Fenix

A magnificent celestial spectacle was unfolding through the bridge windows of the Hyperion. A vortex of time and space swirled, hurling outwards blue-purple, flame-like flashes of light, from which colossal Protoss and human warships continuously leaped forth. The spectacular scene was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.

"Zerg has appeared forward on port, at a distance of 1.6 standard astronomical units," Sergeant Matt Horner Matt Horner shouted from his seat at the observation radar.

"A massive Swarm vanguard, primarily composed of Scourge and Devourer, located at position 310."

"A massive Zerg life form signal has been detected on Aiur's satellites, numbering 200 million."

Around Augustus, the sounds of commands and reports never ceased, yet the atmosphere remained orderly and not chaotic. The crew members, who had been chatting and laughing just moments before, were now in combat alert, paying close attention to every order and their colleagues' feedback.

"Spread out formation, all Fleets, advance towards Aiur." Augustus glanced at his watch. "Eliminate all enemies in our path, whether they are Zerg or hostile Protoss."

The Hyperion's Titan Reactor was running at full capacity, and its twin engines propelled the behemoth toward Aiur, billions of miles away.

To the left of the Revolutionary Army flagship Hyperion, was the Alpha Squadron's flagship, the Norad III, while to the right was the Nova Squadron's Arland. More than two thousand transport ships, frigates, destroyers, supply ships, and fighters were scattered in various directions, their dazzling propeller flames resembling small comets.

Each warship carried hundreds or thousands of crew members and soldiers, hundreds of thousands of people all prepared to die for the will of the same person.

Tassadar's Fleets was positioned directly above the Revolutionary Army Fleets. Their warships were much faster and more heavily armed than the humans'. As the Revolutionary Army's warships aimed their cannons at the onrushing Zerg, the Protoss Fleets's beam weapons and particle heat guns had already swept away the vast Swarm.

Zeratul's Dark Templar Fleets remained hidden in the shadows, silently advancing towards Aiur from another hyperspace portal exit.

Within minutes of their appearance, the Revolutionary Army's flagship at full speed and the Tassadar Executive Fleets engaged the attacking Swarm in close combat, igniting continuous warfare once again in the once-silent star system.

Augustus ' flagship Hyperion, guided all the warships in the Fleets, thus always positioning itself ahead of the rest of the ships, directly facing the center of the entire Swarm.

Countless grotesque alien monsters were attacking the Hyperion's energy shield, like demons surrounding a tomb. The Hyperion's plasma cannons and laser cannons continuously fired at the Zerg outside the shield, and dense orange barrages stretched across the starry sky outside the bridge windows, as if bridging a bridge to deep space.

The wreckage of fighter jets and charred Zerg floated in the dark depths of space, with explosions occurring every moment. The bridge deck trembled from the suicidal impacts of the Scourge, like a small boat in a storm.

"Augustus, you should leave the bridge and go to a safe place now." Kerrigan Augustus change out of his coat and draped a long cloak over his shoulders. "We're at the forefront of the Zerg attack."

As Kerrigan spoke, a Devourer mutated from an Mutalisk slammed violently into the shield in front of the bridge. It was much larger than a normal Mutalisk and resembled its ancestor, the Screaming Mantis, even more, like a fat and ferocious wasp.

Augustus noticed that this Zerg was by no means a newborn individual. Its dark gray carapace and hard elytra were covered with burn marks and scars from healed wounds, indicating that it had likely survived several fierce battles to reach this point.

The giant wasp-like Devourer's massive tail trembled as it spewed clusters of highly corrosive spores at the shield, causing the already weakened shield to dim even further.

The Hyperion's shields have withstood enough firepower to destroy a battlecruiser; the only reason it has held out this long is because, in addition to its more advanced reactor, it is also powered by Void Crystals and Xel'Naga Artifact Fragment.

"If the Zerg can destroy the entire flagship, then there's no point in me hiding anywhere." Augustus looked at Kerrigan and said, "We are turning the tide of the battle and gradually gaining the upper hand. The Zerg have wasted too many forces on the Hyperion, to the point that they have neglected the other warships and our allies."

