Swarm Agent

Time flew by, and it was already the end of 2491. The soldiers of the Revolutionary Army spent a simple but meaningful Christmas on a warship adrift on the edge of the Char system.

The supplies brought from Antiga Prime were not enough to make the soldiers far from home feel the festive atmosphere, but the supply ships of Nova Squadron came to the rescue. Raynor even found several Christmas trees on six supply ships that were full of boxes of food, medical supplies, tea, wine and cola, which made the soldiers who missed their families and homeland very happy.

In addition to nine Behemoth-class Battlecruiser and seven destroyers, Augustus's forces also captured over two hundred CF/A-17 Wraith, more than three hundred and ninety APOD-33s, and five science ships, along with nearly a thousand other shuttles, near-Earth spacecraft, and small and medium-sized transport ships.

Three-fifths of the Nova Squadron's Fleets ships were incorporated into the Revolutionary Army Navy's operational order. They had once fought for the eternal glory of the Terran Confederacy, but now they were only under the command of Marshal Augustus.

The paint scheme of these ships is also different from the past. In addition to the symbol of the shining new star, the bright purple hulls now bear the emblem of the Revolutionary Army's Grip Ring, signifying that they are now fighting for a noble goal that is completely different from the past.

As for the soldiers, Augustus retained all the Resocialized Soldier ' organizational structure intact, only replacing their officers with officers from the Revolutionary Army. The number of Resocialized Soldier was approximately 35,000, an astonishing proportion.

The remaining 22,000 were regular soldiers who enlisted in the army through various means. In other words, they were just like Augustus joined the Confederate Marine Corps —ordinary people with their own personalities and consciousness who enlisted for various reasons.

Most of these people did not enlist voluntarily, and their attitude towards the Confederacy was similar to that of Shiloh farm boy Raynor —they were disappointed with the Confederacy and hoped that the government and Congress could take effective measures to save the sluggish market economy and those on the Edge World of collapse.

The Confederacy soldiers were more or less influenced by the Confederacy's overwhelming propaganda against the rebels and the forced ideological education in the army. They did not think that Augustus's Revolutionary Army was any good people, or believed that they were just a group of displaced Korhal IV refugees, unscrupulous merchants, pirates, private security guards and colonial militias, and did not notice why their own army was experiencing defeats.

Out of caution and other considerations, Augustus imprison these Resocialized Soldier in prisons converted from the living quarters of various warships, and only those who swore allegiance to him and the Revolutionary Army were pardoned.

The biggest gains were in equipment; the Nova Squadron received over 40,000 sets of CMC-300 Power Armor, as well as AGR-14 and C-14 Electromagnetic Rifle, which were then deployed to Augustus's army.

The more than two hundred Arclite Siege Tank, Goliath, and Vulture in these battlecruiser arsenals were also a pleasant surprise. Augustus soon be able to fully equip an entire Revolutionary Army armored division with these, which would enable the Revolutionary Army to contend with Zerg or Protoss forces on the front lines.

Augustus's army continued to grow and expand, and this was by no means the end.

On the last day of 2491, Augustus, who felt little joy at the arrival of Christmas, summoned his generals aboard the Hyperion to hold a memorial service for the fallen and prepared to leave the Char system before the new year.

Those warriors who were brought back after their deaths were fortunate enough, but those who were torn to pieces by the Zerg and hastily buried in the deep ash of Char faced an even more tragic fate.

If one day, the surviving people return to Char, they will find that their friends and comrades, forgotten deep in their memories, will reappear before them in a hideous form, as part of the Char Swarm.

The numerous battles in the Char system have claimed the lives of thousands of brave Revolutionary Army soldiers. On this day, as Augustus stood on the bridge of the Hyperion, gazing at the Char with its flowing orange-red lava on the screen amidst the dark brown or dark gray epaulets of the departing Revolutionary Army officers, he couldn't help but ponder this question.

If souls truly exist in this world, then are those who died in battle on Char and other planets still lingering on the battlefield, unwilling to leave? With so many dead people watching over Augustus, how could he possibly stop?

