Lawless Land

Altera is the opposite of warm and pleasant places like Tarsonis. It is a rocky planet with dangerous fissures and canyons on its surface, and its atmosphere is filled with red dust, which looks like an ugly film of oil covering its surface.

This isolated planet is nothing more than an inconspicuous red dot on the star map, off the interstellar route, closed off and isolated, and the locals rarely interact with people from other Confederacy colonies.

Most of the population of the Northern Hemisphere is concentrated in a town called "Oasis," where all sorts of people can be found.

People from all walks of life, those harboring malicious intentions, or pitiful people who have fallen on hard times and ended up here.

Criminals temporarily detained in Altera and prepared to be transported to the Noris VI Resocialization Center, fugitives, wanted criminals, smugglers, thieves, beggars, and fraudsters —Altera is a place even more chaotic and disorderly than the Deadman's Port. Even the most hopeless human scum in the universe would want to come here for a share of the spoils.

Dark and gloomy, claustrophobic and oppressive.

This was Augustus's first impression upon setting foot on the land of Altera. The distant Oasis Town was shrouded in a red mist, within which towering, four-sided pillars formed a crowded and chaotic central settlement, with numerous single-story buildings constructed of awnings, corrugated iron sheets, and prefabricated panels extending outwards from this central point.

Augustus stood with one foot on a gray rock, observing the surroundings of the landing site through his telescope. But soon a gust of wind smeared a handful of reddish soil onto Augustus's armor and telescope. This sticky soil embedded itself firmly in the gaps between the telescope barrel and the Power Armor, as sticky as chewing gum.

A beam of bright white light shone through the swirling red dust behind Augustus, and a 16-foot (4.8-meter) tall bipedal steel Giant strode forward across the rocky, crater-filled land of Altera, its footsteps thundering across the ground.

That was a walking mech modified from a T-280 Tarsonis SCV. It was a prototype heavy walking mech designed and developed by the Revolutionary Army's chief engineer Rory, at Augustus's behest. It was made of new alloy steel and ceramic steel, which was strong enough to withstand the sharp teeth and claws of the Zerg. Its purpose was to provide powerful anti-armor and anti-vehicle fire support as a heavy mech.

This mech was still far from the Warhound mech (seven meters tall) that Augustus later desired. The Revolutionary Army simply used the technology they had to build a larger SCV with multiple engines. It was equipped with battlecruiser-level ship armor, heavy cannons, and missile launchers, making it incredibly powerful. Similar modifications were not uncommon in many regions of the Terran Confederacy.

However, the modified SCV also requires more high-energy gas fuel—making its maintenance costs exorbitantly high, many times that of a regular SCV. Furthermore, as it is a mecha that has not yet been modularly mass-produced, all its components must be custom-made and cannot be replaced by ordinary engineering vehicles.

This means that if it is severely damaged on the battlefield, engineers simply cannot repair it immediately. It is also too heavy, and once it breaks down or is destroyed, recovery would require a much greater effort.

"Whoa-hoa-this is awesome! For damn justice, for Augustus! Forward! Watch me chew gum and teach those bugs a lesson!"

Augustus could clearly hear Tychus Finley's shouts in the communication channel from inside the walking mech's cockpit; the latter was as happy as a child who had received a new toy.

Tychus strode forward in the massive mech known as the Warhound I, each step leaving a huge footprint in the ground. The mech's legs were designed for the rugged surface of the planet, while another Revolutionary Army engineering masterpiece in the experimental stage adopted a tracked design.

"What's wrong with Tychus? Since he boarded this mech, he's already uttered four sentences of nonsense in the time it takes me to say one sentence." Renault watched as Tychus's giant mech plunged into the red mist ahead, followed closely by two Revolutionary Army Goliath armed robots and a Marine Corps assault company.

"That's precisely what makes Tychus so endearing," Augustus said, raising one hand to brush the red dust off his helmet visor.

"Cute—I never thought that word would be associated with Tychus." Raynor said, inspecting his Gauss Rifle and finding it stained red by Altera.

"I hope this mech is worth the price." Augustus looked at Tychus as he walked away. "Its cost is equivalent to three Arclite Siege Tank."

