What Do You Want!

"Beware of that Protoss Arbitrator named Duran." Augustus filled with thoughts and became wary. He leaned forward to the left, turning to Sarah Kerrigan in the seat next to him.

Now, Augustus had ample reason to suspect that it was Duran who ordered a group of Supreme Council guards to attack the Revolutionary Army in Antioch. Duran was an extremely cunning man; betrayal was merely a matter of whim for him, for his only true master had always been the corrupt Xel'Naga Amon.

Duran may bring peace and prosperity or division and war for his own purposes, depending on whether these actions advance his plan to revive Amon.

If that's the case, Augustus would love to kill Duran right now.

"Sarah, don't miss a single move he makes."

"Understood." Kerrigan simply nodded, her body taut in the blue and white Ghost suit, like a drawn bow ready to draw its bow, blue arcs of electricity shimmering on the muscle fiber overlay that clung tightly to her skin.

"I'll keep a close eye on him and won't let you out of my sight."

"This is no easy task, my dear." Augustus wary of Duran, but he didn't show it on his face. He then found Artanis, who was sitting not far away, and asked him for his opinion on the executor.

"Duran. I've never heard of an arbitrator with that name before." Artanis carefully scanned Duran, who had put his hood back on and sat down, looking into his golden eyes hidden in the shadows. "I couldn't sense his presence in the Khala either."

"It must be because I am still young and know too little about the elders in the arbitrator class. That may also mean that I am not yet qualified to be an executive officer compared to my beloved teacher, Tassadar."

For a fleeting moment, Artanis once again fell into a state of self-doubt, but this negative emotion did not affect him. The young executive aspired to become a great Protoss leader like Tassadar, and constantly spurred himself on with this ambition.

"Don't say that, Artanis. I dare say even Aldaris is probably completely baffled right now," Augustus joked.

"Look at the way those arbitrators are whispering amongst themselves. They're probably talking about who this guy is, who dug him out of his coffin, and who should bury him back in."

"I'm confused too," Raynor retorted.

Opposite the circular arbitration court, the arbitrators, dressed in magnificent robes, were indeed exchanging glances, far from composed, just as Augustus and the others had observed. While the Aiur Protoss could communicate on a spiritual level and express themselves poetically through the Khala, the arbitrators preferred to conceal their thoughts.

Perhaps in the minds of these arbitrators, this arbitrator Duran was truly unconventional, appearing overly radical and unpredictable. However, given his seniority and prestige in the Conclave, probably no other council member dared to stop him and tell him he'd better say less.

"You make a lot of sense." Artanis agreed earnestly—he simply didn't know what else to say. He shifted uncomfortably, his massive platinum shoulder armor nearly bumping into Raynor's head.

"Arbitrators, please hear me out." At that moment, Tassadar had decided to end the endless dispute between Duran and Tassadar.

"We have obtained sufficient evidence to prove that these Dark Templar in court belong to a Dark Templar organization called the Fist of Ulrezaj, and that their leader, Orega, is the mastermind and planner of all the assassination plots," he said.

"The Templars of Sargath are tracking down any trace of the Dark Templar Orega and his followers' activities in Aiur. No matter how skilled they are at concealing themselves in the shadows, they cannot remain unpunished forever."

"How long will that take? Is it the time it takes for a single day to cycle through the sun, or the time it takes for hundreds of suns to rise and set? Tassadar, the arbitrators have always trusted the Templar Knights, but all they've received is perfunctory responses and delays." The speaker was another arbitrator, whose inner thoughts were equally filled with a sense of profound weariness.

The arbitrator was dressed in the attire of the Ara Tribe, the class of Arbiter. His red robe was bright and gorgeous, adorned with jewels like stars. A strange, ridiculously tall, pointed hat, which Augustus would have considered comical, covered his blue-eyed eyes and resembled a brown new Scottish riding boot.

A pale blue halo and aura composed of Psionics waveforms surrounded the Arbitrator, making the rows of pillars and polished metal statues behind him shine even brighter. Sunlight streamed down from the transparent crystal of the Arbiter Tribunal's open dome like a waterfall of light, creating a magnificent spectacle reminiscent of angels descending to earth.

Every relief and mural here depicts the scene of the Xel'Naga coming to Aiur to inspire the Protoss, but it also portrays the Xel'Naga leaving on the Worldship before the Aeon of Strife, after which the sorrowful and angry Protoss tribes launched a brutal and bloody civil war.

To this day, the arbitrators of the Protoss Conclave still use this as a warning, reminding the Protoss not to repeat the same mistakes.

However, since the emergence of the Zerg, the Protoss Empire has been on the verge of division and civil war several times. The arbitrators, led by the Conclave, represent the old stance of the Protoss Empire, while the Templar Knights, led by Tassadar, stand in opposition to them.

"If you need a deadline, then," Tassadar said after a pause.

"It's not that we need it, it's that the people of the Protoss Empire need it." The elegantly dressed arbitrator interrupted Tassadar in anger, a rare display of rudeness among the Protoss. But with the fall of Aiur, the entire Protoss society was immersed in grief and anger.

"The Dark Templar are raising their swords against the Protoss on Aiur, and our finest Templar Knights tell me we should wait," he cried out. "Shall we stand by and watch our people suffer further at the hands of the evil Dark Templar?"

"Remember your duty. You are Templar Knights, the executor of the Protoss Empire, the guardian of Aiur, the Sons of Adun, and the protector of the people. Uphold justice, remain humble, expand the territory, defend the Empire, and be loyal to the people. Tassadar, you are not Dark Templar!"

"What we should have heard was a guarantee or the head of the culprit."

"And that will surely come to pass," Tassadar retorted immediately.

