Iron Heart Conspirator
"Who is he?"
Augustus glanced at the golden-robed arbitrator he had just passed and noticed that the man was pulling down his hood and walking toward the seats of the Conclave members in the Arbiter Tribunal.
With just a fleeting glance, Augustus felt a chill run down his spine; in that instant, he seemed to hear a sinister mockery.
"One of the many elders in the Conclave." Taldarin's words resonated deeply with Augustus: "They are venerable elders, wise beyond measure, who uphold the institutions of the Khala and the laws that maintain order."
"The Arbitrators bear the responsibility of guiding countless citizens of the Protoss Empire. Their decisions affect the fate of the Empire, and therefore their thoughts are unknown to others. The Templar Knights ' duty is to defend the Empire and its people on the battlefield. We need not concern ourselves with politics, nor do we need to understand the vision and strategies behind the Conclave's orders."
"The order comes from the Conclave, not from any of the arbitrators, and therefore we know very little about each of them." These words, which struck to the core, appeared in Augustus's mind in an instant and were immediately understood.
"Even so, I should not be completely ignorant of an arbitrator who can sit here today. Gods, I do not even know his name or his tribe," Taldarin said.
"He must be an elder who has long held a high position in the Conclave, because those elaborate and ornate clothes and patterns belong only to the long-lived law enforcement class."
"So, you don't know his position, stance, or even his name?" Augustus immediately became wary.
In the parliament of the Terran Confederacy, members of parliament always need to use marches, speeches, or even purchase large LED and holographic screen advertisements in Tarsonis City to declare their political views, so that potential voters will not forget that there is such a person in the Confederate Congress.
But in the Protoss Empire, members of the Conclave don't always have to show their faces to declare their presence. The Arbitrators' understanding of the mind network, the Khala, is so profound that if they wish to reveal their thoughts, the souls in the Mind Sea can shine like lighthouses in the darkness.
"Some of the arbitrators have been sitting behind the scenes for a long time; they may have been elders in the council even before the Protoss of Shakuras were exiled," said Executor Mojya. "It's not surprising that they seem unfamiliar, but it certainly doesn't make sense."
"Even if this arbitrator never revealed his thoughts in the Khala, he should have presided over the ceremonies at the ceremony and funeral, and bathed the deceased," Yurlan said. "I always avoid contact with arbitrators; compared to the Templar Knights and the Khalai, they tend to hide their thoughts and refuse to reveal their ideas."
"In the Khala, there are no lies, no deception; this is the oath the Conclave made the Templar Knights swear—yet they themselves have double-dealed."
"That guy's creepy. I think I just saw him laughing. It's unbelievable, he's a Protoss." Raynor's judgment was always spot-on, and he always got straight to the heart of the matter when it came to Protoss: "I'll keep an eye on him."
"He also gives me a bad feeling, but I can't put my finger on it." Kerrigan protected Augustus like a professional agent and bodyguard, determined to give her own life rather than let this man suffer the slightest harm. Putting aside her emotional dependence, Kerrigan believed that if the world lost Augustus, it would be utterly devoid of hope.
"Jimmy, you're right, we should keep a close eye on him." This is why Augustus always brings Raynor along instead of Tychus when he goes to such occasions. Both of them are bold and meticulous, but Raynor wouldn't be thinking about making a quick buck or slacking off at a time like this.
Augustus then turned to look at the back of the golden-robed arbitrator, noticing that he was hunched over and walking slowly away with faltering steps, looking like an ordinary Protoss elder.
As Augustus watched him, the arbitrator nearly tripped on the smooth bridge of light, only to be caught by two tall council guards.
Even though the Protoss have a much longer lifespan than humans, they will still inevitably enter old age. Those Protoss who are too old will show signs of weakened strength and cracked skin. No matter how agile they were in their youth, they are no different from other creatures after they enter old age.
"Well, perhaps we shouldn't be so suspicious of a poor old man." Raynor shook his head, utterly disappointed.
