Royal Guard

"How was the trip to New Folsom Prison, Private First Class Tychus Finley?"

The armory in compartment 12 of the Hyperion reeked of acetylene, engine oil, and high-energy gas. The heavy industry workshop between decks was replacing the old fossil fuel engine of a Laser Drill Tank with a new refined gas engine.

Between the carpeted gray metal bulkheads on both sides, numerous Revolutionary Army engineers and mechanics stood working on each manufacturing platform and workbench at different levels. Under the blue-white light of the recessed wall lights in the ceiling above, bursts of welding sparks cascaded down like a waterfall onto the transport tracks below, which operated using electromagnetic acceleration technology.

After adjusting the star-shaped collar insignia on his staff officer uniform, Major Matt Horner Matt Horner handed a Revolutionary Army armband with a red wolf-patterned shield emblem to Tychus Finley, who was smoking a cheap cigarette and sitting with his legs crossed on a tall supply crate next to the armory shelves.

"How about a pile of excrement mixed with urine?" Tychus took the armband from Matt Horner's hand, glanced at it twice, and then put it on the collar of his work uniform.

Tychus had a fleeting thought of trampling the armband under his feet and walking away, as a form of resistance against Augustus Mengsk's harsh punishment, showcasing his free-spirited, unrestrained, and unconventional personality.

However, the wolf-striped armband was the badge of Augustus Personal Guard. In any case, it meant he could escape the tedious armory workshop and do something more interesting.

Ever since Augustus kicked him into New Folsom Prison to experience life there, and then last month he was brought back and thrown into Rory Swann's hands to suffer, Tychus Finley has probably not experienced the colorful and wonderful world for a century.

Moreover, according to military regulations, if Tychus really did that, he would have to stay in New Folsom for at least another half a month.

"I bet, brat, your white ass will pee the moment it touches the rusty iron bars of New Folsom Prison." Tychus didn't even look at him properly; in his eyes, a rising star like Matt Horner Matt Horner wasn't even a high-ranking general in the Revolutionary Army's inner circle.

"Really? I'd like to try it out." Matt Horner Matt Horner pulled up his wide-brimmed felt hat with gold trim, revealing a flawless smile that showed no sign of him joking.

"New Folsom was once home to many revolutionaries, and its people were all great fighters most loyal and steadfast to the revolution. Many heroes I know were imprisoned there, and some of them are still leading the revolutionary ranks today."

"I've never seen such a fool as you, rushing to suffer. Revolution! Revolution! What's the use if you're going to die yourself?" Tychus was furious. He almost suspected that this blond kid, whose eyes were always shining with hope, was insulting him.

He's warning me.

Of course, this kid hasn't seen much of the world yet; he doesn't have the inclination or the brain to mock others.

A pretty boy, a bookworm, with an old-fashioned attitude towards revolution and rules. Despite his young age, he was more composed than Tychus, who was already 30. Generally speaking, Tychus had always kept his distance from this type of person.

Think back to when Augustus brought this snot-nosed brat out of the Tyrador IX; he was like a homeless puppy, completely lost and adrift. Now he's an officer in the Revolutionary Army's General Staff, while Tychus seems to be going downhill from there.

Tychus said this shows that heroes come from all walks of life, while Augustus thought it was a case of a leopard can't change its spots.

"Is that so?" Major Matt Horner said noncommittally. "I think if you hadn't been so busy dancing in front of Marshal Augustus when the peace treaty was signed on Redstone, completely forgetting your duties, he wouldn't have been so furious."

"When a marshal who rarely gets angry loses his temper, no amount of kind words can help you."

"I'm pretty sure that old dog Edmond Duke was ecstatic about this all day, and he's convinced that that bastard Augustus is going to kick the old guard of the Heaven's Devils aside and put in the new ones," Tychus said.

"Actually, I had no choice at the time," he argued. "I had a few drinks and lay on top of the beautiful Kel-Morian for a while, and I don't know what happened after that."

"Don't let Augustus Mengsk's seemingly magnanimous exterior fool you; he's actually quite petty. All I did was laugh a little louder when I told him a joke about his little skirt, and he's still holding a grudge," Tychus continued.

"He doesn't think he's the only one who knows this, does he? Everyone in the Hyperion knows about it already, doesn't he? So what? I've even worn skirts before."

"For this, Augustus threw me into New Folsom, saying I'd be in there sooner or later anyway. Then he made me work as an assistant for Rory Swann. Didn't he know I didn't get along with that shorty? Making a soldier do embroidery? Is that something a human being would do?"

