Arcturus Mengsk

Chapter 33: Arcturus Mengsk

The skyscraper serving as the temporary headquarters for the 33rd Ground Assault Division once belonged to the UNN Global News Network. Where nearly a thousand people had once worked in this soaring edifice, it now stood desolate and silent, like a ghost town.

The elevators in the UNN branch building had long since ceased operation, leaving Augustus and Warfield no choice but to climb the stairs to the 42nd floor. This couldn't help but make Augustus wonder if his older brother possessed some sort of twisted sense of humor.

After dutifully climbing the stairs, Augustus finally reached the top floor. Judging by the signage that had yet to be removed, this entire level had been the offices for the local station's editors-in-chief. The guards at the stairwell entrance only allowed them to pass after checking their ID cards and completing a retinal scan.

There were no guards stationed at the door to the division commander's office, which was adorned with an oil painting of a lion. Arcturus had always been fond of this Earth creature that existed only in literature and media, and he had long harbored a desire to one day conquer such a majestic beast.

Warfield carefully checked that his uniform was neat and smooth before knocking on the door with solemnity.

"Come in." Arcturus's voice was much like Augustus's; most of the time, it possessed an indescribable magnetism—gentle and composed—that could make one feel an instant sense of intimacy.

"Are you not coming in?" Augustus asked, watching Warfield step aside.

"This is a private conversation between the two of you," Warfield said sternly.

...Fine, Augustus thought. If you weren't planning on seeing Arcturus, why bother meticulously smoothing out every wrinkle on your uniform?

When Augustus pushed the door open and entered, his brother, Arcturus Mengsk, was standing with his back to him, gazing out of a massive glass window at the Pride of Boke in the darkness. Arcturus was draped in a dark brown officer's coat, the shoulders adorned with heavy, tasseled brass epaulets.

Although the office was a temporary setup, its furnishings made it immediately apparent that this was the dwelling of an aristocrat. Arcturus's desk was crafted from expensive Chau Sara Sunwood; the surface, which retained the natural grain of the wood, was finished with only a thin layer of anti-corrosive, moisture-proof varnish, revealing countless small, sun-like patterns that clustered together in stunning beauty.

Piles of documents and books covered the desk, and Augustus noticed the only framed photograph standing upright: a picture of Arcturus at twenty with himself, their younger sister Dorothy, and their mother.

For a moment, Augustus didn't even recognize himself in the photo, because standing between their mother and brother were two little girls with silver twin-tails and white dresses who looked remarkably alike.

Augustus mused that he would have to destroy this photograph one day.

The tile floor was covered by a carpet embroidered with gold thread, depicting a star map of the Terran Confederacy's territory within the Koprulu Sector.

Beside the desk stood two gene-locked liquor cabinets filled with wines, whiskeys, and ales produced from the Confederacy's core worlds, the Dominion, and the fringe planets—a clear testament to the Mengsk family's consistent penchant for alcoholic beverages.

The wall opposite the office chair was covered in beast skulls and hunting rifles, while the other wall featured a solitary oil portrait of Augustus's mother, Katherine Mengsk.

This was a 25th-century artist's rendition of Katherine, utilizing the artistic style of the Renaissance from ancient Earth. The artist seemed to have drawn inspiration from paintings of the Virgin Mary, depicting Katherine in a red evening gown as someone incredibly holy and radiant.

"Augustus, my brother. Come here, let me look at you." Hearing the door open, Arcturus turned immediately, his face—with lines as sharp as if carved by a sculptor—beaming with a genuine smile.

Augustus felt that his brother's smile was entirely sincere, even though Arcturus himself had never admitted as much; the habits and conduct his father had instilled in him as a politician had repeatedly influenced him. People always said that politicians wore a thousand different masks, and for Arcturus, that was entirely accurate.

Thus, Augustus relaxed his tense shoulders, assuming an unguarded posture as he walked toward Arcturus—just as he had in the memories of the past.

"I heard that on your first day after graduating from boot camp, you defeated a squad of Kel-Morian Assault Cavalry." Arcturus was taller than Augustus, and compared to Augustus, who had just turned eighteen, his twenty-eight-year-old brother's shoulders were broader. Colonel Arcturus was a man with a spine as straight and solid as steel; when he looked at others with his calm gaze, he possessed an inherent, commanding pressure.

"Haha, guess what I told the staff officer who reported this to me? I said that's exactly how a Mengsk should be!" As he spoke, Arcturus patted Augustus's shoulder firmly, looking on with satisfaction as Augustus stood as immovable as an iron tower in the wind.

"My luck is always good," Augustus said with a laugh. "Those Kel-Morians just happened to stumble into our rest area."

"Then I must admit, your luck is truly unbelievable." Arcturus's cold gray eyes were bright, as if shimmering with light. Since joining the military, he hadn't returned to Korhal to see his family in seven or eight years. Even when he did, it was only through brief, cross-galactic video calls where the signal was always unstable.

Only on rare occasions, when the supply fleets traveling between Char, Sigma, and Tarsonis every two years brought supplies to the fringe systems, would they deliver letters from home, recent photos of family, and quarantined local specialties to the soldiers. Arcturus's father, Angus, never wrote to him; only Katherine and his younger siblings always sent gifts and letters to the eldest son.

When he was young, Augustus had idolized his soldier brother, revering him as a hero in his heart.

Although he had become increasingly rebellious as he grew up, he still sent his brother local specialties year after year, such as cold weapons forged by the Sterling Master Craftsman Association for nobles and the wealthy, or Monarch No. 7 whiskey produced in Pasha, the central city of the Korhal IV subcontinent. Augustus would always ask about Arcturus's military life in his emails, yearning for exciting adventures and glorious, legendary tales.

Yet, Arcturus's most recent impression of his brother was still of Augustus at fourteen.

Back then, Augustus had been the image of a rebellious youth, wearing his hair long in a ponytail, with pierced ears and tattoos.

In the end, Angus had personally dragged Augustus to the best laser plastic surgery clinic in Sterling to repair his earlobes and remove the tattoos. The most advanced laser cosmetic technology at the time could perform the procedure without leaving scars or side effects, so no one could tell that Augustus had ever left any marks on his ears.

Only Augustus's hair had been spared in the end, though he soon cut it off himself because people kept mistaking him for a girl.

Arcturus was pleased that the Augustus of today had shed the impetuousness of his youth and become steady and self-possessed; he had been quite worried about his younger brother.

"How is Mother?" Arcturus pulled over two chairs to sit with Augustus, chatting about family matters as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Mother is well," Augustus said. "After Dorothy turned sixteen, Mother took the lead in establishing over a dozen charitable foundations and orphanages in Sterling. Mother is highly respected on Korhal; she is busy every day, but she finds it fulfilling."

"And Dorothy? She doesn't write to me anymore," Arcturus nodded, but then said with a touch of sadness.

"Her schedule at the academy is always packed. Besides classes, she has to study etiquette, dance, and courtly swordsmanship," Augustus said. "Dorothy is a grown woman now; she is as beautiful and charming as Mother."

"Yes, Dorothy has grown up..." Arcturus paused and said.

When Arcturus was still in school on Korhal, Dorothy and Augustus were just little children who would climb onto his lap to play.

"Does she have many suitors?"