Seizing the Ship

Through the external camera mounted on the lifeboat, Augustus's eyes gradually magnified the hammer-shaped bow of the Nova Squadron battlecruiser, painted in bright purple. Compared to the warship's hull plating, which shimmered with magnificent gold edges under the starlight, the lifeboat was nothing more than a fruit fly about to land on a grape.

The Loyalty is an imposing Behemoth-class Battlecruiser, finally completed and launched at Bennett Shipyard. Built during the Guild Wars and upgraded during the Korhal IV Rebellion, it features a prototype Titan Reactor to power more laser cannons and potentially future mega-fusion cannons.

While human battlecruisers may not be as ornate and refined as Protoss warships, they remain a source of pride for the Terrans. Their powerful and robust designs, magnificent steel armor, and the bright white lights adorning them still represent the pinnacle of human warships and cannons of this era.

The lifeboat, marked 303, began to approach the battlecruiser Loyalty and moved along its broadside close to the bright purple frigate. Looking ahead along the broadside, another Nova Squadron Behemoth-class Battlecruiser was about ten miles ahead and to the right of the lifeboat's bow, and another ship of the same class was parallel to Loyalty, but further away.

All the warships and their escorting frigates, destroyers, supply ships, and troop transports are maintaining a relatively stationary high-speed motion, so piloting a spaceship smoothly into a dock requires extremely high skill from the spaceship pilot.

The lifeboats circled the dock entrance of the Loyalty for several minutes, waiting for the landing bay to open. Haller pulled out a 2D control panel from beside his seat and entered a series of codes before the landing bay doors opened, as if a steel Giant had opened its mouth facing space.

Blue lights immediately emanated from the dock entrance, and as the lifeboats entered the harbor, Augustus noticed several T-280 Tarsonis SCV, secured by cables, moving along the edge of the deck on the alloy steel overhang at the dock entrance, the faint sparks of welding flashing by.

In addition, seven other lifeboats of the same type followed closely behind. These boats, which should have been full of wounded and evacuees, did not arouse the suspicion of the captain of the Loyalty. After learning that Colonel Haller was on the first lifeboat, these boats were ignored.

Augustus stood up the instant the lifeboat came to a stop and followed Haller down the alloy gangway.

The dock of the Loyalty was very empty. Most of the fighter jets and transport planes were outside carrying out missions. Only various ground crew members wearing orange work clothes were on board, driving SCV and unloading robots back and forth in the dock or repairing damaged aircraft.

As Haller descended the gangway, a Nova Squadron officer in a dark purple CMC-300 Power Armor was running toward him with several soldiers. There weren't many soldiers guarding the area, probably less than a combat platoon.

Even in wars between humans, boarding maneuvers are extremely rare. Only the Kel-Morian would use their numerous and fast assault boats to seize Confederacy battlecruisers in Fleets battles, a tactic commonly used by space pirates against large cargo ships.

"Colonel Haller, thank God you're alive. Without your orders, the whole squadron would be in chaos." The Nova Squadron officer was a tall, thin man with rugged features. He lowered his helmet visor so Haller could see his face. He might not be very familiar with Haller, but he at least knew who his superior was.

The officer paused for a moment when he saw Augustus in his crimson Power Armor behind Haller, then rubbed his eyes. "Augustus Mengsk, you son of a bitch, I must be dreaming."

The officer took a few steps back, his face turning ashen with fear. His first reaction to the notorious rebel leader Augustus Mengsk was not that Haller had captured Augustus, but that Augustus had descended upon the world with his men.

Before he could say anything, Tychus darted out from behind Augustus, took two quick steps, and slammed his iron fist into him. The officer immediately fell backward, blood gushing from his broken nose, his eyes rolling back.

"Wake up from your nightmare, you pathetic creature." Tychus looked at his bloodied fist, raised his chin, and the scars on his face looked even more grotesque.