"Don't let yourself be deceived by appearances and illusions," Augustus reminded Raynor. "Our enemies are lurking in the shadows."
Augustus walked across a corridor bridge with a golden metal structure, stepping on carpets with silver lines and sound-absorbing red sponge limbs that did not feel uncomfortable underfoot, and entered the huge seats of the court under the watchful eyes of the Ara Tribe Council guards in red robes on both sides.
This is a bridge high above the ground, with interwoven bridges of light below. All around are towering walls thousands of feet high, sculpted with statues of arbitrators and sages, and countless hexagonal niches decorated with blue Kydarin Crystal, creating a glittering crystal world.
After ascending the spiral-patterned steps, Augustus arrived at a magnificent chair inlaid with crystals and gems on the left side of Tassadar and sat down. Raynor and Kerrigan found a few smaller seats behind it, while the Protoss governors and executives, including the Taldarin, also took their seats.
"Augustus, we all agree that, based on the achievements of the Human Revolutionary Army under your leadership in Aiur and the heroic sacrifices that must be celebrated, you are qualified to attend this meeting," Tassadar Augustus.
Executor Artanis sat to Augustus's left, bowing immediately upon seeing Augustus. Despite being the youngest Executor in the history of the Protoss Empire, Artanis had already proven his ability to lead the Templar Knights in numerous battles to defend Aiur, yet when he was beside Tassadar, he still behaved like a student listening attentively to the church with his head bowed.
"You're putting me on the hot seat, Tassadar," Augustus said with a smile. He understood Tassadar's intention: that humanity should earn the Protoss's respect for their sacrifice on Aiur, so that more Protoss would understand that humanity was not just a backward, inferior race.
"The Conclave actually allowed me to enter this grand hall," he said. "To be honest, I was worried that the Conclave's followers would assassinate me along the way."
"That's not the behavior of honorable Templar Knights," Tassadar responded. "And they have no reason to do so. The Protoss respect bravery and heroes."
"That was not the work of the Dark Templar either." The voice of Dark Prelate Zeratul slowly came, and he followed two Protoss warriors in heavy armor and helmets, and sat down in the seat next to Augustus under the latter's wary gaze.
"Zeratul, where have you been since you brought news of the Dark Templar Orega?" Augustus, Tassadar, and the others looked at Zeratul, who had stretched out his arms to show that he was not carrying any weapons.
"I have returned to the Dark Templar who follow me and asked them to use the ancient techniques that Adun taught our people to arrest those traitors who attacked the Templar Knights." Zeratul stopped in front of a magnificent chair, Augustus saw for the first time in him the haggardness of someone who had suffered a mental breakdown.
"After that, I felt truly lost. Orega acted entirely from the perspective of the Sargeras Nerazim and the Templars, so what position and status should I have to condemn Orega and the Dark Templars who followed him?" Zeratul let out a low sigh, and everyone could feel the inner conflict and sorrow of this elder of the Sargeras Protoss.
"The painful memory of the Conclave's expulsion of the Nerazim ancestors still affects our people, and it was inevitable that it would gradually evolve into a deep-seated hatred. When Orega and I were still brothers, he mentioned to me his grand vision for the revival of Nerazim, but I never imagined that it would be realized in such a way."
"Now it seems that you and Orega have some similarities; you are both willing to dedicate yourselves to your people."
"I've seen Orega." Augustus just smiled and shook his head. "I only saw an extreme racist, but I'm different. I just want to rebuild order for humanity, not kill Tarsonis."
"You must not waver; indiscriminate killing is a capital offense," Executor Mojya told Zeratul. "If killing a thousand people out of mere hatred were a crime, the Protoss Empire would have collapsed long ago."
"You actually use the laws of the Protoss Empire to judge a Dark Templar from Shakuras?" Tassadar disagreed with Mojya's statement. "How can Zeratul judge Dark Templar based on brotherhood and kinship?"
