Yamato Cannon

The planet Gystt, now Zerg hive world, was reduced to a massive, slowly cooling rock by the Tassadar Protoss Fleets. The massive combined human and Protoss Fleets then changed course and headed towards Halsen, Edge World of the Confederacy.

To date, starting from the core world of Vardona, the Allied Fleets has traversed half of the Terran Confederacy's territory, witnessing the mass exodus and eventual annihilation of more than a dozen colonies.

The Fleets also destroyed or drove away the Swarm Behemoth and Leviathan Fleets human territory, buying precious time for the colonists to evacuate.

A rumor about a massive savior Fleets circulates in many Edge World —they always arrive just in time to save people from dire straits when a world is in its most critical moment.

But unless they see it with their own eyes, few would believe such a rumor that a Fleets of humans and Protoss is healing the wounded in the Koprulu Sector; it's like hearing that cats and mice are working together.

The flagship Hyperion, where Augustus stationed, also entered an unbearable hyperspace jump state. In addition to enduring insomnia caused by the time-space shift, the crew members still had to carry out the maintenance work and training on the warship as usual.

In addition to the crew, the Hyperion also carried two battalions of the Guard Division in preparation for a possible amphibious landing. Some newly recruited soldiers were also trained on the warship to ensure they could be deployed to the battlefield as soon as possible.

Carolina Davis, who had just Korhal Revolutionary Army, was also among them. Along with her were some new recruits from the Antiga Prime of Haj and Antiga, as well as some refugees picked up by the Revolutionary Army Fleets en route.

According to the recruit instructors who spoke to Augustus, Carolina Davis had demonstrated exceptional talent from the very beginning, behaving far beyond that of a pampered noblewoman. Augustus, in turn, offered his assessment in the document. "We shall see; Carolina Davis's military achievements will extend far beyond this."

At 2 PM shiptime, Augustus left the captain's cabin and headed to the Hyperion's armory for an inspection. Only Sarah Kerrigan and Jim Raynor accompanied him, while Captain Faraday was ordered to the ship's technology laboratory to deal with an accident caused by an experiment. Young apprentice Egon Stetmann had accidentally blown up the pancreas of Explosive Infested.

As Augustus entered the armory with Kerrigan and the others, Swann was welding a brand-new model of Power Armor with Hiram Fick, a former Heaven's Devils. This new Power Armor looked somewhat similar to the Firebat armor, with a thick layer of high-strength steel plating that made it appear even taller.

The Hyperion was once a battlecruiser of the Terran Confederacy Navy that crashed due to a navigation system malfunction. Most of its internal facilities remain as they were before—old but sturdy and reliable.

The armory's dome leads directly to the upper platform, and walls welded with thick pipes connect to fans and cables. Every now and then, lifting platforms descend from above with the clatter of cable winches. The cables are made by alloying Mar- Sara industrial catalytic elements, making them harder than diamonds, and are often used to tow anchored space cargo ships.

Some spider-like intelligent machines, not much larger than puppies and with blade-like alloy appendages, were walking around on the metal deck like patrolling Sentinel. They were the creations of Viktor Kaczynski, the second engineer of the Revolutionary Army, and they looked very lively and active. Augustus even saw two spider-like robots fighting when he came in.

The armory's wall facing space has a porthole that takes up the entire wall, leading directly to the dark spacetime tunnel. Within that tunnel, the dimensions of time and space are indistinguishable.

The huge armory was filled with all sorts of square spare parts supply boxes, spare parts, and some damaged vehicles and small warplanes. Revolutionary Army engineers and technicians in dark gray and bright orange uniforms were moving around, busy repairing damaged machinery or checking the inventory of supplies.

Because they are always busy, the engineers can't keep their uniforms as neat as the professional soldiers of the Revolutionary Army's Alpha Squadron or Nova Squadron. Their clothes and overalls are either crooked or covered in grease.

The Revolutionary Army's engineers came from all over the world— Korhal IV, Cha Sara, Ma Sara, Umojan, Moria, Deadman's Port, and Haj. Most of them were no longer young, and many had graying temples.