"You won't live to see that day. If you quiet your mind within the Khala and listen to its thoughts and sorrow, you will understand that the Firstborn's hostility towards the Dark Templar is steadily rising with recent events," the Arbitrator said.

"We and our people fear the Dark Templar, for we have been taught to the Firstborn that those who abandon the Khala are evil and will surely bring destruction."

"And now, sure enough, some Dark Templar have done just that." He continued, "If this continues, the Firstborn and the Dark Templar will be embroiled in a bloody feud, and disaster will strike again."

"Even if we trust you again and give you time to arrest that Dark Templar named Orega —just like we did in the final battle of Aiur —can you guarantee that such cruel acts will stop?"

Tassadar was speechless. No one could guarantee that another person like Orega wouldn't emerge from among the Dark Templar.

"Leave, just as we discussed before." The other arbitrator was dressed in an almost flamboyant manner, with three small suns seemingly orbiting each other on his tall hat.

"We are grateful for the sacrifices the Dark Templar made for Aiur, and we swear to set aside past grievances and regard the Dark Templar as our kin, bound by life and death. However, before greater conflict and catastrophe erupt, the Dark Templar must leave Aiur and return to their homeland."

Prior to the Battle of Aiur, the Protoss Empire had been sending expeditionary Fleets to search for the Dark Templar's homeland, hoping to wipe them out in one fell swoop. This shows that the conflict between them was not simply a matter of mutual hatred.

If it weren't for the fact that the matriarch of the Shakuras Protoss race was a great figure who ruled her people with maternal gentleness and who laughed off past grudges, it wouldn't be impossible for these two factions of Protoss to be locked in an eternal war.

"Of course, we will do so." Before Tassadar could speak, Zeratul answered on behalf of the Dark Templar: "Even if you don't say so."

"Zeratul! Without you, we have lost our best friends and comrades-in-arms who would share life and death with us," Tassadar immediately said to Zeratul through a face-to-face spiritual exchange.

Augustus had tried to persuade Tassadar to take his followers and go with Zeratul to Shakuras, or to find a new home in the Koprulu Sector. However, Tassadar refused without hesitation. He insisted on staying on Aiur, planning to wipe out the Zerg on the planet and restore his home, and was unwilling to leave until then.

"Tassadar, Zeratul's return to Shakuras is only temporary; it doesn't mean he won't come back," Augustus said to Tassadar. "The Conclave hasn't issued a ban on Dark Templar entering Aiur."

"Cunning man," Zeratul and Tassadar both chuckled from the depths of Augustus's heart.

"Let's do it that way." Tassadar announced his decision to the members of the Conclave opposite him, "The Dark Templar will leave Aiur."

"Yes, that's how it should be." The members of the Conclave all uttered a chorus of joyful exclamations, as if they were rejoicing at finally getting rid of a plague.

"I agree."

"Tassadar, we were right about you."

"Extremely wise."

"Adun is watching you."

"Khas protects Aiur."

"I thought they'd be arguing about this for seven or eight hours," Augustus a sigh of relief. "It was all for something so trivial. They should have said so earlier. Can't the Protoss talk things out without the Khala?"

"Very good, problem solved." Raynor was overjoyed. He was an upright and kind-hearted man and did not want to see the Protoss kill each other.

It seems there aren't that many conflicts between the two sides. Once the Dark Templar leaves, they should be able to reconcile.

At the same time, the reconciliation among the Protoss meant that Raynor finally had the chance to go home and see his parents, wife, and children. Thinking of his wife Elizabeth and son John, he was so happy that he almost wanted to hug and kiss Artanis next to him.

"What are you going to do, uh..." Just as Raynor was thinking this, Artanis sensed the incredibly rude and offensive thoughts emanating from him:

"James Raynor, my friend, what are you doing?"

"I love you to death, Artanis," Raynor shouted.

Artanis remained indifferent.

"Everyone's happy, except for one person." At this moment, Kerrigan gestured with her sexy red lips in one direction.

That direction led directly to the seat of the arbitrator known as Duran, who, as Augustus looked in that direction, stood up, closed his robes, and slowly walked toward the wide arcades of the circular courthouse.

Under Augustus's cold gaze, Duran appeared as frail as an old man on his deathbed, his bodily functions already so weak that he could not even discern directions.

"Something's not right." Augustus, his gray brows furrowing. "Something's very wrong."

Augustus stared intently at Duran's receding figure, then suddenly looked up at the magnificent dome of the Arbiter Tribunal, which was bathed in golden sunlight, before glancing around.

Behind the wide corridors and parliamentary seats stood solemn parliamentary guards dressed in red robes and golden armor, holding long-handled battle axes, shields, or sharp swords. The blades of their spears were arranged in perfect unison, exuding a solemn and imposing aura.

There are no ceremonial formalities among the Protoss. Those who stand here are none other than the most valiant warriors of the Protoss Empire. Generation after generation, they have guarded the temple and the court, symbolizing the judgment of the imperial law.

"What's going on?" Raynor patted Artanis's gleaming breastplate, then suddenly turned to stare at Augustus's serious expression. Almost instantly, he drew his pistol and leaned towards Augustus.

Augustus simply stared at Duran's figure as it gradually disappeared into the darkness, without uttering a word.

"Ah!" No sooner had Raynor finished speaking than a sharp scream drew the attention of all the Protoss and humans present.

On one of the seats of the Conclave members, an arbitrator dressed in a red robe held his head high, a cold, Warp Blade protruding from his bulging chest, the deep purple blood flowing out freezing and evaporating at the same time.

"Dark Templar!" Augustus shouted. "The Orega? How could they possibly get in?"

"Damn it, it must be Duran."