Narud, the Arsonist King

The leather-trimmed, wood-grain Holographic Projection projector on the table has been with Augustus four years, and the golden wolf head emblem on its dust cover has developed tiny, scar-like cracks from its journeys across various planets.

This durable instrument was a gift from Augustus's brother Arcturus, and like the latter's discerning eye, it has stood the test of time.

At this moment, a clear three-dimensional image was flashing on the Holographic Projection projector. Standing in it were two soldiers from the United Earth Directorate dressed in crisp dark military uniforms, while an elderly man with white hair stood at the very edge of the image, seemingly looking anxious and uneasy.

"Dr. Emil Narud, you are our highly paid special military advisor for the Koprulu Sector, and you have the authority to know more classified information." Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov appeared to be a refined and approachable man; his initial impression on Augustus was at least acceptable.

"I don't want our advisors to ask me, 'General, shall we set off now,' only after the war is over."

"I am honored." So, the doctor named Narud seemed less afraid, and even inadvertently raised his head to get a good look at Augustus's face.

Immediately, Dr. Narud, with his snow-white beard and sideburns and a bitter and resentful expression, overlapped with an image from Augustus's memory.

Emir Narud, another alias of Sammy Duran. In the StarCraft II story, Dr. Narud is the mastermind behind everything, and he is only exposed at the very end, hiding himself very well.

Of course, Dr. Narud could never have imagined that Augustus would strip him bare with just a glance. Augustus knew Narud's entire plan: all paths lead to the same goal. Everything Narud did—perhaps seemingly unrelated at first glance—ultimately aimed at resurrecting his fallen master, Xel'Nagaemon.

However, Narud and Duran have very different personalities, Augustus convinced that he used the name Narud prematurely because he appeared as the Arbitrator Duran too early. Next time, he might also use the identity of Rimas.

"Alright, let's talk about it now." Admiral Gerard DuGalle stood in the center of the hologram, nodding with his withered chin.

"Marshal Augustus Mengsk, I know you are the leader of the rebels. To put it bluntly, I've spent most of my life fighting against men like you. You may be a powerful figure in this sector, but Koprulu is nothing more than a speck of dust in the universe."

"I've seen too many people like you, self-proclaimed champions of justice, passionate revolutionary heroes, or fearless warriors." His expression was colder than the blizzard of Braxis.

"Putting aside my stance, I've always admired people like that, but I hope you're not a conman who only wants the aura of a revolutionary leader to gain power and money for himself. It's precisely those kinds of people who bring about meaningless turmoil; they're only pursuing their own desires."

In Gerard DuGalle's eyes, Augustus was far too young, even unbelievably young. If Augustus a self-made man, then only a precocious prodigy could describe him.

The leaders of Earth's rebels mostly sit in oil-stained shacks, directing their hot-blooded youths hastily armed with revolutionary ideas, hoping they will use their flesh and blood to withstand merciless bullets.

"So, what kind of person are you? Are you worth our time?" Alexei Stukov continued, picking up where DuGalle left off.

"General, I am merely a voice advocating justice for the exploited and oppressed people of the Terran Confederacy," Augustus said calmly.

"I loathe the ugliness hidden behind the scenes by the Confederacy, and I've had enough of the lies told by politicians and nobles. What I want to do is overthrow the Confederacy and expose the truth to the world."

"Lieutenant General, as a local, I must say a few words about Marshal Augustus Mengsk." At this moment, Dr. Narud, who had been listening nearby, spoke up.

To Augustus's astonishment, the responses were entirely laudatory praise, "Augustus Mengsk is the greatest revolutionary, thinker, philosopher, and military strategist of this century; he is our king, a fighter for freedom, and the savior of the people."

"He is also a pillar of our spirit as Confederacy Resistance Army. It was upon hearing Korhal's revolutionary manifesto that my old friends and I, who had served in the Guild Wars, decided to rise up in rebellion."