Among these engineers were technical experts who had been hired by the Korhal IV foundry, and chief engineers who had served on a long-range trading starship. There were high-achieving students with senior engineer certificates, as well as skilled workers who had worked for many years as plumbers on space stations or in shipyards.

Young people were also a common sight in the Revolutionary Army's engineering corps. Some were college graduates from mechanical engineering departments, while others were mechanics who had not received higher education but had been working in the filth and oil of factories since childhood.

Without exception, these people chose to respond to Augustus Mengsk's call and dedicate themselves to this glorious and great cause.

"Hey guys, our unparalleled, brilliant, and mighty Augustus Mengsk, the beacon of the Terran, is back! Salute to you, leader!" The chief engineer Rory Swann, with his thick beard, raised his wrench to Augustus, and the engineers and soldiers saluted in return.

Next to Swann was a Vulture with a skull and flame symbol on its windshield, which was clearly Harnack Hank's "ride".

The Revolutionary Army's chief engineer had always been critical of these unruly, high-flying hovercrafts. Perhaps the mining families of the Kel-Morian Combine preferred reliable and stable machinery. Swann was quite satisfied with the new weapon, the Rattlesnake Tank, believing it to be a tank that could shine on the battlefield of the future.

"We salute you," others said as well.

"The pressure is increasing." Augustus walked up to Swann and leaned against the control panel high above the ground in the machine bay.

"How are the people of Gystt? I heard that some of them escaped before the insects defeated the militia there," Hiram Fick asked Augustus.

"Later we learned that some people survived; they fled to the nearest colonies, but those colonies also failed to survive." Augustus sighed. "I believe there must have been some Gystt who survived, but having lost their homeland, they were like plants without roots."

"Swann, Fick, how's the research on the new weapon going?" He didn't want to discuss the topic any further.

"Progress is encouraging, sir. You remember I was the prototype designer for the Firebat Power Armor, don't you?" Hiram Fick was happy to show off his new achievements to his old superior. With so many outstanding people around him, Augustus inevitably forgot his old favorites when he found new ones.

"You need heavily armored soldiers, a pivotal point on the battlefield that can keep pushing forward. Our regular soldiers can take cover behind these heavily armored soldiers, avoiding direct hits from Spike Bullet, Hydralisk, or Protoss particle weapons."

"Very well, what I'm more concerned about is when my army will be able to use these new Power Armor," Augustus. "The Warhound Mech Prototype is incredibly powerful, but I can directly convert a large number of T-280 SCV into powerful combat mechs."

Augustus had to admit that when the short, Meinhoff Swann the Kel-Morian Combine stood next to the even shorter Fick, she always gave off the impression of a dwarf and a hobbit, and their personalities were also quite similar.

Swann was naturally open-minded and cheerful; wherever he was, there was never a dull moment. Fick always had a good temper; he was very kind, a kindness so pure it was without any impurities.

"The creation of a new weapon always involves repeated deliberation, drafting blueprints, and persistent tweaking and improvement, ultimately requiring continuous refinement. If you are a perfectionist, then this process will never end."

Swann took his large, round mug from beside Augustus's elbow resting on the control panel and gulped down a mouthful of Moria beer. "The armor is there, but the most important thing is what weapons we should equip this new armor with. Gauss Rifle would be overkill, while the Arclite Siege Tank's cannon is too heavy."

"How about a howitzer? A large-caliber howitzer," Augustus suggested to Swann. "This kind of howitzer should have extremely powerful firepower, capable of destroying the protective plates of the Plasteel bunker, damaging the tissue beneath the thick chitinous plates of the Zerg Ultralisk, and posing a significant threat to the Protoss shields."

No matter how good his relationship with Tassadar and Zeratul Augustus still maintains that the Protoss are humanity's hypothetical enemies. Augustus knows that Tassadar and Zeratul are not enough to represent all the Protoss, and Shakuras there Protoss far more Protoss than just Aiur and Protoss.

"A brilliant idea? Yes, why can't we just throw those heavy cannons onto the new armor?" Swann immediately assured Augustus, "We'll be able to conduct new experiments in a few days, but how do we solve the recoil problem? Where should the howitzers be mounted? On the shoulder, on the arm, or under the crotch?"

