Return to Antiga Prime

The combined Fleets marched solemnly toward Antiga Prime, its former main battlefield. It was now a massive Fleets, consisting of twelve Revolutionary Army Behemoth-class Battlecruiser and more than forty Protoss warships. Their entry into the subwarp state was magnificent and spectacular, their gleaming hulls shining brightly in the distorted warp field.

In February 2492, the combined Fleets finally arrived at the Antiga System after a long journey through hyperspace. Several months later, the star system had completely changed.

Antiga's orbit contains tens of thousands of space torpedoes and Mag Mines, forming a defensive ring thousands of miles long.

The force field barrier, comprised of hundreds of signal-enhancing Psi Disrupter, made the vicinity of Antiga Prime a region the Zerg avoided at all costs. No Cerebrate liked the feeling of being out of control once its swarm entered the Psi Disrupter's field. It was like controlling its swarm members in a high-ping posture, and they often ran amok.

Before the Zerg find a solution, Psi Disrupter are absolutely a powerful weapon against the Swarm. The Revolutionary Army's Xenomorph Research Labs' Psi Disrupter can cover an area up to 200 miles in the air and can maintain stable operation for a long time when powered by fusion cores.

Because the Zerg are avoiding Antiga Prime like the plague, and Antiga is located right in the center of the Zerg invasion battlefield, it is practically the only refuge for refugees. Every day, refugee ships from other Confederacy Edge World enter the Antiga system, seeking protection from the Korhal Revolutionary Army.

Initially, these refugee ships belonged to the Revolutionary Army. Later, other refugees fleeing their homes flocked to Antiga, including several colonies that had not yet been invaded by the Zerg but were already terrified of them.

More than a dozen interstellar ports are deployed along the same orbit to receive refugees from nearby planets. Thousands of small assault boats, interstellar fleas, transport ships and transport vessels are shuttling between the starports and planets, with hundreds of orange or blue thruster flames resembling dazzling starlight.

A shimmering, ice-blue space fortress rests in geosynchronous orbit around Antiga Prime, adjacent to one of the planet's moons. The magnificent Umojan fortress is brightly lit, every crimson flame emanating from its newly expanded framework and bulkheads.

A full twelve Revolutionary Army battlecruisers, painted in gold and red, were lined up in a row at the berth of the mobile base.

Two Hercules-class Battleship, originally serving in the Kel-Morian Combine, were sailing into the port side by side. Their mottled brown-black camouflage-like hulls resembled jagged rocks on a steep cliff, and the carrier-based fighter jets and assault boats flying towards these warships looked as if they were about to land on the surface of a planet.

Besides an unimaginable logistical foundation and industrial system, these facilities and massive Fleets also rely on massive financial support. Every year, the parliament of the Umojan Republic passes a bill to provide financial assistance to the Korhal Revolutionary Army, and Arcturus Mengsk, the founder of the "Imperial" Mining Company, is another major contributor.

This sum of money would have made Arcturus Mengsk incredibly wealthy, but he chose to use it all for the army building of his brother Augustus Mengsk. The Mengsk Family had long been strong supporters of Augustus's Revolutionary Army.

At this moment, the Hyperion had just exited the hyperspace passage and was located about four astronomical units away from Antiga Prime. Behind it were vortexes flashing with blue arcs of light, from which more magnificent human and Protoss warships were leaping out, as if they were leaping out of a vertical, shimmering mirror.

Augustus was walking from the ship's corridor toward the bridge of the Hyperion, adjusting the brim of his hat, which had been askew from the tremors of the hyperspace jump, as he walked. Behind him were Faraday and two Marshal Guard soldiers equipped with electromagnetic pistols.

"Antiga Prime is the only planet in this Koprulu Sector that is still completely under human control. The nearby colonies have either been completely overrun or are undergoing a major war and a desperate evacuation." Raynor emerged from a passageway on one side of the ship's corridor, followed by his first mate and the young apprentice sailor Matt Horner Matt Horner.