"You flatter me, Dr. Narud. I have also heard of your outstanding contributions to the scientific community." Augustus thought to himself, "Narud, you scoundrel, don't expect to flatter me with a few compliments. These words are definitely malicious."

Of course, Augustus had to admit that Narud wasn't wrong.

"Ah, seeing is believing. I have been in awe of Marshal Augustus for many days." Dr. Narud took out a stack of handkerchiefs from the pocket of his blue suit and almost imperceptibly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, muttering to himself that he didn't seem to have published any works in his capacity.

Of course, Dr. Narud could never have imagined that anyone in this world could see through his identity; there's no reason for him to be exposed so soon after his debut. This can only be explained by Augustus's humble words based on his aristocratic upbringing. It would seem unreasonable if a doctor who was highly valued by Earthlings hadn't made any outstanding contributions.

"His reputation is widespread, Augustus." DuGalle's face remained cold, and it was unclear how many words Narud had taken to heart.

"Admirable!" Alexei Stukov raised his chin, looking at Augustus even greater respect. "What exactly is your purpose in seeking our help?"

"For the past few weeks, you didn't even know who we were or what we were there for."

"My warriors and I swore an oath to overthrow the tyranny of the Terran Confederacy. Since the United Earth Directorate is attacking the Confederacy, I am certain that we may be on the same side." Augustus's words made Dr. Narud's wrinkled face twitch, as if he had said something similar not long ago when he surrendered to the Earthlings.

"So, you're willing to help us fight the Terran Confederacy?" Even though DuGalle was the supreme commander of the UED Expeditionary Fleet, it was always his deputy, Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov, who spoke.

It must be said that Augustus humble nor arrogant demeanor actually drew the attention of DuGalle and Alexei Stukov. If this man were merely a humble lackey, the generals of the Earth Council could easily have had their officers dismiss him at will.

"Of course, I couldn't be happier." Augustus smiled. "When the Terran Confederacy is on the verge of collapse, I will definitely give it a push."

"What can you offer us? Personnel, supplies, or Fleets support?" DuGalle asked Augustus.

"All of them," Augustus stated calmly, his composed demeanor making it impossible not to believe his words.

"Within our capabilities, we will provide you with whatever we have."

"The Revolutionary Army is renowned for its strength in the Koprulu Sector; this amount of material support is nothing more than a small favor," Dr. Narud added a professional endorsement to Augustus's promise.

"That's generous of you, Marshal Augustus." Alexei Stukov, of course, didn't believe that Augustus would actually do his best to keep his word. Besides, how capable could a local rebel organization in the Koprulu Sector really be?

Earth had been monitoring the colonists in the Koprulu Sector for centuries, but had never made any real intervention.

Before entering the hibernation pods of the expeditionary Fleets, Alexei Stukov and other senior commanders of the UED Expeditionary Fleet had thoroughly read the data on the Terran Confederacy, the Zerg, and the Protoss, including that of the Augustus Revolutionary Army, which was also included in the data.

However, neither the intelligence personnel gathering information nor the generals reading the documents believed that this rebel army could threaten the UED Expeditionary Fleet or become a stumbling block on their path to conquest.

Augustus's Revolutionary Army is indeed the largest rebel army in the Territory of the Terran Confederacy, but there is not much information about their specific strength. Since Korhal rose to power, this rebel army seems to have been engaged in guerrilla warfare and sabotage.

To put it bluntly, Augustus's men have been constantly being chased around by the government forces of the Terran Confederacy.

The true strength of the Korhal Revolutionary Army remains a mystery. Generally speaking, the Supreme Naval Command of the Terran Confederacy tends to exaggerate the strength of the Revolutionary Army, while politicians in the Confederate Congress emphasize that the rebellion has already been resolved once and for all.

The United Earth Directorate's intelligence department is so far away from the Koprulu Sector that its information is always years behind, and they are often deceived by misleading information released by the Terran Confederacy.

"I believe we can go further in our cooperation," Alexei Stukov Augustus.

"It seems we all agree that it would be an unimaginable disaster and a complete tragedy for the bureaucrats of the Terran Confederacy to continue ruling this sector. In that case, you and your people can do us a small favor," he said.