"I bet it's not under his pants," Raynor said.

"You're right, cowboy." Swann smiled at Raynor, then looked at Augustus: "If this weapon has to carry a lot of heavy shells, logistics will be a big problem."

Swann also liked Raynor, the young farm boy from Shiloh, and thought he was very righteous. However, at times, Raynor's idealistic and impulsive personality would be exposed when compared to Augustus. Raynor's friends always felt that he would have to work much harder if he wanted to become a leader like a marshal.

"Then try incorporating them into a new branch of the military with independent logistical support, or find another way to solve this problem," Augustus. "That's your job, after all, I'm not an engineer. Funding is plentiful, old folks, don't let me down."

"Understood, sir," Fick Augustus with a smile.

"There's nothing I can't do." Swann thought of the Protoss engineers who could build warships that were works of art, "Of course, I'm talking about things within the realm of human capability. If you asked me to build a Carrier or something, then I'm out of luck."

"Perhaps we don't need to build an exact replica," Augustus said, nodding to Fick and shrugging.

"I received a report that the new design for the fusion cannon has achieved a breakthrough." This was the reason Augustus had specifically come to the armory to inquire about Swann.

"I originally thought the Umojan Protectorate would be the first to achieve a breakthrough, but unexpectedly it was us. I have to say, this is a miracle."

The Korhal Revolutionary Army's engineering corps and prototype weapons laboratory are home to the elite of Korhal IV. Korhal IV is a highly advanced technological planet under the rule of the Terran Confederacy, and it is naturally a gathering place for elites. Some Confederacy scientists who have been persecuted by the Confederacy or rescued by the Revolutionary Army sometimes join their ranks.

"Yes, even if you hadn't asked, I would have found a chance to tell you." Swann laughed heartily, clearly very proud of it. Although this new weapon wasn't the experimental project led by Swann, it was still the result of the engineers' joint efforts.

"This is an unparalleled behemoth, with a caliber rarely seen in the world, almost occupying one-seventh of the ship's bow width. This behemoth will be powered by Titan Reactor, using a strong magnetic field to focus controlled nuclear explosions into a concentrated beam of energy," Swann said.

"The phase engineers of Tassadar gave us a lot of advice and ideas, and we owe our breakthrough before the Umojan and the Confederacy to them. To the Protoss, this weapon may not be aesthetically pleasing, but to me it is breathtakingly beautiful."

Hiram Fick continued, "Initially, we mounted this giant cannon on an interstellar tugboat—a tugboat primarily used for transporting mined crystal ore, powered mainly by a nuclear fusion reactor, but still requiring a whole generator set to power the other components."

"We opened fire on the wreckage of a Terran Confederacy Leviathan -class battlecruiser that was about to be pulled into a neutron star, and destroyed it completely with a single shot."

"It's like a divine retribution."

Fick said, "I believe you've already seen the actual footage from the cameras. One shot from it can severely damage a battlecruiser; even the armor of Behemoth-class battleship is no match for it."

"The cannon needs a certain amount of time to recharge after each shot, but that's insignificant compared to its incredible power."

"At that moment, I felt no differently than when I witnessed the explosion of the first nuclear bomb in human history," Augustus nodded.

"When will we be able to use these giant cannons on the Revolutionary Army's warships?" he then asked.

"The modernization will require a lot of time and money," Swann said after thinking for a moment. "We can only modernize a very limited number of warships, and their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced during the modernization process."

"The question is, how much do you want to change?"

"The more the better, of course," Augustus. "Upgrade the Hyperion first, and in the meantime, I will use the Norad II as the flagship."

As the flagship of the Revolutionary Army, the Hyperion was constantly being upgraded and modified. It was not only the starting point of the Revolutionary Army Fleets, but also considered a symbol of the revolutionary spirit.

"Alright, now this giant cannon is still missing a name, and we've finally decided to give that right to you," Fick said to Augustus with a smile.

"I'm glad you said that," Augustus said, genuinely pleased.

"Let's call it the Yamato Cannon."

"I have no idea about this name." Swann scratched his head. "However, if the Confederacy and the people of Umojan ever build this cannon, its name and rating standards will have to follow ours."