Kerrigan stopped trying to dissuade Augustus, and she found herself increasingly prone to letting her own self-interest cloud her judgment.

At that moment, four parallel Wraith swooped down straight down from the bridge of the Hyperion, their laser cannons spitting fire, and the twin missiles, whistling past, tore the Devourer to pieces in the exploding energy vortex.

The Wraith then turned again in front of Augustus, its orange-red contrail drawing a beautiful curve as it flew towards a large group of silent, shrieking Mutalisk. As one of the fighters brushed past the bridge, Augustus could even see the valiant pilot raise his hand in salute.

A golden-blue Carrier appeared on the starboard side of the Hyperion, deploying its shield field to protect all human warships. A massive, dense swarm of carrier-based interceptors poured out of the carrier's dock, like a swarm of wasps, instantly overwhelming the Zerg.

The Hyperion finally tore a gap through the dense, black fog-like Swarm, and with each step the Revolutionary Army Fleets, in its cone-shaped attack formation, relentlessly advanced, the gap widened.

Even though their numbers were enormous, arriving like a moving wave or tsunami, these Zerg were still only a small remnant left over from the battle with the Protoss Empire's main Fleets, but they still kept the Combined Fleets busy dealing with them.

"Where are our reinforcements?" Raynor remained as calm and collected as Augustus, but he was still somewhat flustered. "Where are the rest of the Protoss Fleets on Aiur?"

"I'm afraid the Protoss Empire's Conclave thinks we're here to take advantage of our misfortune." Augustus carefully analyzed the Protoss Empire's Conclave's attitude on Aiur after seeing Tassadar's return to aid them, and he firmly believed that the Conclave would only regard the Combined Fleets as an enemy.

After breaking through the Zerg blockade, the Combined Fleets once again used a short jump to close the distance with Aiur, avoiding the other two Zerg Fleets, and finally entered the gravitational field of Aiur after a final jump.

Green Aiur and one of its satellites Shalok, are almost within reach.

Augustus turned and walked to the star chart table next to him, standing beside the golden wolf head emblem on the corner of the table. Now, after numerous modifications and renovations, the Hyperion bears the Mengsk Family's insignia inside and out, even the tapestries on the walls beside the portholes are embroidered with golden wolf heads.

He frowned, staring at Aiur and the red dots flashing on its satellite, representing the number of Zerg on it.

Aiur's satellite was once an important symbol in religious ceremonies during the Protoss's tribal era. It represented purity and innocence and was a symbol of the Zealot Order within the Templar Knights order. Now, however, this pristine satellite has become a breeding ground for Zerg, where abominable alien creatures build their nests and hatch their eggs beneath the billowing, golden white sand.

"Augustus Mengsk, it seems the situation in Aiur is more critical than I thought." Tassadar's image appeared on the main screen above Augustus's head, his eyes burning with captivating sky-blue flames.

"My old friend on Aiur, Grand Consul Fenix, told me that many provinces and vast swathes of land have fallen, and our proud Auriga Tribe's invincible Fleets has also lost the skies over Aiur."

"Tell me, what losses have they inflicted on the Zerg?" Augustus more concerned with the number of Zerg.

"The Protoss Empire army destroyed more Zerg hives and Zerg than the Zerg that invaded the Koprulu Sector combined, but it was all in vain." Tassadar wouldn't allow his allies to misjudge the war situation because he was reluctant to talk about the Protoss Empire's defeat.

"The Templar Knights who guarded Aiur defeated almost all the Zerg hives on the main battlefield and at one point threatened the Overmind, but they ultimately failed to drive out all the Zerg."

"Without the help of the Dark Templar, the Protoss Empire cannot kill a single Cerebrate, and therefore can never destroy their race," Augustus said, shaking his head.

"I think we'll have to land on Aiur and join Archon Fenix and the Taldarin in their counterattack against the Zerg. A Dragoon unit under Archon Mojya will also assist us," Tassadar told Augustus.

"The original landing site was changed to the already occupied Antioch Province, since the Conclave had long lost control of the province, and we would not have to engage in conflict with them," he said.

