The Conclave Was Furious
Augustus and Artanis, the Protoss Empire Executor, stood side by side, their strikingly different faces illuminated by the blue light emanating from the anima crystal array. The Xel'Naga temple beneath them trembled, and the pools used for bathing the dead shimmered with a silvery glow in the white moonlight.
The tremor did not originate from the Xel'Naga Temple itself, but from a Protoss Mothership rising from the primeval rainforest below.
In the beginning, a magnificent city rose from the separated rainforest, its spacious and majestic vaults, arches, and shimmering blue domes forming a grand silhouette. Augustus even saw the astonishing harmony and beauty of its metal arcades, circular platforms, and freestanding spires with harmonious curves, countless circular portholes, the Kydarin Crystal emitting linear blue light, and the purifying beam heat guns.
When the Protoss Empire built this unprecedented behemoth, it was as if they were constructing a flying city and palace. Its diameter was approximately three kilometers, equivalent to four or five new-type human Behemoth-class Battlecruiser.
The Mothership can activate its purification beam main cannon to incinerate planets, or it can open a galactic vortex that devours everything, or it can open a spacetime distortion that can stop bullets in mid-air and cause them to fall to the ground due to loss of kinetic energy.
"This Mothership has been dormant here for over a decade, during the golden age of the Protoss Empire's expansion, when countless warriors who upheld the will of the Khala and the Dae'uhl Doctrine rode it to conquer the galaxy," Artanis explained to Augustus, introducing the colossal warship.
"She was a symbol of that era, with so many Khalai phase technicians following in her footsteps, pouring their hearts and souls into it, all so that the glory of the Empire could illuminate the darkest depths of the universe."
"It's breathtaking," Augustus said bluntly, "But you're just leaving her buried underground."
"The Mothership once sheltered countless planets and guided the Fleets's voyage." Artanis watched as the magnificent warship, which almost filled his entire field of vision, slowly rose from the ground, feeling the trembling joy of the Protoss witnessing all this in the Khala.
"Each Mothership is equivalent to a navigational beacon for the Fleets; each is the flagship of a Great Fleet, having led the Imperial flagships deep into space to open up new homes," he said.
"However, as the Empire ceased its outward expansion as it had during its Golden Age, all ambitions retreated to its former territories, Protoss no longer desired to leave their homeland for unknown destinations. Even the Conclave began to become conservative, and by then, all the warships and weapons built for expansion and war were gradually forgotten and stored away, because the Empire no longer needed them."
"At a time like this, the Conclave still hasn't considered activating these warships?" Augustus asked Artanis.
"The arbitrators are still hesitant." Artanis gazed at the Protoss Mothership as it began to start up, feeling a surge of fighting spirit from its imposing presence. "By the time they order the restart of these warships, it will be too late."
"Almost all the Mothership are stationed on other planets and outlying territories of the Protoss Empire, because they were once part of the colonial Fleets," Artanis said. "The Conclave has decided to recall those Fleets and gather reinforcements from other colonies; countless branches of the Great Fleet are returning to Aiur at all costs."
"Are you implying that the Protoss Empire has many more warships like this?" The Protoss Mothership was the largest warship Augustus had ever seen; it was even much larger than the magnificent Xel'Naga temple beneath his feet.
The pure blue beams emanating from the Mothership illuminated the night sky of Antioch Province, and the aura released by the bridge and the Crystal Harmony Array restored the light to all the Protoss structures that had lost power due to the collapse of the Pylon.
As the Mothership ascended to a height of several hundred feet, until it was level with Augustus and Artanis's eyes, they could almost see through Mothership Psionics shields surrounding it, admiring its rounded curves and polygonal structure. Luxurious staircases led to pavilions and towers suspended in mid-air, where large numbers of Templar Knights and Khalai Fleets engineers strode across the wide decks and on the three hovering winglets surrounding the hull.
This extraordinary warship is comparable to a giant human space station. Its unparalleled gravity is enough to crush her, but she still flies steadily, even lightly, like an elegant city suspended high in the sky. These are all problems that human materials science and structural science cannot overcome.