"While we were away from Antiga, Warfield was out putting out fires with the remaining Fleets," he Augustus. "He personally led his troops to the front lines of the battle against the Zerg and was hailed as a hero. Millions were saved, directly or indirectly, thanks to Warfield's rescue efforts."

"Warfield is an honest and upright man, meticulous in his work," Augustus said with a smile. "He is one of the most trustworthy people I know. Many are talented, even as capable as Warfield in command, but only he would fight on the front lines of the war against the alien races for what we call the 'just cause'."

"That's where Warfield me."

"You're always too modest. Warfield is reliable, and not as old and stubborn as Duke," Raynor added. "Warfield has his own principles, and you would never go against them. If someone said Tychus Finley was involved in sex-for-power deals and bribery, they wouldn't be making it up, but if you said that person was Warfield, I certainly wouldn't believe it."

"Old Tychus would be weeping if he heard this," Augustus laughed as he walked through the wide-open airlock of the bridge.

The bridge was brightly lit, where several technical sergeants and engineers with pliers at their waists were repairing cables or laying communication lines below deck. The central Holographic Projection screen showed Antiga Prime and its moons rotating against a starry background, with several space stations under construction surrounding dense alien formations and plasma turrets.

"Lieutenant, engage the port and prepare to enter." He ordered the navigator, who was sitting in the bridge command chair and the wheelhouse.

"Yes, Marshal."

On the screen, one side of Antiga Prime, is shrouded in night, with scattered lights surrounding several newly established metropolitan areas. The other side, facing the star, should be welcoming dawn, the almost blinding fireball leaping from the mountains and the revitalizing Stykoler Forest in the cool morning light.

"Steel Justice" is being docked.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Augustus." Warfield's dark and resolute face beamed with a smile. He was not yet old enough to be old, though his hair and beard were already showing streaks of white.

"You only took three ships with you, but now you've brought back twelve. Heh, you've got some serious talent, kid. When you first joined the army, I knew at a glance you were a promising talent, not a hothead like Jimmy Raynor."

"Our army is growing stronger and stronger," Augustus laughed.

"I'm listening, General." Raynor, dressed in a dark blue Revolutionary Army naval officer's uniform, walked to Augustus's right, the gold sash and five-pointed star on his hat brim gleaming in the bridge lights.

"Heh, no offense intended, Lieutenant General Raynor," Warfield chuckled.

"During your absence from Antiga, my men and the warriors of the Second Fleet, in the name of the Korhal Revolutionary Army and you, rushed to planet after planet invaded by the Zerg, saving countless lives."

"If we had a more powerful Fleets, we could save more people and more planets." Augustus walked toward the main screen so that Warfield could see his face clearly.

"It's the Protoss. I know they've formed a pact with you—" Warfield glanced at the radar map beside him, surprised by the size of the Protoss Fleets: "They seem to have more than we anticipated. I'm worried this might not be a good thing; so many alien warships outside the Revolutionary Army's control make me very uneasy."

"Don't worry, General," Augustus said, indicating to Warfield that there was no need to make a fuss. "They won't be here for long."

"See you on our port shuttle platform."

In an instant, more Protoss warships emerged from the spacetime vortex, each one resembling an exquisite work of art. While all were equally magnificent, their artistic styles differed. Some were golden-blue, like bright stars, while others were dark black, their hulls adorned with brilliant green crystals.

The Hyperion sailed toward a large shipyard built by the Yumo construction company, employing a large number of refugees as workers. This shipyard, named Antiga Orbital Shipyard, was less than one-tenth the size of the Dylarian Shipyards, but it was still able to build six standard-sized Behemoth-class Battlecruiser within a year after its completion.

Guided by the beam of light, the Hyperion slowly entered the harbor inside the Antiga Shipyards, waiting for the movable berthing platforms on both sides to converge and deploy the steel towers that would secure the battlecruiser, placing the entire battlecruiser within a stable frame structure.