"At least it can help Tychus release his excessive energy," Raynor was saying when he suddenly received a report from Raynor's Raiders scout in his helmet, "Zerg have appeared to the southwest, about 17 miles from us, numbering over 20,000, and are expected to arrive at the Altera Oasis Town in 20 minutes."

"Full speed ahead, we're almost there!" Augustus immediately ordered over the communication channel. "Beware of Zerg and locals that may appear at any time."

After saying that Augustus climbed over a huge rock and followed a Revolutionary Army company wearing CMC-300 Power Armor and carrying single-barreled rockets towards the oasis town less than a mile away.

These soldiers were accompanied by small, spider-like robots, each about the size of a dog. These robots consisted of mechanical appendages and sensors equipped with numerous sophisticated sensors, and each had a red-glowing mechanical compound eye on its head to observe the surrounding terrain. These spider robots were the latest upgraded version of the Spider Mine, designed by the Revolutionary Army engineer Viktor Kaczynski. They were equipped with Umojan's cutting-edge AI and would explore dangerous areas or bury them underground at designated locations, acting as elusive landmines.

Despite Viktor's claim that the robot could act as a bodyguard and pet, it seems no one dares to do so.

As several gunshots rang out ahead, the Oasis Town, teetering in a red whirlwind, drew ever closer to Augustus's view. At first glance, the Oasis Town was almost indistinguishable from the Tarsonis slums that Augustus had seen before. The architectural styles of the houses varied greatly, their designs seemingly entirely left to the discretion of those who built them.

Most were flat-roofed wooden houses with slightly sloping roofs, while others were built as towers to monitor the distance and neighbors. Some were sturdy buildings constructed of rock or even steel plates, while others were simple prefabricated houses and shacks that would collapse in a gust of wind.

Tychus's Warhound I mech was parked on the only old, dilapidated road in Oasis Town, paved with slag and stones. The words on the road signs were blurred and illegible, with only fragments of the English letters "Welcome to the Oasis" visible. In addition, various people had written in terrible handwriting things like "Get out Umojan," "You whore," "There are no mentally ill children here," and "Screaming skulls," which were all meaningless.

The entrance to the road leading to the center of Oasis Town had been fortified with simple fortifications—mostly stone and metal scraps—followed by dozens of fully armed Oasis Town residents.

Because of the dust and high-energy gas enriched in Altera's atmosphere, the heat projected by the star onto the surface is difficult to dissipate, making it a rather hot planet. The residents of Oasis Town all wear breathable plaid shirts and vests, and some even wear only shorts to cover their bodies.

If the Mara Sara people are already a model of martial virtue and fierce spirit in the Edge World of the Terran Confederacy, then the Altera people are even more ferocious. The former are descendants of soldiers and miners, while the Altera are home to the most incorrigible scum and criminals in the entire Terran Confederacy.

In a sense, Altera is closer to the image the Confederacy portrays of the Korhal Revolutionary Army: a synonym for terrorists, rife with violence and killing, deception and betrayal.

Altera is closer to hell than Mara Sara, a place teeming with criminals and spies. It is said that the Umojan, Kel-Morian, and even Earthlings have been trying to seize this resource-rich world.

"Confederacy Army? You're not welcome here." A burly man with bright blue hair stood on their makeshift fortifications, his face, exposed above his vest, covered in purplish-black tattoos. The Altera people's first reaction wasn't that these soldiers had come to their rescue, but rather that they saw them as a troublesome threat, just like the Zerg.

Despite their poor clothing, and some even appearing emaciated, almost every one of them was armed, possessing everything from electro-pulse grenades and Electromagnetic Rifle to electromagnetic rifles and even anti-tank rocket launchers. Each of them had a bullet belt made of green camouflage canvas slung over their shoulder.

"Damn it, open your eyes and take a good look. Who are we? We are the Revolutionary Army!" Tychus turned on the mecha's external speaker.

"Revolutionary Army? The Revolutionary Army won't do either." The man's momentum faltered when he caught sight of an entire company slowly emerging behind Tychus. He wasn't afraid of pirates and criminals, but he couldn't stand up to an entire army.

