survivor.

"I absolutely do not want to be enemies with the Protoss." Raynor muttered to himself as he looked at the bloody scene. "If it hadn't been the Taldarim we encountered in Bhekar, we might have been wiped out long ago."

"How dare that Haller provoke the Protoss?" he Augustus, who was running forward. "Now he knows how terrifying the warriors of Tassadar are."

Be more careful in your next life.

Meanwhile, violent explosions continued to echo from all around, and the gravity stabilization devices inside the warship showed signs of failure.

This location was not far from the bridge of the warship. After passing through the ship's corridors filled with corpses, Augustus went up to the upper deck via a still-operating ladder.

On their way to the bridge, all they saw were the corpses of Nova Squadron soldiers and trembling ordinary crew members, researchers, and medics. It seemed that the Templar Knights had let them go after confirming that these unarmed men posed no threat to them.

What happened today was a nightmare for the people here. The Protoss boarded their ship and then utterly destroyed all the defenses. If Augustus hadn't needed to capture the Nova Squadron commander alive, the battle would have been over the moment the Star Shuttle's main guns opened fire, without even needing to board the ship.

If Nova Squadron fought to the death, they might have been able to inflict losses on Tassadar's Fleets, but the outcome was already predetermined from the start.

By the time Augustus entered the bridge of the Nova Squadron flagship, the Templar Knights had already cleared away all the enemies in the way. There were corpses and cut-open Power Armor everywhere, and the barrels of many Gauss Rifle had been cut open, the cuts glowing red.

Commander Jack Haller of the Nova Squadron, dressed in a dark blue Confederacy Navy captain's uniform, stood in front of the bridge window of his flagship, his back to Tychus, Duke, and a group of silent Templar Knights.

"Turn around, Colonel Haller," Augustus said as he walked.

"Did you hear that, you despicable bastard? Back in Char, we were almost killed by your men." Tychus reached out a hand, ready to grab Haller and lift him up.

"I've finally waited for you, Marshal Augustus Mengsk." To Augustus's surprise, Haller immediately turned around, smiling, and stepped forward as if to embrace Augustus.

"Stop right there, or I'll smash your mouth in." Duke raised his chin, expressing his disdain for his former Confederacy Navy colleague.

"It's too late to say that now." Raynor stared intently into Haller's dark eyes.

"We will spare your life, but you must first get the rest of your warships to surrender."

"No order to surrender would be acceptable to those captains, but I can have them wait at the assembly point, where you can take over the ships," he said. "I had plenty of opportunities to escape, but I gave them up after sensing you boarding."

"Senses?" Duke scoffed. "You think you're a Psionics? Come on, admit defeat, stop being so stubborn."

"Face reality, everyone will be defeated, except me."

"Yes, I am a Psionics, and nobody else knows it—a PSI level 8.5 Psionics. At the Ghost Academy, I was classified as mentally ill, at the level of extremely dangerous." Haller seemed quite pleased. "I have many abilities, one of which is that I cannot be brainwashed or controlled, which is why the Confederacy's Ghost Program discarded me."

"You probably can't believe how much those words like 'mentally ill,' 'extremely dangerous,' 'untouchable,' and 'extremely uncontrollable' hurt me when I was a child," he continued, gritting his teeth in hatred.

"I was imprisoned and tortured in a cage, and I'm still alive because I want to exact my revenge on the Confederacy and Ghost Academy!"

"You really are a bit crazy. You dared to chase after our ship with the Protoss right next to you." Tychus never liked to give others face.

"I can't even imagine what terrible things my son would encounter if he went to the Confederacy's Ghost Academy." Raynor knew the Ghost Academy was scary, but he didn't expect it to be this terrifying. He had already made up his mind not to let his son become a Ghost operative.

"Another mistake they made was underestimating someone who had 'gone mad.' Later, I escaped from the Ghost Academy in Tarsonis and took the place of a young officer named Jack Haller. Another unique ability of mine is mind control; by manipulating the minds of those around me, I quickly gained their trust and successfully took command of the Nova Special Forces." Haller ignored Tychus's words.

"After the Confederacy decided to reorganize the Nova Special Forces into a naval Fleets, I naturally became the commander of the new Fleets. I spent many years in the Confederacy military in order to reach a high position and achieve my revenge. Only power can control people's hearts," he said.

"Several captains in the Nova Squadron are already under my control. They will be under your command at your command. Ever since you began to make a name for yourself in the various Edge World of the Terran Confederacy, I have been looking for such an opportunity, an opportunity to join your cause."

"I've heard about how you dealt with those Confederacy Ghost operative. You treated them as real people, not as guinea pigs or killing machines. One Ghost operative once tried to assassinate your father even became your personal bodyguard. Sarah Kerrigan has consistently been one of our top performers."

Augustus stared into Haller's eyes, as if trying to find signs of a lie.

"A good story," Augustus, pausing for a moment. "Proving your ability, proving your ability to mind control without the aid of equipment."

No wonder Haller dared to provoke the Protoss. If this guy really was a long-time traitor and a supporter of the revolution, then he might even be hoping that the Protoss would stop the Nova Squadron as soon as possible so that Augustus's Hyperion could escape.

Haller could have ignored Tassadar's communications, but he not only answered them but also threatened him in the name of the Terran Confederacy, trying to give Augustus an opportunity to escape.

"Very good." Colonel Haller looked at Tychus.

Tychus lowered his helmet and slapped himself hard across the face, his cheek immediately turning red and swollen.

The official character's backstory is quite rich... but the photo shows him with a completely bald head.