"No, the Orega have strayed too far from the vision the matriarch had when she led her people to Shakuras to establish a home," Zeratul said. "We simply want to break free from the constraints of the Khala and gain independence and freedom, but we should never harm others or commit massacres for that purpose."
As Zeratul spoke, his gaze remained fixed on the Dark Templar in the center of the courtroom, who were bound by the stasis field. They were the Dark Templar personally arrested by Zeratul and the matriarch, and the evidence against them was readily available when they were captured.
These Dark Templar are among the youngest of the Shakuras Protoss. They have never been to Aiur, and at birth they have only seen the eternal twilight of Shakuras, the stars that flashed during the day and night, and the bright moon. Their love for their homeland and people far surpasses that for a homeland that is often mentioned.
They were all influenced by the ideas preached by Orega, believing that only by avenging the Templar Knights and eliminating the Khala could Shakuras and their people achieve eternal peace. This was both revenge for the persecution and humiliating exile of Shakuras ' Protoss ancestors by the Templar Knights to the cold depths of space on Xel'Naga transports, and also for Shakuras to break free from the influence of the Protoss Empire and uphold their own traditions.
Aside from Orega's extreme acts of vengeance, he could be considered a hero of the Protoss side of Shakuras.
These Dark Templar imprisoned here are also members of the Nerazim separatist faction. They chose to follow Orega's ideals to the ends of the Sea of Stars and are members of a Dark Templar organization known as the Fist of Ulrezaj.
For those Dark Templar who cultivate by venturing into the Void, the closer they are to death, the greater the power they gain.
This is also why the Protoss rulers of Shakuras sealed away the knowledge of merging into Dark Archon and explicitly forbade Dark Templar from doing so, because even knowing they would die, Dark Templar could not resist the temptation to become Dark Archon and face death.
Extreme and forbidden knowledge has made some Dark Templar extremely powerful, but it has also made them more susceptible to going astray.
"I am Aldaris, the Arbitrator of the Protoss Empire, the one who speaks for justice and peace in this place for the Conclave." At this moment, Aldaris, the other person in the courtroom, dressed in a blue arbitrator's robe, stood up, holding a leather scroll bound in silk, and read aloud:
"The Way of the Khala concerns the very survival of the entire Protoss. It is the cornerstone of their existence and development within the universe. No Protoss, Arbitrator, Templar Knights, or Khalai can betray it. In the Khala, when forms are as one, power manifests; when hearts are as one, wisdom manifests. Any other heretical or cult-like belief will bring about the destruction of the entire race, and such despicable acts are tantamount to betrayal and subversion."
Aldaris patiently read aloud the text, reciting word for word the maxims left by Khas and the ancient Protoss Empire arbitrators, including the Dae'uhl Doctrine added only in recent centuries, in accordance with the charter of the Arbitration Court.
"What you said isn't wrong, the Khala does indeed concern the survival of the Protoss." Augustus listened attentively as Aldaris finished reading the words on the scroll, his eyes searching for the figure of the golden-robed arbitrator in the council seats. Augustus found a sense of déjà vu in him, and he was certain that he had seen him somewhere before.
As expected, the arbitrator sat in a seat a little further away from Aldaris, his face completely hidden in the shadow of his hood, with only his eyes, which emitted a mixed yellow flame, drawing attention.
That was definitely not a frail, elderly Protoss.
"Do you know that arbitrator?" Augustus asked Artanis, who was standing next to him.
"Of course, my friend." Artanis immediately looked in the direction Augustus pointing, then turned around abruptly. "Let me see."
"I don't know him," he said, his eyes filled with such honesty and sincerity that even Augustus couldn't utter a word of reproach.
Before Augustus say anything more, the elder arbitrator in the golden robe stepped forward after Aldaris finished speaking.
"The time for routine trials has come. Execute these traitors and remnants of the betrayers." His voice was deep and powerful.
"In the name of Khala, the existence of traitors has defiled this sacred law firm and brought shame upon the arbitrator class."