Battle for Brontes Prime

When the first colonists arrived on Brontes Prime, they found the planet more habitable than their calculations had predicted. They named it with a feminine name, humbly hoping it would embrace them like a mother would.

This is a rocky, land-dwelling planet with a surface rich in minerals, located right in the habitable zone of its star system. 77% of Brontes's surface is covered by vast, turquoise oceans, and its atmosphere, bound by a gravity of 0.98, occasionally exhibits storms caused by the solar wind and magnetic field, but these are insufficient to cause major natural disasters for the main settlements.

Several inverted triangular continents, seemingly separated yet connected, and numerous islands are located in the tropics and temperate zones, significantly influenced by temperate maritime and temperate monsoon climates. The climate is warm and humid year-round, with average temperatures between 24°C and 28°C. The atmospheric oxygen content is approximately 33%, yet wildfires are frequent in the equatorial region where the sun shines directly.

Brontes has a longer rotation period than Tarsonis, a very low axial tilt, and its seasons are not distinct. Its orbital period is also similar to a year, but about ten days shorter. Its two bright satellites provide stable tides.

Its land is covered with lush vegetation and is home to a large number of ancient organisms. The environment is similar to that of Earth's Carboniferous period, and the whole of Brontes is full of vibrant life.

Such a planet is quite rare in the Koprulu Sector, where habitable planets are already scarce, and it is truly a blessing for the Terrans are used to harsh landscapes and extreme extremes of ice and fire.

Following the discovery of Brontes, the ensuing colonial movement was met with a positive response, with large numbers of people from Tarsonis and other parts of the world arriving in this dreamlike paradise with their meager possessions.

The colonies and cities of the Terran Confederacy are mainly concentrated on a narrow continent called Heimdall, with a population of approximately 900 million. The most important local festivals are the Holy Spirit Festival and the Harvest Festival, and fireworks, dampness-repelling chili peppers, and wine are highly sought after among the Brontes.

When the Korhal Revolutionary Army recaptured Brontes in the name of the Terrans, the world's development had stagnated or even shown signs of decline due to years of war.

Since the Guild Wars, economic recession has been a common phenomenon in the world of the Terran Confederacy, with only those planets that are far from the battlefield and rely on developed foreign trade such as arms sales thriving.

As one of the earliest homeworlds to form the Terran Confederacy, the Brontes people enjoy a stable life with an unemployment rate that is within a manageable range.

In worlds like Turaxis II and Pridewater, starvation is a common occurrence.

In those most devastating marginal sectors, according to a journalist who had been dismissed by the UNN for reporting false news, entire cities were dying from hunger and the rampant spread of the Zerg virus. The corpses were piled up like firewood, then covered with liquid high-energy gas and burned.

During the Guild Wars, the Brontes economy was still thriving. Nevertheless, in recent years, life for the Brontes people has become increasingly difficult. The Zerg invasion has permanently changed everything.

"Brontes was originally a world very similar to Korhal IV, with a highly independent colonial government, a prosperous population, and high levels of education, cultural development, and calls for political independence."

Arcturus Mengsk, dressed in a gold-red Marshal Guard officer's uniform with a dark brown fur cloak draped over his back, scooped up a handful of water from the trickling stream outside Orland Town and said to Augustus Mengsk standing beside him:

"I've never been to this planet, but I've heard that Brontes has always been a comfortable and stable world. Many mercenaries, private security guards, bandits, and pirates who used to live a life of bloodshed on the sword, after accumulating enough wealth, are most willing to either lose it all in the private casinos of Bacchus Moon or go to a highly developed and safe planet like Brontes."

"But now, it seems that Brontes has nothing to do with happiness and stability." Augustus's gaze fell on a Revolutionary Army relief distribution station on the other side of the river, watching many sallow-faced, thinning-haired people receiving bread and sausages.

Hundreds of yards away, a field kitchen set up with a high-energy gas stove was cooking vegetable soup with milk and pasta for the children, while rows of green military tents guarded by the Revolutionary Army soldiers were filled with supply boxes.

Under Augustus's leadership, the Revolutionary Army soldiers, driven by revolutionary dreams and imbued with a kind of Targaryen nationalism and compassionate empathy, did their utmost to help others. These soldiers, inspired by this spirit, were the backbone of the Revolutionary Army, a rarity in the Confederacy army.

Augustus always spoke of being of one mind with the people, believing that the people were the foundation of all political power.