The majestic Protoss Mothership hovered above the Xel'Naga temple with an almost sacred air, its perfectly proportioned hull slowly and steadily rotating, casting pure blue light upon the rainforest and mysterious city below.
The deep golden dome and long corridors sloped downwards, and the light flowing down from above resembled a blue waterfall. The Mothership hovered quietly in the air with an effortless grace, Augustus had no doubt about the earth-shattering power it would unleash when launching an attack.
"The other Mothership on Aiur, which slumber in the city center for posterity to admire, either sank with the city's destruction or have long been dismantled for research and peaceful purposes. The remaining Mothership have had their heavy armor and sturdy shields removed and are fixed in the heart of the city, becoming one with the architecture of the molten gold buildings," Artanis replied.
"This is the only one we can activate right now," he said. "I don't know if the Conclave has such a plan, but as far as I know, none of the Mothership on Aiur are prepared to wage war on Aiur."
"Are only those Mothership stationed on the edges of the Protoss Empire's territory and in its colonies still capable of maintaining combat effectiveness?" Augustus was not surprised by this answer. If the Protoss could gather a few more Mothership, Aiur might not necessarily fall.
"And what about the Colossus?" He brought up the kind of weapon of war he and Tassadar had discovered in the Luria System: "I've heard that these terrible Protoss weapons of war still slumber in the tranquil lakes and ancient ruins of Aiur."
"I have ordered men to awaken them, hoping they can still function normally." Artanis wanted to ask Augustus got this information from; he seemed to know Aiur better than the Protoss.
"You're absolutely right, Augustus. Faced with the threat of annihilation, no one cares whether it violates the teachings of the Khala and Daw to stop us," Artanis said. "With this Mothership's help, we will definitely defeat the Zerg!"
"Young Artanis, it's too early for you to say that." The Dark Templar Zeratul suddenly appeared between Augustus and Artanis.
"Zeratul!" Augustus already used to Zeratul's sudden appearance, after all, the Dark Templar were accustomed to his elusive and unpredictable manner of operation.
It must be said that Augustus even suspected that Zeratul might find a touch of humor in his own mischievous appearance—in any case, the venerable elder never tired of it.
"You've finally come," he said.
Zeratul's Dark Templar were supposed to land on the other side of Aiur, the Zerg's earliest landing point. They planned to attack the Overmind to force the Swarm to slow their advance on Aiur.
"Dark Prelate Zeratul, I have long heard of your exploits in Char from my teacher. You have killed many times more Cerebrate than Templar Knights." Artanis was clearly taken aback by Zeratul's sudden appearance. If this man had come to assassinate him, the young executive was extremely reluctant to admit that he was very likely to be defeated by Zeratul's Blade of the Master.
Even with signs of aging, Zeratul remains the most fearsome Dark Templar Master to date, and one of the few warriors who could rival Tassadar before he mastered the Twilight Power.
Fortunately, Zeratul is a friend, not an enemy.
However, Artanis may have forgotten that the Templar Knights killed zero Cerebrate, and zero cannot be used as a divisor.
"I can kill the Cerebrate only because the power we possess happens to be able to restrain them." Zeratul was even more surprised by Artanis's way of addressing Tassadar; it sounded like Artanis was treating Tassadar as a teacher.
Tassadar always hoped that his ideal of uniting Protoss Aiur and Shakuras Protoss would be inherited by a new successor, which implies another layer of meaning: he believed that he would die in battle on Aiur.
"Augustus, my Dark Templar brothers have encountered an unexpected obstacle," Zeratul continued. "At our landing site, not only are the Zerg attacking the Dark Templar, but the Templar Knights themselves are showing no mercy in trying to slaughter us."
"No one believes we came to save Aiur; they just think we are harbingers of death and misfortune," he said sadly. "Like the crows that bring news of death."
"But that's not the crows' fault," Augustus.
"Just because of skin color, the Templar Knights would kill so ruthlessly?" Artanis was furious at what had happened to the Dark Templar.