At 14:22 on the ship, the senior officers of the Revolutionary Army who had attended the mourning ceremony had dispersed, leaving only Augustus staring at the star map on the main screen, which showed the Koprulu Sector and even larger constellations, star fields, and an entire spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy.

On the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy, our Solar System and Earth on the Orion spiral wall are nothing more than tiny specks of light, shimmering with faint glow.

The areas explored by humanity are still insignificant on the scale of the entire Milky Way Galaxy, yet the enemies they have encountered are already so formidable. This young race, which considers itself to have a superior civilization, still clamors to conquer the vast Milky Way Galaxy, like an insect that has just explored a bunch of mounds of earth saying it wants to conquer the world.

The Zerg and Protoss are enemies on a completely different level from humanity, and the human civilization of Koprulu is as fragile as a candle in the wind. Augustus had long since given up hope for the Terran Confederacy —despite Confederacy continued strength.

At this time last year, Augustus still working in the agricultural colony of Agria, resettling Korhal IV refugees. Now, however, he has arrived on the other side of the sector, fighting a desperate battle against the Zerg Zerg this extremely dangerous and remote system teeming with them.

At this moment, Augustus was joined by Raynor, Faraday, and Jack Haller, the latter of whom had changed into a grey-blue Revolutionary Army Navy uniform and wore a cap and badge with the insignia of a sash, a panda, and a hammer.

Augustus had to admit that Haller was the kind of person who looked righteous and dignified the moment he put on his uniform, and no one would have guessed that he was a traitor who thought about overthrowing the Confederacy all day long.

At some point, a list folder popped up on the main screen in front of Augustus.

That was the list of Ghost operative in Nova Squadron. As a Confederacy Navy squadron particularly skilled in special operations and covert infiltration, Nova Squadron had far more Ghost operative than other squadrons, which was why they were deployed to set up the Psi Emitter in Char.

Adding to the list of sixty-four Confederacy Ghost operative aboard the Nova Squadron flagship, the Nova Terra, which had already been reduced to scrap metal, Augustus was pleasantly surprised, as he believed these Psionics had greater value than simply being cold-blooded killers.

Augustus his finger across the list on the screen, flipping through the names and accompanying photos bit by bit.

They are all very young.

The oldest was only twenty-five, and the youngest was just seventeen. Every photo was a recent, updated image, showing people dressed in ghost uniforms or as officers, but without exception, not a single one of them had a smile on their face.

These Ghost operative are mostly pale-skinned, with cold or gloomy expressions. They are assassins, and have been told that this is how they were born.

"Once Dr. Francos begins removing the Psionics suppressors from their brains, these Ghost operative will not hesitate to side with us," Haller said as Augustus reviewed the list. "I can confirm that these Ghost operative deeply resent the Confederacy and the Ghost Academy that have forever changed their lives."

"Of these, how many can withstand the resurgence of their lost, tragic memories? We must be wary of the possibility that high-level Psionics might go out of control after the surgery. And not all Psionics agents are willing to trust a rebel organization that has only recently risen to prominence." Augustus held only the most cautious and minimal expectations for everything. He would be happy if two-thirds of the Ghost operative joined his revolutionary cause.

Of the 64 Ghost operative in the Nova Squadron, 53 had a PSI (Personal Syndrome Index) between 5 and 6. This means they met the minimum standard to become Ghost operative and possessed sensitive telepathic abilities, that is, the ability to read minds. However, this did not grant them any additional abilities.

Ten of them were Level 7 Psionics, clearly stronger than most Ghost operative, but still with limited abilities. Only one female Ghost operative with long black hair was a Level 8 Psionics, meaning she could not only read minds but also teleport and manipulate objects using psychic powers.

On those more progressive planets, she might be seen as a superhuman, but she could also be seen as a freak, ostracized or persecuted by her own kind.

Level 8 and above Psionics also have a certain chance to gain special abilities, such as Haller's mind control ability to briefly distort the minds of others, and some unique manifestations are more like magic, such as using a deadly Psionics shockwave or creating fire.

Augustus clicked on and began reading the female ghost's profile. The girl, with her beautiful, deep brown eyes, had a tragic childhood—abandoned by her parents in the Tarsonis slums for her strange behavior. A butcher raised her, but disappeared after the Ghost Program members found her.

