New Haj

Haj was changed by the arrival of the revolution.

The reforms implemented by the new government effectively helped those who lost their jobs or went bankrupt due to the exploitation by the Confederacy and the invasion of Zerg. The new policies, which focused on the revitalization of industry and manufacturing, were highly praised by the workers of Haj.

The newly built wind power equipment solved the post-disaster energy crisis, and the Revolutionary Army's biological scientists' improvement of crop varieties and management of the soil, which resembled the soil of Haj Moon, led to a rapid increase in arable land. The new government's trade policies, which protected the fragile economy of the Edge World, also made it difficult for the intergalactic corporations and unscrupulous merchants of the Terran Confederacy to reach them, and the abundant military power also forced the pirates who roamed the Edge World to stay away.

Over the past year or so, the people of Haj have embraced life away from the rule of the Terran Confederacy and have become increasingly fervent in their pursuit of revolution and progress. This long-term stability has brought a large number of supporters to the new government and extinguished the discordant voices calling for the return of the Confederacy.

However, the Haj people expressed strong dissatisfaction with the prospect of sharing their home with a group of aliens—the fearsome Protoss— leading to large-scale protests and demonstrations.

All the discontent and protests vanished after the people of Haj received payment from the Protoss for the leased land, because there was simply too much of it.

It is said that the Protoss obtained enough funds from the Umojan Republic to purchase these lands using only a few ancient devices salvaged from the Nessun's Memory. At that time, the Tassadar ambassador to the Umojan Prime Planet witnessed the Speaker of the Umojan Republic's Elected Council faint from excitement over the Protoss's clean omnics, an event that sparked widespread discussion in the Khala.

While the Umojan Republic, with its evasive profess of love for dragons, was eager to establish diplomatic relations with the Protoss Empire, High Executor Tassadar did not see the need for it. The Protoss Empire had never established trade ties with other races, thus the Umojan efforts in this regard were fruitless.

By May of that year, the Haj had become accustomed to the presence of a mysterious but friendly Protoss in the planet's polar regions. After all, the Protoss never ventured outside their territory and had never harmed a single human.

With the personal assurance of the Revolutionary Army Marshal Augustus Mengsk, the people of Haj were also confident that the Protoss would not endanger the safety of their families and property.

At this moment, in the extreme cold of the polar night at the North Haji, biting winds sweep across the frozen ocean and land. In this frigid world, extreme cold Overmind supreme, except for high-energy gas fuel, which remains unfrozen.

However, a city truly stands on the permafrost of the Arctic Ocean, constructed from new alloys and steel. The city is built beneath glaciers that stretch for thousands of miles, its solid walls gleaming like upright spears, shining like Odin's Valhalla under the twinkling stars.

The Protoss and humans built this polar city together, erecting steel walls to withstand the extreme cold and destructive storms. The entire city is powered and heated by the inexhaustible high-energy gas resources of the Haj, while also exporting high-quality refined gas and oil to the outside world, which is sold as far as Umojan and some of the Confederacy's Edge World.

At the heart of the Arctic city stands a majestic Xel'Naga Gateway, its bluish-gray spiral archway connecting to another, entirely different world.

By this month, more and more Protoss ships had passed through the Xel'Naga Gateway to Haj; these were Aiur Protoss that refused to enter the Dark Templar homeworld.

Following this, the Protoss warped directly from Aiur to the buildings, and soon, one after another, golden-blue cities covered in snow appeared at an astonishing speed on the frozen ocean and the land covered with crystal mines and polar lichens.

At 2 p. m. local time, the sky was still dark. The giant, deep blue dome above the Xel'Naga Gateway in the center of the polar city shone brightly, and all the stars were exceptionally bright. The white snow clouds piled up on the horizon looked like frozen ice.

The sky flashes green, blue, and red light at times, like waves spreading out and disappearing in an instant. The ever-changing scene is filled with an indescribable beauty, like a doorway to the other side of the world.

Surrounding the base of the Xel'Naga Gateway is a wide, open plaza. Outside the plaza stands the core of the Titan Reactor, which is constantly in operation. To the south are countless automated gas refining machines connected by pipes. Each obelisk-shaped stabilization tower, processing tower, and weather monitoring device has a wind vane to indicate the wind direction.