"We attempted to attack the location of the Overmind, but encountered resistance. The Overmind's servants discovered us and charged relentlessly towards the Dark Templar camp," Zeratul continued. "I had to order my brothers and sisters to retreat."
"In Aiur, on my journey through our homeland, I discovered an underground Xel'Naga Temple."
"What is that?" Augustus was already used to Zeratul's way of speaking, which was to say only half of what he meant, and Zeratul himself was unaware of this problem.
"That is the legacy of the gods." Zeratul seemed very excited. "When the ancestors of the Nerazim were persecuted by the Conclave, Adun hid them in such underground chambers, and it was in this way that Chieftain Raszagal survived the initial massacre."
"Perhaps we can use these temples to establish a base and shelter refugees," Augustus said after a moment's thought.
"Regardless, thank the gods for bringing you back to our side," Artanis said. "We desperately need a battle to prove to the Conclave that the power of the Dark Templar is indeed capable of killing the Cerebrate."
"Regardless of how our people viewed us in the past, the Dark Templar will shed their last drop of blood for Aiur," Zeratul said.
"Augustus, new intelligence report from Alpha Squadron." Kerrigan approached Augustus almost silently at this moment. "Duke and Fenix's forces have joined forces to capture the Executor Fortress on the border between Antioch Province and Kosak."
"I understand." Augustus nodded. "At least Duke didn't say that the battle was entirely his doing, and that the Protoss's only use was clapping and cheering."
"That old guy still has some shame," Kerrigan shrugged. "But anyway, if you want to order Duke forward or backward, he'll do it perfectly well, because he can't tell left from right."
"Where are the Conclave's troops?" Augustus asked Kerrigan.
"Reconnaissance units have reported that they have reached the vicinity of the Executor Fortress, and the nearest Protoss Empire Zealot is forty miles west of the Executor Fortress," Kerrigan said. "Both sides are currently exercising as much restraint as possible, and the military advisors at command believe that negotiations are about to begin."
"What we need to do now is to publicize the strength of the Allied Forces to the Conclave, so that they will hesitate to attack us," Augustus.
"The arbitrators aren't military strategists, but they at least won't ignore the disparity in military strength, especially since the enemy commander is Tassadar, currently the Protoss Empire's most strategically farsighted leader." Artanis had always been a Tassadar fan, and he unintentionally pointed out that while the Conclave was foolish, it wasn't blind.
"With this Mothership, we can immediately travel to the Executor Fortress via Aiur's warp network." He then looked at Augustus, seeking his opinion.
"Well, if we can't persuade the Conclave to join us in fighting the enemy, then we have no choice but to persuade them in another way." Augustus nodded.
At Artanis's command, a blue beam of light emanated from the mind crystal beneath the Mothership, illuminating Augustus. In an instant, everyone was transported to the Mothership's wide bridge. Through the bridge's transparent crystal glass, Augustus could see the vast primeval rainforest stretching to the horizon.
Numerous Protoss navigators and technicians were operating jewel-encrusted control panels on the bridge, their slender, long fingers moving as if playing a piano piece. A vine-like, winding column structure supported an energy-formed dome, and golden-blue valves encircled this extraordinary super-battleship.
The Mothership slowly cruised through the air, charging for the jump.
Upon arriving above the Executor Fortress, the fortified city was shrouded in the smoke of war. The Revolutionary Army Alpha Squadron, clad in white Power Armor and bearing red eagle insignia, methodically advanced into the city through the shattered walls, while numerous Protoss and Terran fighters patrolled the skies above.
At one point, Fenix and Tassadar were also warped onto the ship and arrived at the bridge of the Mothership.
It took them more than ten minutes to contact the Conclave's council hall through the Mothership's communication devices. The arbitrator who appeared on the communication projection screen was no longer the Aldaris they had seen before, but a younger arbitrator wearing a purple robe.
"I witnessed you activate the Mothership and the Colossus with your own eyes. This is a desecration of the heroes and the Dae'uhl Doctrine!" the arbitrator said angrily. Tassadar and Artanis's act of activating the Mothership was undoubtedly dancing on the graves of the heroes.
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