The Revolutionary Army is indeed almost the only army that extends a helping hand to civilians; in this respect, the Terran Confederacy does even worse than some Edge World gangs and bandit organizations.

Not far away lay the ruins of a town, surrounded by tattered tents and patched-up high walls. The town's buildings were severely damaged, almost completely leveled, leaving only the rubble of the most sturdy structures, their Plasteel supports swaying precariously in the warm, humid wind like bronze skeletons.

Brontes is one of the few planets to have been invaded by the Zerg, but the destruction doesn't seem like it was left by them. Generally, the Zerg hunt, capture, and infect every creature and structure they encounter, but they don't raze cities.

The cities ravaged by the Zerg resembled rotten fruit or a mouthful of grime-covered gums, blanketed with a viscous Creep composed of countless blood vessels.

These were clearly traces left by human bombers. Augustus learned from the local residents that when the Zerg first invaded Brontes, the planet's Confederacy forces, in a panic, destroyed all the outer towns they thought might be infected by the Zerg.

After all traces of the Zerg left on the Brontes Prime were completely erased, Brontes was attacked again by the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet before it could rebuild the city.

"A few years ago, the Brontes were quite well-off," Sarah Kerrigan always stayed closest to Augustus, said. "Compared to Antiga, this place was paradise."

This red-haired female ghost is an extremely threatening figure. As early as 16 years old Kerrigan was able to single-handedly take down a whole room of people with just a pistol and a dagger. As she has grown older, her Psionics have exceeded the limits of what ordinary people can comprehend.

Kerrigan can now use her mind to catch a sniper bullet fired at Augustus and return it to the barrel intact.

"It wasn't just the Zerg and humans that destroyed Brontes; the greedy Terran Confederacy and the Old Families behind them also played a significant role in the process."

Arcturus Mengsk possessed an exceptionally clear understanding of the humanities, politics, and development prospects of the planets within the Confederacy, primarily stemming from his keen political insight and profound knowledge.

"Do you know why Tyrador X went from a thriving New World to being owned by the Old Families? The Confederacy first used economic intervention to drive Terra's economy to collapse, then massively lent money to local businesses and even ordinary people, and finally took control of the entire planet," Arcturus said.

"This is just one of their ways of making money. Every smart colonial council should understand that if they don't implement trade protection policies and increase tariffs, this planet will sooner or later become a dumping ground for Tarsonis's goods, and emerging young local businesses will be crushed in no time."

"Unfortunately, unless the Confederacy governor there is truly a money-grubbing good-for-nothing, or the planet itself is as worthless as Mar- Sara, they will only become an obstacle to the development of the immigrant settlement."

"While the Brontes Prime was under attack by the Zerg, the Tarsonis Confederacy and the Old Families were taking advantage of the situation to acquire local businesses and rake in profits." Augustus discovered that he didn't need to search carefully; there was dirt on the Terran Confederacy everywhere.

"No wonder, so few people hold so much wealth, and these people are still trying every means to exploit and oppress. Therefore, we must not tolerate these Old Families." He looked at the ravaged town.

"After dealing with the UED, we'll still have to deal with the remnants of the Confederacy."

The news of the near-total annihilation of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet's main Fleets at Char has not yet spread throughout the Koprulu Sector. Its current supreme commander, Alexei Stukov, has apparently blocked all information to avoid significantly impacting the morale of the remaining troops.

Augustus, on the other hand, wisely used his intelligence advantage to spread irrefutable evidence across the UED-controlled planets by every means at his disposal. This dampened the morale of the UED garrison to some extent, but it also gave the remaining Confederacy forces a renewed sense of hope and the confidence to rise again.

Since Augustus declared war after the attack on Antiga Starport by UED armed thugs, the Revolutionary Army has quickly seized 17 planets from Alexei Stukov. Currently, only 5 primary worlds, including Brontes, and 8 secondary core worlds are still under human control.

The communication jamming devices brought by the UED became much less effective after Augustus activated some of the Protoss communication technologies. Based on his fear of Earthlings' information network technology, Augustus also ordered a further increase in the level of data network security and a reduction in the use of AI.

Faced with the Revolutionary Army's rapid offensive, the resistance and counterattacks of the UED planets were almost negligible. Some planets were even captured with only a few officers injured. This success surprised the cautious officers under Augustus, who always believed that the Earthlings had other trump cards up their sleeves.