He had heard rumors that the Revolutionary Army had supported several Confederacy colonies besieged by Zerg, but he didn't believe they were really that great. People who would sacrifice themselves for righteousness or die for others simply couldn't exist.

"I advise you to take back what you just said, or I'll blast you out of the water right now." Tychus cursed as he lifted a railgun that had been removed from the Rattlesnake Tank from the right arm of the Warhound I. Swann had specially installed a cold fusion battery to power this weapon.

"Shut up, Tychus. We're here to help the people here. Don't get me wrong, you're neither a robber nor a bandit." Augustus emerged from the enormous shadow of the Warhound I, and a Marshal Guard soldier planted a fluttering flag beside him.

"The Confederacy said the same thing last time." The man's anger gave him the courage to face hundreds of Gauss Rifle: "They said there were Kel-Morian spies here, that they had kidnapped a lot of people, and that they even blew up the oil refinery to the west."

"We're not the Confederacy," Augustus said patiently. "There's no time for small talk now. The Zerg are approaching the city. If you don't make way, the artillery will clear the way."

"I didn't say you couldn't go in." The blue-haired man conceded, not bothering to check if Augustus's soldiers would shoot him in the head. Under his command, a large bulldozer cleared a gap in the obstructions at the intersection, Tychus snorted and drove his Warwolf I Mech inside.

"You're very polite," Raynor said, waving the soldiers forward.

"Jimmy, you're right, I always try to be courteous first, then resort to force." Augustus said with relief, "Luckily, we were the ones who arrived here first, not the Zerg."

"What do you do?"

As the soldiers behind him ran into the heart of the Oasis Town, Augustus found the man with the blue-dyed hair.

"My name is Forseti, and I'm a gas can filler," the man replied.

"A cannery worker?" Augustus quite believe what he was saying.

Augustus seen a worker like this before. His hands, covered in tattoos, were riddled with needle marks from the injection of strengthening agents. Most importantly, his hands lacked thick calluses. Anyone who could rise to the top in a place like Altera couldn't be simple; apart from those at the very bottom, no one had a clean past.

"Sarah." Augustus glanced around, and a slender, red-haired Ghost operative appeared beside him.

"He wasn't lying—except for the part where he's now called Forseti. But that's just one of a dozen or so aliases he's used."

With the aid of the Ghost Suit, Kerrigan was strong enough to lift Gauss Rifle with one hand and rest the butt on her shoulder. She used her other hand to wipe the red dust off her goggles before tucking them into her broad waistband.

"Before Angus Mengsk, Augustus Mengsk, and Arcturus Mengsk topped the wanted list, he was a notorious arms thief—for selling weapons from the Torus Armory (Torus, Warfield called Toros hero in Wings of Liberty) worth hundreds of millions, which nearly made the Blueback Family jump off their buildings in anger," Kerrigan said coldly.

"Colonel Horace"

"He's a hero." Augustus laughed heartily upon hearing that the Old Families had been humiliated.

"Tychus has always wanted to do this."

"A mind reader. Damn it." Horace, whom Kerrigan referring to, had a livid face, as if he had suffered at the hands of a mind reader.

Just then, a beam of intense light ripped across the sky, followed by a tremor and an explosion, raising a cloud of ash composed of dust and debris on the horizon. It wasn't until several seconds later that the intense light that tore through the sky finally dissipated.

"A controlled orbital bombardment." Augustus repeated what Tassadar had assured him, "The target is the Zerg main hive on the surface of Altera."

"The Templar Knights of Tassadar and the Dark Templar of Zeratul will also be landing on this planet, their target being the Cerebrate Yack of the Jormungand Brood."

"I bet they won't find Yarck on Altera unless its brain is full of dung," Raynor said.

"Those aliens are going to blow up Altera?" Horace's face turned even paler. If the Zerg hadn't arrived so suddenly, he would have already run away.

"Don't worry, I bet they won't," Augustus said softly.

Horace's face had turned from pale to black, Augustus what guarantee the Protoss wouldn't do it.

I'm a bit busy today, and I'm even unable to organize and post the drafts before 8 o'clock...

Thank you for your votes!