"While we are attacking the Terran Confederacy, you can wreak havoc in the Confederacy's rear areas—when the Confederacy surrenders, the Council will certainly credit your contributions."

Alexei Stukov's words were almost identical to what he had said to the other Terrans had defected to the UED Expeditionary Fleet, and the actual situation was not much different from what he said.

According to the plans of the United Earth Directorate members, the Koprulu Sector will become Earth's bridgehead against the Zerg and Protoss, a protruding thorn between the Protoss and the Zerg. As for whether this thorn is strong enough, that depends entirely on the skill of the expeditionary commanders.

Admittedly, if the settlers in the Koprulu Sector could accept Earth's rule, their lives would at least not be worse than before. The ones who would truly suffer are the human Psionics and genetically modified individuals of Koprulu, who would likely face Earth's purge and cleansing after the war.

In an effort to maintain the purity of the human genome, witch hunts and purges have claimed the lives of 400 million people on Earth.

"Of course, even if you don't say it, my warriors and I have always been doing it," Augustus said.

"However, I also want to know if DuGalle's UED Expeditionary Fleet has the capability to defeat the Confederacy Fleets head-on. If so, we can agree on an attack time and launch a pincer attack."

"It's only a matter of time before Earth's Fleets destroys the Confederacy. I think Marshal Augustus, you must be overthinking it," Dr. Narud added at the opportune moment, seemingly quite confident in the strength of the UED Expeditionary Fleet.

"Very well, we'll contact you then." DuGalle's face twitched, and his sharp eyes became even more intimidating. However, he couldn't say that his Fleets wasn't confident of victory.

Narud may have exaggerated and put DuGalle on the spot, but what he said wasn't wrong.

"However, as an ally, I must remind you one last time, General DuGalle," Augustus concluded.

"Tarsonis is the heart of the entire Terran Confederacy. Officials of the Confederate Congress and the Old Families who truly rule the entire Confederacy regard it as their foundation. To completely defeat the Terran Confederacy, we must conquer Tarsonis," he said.

"However, Tarsonis is the most heavily defended planet in the entire Terran Confederacy. According to reliable intelligence, the Confederacy has reinforced the firepower of its orbital defense platforms and planetary defense systems several times during the Zerg invasion. Taking Tarsonis will not be an easy task."

Augustus's well-intentioned reminder will likely win some favor from Earth's allies, but UED Expeditionary Fleet personnel have probably already roughly figured out Tarsonis's defensive capabilities.

As Augustus, as an expeditionary force far from its homeland, the UED Expeditionary Fleet must win quickly to avoid being dragged into the quagmire of war by the Confederacy. Even considering the worst-case scenario, the UED Expeditionary Fleet must defeat the Confederacy within a few months, otherwise it will fall into a slump and be gradually worn down.

Therefore, striking at the heart of the Terran Confederacy or completely crushing its proud military power became one of the few options available to the expeditionary force commander.

Unless DuGalle and Alexei Stukov are idiots like Edmond Duke, they should have figured out the defensive forces before attacking Tarsonis.

However, after Augustus's Revolutionary Army stormed Tarsonis a few years ago, terrifying the elders of the Confederate Congress and the Old Families, the Confederacy further strengthened Tarsonis's orbital defense system.

This project has never stopped and has been ongoing for four years now, transforming Tarsonis into a virtually impregnable fortress planet.

"Augustus is right. Just as I said, Tarsonis Prime is probably the most heavily defended place in the entire Koprulu Sector," Dr. Narud said.

"The cowardly Confederacy nobles have used the wealth they obtained from the people to reinforce the fortresses and ring-shaped space-based defense system of Tarsonis. Even with the strength of the UED Expeditionary Fleet, taking the heart of the Confederacy will not be an easy task."

"Of course I know that." General DuGalle was not surprised by Augustus and Narud's words; his voice remained serious and unwavering.

"The Confederacy is nothing but building their pathetic graves."