"Agreed. The fewer enemies we face in the landing operation, the fewer our soldiers will sacrifice," Augustus. "You cannot escape, Tassadar."

"If the devastated Conclave can no longer lead the remaining Protoss to victory against the Overmind, Aiur will surely fall."

"You're right, Augustus, your wisdom always enlightens me," Tassadar agreed with Augustus.

"I will personally lead the Templar Knights back to the land of Aiur."

"Me too," Augustus shouted into the Fleets's command channel.

"Immediately deploy landing forces to Aiur. In addition to the two corps originally planned, the Engineer Corps will also be deployed to the front lines." He said, "Every soldier sent to the Aiur battlefield is a hero, and I will fight alongside you as always."

"Lieutenant General Jim Raynor will take over command of the Fleets in orbit around Aiur, and will be the Fleets's supreme commander."

"You always make me watch the house, Augustus," Raynor sighed, regretting not being able to fight alongside Augustus. "Sometimes I even wish I could switch places with Tychus."

"That's different." Augustus patted Raynor on the shoulder. "I'm sure when I come back, Jim Raynor will give me back a complete Fleets, sometimes even a few extra ships."

"But Tychus Finley is different. He'll definitely take my ship apart and then chew on my sofa and pillows," he said. "You're the person I trust most, and Kerrigan can vouch for that."

"Okay." Raynor shrugged. "Same as always, just call me on the channel if you need anything, the paratroopers will be here soon."

Augustus found Tychus Finley and Hanak Hank, then went into the armory, donned his power armor with mechanical assistance, and joined the landing force in the desert outside the province of El Antioch.

Aiur is a garden planet with lush tropical rainforests, where jewel-like rivers and verdant forests nurture magical creatures as ancient as the Protoss. Magnificent temples, unknown and mysterious underground caves coexist with the Protoss's golden cities. Antioch is one of the few provinces bordering the desert, and this harsh natural environment was once a training ground for Templar Knights to hone their will.

Most of the Antioch Province was still green land and forest, a natural barrier against the movement of sandstorms. However, by the time of Augustus's army, most of the province's forests had been eroded by Creep.

Augustus's spaceship landed over a primeval rainforest untouched by the Zerg Creep, the thrusters whipping up lush green ferns as it landed amidst the ancient Xel'Naga temples.

Hundreds of spaceships landed in the forest, and battalions of the Revolutionary Army disembarked from massive transport ships.

As soon as Augustus stepped off the transport ship's gangway, he saw the Protoss commander, Fenix, who was still fighting the Zerg in the Antioch Province —he appeared as a golden-armored Dragoon.

It is said that Grand Consul Fenix traversed seven Zerg secondary hives directly from his base to the Revolutionary Army's landing point. He and his hundreds of Templar Knights, in a thunderous fury, destroyed all the Zerg blocking their path and reduced all the hives to ashes.

The Protoss Empire's regent Fenix, and his army were welcomed by the Revolutionary Army's landing forces. Even though the Revolutionary Army harbored doubts about the Protoss Empire's commander, Augustus Mengsk declared Fenix a distinguished guest and a lifelong friend of himself and the Revolutionary Army.

"I am Archon Fenix, the ruler of the Templar Knights." Archon Fenix is a legendary Templar Knights who was severely wounded in the Battle of Antioch and later returned to the battlefield in Dragoon. At Tassadar's request, he joined Augustus's human landing force, but his words lacked the Protoss's usual arrogance.

"Consul Fenix, it is an honor to fight alongside you." Augustus waved away his guards to show that he did not consider Fenix to be, or even just a potential enemy.

"Thank you for your help. Humans are just as brave and fearless as the Templar Knights." Fenix could feel Marshal Augustus's great respect for him, and this was definitely not a pretense, which surprised him even more and filled him with admiration.

"The glorious and powerful Protoss Empire inevitably declined, and Aiur became a devastated ruin," he continued.

"But because of Tassadar and your arrival, we have not lost hope."

I went out to dinner with a friend today, so I'm writing this a bit in a rush...