A Talk Between Brothers

"Suitors?" A flash of bruised and battered young nobles from Korhal crossed Augustus's mind. "They all deserve to rot in hell."

As Augustus spoke, a scene surfaced in his mind. At Dorothy's sixteenth birthday banquet, half of Sterling's socialites had attended the grand event, their sons and daughters dressed to the nines.

The number of nobles clutching flowers, hoping for a glimpse of Dorothy, could have stretched from the Mengsk Sky Tower all the way to the gates of the Palatine Council Hall. From newly-come-of-age young heirs to the youngest senators of Korhal, everyone had been blocked from Dorothy's sight by Augustus and his father.

Regardless of gender, age, or status, everyone wanted to share a dance with the star of the birthday banquet, Miss Dorothy—yet in the end, the only one who danced with her was Augustus.

"Dorothy is still young; she doesn't understand the ugly, dark hearts of those bloated, swinish noble scumbags." Arcturus picked up a cup of black tea from the table, took a sip, and added without a hint of malice: "Those inbred freaks make me sick. They only know politics, power, and transactional relationships, planning to bind their families to the Mengsk clan through a political marriage."

"As long as we are alive, Dorothy will never become a sacrifice to politics and power."

"She must always be happy."

"You really should go home and see Dorothy; she is no longer the little girl in your memories." Augustus smiled and said, "Dorothy has a strong sense of self, much like Mother. She loves reading—economics, politics, classical culture, even the epic history of the galaxy. In terms of corporate management and strategic decision-making, the talent Dorothy has shown is far greater than yours or mine."

"Dorothy is the one who should inherit the Mengsk family, while we only think of escaping Father's control to explore the unknown worlds above the star sea or build great achievements in the military." Arcturus pointed at himself and then at Augustus: "But I also worry that Dorothy will face too much pressure; she is, after all, just a girl."

"If that is the case, I think I will go back to help her." Augustus voiced his true thoughts; compared to the battlefield, he preferred staying in the safety of Korhal.

Arcturus was clearly taken aback; this was not the Augustus he remembered. In the nearly ten years since Arcturus had joined the military, Augustus had written to him with such high frequency—three letters a month—that his inbox was perpetually overflowing with unread mail.

In these letters, Augustus had invariably expressed his longing for his brother's dashing and free military life, complaining about their father's tyranny and the boredom and misery of being trapped under the small patch of blue sky on Korhal.

The young Augustus had yearned to become a marshal who could lead the Interstellar Marine Corps on adventures, establish colonies, and battle exotic alien creatures.

Augustus had sworn no fewer than ten times that once he could escape his father's control and leave Korhal, he would never return. And although Arcturus had explained to Augustus countless times that the life of a Marine was actually extremely dull and monotonous, Augustus had never changed his mind.

"No matter what, I will always support you." Arcturus nodded and said.

Even so, Arcturus was pleased by Augustus's change. Because no matter how much he believed in his brother's abilities, he could not guarantee that Augustus would remain unscathed on the battlefield. Selfishly speaking, Arcturus would rather his younger brother and sister stay in an absolutely safe place than see them break their young wings for the sake of a dream.

"But I am still very worried." Arcturus's tightly furrowed brows revealed his inner anxiety: "You know what that bastard Angus is doing. He dreams of overthrowing the Terran Confederacy government, and he is putting it into practice."

"With the secret funding of the Umojan Protectorate, the rebel armed forces controlled by Angus have destroyed so many frontier colony outposts and factories, and incited so many protests and demonstrations in the last few years, that the Confederate Senate on Tarsonis is terrified."

"What exactly does he want to do? If this continues, a full-scale war between Korhal IV and the Confederate government on Tarsonis is only a matter of time. The Confederate Senate will never sit by and watch Korhal slip out of their control. Once they admit that one planet can declare independence from the sole government, others will follow suit."

"At that point, the Confederate government will dispatch the Marine Corps. Perhaps Korhal can hold out for a while with Umojan's help. But the Confederate Senate still has a massive fleet; they can destroy the entire planet's defenses from high orbit," Arcturus said.

"Angus has never considered that if he fails, his family will be sent to the guillotine. Angus is playing with fire and will burn himself. When his rebel organization targets military facilities and companies held by the founding families of Tarsonis, how many innocent people have lost their lives because of his 'justice'? Do those workers, those ordinary soldiers, really deserve to die?"

"I don't care about Angus and his revolutionary cause; regardless of the outcome, he deserves his fate. But what about Dorothy and Mother? We cannot lose them."

"I will try my best to persuade Father." Augustus did not sound very confident in his own words.

"You cannot persuade a stubborn old wolf." Arcturus snorted.

Augustus sighed softly, and both fell silent, both seemingly feeling the weight of Old Mengsk's stubbornness.

After a while, Arcturus skipped over the topic and spoke of his own plans: "Augustus, I will likely retire early before the war ends, perhaps early next year, or perhaps this year. Before that, I hope you can become an officer."

"Why?" Augustus looked at Arcturus. Having been promoted to Colonel during the Guild Wars, it was a foregone conclusion that Arcturus would become a General once the war ended; his medals and honors exceeded what others earned in a lifetime. After the war was won, glory, fame, power, and wealth would all follow.

"I am tired of this life," Arcturus admitted: "The freshness and excitement the Marine Corps brought me have long since worn off. Now, I want to pick up my original dream and become an interstellar adventurer and prospector."

"I already have some startup capital. Of course, not from Angus. I have planned to purchase mineral layer magnetic resonance displays, drills, space engineering vehicles, and a starship. I also plan to hire some hands, though I will need a loan for that. Then, I estimate it will take me several to a dozen years to find a crystal vein rich enough to make me a tycoon."

Augustus immediately wore a look of astonishment. He remembered that his brother was the Emperor who would eventually overthrow the Terran Confederacy and establish the Terran Empire. In the game, the founder of the Terran Empire, Arcturus Mengsk, was an interstellar hegemon, a seasoned and ruthless politician and conspirator.

And now, the future Emperor of the Empire was telling his younger brother that he was not interested in any of that and just wanted to wear a hard hat and go mining.

"If the funds are not enough, go to Mother." Augustus quickly accepted this reality.

"No, I want to prove that we can do well without relying on the power of the family," Arcturus said.

"..." Augustus remained silent.

Due to his rebellious psychology toward his father, Arcturus at this time absolutely loathed revolution and politics. He only wanted to go on adventures, become a wealthy mine owner by prospecting for new veins in the unknown fringes of the universe, and become rich through his own efforts rather than by inheriting the industry of his father and family.

"When I am not by your side, be careful of those with ulterior motives." After a moment of silence, Arcturus said earnestly to Augustus: "Except for the members of the Mengsk family, except for ourselves, no one is worth our trust."

"You are a wolf of the Mengsk family; you must be cold and ruthless."

Augustus nodded seriously.

"Oh, almost forgot, get your people ready quickly, but do not mention this to anyone else," Arcturus said finally: "After tomorrow, the 6th Operation Plan of the Turaxis Army and Marine Corps High Command will no longer be a secret—we are going to launch a full-scale offensive against the Kel-Morians on the other side of the Pride of Boke, forcing them into a decisive battle here."

Thanks to Yamato vs Leviathan, Agent Rongrong, Kanxiazai, and Dazhou Qiziche for the tips. Thanks to Liuxi Tang, Yamato vs Leviathan, Agent Rongrong, Dazhou Qiziche, and Glory to the Eldest Son for the monthly tickets. Thank you for the support!

Honestly, the first day's performance wasn't great; it's a bit disheartening.