When the wind picks up, the white steam from the refinery condenses into ice crystals as the wind turbines pull it, scattering it throughout the city.

To the north lies a polygonal residential area comprised of silver-white buildings, occupying a quarter of the city's area and housing many of the Protoss Empire's Khalai phase engineers.

At this moment, many local engineers and security personnel dressed in polar work clothes stood in the central square of the Polar City, all gazing at the enormous iris of the Xel'Naga Gateway. Only the diligent, two-wheeled horsefly cleaning robots were running back and forth, sweeping the snow off the ground. Occasionally, some horseflies, frantically trying to escape the crowd, would collide with each other, making a crisp clanging sound.

Most of the engineers were not locals; they came from Korhal, Umojan, and many other different human worlds. They came here not only for the high salaries that would provide for their families, but also to fulfill Augustus's call to build Haj.

The engineers here are all relatively young; they are not afraid of these terrifying alien legends or their chilling mind-reading abilities, nor are they willing to bear the consequences. Humans generally fear Protoss and have little affection for them, but after the Battle of Aiur, even someone as repulsive as Tychus Finley is seen as lovable by the Protoss.

The engineers standing here were told that the cargo arriving from Aiur was of paramount importance, and they were somewhat prepared for it, but they were still inevitably nervous. Most of the engineers had experienced the terrible accident a few weeks earlier, when a Revolutionary Army transport ship carrying top-secret cargo was involved in an accident while passing over the city.

Reportedly, a terrifying, evil, and powerful Cerebrate declared its existence to everyone in the city with a series of sharp, high-pitched mental screams, and questioned a scientist Egon Aigon with a string of nonsensical insults about why the cola and fries were gone.

Thus, the fame of the Cerebrate became deeply ingrained, and Egon Stetmann became one of the most well-known scientists in the Revolutionary Army.

Time passed second by second, and half an hour later, the Revolutionary Army flagship Hyperion, painted in dark blue, sailed out of the Xel'Naga Gateway, drawing cheers from the crowd below as soon as she appeared.

The Hyperion is a symbol of freedom and revolution, and it is even featured on postcards and stamps.

As the flagship of the Revolutionary Army Marshal Augustus Mengsk, the Hyperion is the most well-known. A Terrans living under the Revolutionary Army government might not know exactly how many warships the Revolutionary Army Fleets has, but they would definitely know the name Hyperion.

Following them were Revolutionary Army battlecruisers, frigates, destroyers, and troop transports that leaped out of the Xel'Naga Gateway one after another. The sheer force of this massive Fleets, along with the resulting sense of pride and emotion, brought tears to the eyes of some of the oldest among them.

Many of their relatives and friends were in this Fleets, and in their last letters to their families, they said they would bring news of victory and a flower of Aiur.

As more and more warships emerged from the wreckage, more workers in white protective suits marched into the square to cheer for the return of their fathers, brothers, sisters, and close friends. Many may not understand the significance of the Battle of Aiur, but every battle fought with family is, of course, an honor.

Most warships don't stop here; they only pause briefly before quickly ascending to high altitudes and entering orbit Haji. The medical ships carrying the wounded will immediately head to Geladi City Haj's most bustling city. Only a small number of the Revolutionary Army soldiers will linger here to experience the natural scenery, so different from that of Aiur.

Augustus stood on the bridge of the Hyperion, with Raynor, Kerrigan, and Tychus standing beside him. The bridge, with its multiple welded decks, was still too small compared to the Spear of Adun; in Tychus's words, it was no more than a toilet in a super villa.

The Hyperion hovered above the polar city, its bridge lights reflecting off the city lights. A short while later, Kerrigan approached Augustus the Hyperion's channel was now connected to all the broadcast channels in the Revolutionary Army's territory.

"Brothers and sisters, I am Augustus Mengsk," Augustus said solemnly, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Over the past four months, the expeditionary force has fought on Aiur and finally eliminated the threat posed by the Zerg Overmind."

Augustus's words quickly spread throughout Haj, and after a while, Altera and Ma Sara also received the broadcast, eventually reaching more planets under the control of the Revolutionary Army and making it into the newspapers.

The city of Haj was filled with cheers. Countless families, once happy, had lost loved ones and friends in the Zerg invasion, and the city rejoiced. The death of the Overmind also signaled that the threat of the Zerg was gradually receding.