If it weren't for the news that the UED was still reinforcing the defenses of Tarsonis, Augustus have been almost certain that Alexei Stukov himself had already left.

The Revolutionary Army has now taken control of all shipping hub planets except Tarsonis, and multiple Fleets are approaching and surrounding the main core worlds from all directions. More and more Revolutionary Army believe that the UED's defeat is inevitable.

Meanwhile, the leaders, led by Augustus, continued to warn their subordinates not to underestimate the enemy, as Alexei Stukov remained an extremely formidable opponent even though the UED had lost most of its Fleets.

"Where have our troops advanced to?" Augustus saw another entire Revolutionary Army motorcycle company drive past on the opposite bank, the Vulture with the gold and red Revolutionary Army on their back seats speeding away into the distance.

Ninety percent of the land in the Brontes region is covered by dense vegetation, with emerald-green lakes dotting the lush forests. As a result, most cities and towns are built along the water and connected by a well-developed network of train tracks through the forest. To avoid affecting the migration of local biological communities, these train tracks are mostly elevated networks suspended above the forest, making it almost impossible to walk through the dense vegetation below.

This created a unique situation in the Battle of Brontes: control of the transportation network was extremely important, the struggle for key points was fierce, and air combat was frequent and intense.

When faced with the Valkyrie of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, the Revolutionary Army fighters could only use their maneuverability to temporarily evade their attacks.

"The 2nd Armored Group has advanced to Sunset Fortress outside Brontes Garden, flanked by the Korhal Legion and the 1st Sara Assault Army, personally commanded by Field Marshal Horace Warfield," Kerrigan replied.

"Sunset Fortress is a product of the early colonial period, primarily designed to counter the dangerous large Predator of the Brontes. During the Total War, it was rapidly transformed from a low fortress into a magnificent steel-cast fortress."

"Now they're using it against us." Augustus nodded.

"An isolated fortress is of little importance. What matters most is the sheer number of Hybrid in Brontes Garden. They are filled with civilians coerced by the UED. If we have to fight in the city, innocent people will inevitably be harmed." In Arcturus's eyes, the fortress was nothing more than a target for testing new weapons.

That is indeed the case.

The Sunset Fortress, located in Augustus's area, can still be seen with the aid of a sophisticated optical telescope: it is shaped like a pointed bamboo shoot, housing a physics laboratory and Hurricane nuclear missile silos, making it a truly strategic location.

However, Brontes's UED forces did not have many men to defend it. According to reliable intelligence, the fortress was guarded by only one artillery battalion and a few marine companies belonging to different warships, while the rest were local Earth puppet troops.

Brontes was once a developed and wealthy world, and the locals had always lived in a relatively affluent and stable environment, so their enthusiasm for military service was not very high. It was easy to predict what kind of people the UED would recruit on this planet—office workers, recent graduates, or unemployed youths who spent their time in cafes.

These people weren't very willing to fight the Revolutionary Army, after all, Earthlings weren't worth their life-or-death sacrifice. Only those who were fanatically devoted to Earth culture were still willing to fight to the death, because they believed that even if the expeditionary force was ultimately defeated, they would still have the opportunity to immigrate to the Solar System.

Although Augustus believed that any rational person should abandon this foolish illusion.

"Is Tychus in position? The Drakken Drill perfectly capable of drilling through the fortress's impenetrable walls; it's a formidable weapon for sieges." Augustus referring to Tychus as a human weapon, and this old rogue deserved such "praise."

The Drakken Drill required several hours of preparation before it could fire at full power, but the Swann rig significantly reduced this preparation time. The current drawback is its lack of endurance, and energy is also a problem.

At that moment, an extremely thick, bright orange laser pulse appeared on the horizon, like the death knell of Brontes's golden sun. Augustus could almost picture Tychus's signature roar and loud laughter.

"Augustus, a message just came back from the Amerigo Science Vessel: a UED Fleets has left Tarsonis. They remotely observed the traces left by those warships when they opened the Chronosphere." Kerrigan received a message from command and immediately reported to Augustus.

"They've become impatient since we attacked Brontes," Arcturus said with a knowing smile. "This planet is crucial to Alexei Stukov."

"We still don't know what they're after." Augustus nodded.

"Perhaps it was to retrieve Gerard DuGalle's body—but even Jim couldn't find it," he speculated.

"Be careful; they might be planning a surprise attack on a planet behind our lines to restrict supplies. Order the remaining troops to be on high alert; nobody knows what Alexei Stukov is up to."