Next, students learn weaponry and assassination skills at the Ghost Academy. The students are divided into two teams to compete against each other. It's like an army; only the strongest earn respect.

"This female ghost's equipment looks better and cooler than the others." Raynor was standing to Augustus's right.

"This proves she's the strongest among them." Augustus carefully examined her file. "She has no special abilities, but she once lost control, and forty-five people died in 'that accident,' while more than three hundred and seventy others went insane or developed mental illnesses as a result."

"This girl looks really cool," Raynor said. "People say you have a thing for female ghosts."

"Yes, hot, powerful, dangerous, and capable of killing you at any moment," Augustus warned Raynor.

"Colonel Haller, do you know this Ghost operative?" he asked Haller.

"In the past, I always tried to stay as far away as possible from the Psionics within the squadron, because they were likely to detect that I possessed Psionics," Haller said.

"I know her. Before Psionics suppressors and resocialization technology were created, this person killed two instructors. She is extremely dangerous," he said calmly.

"Until she was implanted with Psionics suppressor, she was considered a madwoman and a monster."

"In the very beginning, Ghost Academy was full of lunatics, big lunatics and little lunatics, some with obvious symptoms, some with subtle ones." Haller was still reminiscing about the past, but it was as if he was telling another story from the perspective of an observer.

"The situation is better now; at least it's like a real academy."

"She's dangerous," he added. "Generally, I would advise you to kill her outright. But she's a Psionics, and I just want all Psionics to be able to live like normal people."

"To eliminate any future trouble," Raynor said. "He's a ruthless character."

"You go and do this." Augustus handed the matter over to the newly surrendered Haller without hesitation. This was not a decision he made suddenly, because he always thought things through carefully.

At this moment, Augustus found himself suddenly missing the days when Kerrigan was by his side, and he suddenly couldn't tell who was depending on whom.

"It's good that you can trust me." Haller did not object.

"That's why I follow you, because you're willing to give Psionics a chance." He then said, "I've joined the revolution because I believe that humanity should live freely, freely choosing how they and their descendants should live. People can elect each government and leader according to democracy and freedom, and they also have the right to overthrow them."

"That doesn't sound like it would be difficult to do," Raynor said.

"I originally thought all Psionics were trained as Ghost operative at the Ghost Academy. How many Ghost operative like you are still outside the Confederacy's control?" Augustus asked Haller.

"As far as I know, there are quite a few, and they are all high-level Psionics," Haller replied after thinking for a moment. "Captain Buzan of the Chimera Pirates has several Ghost operative under his command, and some have become mercenaries or professional assassins. They can hardly reintegrate into normal life anymore."

"Chimera Pirates? I've heard those pirates are even scarier than private armies." This wasn't the first time Raynor had heard the name Chimera Pirates. In the Koprulu Sector, powerful mercenary organizations and space pirates were even capable of confronting government forces.

Just then, the lights on the Hyperion suddenly dimmed, and the Dark Templar Zeratul appeared in a cloud of mist.

Augustus and Raynor instinctively placed their hands on the electromagnetic pistols at their waists. Haller, not recognizing Zeratul, immediately stepped in front of Augustus, attempting to use his powerful Psionics to drive away the uninvited guest.

Haller's reaction was genuine; he truly wanted to protect Augustus. Like everyone who had met Augustus, Haller believed that this twenty-three-year-old man could bring about fundamental change to the corrupt Terran Confederacy.

"I am not your marshal's enemy." Zeratul raised one hand, indicating that he was not there to cause trouble.

"I said, please use the front door next time." Raynor straightened his forehead.

"Dark Templar must remain secretive," Zeratul replied. "I don't object to taking shortcuts if necessary."

"Fine, fine, you decide." Raynor shrugged.

"You must believe me, Augustus. I sensed something amiss with the Swarm in Char. I overheard the Overmind and the Cerebrate whispering beneath the lava. They're sending Swarm to a planet called Haj in search of a new Swarm agent," Zeratul, turning to Augustus.

"That world is about to be destroyed," he said.

"You have no time for grief; we must move forward."

See you in 2022.