"Tychus Finley, the Heaven's Devils." The remaining Nova Squadron soldiers froze on the spot, except for another lieutenant who suddenly shouted, "Rebels!"

Before he could finish speaking, Tychus delivered another swift and powerful punch, cleanly knocking him to the ground.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sweetheart." He had just been humiliated by Haller and was still seething with anger.

"I am Jack Haller." Haller looked at the several bewildered, expressionless soldiers. "The rebels have invaded this warship. I need you to be ready to go and repel the enemy within twenty seconds."

"Yes, sir, for the Confederacy!" The soldiers immediately stood at attention and saluted Haller.

Judging by appearance alone, it would be difficult for the average person to distinguish between Resocialized Soldier and ordinary soldiers, but with a little attention, one could notice the barcodes on the back of their helmets. The Confederacy has never regarded Resocialized Soldier as human beings.

"Soldiers, remember your mission: order and fairness are the cornerstones of the Terran Confederacy," Haller said.

"Eternal loyalty"

"Are they idiots?" Tychus thought, bored, and went back to the lifeboat to retrieve his heavy machine gun.

Meanwhile, the commotion caused by Tychus was bound to attract the attention of the ground crew on the dock. Some were still busy with their own work, but they all realized that something was wrong.

A Confederacy engineer, who was sitting on a pile of supply crates smoking, shouted, "Hey, what's going on here? Those two soldiers look pretty badly injured."

Most of the ground crew and engineers on the Loyalty shipyard dared not speak, but there were always a few reckless individuals who, lacking any real understanding of the situation, tried to shout to find out what was happening.

"I am Colonel Haller. There are rebels on board this ship." Haller replied calmly, "They want to seize control of this warship. These rebels must be eliminated."

"Alright, alright. Aren't the Zerg and Protoss already causing enough trouble?" The engineer believed him, but when he saw who was coming off the lifeboat, he almost fell off the supply crate.

It wasn't soldiers, engineers, and scientists who stepped out of the lifeboats, but Protoss Templar Knights in gleaming armor. One after another, the Protoss warriors emerged from the lifeboats, thousands of gleaming blue eyes all looking in the same direction.

This time, the engineer dared not speak again.

Augustus and Ladenanix exchanged a glance, and at Radnanix's command, a large number of Protoss Templar Knights rushed into the various corridors and passageways inside the ship. Any human soldiers who dared to resist them were sliced open by Psionics blades, and blood flowed freely.

"Follow me, Marshal." Haller gestured for his Nova Squadron of Resocialized Soldier to lead the way, heading towards the ladder marked with directional arrows.

"You'd better not lead us into a trap." Tychus picked up his Persuader Heavy Machine Gun. "I'll be watching you closely, understand? If you try to betray us, I'll smash your skull in."

"The Confederacy wouldn't risk so many warships to plant a spy, would it?" Haller said.

"That's hard to say. Who knows what's going on in your ghostly head? You may hate the Terran Confederacy, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll like us," Tychus said, shaking his head.

"Yes, I do not like you," Haller said. "If you really think I am capable of witchcraft, then you'd better watch out." (Jack Haller was a member of the Terran Empire's Hidden Blade – Ghost Agent program and one of the first Psionics to use Terrazine on himself.)

Augustus ignored their argument. Tychus was already disliked, while Haller was clearly a very cunning and ambitious man; such power-hungry individuals were not so difficult to control. Tychus, in fact, wasn't particularly keen on rising to a high position in the Revolutionary Army —although he didn't think it was bad, as a higher position would make it easier for him to abuse his power for personal gain.

Tychus was preoccupied with the idea of returning to his old ways if the revolution failed. He was a troublemaker, but to Augustus he was still far more reliable than Haller, who had just defected.