"If you had worked diligently, you would at least be a colonel or even a major general by now," Matt Horner sighed.

"You simply don't understand. If you don't find some fun in life, if you don't have some excitement, how can you know if you're truly alive?"

"You know, this is the world the Marshal envisions: no endless wars, no conflicts... no excitement—my professors at Umojan University told me they would call it, peace." Matt Horner just stared at Tychus's absent-minded blue eyes.

"Back when we were still in the Federal Marine Corps, Augustus loved writing letters to his lovely little sister, telling her childish and ridiculous fairy tales. What, did he really live in such fairy tales back then?" It's hard to say who in this world understands the real Augustus Mengsk better than Tychus.

"Oh~ Korhal's Little Prince..."

"That's the world he dreamed of, a dreamlike world of stars and peace." Matt Horner immediately retorted, "You haven't actually read those tender letters."

"Finley, you are a revered hero, not a petty thief or scoundrel. Do you know how many people are chanting Tychus Finley's name, waiting for you to save them?"

"Heroes are very busy, aren't they?" For once, Tychus blushed slightly. But given his thick skin, this was negligible.

Matt Horner took a gold and red military uniform from a marshal's personal guard beside him and handed it to Tychus: "Now I should call you Lieutenant Tychus Finley."

"Wow, looks good. The Marshal Guard has been issued new uniforms." Tychus, being a gentleman of refined taste, rubbed his hands together as he received the uniform—though he looked like a fly.

It was already evident from the marshal's personal guard next to Matt Horner that the new uniform consisted of a red uniform with dark blue trousers, gold buttons, and V-shaped epaulets representing rank, along with varying numbers of gold stars on the shoulder straps.

Compared to ordinary uniforms, the guards' uniforms are much more ornate. The lace, tassels, and golden wolf insignia on the cuffs and shoulders are all pure gold, and even the two sides of the flat-topped hats are decorated with intertwined golden laurel leaves.

"It was Deputy Chief of Staff Arcturus Mengsk who proposed the new uniform design. I heard he hired a private high-class tailor who originally worked for the Tagore Family for it, and the style is modeled after the Royal Guard uniforms of ancient Earth nations." Matt Horner has now entered the upper echelons and can be considered to know quite a bit of the inside story.

Despite his incredibly young age, Matt Horner is indeed a rare talent. In just two years, Matt Horner not only became an experienced captain through practical experience, but also devoted his rest time to studying, and recently passed the graduation exam of the Umojan National Naval Academy.

"The Royal Guard? It seems those old guys were right; they're planning to make Augustus Mengsk a dictator emperor." Tychus clicked his tongue. "This isn't what was agreed upon initially. Will those revolutionaries accept this?"

"They felt that the republic was unreliable, and that it was better to let the truly wise people hold power than to waste time waiting for a bunch of noisy members of parliament to argue back and forth. That being said, if the Mengsk Family had announced to the world that they would become royalty when the Korhal uprising took place, they wouldn't have received such widespread support."

"This is nothing! Earthlings and the Confederacy are still alive, and these people are already thinking about installing a new ruler. This is freedom, this is revolution."

The "old guys" Tychus was referring to were mainly Horace Warfield and Arcturus Mengsk's gang.

"This is all Chief of Staff Arcturus's idea, which the Marshal has been vehemently opposing." Matt Horner, however, disagreed. "But I must say, there's been a lot of talk in the army lately, with many believing that only Augustus Mengsk deserves the title. After all, Augustus is the title of Emperor."

"Since the Koprulu Sector began to exist, there has never been an empire or an emperor here, nor has there been a history of oppression by an autocratic system. On the contrary, they are extremely disgusted with the so-called democracy and parliamentary system represented by the Terran Confederacy, and are utterly disappointed with the past Confederacy system," he said.

"For the people here, that's just long-forgotten Earth history. Most people in the Edge World don't even know what an emperor is, but they at least know it's a highly revered term... They probably think it's cool."

"That's true, it's just a title. In my opinion, there's really no difference between an empire and a republic. As long as the people below are doing better than before, what's there to be dissatisfied about?" Tychus was an extremely shrewd man.

"Didn't the Protoss also say they're some kind of the Protoss Empire? If we don't establish an empire, our prestige will be significantly weakened."

