Aiur in Peril
July, Halsen Rousara City Town Hall.
The deafening roar of artillery fire and the screech of the Zerg finally subsided, but the people of Halsen would never forget those nightmarish days.
Augustus reached out and brushed the dust off the lectern in the Town Hall's public hall, wondering how long it had been since a proper meeting or election speech had been held there.
The hall was designed in reference to the Hall of Tarsannis Nagfa, with massive Greek columns supporting a triangular dome. The murals and sculptures depict scenes of sowing and harvesting, all of which reflect the original meaning of the word Halsien: idyllic beauty.
The enormous hall has tens of thousands of seats, and it takes several minutes just to walk from one end to the other. It must have been a bustling place in the past, where the people who built this city could speak freely, but now it is as empty as all the promises of the Terran Confederacy.
Today, this place has been rediscovered as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army marshal, and a full-strength guard battalion has been stationed here.
Augustus then picked up a piece of paper that had been casually placed on the lectern and carefully read its contents. It contained phrases meant to be used when a speaker forgot his words, including that the colonies should manage their own homes, that all affairs of the Confederacy should be open and transparent, and the words "Justice, Peace, Order, and Law" in capital letters.
Augustus rested one hand on the table, holding the paper in the other, examining it repeatedly, nodding frequently. "Who wrote these words? If possible, I would really like to meet him. I hope he didn't perish in the catastrophe of the Zerg invasion."
"The doors here were last opened two months ago by the chairman of the Halsen Colonial Committee during a speech, and since then they've been completely closed." Kerrigan walked past Augustus, carrying another stack of crumpled documents.
Kerrigan wore a sleek, form-fitting black Ghost suit, her hair tied in a neat ponytail. She didn't always dress like this, but the Ghost suit enhanced the Ghost operative ' abilities, granting them power comparable to that provided by CMC Power Armor.
This deadly agent's attire possesses a unique charm and beauty; her slender yet exceptionally powerful waist makes the proportions of her bust, waist, and hips near perfect. Kerrigan's physique is a perfect work of art.
"A killer mingling in the crowd opened fire on the committee chairman in broad daylight," Kerrigan said. "He was a professionally trained and experienced assassin; he fired several shots with cold precision. One shot was fatal, and blood splattered instantly."
"The Confederacy did this?" Augustus exclaimed, filled with shock and anger.
"According to reports, the shooter was a survivor of the Korhal IV, and the weapon used was a Korhal- manufactured P-180 electromagnetic pistol. After his arrest, he admitted to being a member of the Sons of Korhal," Kerrigan replied.
"A low-level frame-up; perhaps the person arrested is just a scapegoat who has undergone resocialization." Augustus his hand to Kerrigan put away. "The Sons of Korhal will not kill the innocent unless that person's crimes are beyond description."
"What else has this chairman said?" Augustus. "What other dissenting opinions does he hold?"
"There are many, some of whom are practically identical to your father, Angus Mengsk," Kerrigan said carefully. "He denounced the incompetence of the Tarsonis Confederacy and the corruption of the Halsen Senate, as well as the chaos throughout the entire executive system from top to bottom."
Even now, Kerrigan remains quite cautious when mentioning Angus; she still hasn't dared to go back with Augustus to visit his parents. After all, nearly killing her beloved's parents and sister is no pleasant experience, especially now that they all know about it.
Kerrigan's hatred for the Terran Federation intensified several times over after learning that Lisa Kashdi had already won the case.
"He also pointed out that certain areas of Halsen are secretly involved in drug production because the profits from growing crops are negligible compared to those from drugs. He had urged the Halsen Police Department to address this issue even before this speech," she said, looking at Augustus.
"He must have gotten some intelligence from somewhere, and I suspect that intelligence comes from the Sons of Korhal of Halsen or from a resistance organization other than us."
"Drugs." Augustus grasped the key point. "There will always be people who want to make more money through this means. The people of Halsen don't have to worry about food, but the extravagance and wastefulness brought by Tarsonis are overwhelming them. In contrast, Agria, under the joint governance of Ariel Hanson and us, is truly beginning to become a paradise on earth."
"Throughout the sector, there are countless people who have gone bankrupt for those few grams of something that brings them ecstasy," Kerrigan said.
"Halsen not only grows food, but also crabs, and raw materials such as hab and turk, which can be used to produce boras, teszos, and some drugs that can greatly increase the user's excitement. These drug dealers have a very large business, selling as far as the core worlds such as Tarsonis," she said.
"As far as I know, your old flame might also be one of their loyal customers."
"However, Lisa is no longer dependent on drugs. I believe she has found a more worthwhile goal to pursue than to waste her days aimlessly in the military." Augustus paused here.
"But I haven't said who it is yet," Kerrigan said.
"You know my stance on drugs, darling. They can't be eradicated, but they should at least be strictly controlled. Even scum like Tychus would only choose to numb himself with alcohol." Augustus turned to look at Kerrigan, then quickly looked away.
Tychus was a man who loved to enjoy life. Before him stood two insurmountable mountains: money and women. But Tychus never touched drugs, not even a drop. Tychus had countless opportunities to get a small vial of a supposedly miraculous drug from his cronies, a drug that supposedly made life worthwhile, but he always scoffed at it.
He enjoyed seeking pleasure and excitement, but he absolutely hated being controlled by others. The thought of his life and fortune being in someone else's hands was the most painful thing for Tychus. Tychus was intelligent; he knew that once someone became addicted to drugs, no matter how strong they were, reason and wisdom could hardly help them anymore.
This villain craved freedom even more than Raynor —unfettered freedom, of course. Tychus would gladly commit all sorts of evil deeds in some lawless place and then walk away unscathed. Raynor sometimes compared himself to Robin Hood from Augustus's stories, hoping to be a chivalrous hero and uphold justice, while Tychus saw himself as probably the one being upheld.