After Augustus followed Haller down the ladder, the alarms inside the Loyalty finally went off. The ship's captain, having clearly seen what was happening through the dockside surveillance cameras, announced, "This is Captain Joe of the Loyalty. We have been compromised. Jack Haller has betrayed the Confederacy. I repeat, Jack Haller has betrayed the Confederacy. He is no longer our commander."

"Protoss, they're here. Augustus Mengsk is here with them! It's Augustus's rebels! Run!"

"This is a trap! We're surrounded! Evacuate immediately!"

"What are you saying? I'm not some kind of demon." Augustus thought they didn't need to be so nervous.

The ladder continued to ascend and came to a stop on the top main deck. The corridor leading to the command area was already filled with fully armed Marines from the Nova Squadron.

"Fire!" the officer commanding the unit shouted immediately.

"Attention!" Haller straightened his military cap and said calmly.

"Put your gun away and unload the bullets."

Dozens of soldiers in purple Power Armor responded to Haller's command with a series of flawless movements of standing at attention and holding their rifles, the clinking of bullets clearly audible in the suddenly quiet ship's corridors.

All the Resocialized Soldier could recognize who Haller was; in their neuromodified brains, as the supreme commander of Nova Squadron, Haller's orders clearly took precedence over anyone else's.

"Damn it, why did you betray us? You treacherous dog!" The officer from the Nova Squadron said as he drew his P-220 electromagnetic pistol and aimed it at Haller.

"I'm so sorry." Gold welled up in Haller's dark eyes.

Then, the officer pointed the gun at himself and fired.

"Who are these people?" Tychus felt a chill run down his spine. Suddenly, Tychus remembered the red-haired female ghost beside Augustus. Since Kerrigan served Augustus, she had rarely killed anyone, which made Tychus almost forget that high-level human Psionics were people who could kill someone with just a glance.

High-level Psionics are extremely rare, and a torturous childhood often makes them more cold-blooded or even personality-distorted than ordinary Ghost operative, but their minds are more pure.

In less than a second, Haller lowered his head and then raised it again, walking past a group of Nova Squadron soldiers standing at attention on both sides of the corridor awaiting orders. Their thin, resolute faces were reflected in their masks.

"Does killing cause you pain?" Augustus asked Haller.

"Yes, Marshal, the memories of the deceased before their death are etched into my mind. Only brainwashing can erase them." Haller hesitated for a moment before replying, "But I cannot be brainwashed, which means I cannot forget those memories."

"Then you'd better not do that again," Augustus.

Augustus convinced that Jack Haller was likely the strongest Psionics he had ever seen besides Kerrigan and Nova, and one of the very few with special abilities. Moreover, at least in his opinion, this person was not beyond redemption.

Haller continued forward, and almost every few steps someone would rush out to stop him. The Confederacy colonel was only dressed in a blue naval uniform with a Confederacy Guardian Medal on his shoulder, but no one could harm him.

When they stormed onto the bridge, Ladenanix ' Templar Knights were already waiting for them. The bridge was littered with the marks of a fierce battle; the captain of the Loyalty lay sprawled on the ground, Electromagnetic Rifle severed by a Psionics blade at his feet.

"Lieutenant Colonel Joe, there's no need to risk your life for the Confederacy anymore. They'll get burned sooner or later." Haller said, walking up to the captain of the Loyalty. "It's time to establish a new order. The Zerg and Protoss are ravaging our homeland. The Terrans need a wise leader."

"He is Augustus Mengsk."

The lieutenant colonel did not speak; he simply remained silent.

Outside the bridge of Loyalty, the Nova Squadron's Fleets were in disarray, with the four battlecruisers supporting Haller firing on the rest of the ships. As Augustus looked over, a Nova Squadron battlecruiser was launching hundreds of anti-aircraft missiles at her sister ship, leaving a large patch of burn and damage on the ship's side.

Despite being outnumbered, the Confederacy ships were unaware of which ships had betrayed Confederacy. After several Nova Squadron ships warped away first, the remaining Confederacy ships began to retreat steadily.

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