He then changed the subject. "And what are your thoughts? When the time comes, those in favor will stand on one side, and those against will stand on the other."

"I neither agree nor disagree. As long as the people can live better under the new regime, then it doesn't matter. Conversely, if Augustus were to become a completely different person in the future, betraying all the visions he has now promised and pursued, then I would certainly stand up against him."

"Then you can rest assured, at least Augustus can't be worse than the Confederacy." Tychus said, having already taken off his coat and put on his gold and red Royal Guard uniform.

"Alright, tell me what new task he has for me."

"Augustus has decided to reinstate you as a company commander in his guard," Matt Horner said.

"As you know, we recently went to war with the UED again. Our Fleets is currently attacking the core world of Brontes Prime, which is controlled by the UED," he said.

"The UED Fleets in the Brown system has been completely defeated, and a landing operation is imminent. Before the Marshal arrives at the Governor's Mansion on the Brown main star to deliver his address, you must prepare to command a guard."

"I must say, old Tychus is an expert in this field. No private security company in this sector is even fit to carry my shoes." Despite his many complaints, Tychus was now truly afraid to offend Augustus.

"He still can't live without me... but I always feel like things aren't that simple."

That gray-haired boy always kept his word, whether it was good or bad.

"Well, we've reached Brown, and it won't be long before we storm Tarsonis." Tychus could already picture the bustling prosperity of Tarsonis.

Brown was one of the earliest planetary worlds to form the Terran Confederacy. It was also a prosperous world with a stable social order and a developed economy, holding an extremely important position among the constituent planets of the Confederacy.

Currently, Brown is also one of the most important planets controlled by the UED, with a considerable number of Fleets and ground troops stationed there.

"It's not that easy. According to intelligence, Alexei Stukov has further strengthened the orbital defense system of Tarsonis and has begun mandatory conscription," Matt Horner said, shaking his head.

"He may also control an unspecified number of Hybrid, and the destructive power of a large-scale Hybrid against our army is unimaginable."

"What about the Protoss? They won't just stand by and do nothing." Tychus also knew quite a bit about Hybrid.

"The Protoss homeworld of Shakuras has been invaded by the Zerg, and now they probably can't help us much." The voice belonged to Augustus, who was still wearing his dark blue military uniform, with only the red-haired Sarah Kerrigan by his side.

"Augustus?" Tychus turned around, his mouth slightly agape in surprise.

"Talking bad about me again?" Augustus chuckled.

"No," Tychus said immediately.

"He said you're petty," Kerrigan said, one hand on her hip.

"I hate mind-reading Psionics the most!" Tychus wanted to spit, but wisely swallowed it back.

"Hey, boss, oh no, Marshal, come and see our newly developed main battle tank." At this moment, Chief Engineer Rory Swann, who was walking up the stairs from the lower deck of the armory, inadvertently relieved Tychus from his predicament.

This doesn't mean that Swann and Tychus have a good relationship. In fact, although Tychus is by no means a clumsy big guy, he had a big fight with Swann last time because he broke Swann's newly invented high-energy gas harvesting drone.

Both sides called in a significant number of Marines and engineers to prepare for a fight, but the conflict was ultimately brought to a halt with the intervention of the military police.

"Look at that behemoth, weighing 170 tons, with armor up to 200mm thick. Aside from the possibility of damaging roads and bridges, it has no drawbacks—fuel is one thing, but compared to its destructive power, that's nothing." Swann led Augustus, who had come to visit, down from the armory and onto a platform above a heavy tracked tank.

It was a heavy tank even larger than the Arclite Siege Tank, with a cannon diameter that was terrifying.

"We prefer to call it the Drakken Siege Tank —it uses the Zeus Tank battle tank chassis, and its main gun is the Drakken Laser Drill, with a maximum energy output of 174 gigawatts. Considering the cost, it can also be replaced by Kel-Morian's BDE-1600 mining drill, although its power will be much smaller."

"Considering the cost and manufacturing process, the production of this tank will be very limited, but it can serve as a mobile weapon platform for attacking fortified strongholds."

"Wow—this is gathering the sun's energy at your fingertips," Tychus joked.

"Well, you really are head over heels in love with the Drakken Drill." Regardless, Augustus quite satisfied with the caliber. "I've known that for a long time."

"The Battle of Brown is the perfect opportunity to test him— Tychus, you take the helm."

I'd also like to recommend a friend's book, "Transcendental Investigation" (book title). You can just click the link on Qidian and add it to your favorites.