A retractable passageway connects to the Hyperion's port, maintaining stable air pressure and oxygen levels within it, allowing personnel on the warships to directly access the shipyard through this passageway.

The Antiga Shipyards was still under construction, with thousands of workers in exoskeletons and construction robots welding alloy shells onto the steel frame. The sparks from the welding flickered, and even Augustus found the shimmering light exceptionally beautiful.

Antiga has now taken in nearly ten million refugees from three nearby colonies displaced by the Zerg invasion. Among them are many resilient and talented farmers, architects, workers, and skilled craftsmen and leaders from all walks of life who volunteer to build and defend their new home. Those without other skills volunteer to serve as reserve militia or enlist in the army.

As the Hyperion came to a stop, Augustus entered the Augustus Antiga Shipyards's berthing area through the hatch. A mile-long steel-framed alloy dome stretched overhead, its top brightly lit. In the distance, engineering elevators and walkways were rising and falling, and trains carrying raw materials and refined crystal ore were traveling along a suspended track that circled the entire shipyard's foundation, like a winding dragon.

Two rows of the Revolutionary Army soldiers in dark blue uniforms, carrying Gauss Rifle, stood on either side of the exit. General Warfield, Lieutenant General Londerstein Harnack Hank, Major General Rick Kydd, and Colonel Ilya Kulovsky stood at attention and saluted Augustus.

As Augustus returned their salute, he spotted a striking figure among them— Sarah Kerrigan, dressed in a wide-collared, belted military uniform and wearing a ship's cap. At that moment, Augustus felt a sudden sense of relief; Kerrigan hadn't turned into the green-skinned, snake-haired Queen of Blades he remembered.

"You have made outstanding contributions, General." Augustus shook hands firmly with Warfield, noticing several new scars on the other's face.

"I was bitten in Abaddon by a Jormungand Hydralisk hiding underground; it cut off half of my finger," Warfield chuckled, patting Augustus on the strong shoulder as he hugged him.

"You are no longer a rookie in the Turaxis II recruit training camp, Augustus. You are now the well-deserved revolutionary leader. So many people are watching you; you are a role model for millions of young people."

"Boss, the days of being chased around by the Confederacy Fleets are over," Harnack Augustus.

"The elites of Tarsonis are too preoccupied with the Zerg invasion to care about the poor people on the Edge World, while we're still rescuing people from the vast Zerg sea," Rick Kydd said.

"Sir, I heard you were racing Vulture in Char? I'm glad you didn't fall into the lava," Kulovsky said as Augustus looked at him.

Augustus watched with satisfaction as the once-naive faces of the first squad of the second platoon of Company D grew increasingly resolute, their eyes always fixed firmly ahead rather than looking left or right.

Harnack's scars became more and more numerous, to the point that he began to cover them with demonic tattoos that developed from them. Every time Augustus saw Harnack, his hairstyle was different, but always quite striking. This time, Harnack's red hair had turned into fixed spikes, making him look like a hedgehog.

This is typical of Harnack; he's always been a troublemaker.

When Augustus turned to Kerrigan, for the first time, and only temporarily, he thanked God for his favor. Kerrigan, with her fiery red ponytail, stood before Augustus, tall, fit, and voluptuous, elegant and charming—but also deadly enough.

Sarah Kerrigan is an extremely powerful Psionics, and when facing enemies, she is also a venomous red spider.

Kerrigan was a stunning figure; her long, fiery red hair, like satin, shimmered under the lights.

"It feels like centuries since I last saw you, Augustus." Kerrigan out and grasped Augustus's right hand with both of hers, then looked up and lightly touched his tightly pursed lips with her full red lips.

"I'm right here, Sarah." Augustus embraced Kerrigan, but didn't linger in her softness for long. He knew this night would be sleepless, and he was nothing more than a small boat with sails in a storm.

"I can never lose you, not the Confederacy, not the Overmind, not anyone."

I'm planning to rent a place on my own soon; I have a lot to take care of.