"I believe you must have received a report from the Halsen drug manufacturing plant."
"Yes." Kerrigan thought she had only made a good-natured joke and hoped that Augustus would find it amusing.
"Taraton City has a vast plantation—breeding, planting, and harvesting are all mechanized—and a raw material processing plant disguised as Aster Pharmaceuticals produces crude drugs year after year, which are then reprocessed and repackaged on Tarsonis satellites," she said.
"Ironically, the pharmaceutical company has been claiming to the outside world that they have discovered a drug that can cure most of the intractable diseases that plague humanity today, and many people in the public still have high hopes for this project."
"The fields, covered with strychnine plants, are bursting with vibrant white blossoms, so beautiful they almost seem like pure white clouds fallen to earth."
"The person who should be saving others has brought death instead," Augustus. "These people will abandon everything for profit. Shutting him down, I think the people of Halsen would wholeheartedly agree."
"If anyone objects, let them come to me."
"Then this guy must have crossed at least two divisions first." Kerrigan laughed. "Raynor has already blown up that factory, burned the entire plantation to the ground, and then sown canopy flower seeds on it. He also deeply abhors drugs; Lisa's situation has made the people of Heaven's Devils hate these things immensely."
"The Astor Pharmaceuticals factory was heavily guarded, with both mercenaries and private security personnel armed to the teeth. Their equipment was almost entirely discarded from the front lines of the Confederacy Army, some of it even looking brand new. It took Raynor two Raynor's Raiders to take it over."
"Have the people who made these things been caught?" Augustus asked.
"The people from Aster Pharmaceuticals had all fled before the Zerg invasion, without even having time to blow up the factory or destroy all the data and materials," Kerrigan said.
"Perhaps they're planning to come back and continue the fight after the Confederacy forces drive away the Zerg."
"Do you have a list of drug distribution locations?" Augustus. "Drug dealers don't lack buyers."
"Yes, only those extremely remote areas weren't mentioned," Kerrigan nodded.
"Strictly speaking, Halsen Astor Company can only be considered a producer and wholesaler; they don't handle the transportation and sales. These drugs are handed over to local thugs and influential people. In short, as long as they can get money, they don't care who ends up with the contraband flowing out of Halsen."
"But extremely important clients and partners are all documented," Augustus. "You know, drugs are very popular in Tarsonis."
"The most effective drugs are always those mixed with deadly toxins; just a tiny dose can make someone ecstatic, but the death will be gruesome," Kerrigan nodded again.
"It's not just the aristocrats indulging in a life of debauchery; officials in the Tarsonis Confederacy are also loyal buyers of these drugs, and they're happy to get them and take care of everything for the drug dealers," she said.
"I'm used to it." Augustus already accustomed to the actions of the Terran Confederacy; only things like this happening within the Revolutionary Army could enrage him.
To date, very few people have witnessed Augustus Mengsk in a fit of rage; Jim Raynor and Zander Marks are definitely among the lucky few who have experienced it.
"If we hadn't deployed the army and taken that place, the dirty and evil crimes of the AstraZeneca would never have been exposed to the world." Kerrigan also lamented, "Their crimes don't stop there. Whenever a new drug is being tested, the AstraZeneca people use people who have never been exposed to drugs before and those who are heavily addicted to them for testing."
"Beneath the ridges of the fields lie piles of white bones."
"Once the public learns the names of these Confederacy officials who collude with drug traffickers, they will completely lose faith in the ruling class."
"Gather all this evidence." Augustus sighed at these ugly secrets, hoping it was not too late to mend the fence after the sheep were lost.
"We'll find it useful. If the opportunity arises, we'll hand it over to Mike from UNN and have him find a way to draw public attention to this matter."
"Marshal—General Raynor has arrived." At that moment, a guard standing at the Town Hall gate rushed up to Augustus.
"What brings you here, Sheriff Raynor?" Augustus looked toward the gate and saw Jim Raynor, dressed in blue Power Armor, striding toward him.
"Come on," Raynor waved his hand, raised his water glass and drank it all in one gulp. Clearly, he was too busy to even have time to drink a few sips of water.
"Have you heard?" he asked after taking a big gulp of water. "About Aiur."
"You talk like Zeratul," Augustus glared at him. "Get to the point."
"Isn't this... a case of being unable to breathe?" Raynor chuckled. "I encountered some Protoss while dealing with the Zerg, and they told me that Aiur has issued recall orders to the expeditionary forces and colony Fleets scattered throughout the Milky Way Galaxy. They even recalled—some Mothership."
"That sounds incredible. I wouldn't be too surprised if the Protoss pulled out some terrifying high-tech weapon. It might be something their great-great-great-grandfather used, but it can still send our most advanced tanks into the sky. It's unbelievable."
"They're about to give up?" Augustus wasn't exactly gloating; he was just puzzled. Four or five months had passed since the Overmind invaded Aiur, Protoss had managed to hold off the Swarm's main hive offensive without being able to completely kill the Cerebrate.
"Who knows? For those old fogies in the Conclave to put aside the dignity of an ancient empire and shout throughout the universe that we're being utterly thrashed by a few bugs, it must be an extremely urgent situation."
"Tassadar hasn't mentioned this to me yet," Augustus, "But I have some guesses."
"The research team deployed near the Char system has also sent back intelligence; detection data shows that the largest Tiamat Brood has completely left Char through a newly opened wormhole," he said. "The primary responsibility of this hive is to guard the Overmind itself."
"This means that the Overmind has likely already descended upon Aiur through a wormhole. If Tassadar doesn't return, the Protoss Empire and the Zerg will crush Aiur."