"All the warriors who perished in the Battle of Aiur will be remembered; they fell on the eve of our breakthrough from darkness to the light." Augustus paused for a moment, as if those listening to him were also stopping to listen.

"Finally, we've won!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Hyperion's communication screen went dark again. It was foreseeable that all the Revolutionary Army planets would begin to cheer, and this joy would eventually spread throughout the human world through real footage and images, accompanied by notes from the Revolutionary Army correspondents.

"Cheers to victory!" Tychus raised a glass to Raynor, holding a bottle of brandy.

"For those who can no longer open their eyes to see all this." Raynor knew the exact number of people who died or went missing on the battlefield of Aiur, and the clearer he knew it, the harder it was for him to come to terms with it.

"Cheer up, at least it's not us who are dying." Tychus didn't know how to speak like a human being. Deep down, he wanted to comfort Raynor, but he couldn't let go of his identity as a villain and notorious thief.

"Tychus, you deserve to die," Raynor gritted his teeth.

"With the help of the Protoss, Haj doesn't need to worry about the threat from the Confederacy Fleets," Augustus, turning around.

As long as the sector is near the Xel'Naga Gateway, Augustus can call upon his Protoss Templar Knights and Dark Templar allies for support. The Protoss will not actively intervene in humanity's civil war, but they will not stand idly by and watch their friends perish.

Most of the Protoss have followed Tassadar to Shakuras, causing Shakuras ' population to swell to 400 million in a short period of time, while the Aiur Protoss, unwilling to make contact with the Dark Templar, have come to Haj, where their numbers have reached nearly 120 million.

If any Confederacy Fleets were to recklessly enter without ascertaining the military strength of the Haj, they would undoubtedly be severely damaged by the Protoss Empire Fleets guarding this area.

Augustus watched the jubilant crowd in the city center square through Hyperion's sensors and external cameras, but when he saw an elderly woman with a headscarf and red eyes, his heart clenched, knowing that her family had not returned.

Every victory comes at a cost, and every battle is won on the blood of the fallen. The war against the Zerg is no exception.

Augustus felt a little comforted when he saw the hundreds of roaring gas refineries in the industrial zone below the city and the twinkling lights of the residential areas. The reason he fought was precisely to end war.

Once everything has calmed down, Augustus can finally rest.

"What has happened in the Koprulu Sector these past few days?" Augustus walked down the ramp from the Hyperion's bridge to the lower decks, then stepped onto a vertical staircase that ran the length of the warship.

"A mining team from the Kel-Morian Combine went missing within the territory of the Terran Confederacy, which nearly sparked a conflict between the Kel-Morian Combine's Guild Guards and the Federal Marine Corps. In the end, the Kel-Morian Combine's board of directors had to compensate the Confederacy for the cost of sending troops to maintain order," Kerrigan said.

"The backbone of the Kel-Morian Combine has been broken, but the growing influence of Kel-Morian nationalists within the Kel-Morian Combine should not be underestimated," Augustus commented.

"Judging from my last trip to Moria, the people there are quite resentful," Raynor said. "But the people of Kel-Morian are strange; no matter how unbearable the guild government's oppression and exploitation of them becomes, they rarely revolt."

"The Umojan government declares themselves friends of the Protoss, Protoss Empire will remain a permanent ally of the Umojan Republic," Kerrigan continued.

"Umojan is more than happy to do things that are met with indifference; these hypocrites are as untrustworthy as their fallacies," Tychus said. "What about Protoss and the others?"

"A new rebellion has broken out on the Brontes Prime, and the local religious leaders have declared you to be the Holy Son." Kerrigan showed Augustus several pictures.

"I'm flattered," Augustus blinked.

"They really are something else," Raynor shook his head.

As the ladder finally came to a stop, Augustus entered the engine room of the Hyperion.

Upon entering the engine room, Augustus was immediately blinded by a small, shimmering sun encased in a golden sphere. The small sun was surrounded by a blue Protoss field, its warm light as gentle as springtime.

"Swann, you've really got a real gem." Augustus shrugged, looking at Rory Swann and the Khalai technician Karax, who were fighting side by side.

"For God's sake, don't burn my ship through."

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