Monster from Korhal Advances Towards the Core World
"The Nidhogg System (the black dragon in Norse mythology), the last few pieces of the puzzle on the Stukov Line."
On the magnificent bridge of the Hyperion, Arcturus Mengsk, the Revolutionary Army's Deputy Chief of Staff most trusted by Augustus, pointed out with considerable sharpness:
"Alexei Stukov doesn't expect this system to withstand our offensive at all. There are no barriers left in Tarsonis that can stop the Fleets from advancing unimpeded, unless the Earthlings bring space-based equipment that can interfere with subspace jumps."
On the map platform of the Hyperion's bridge, the Nidhogg System's galaxy map was already displayed. Against a background of blue-purple nebulae, multiple planets of varying compositions orbited a central red star, forming a stable galaxy.
This galaxy has a stable and long-lived red dwarf star that emits a red glow, with a brightness only 1/15,000th that of the Sun.
Nidhogg is the only habitable planet in this star system, anchored by the powerful tidal forces of the star. This creates a spectacle rarely seen in other Confederacy worlds: one side always faces the sun while the other is always in darkness, forcing settlers to establish homes in the habitable zone between the sun and the shadow.
However, even within the habitable zone, the environment is far from comfortable. The Nidhogg swamps and miasma, the breeding grounds of mosquitoes, and the pervasive fog have never been the first choice for immigrants.
Nidhogg is a very important world because the third planet in this star system, Nidhogg III, has abundant crystal minerals and high-energy gas resources. The reserves are so large that major mining companies of the Terrans fought fiercely for ownership, and the Tarsonis Old Families was also behind it.
"However, Alexei Stukov believes we will stay here." Augustus was holding a cup of instant coffee, trying to stay focused by constantly consuming caffeine.
In late September of 2493, as the Revolutionary Army landed on the Brontes Prime, the remnants of the UED led by Lieutenant General Alexei Stukov lost more and more planets.
As the situation became clearer, the armed forces in the UED-controlled areas, including guerrillas, rebels, and militias, were encouraged by the Revolutionary Army's victory and harassed major transportation hubs and outposts more frequently. Even the Tarsonis were looking forward to the Revolutionary Army's return.
The Revolutionary Army's morale reached its peak, and everyone believed that final victory was just around the corner, and that this tumultuous revolution would come to an end after its climax.
"A civil war is breaking out on Nidhogg III. Pirates, mercenaries, and large private security companies have all gotten involved. I've even heard that the Kel-Morian people want a piece of the pie," Augustus.
"Unsurprisingly, this important world, which once belonged to the Terrans, must also belong to the new Terran Human Regime. Anyone or any force that seeks to split this regime or steal its property must be severely punished."
As Augustus spoke, multiple Revolutionary Army Wraith painted in gold and red, APOD large transport ships, and Hercules super-large transport ships were forming a landing fleet and heading towards the distant planet shrouded in the dim night.
Approximately 55,000 fully armed Revolutionary Army soldiers and various armored vehicles will be deployed to Nidhogg III to end the chaotic anarchy and fragmentation of the planet by large mining companies.
Augustus appointed General Horace Warfield as the commander-in-chief of the campaign, a seasoned Revolutionary Army who had never disappointed him.
"The Nidhogg System has been left unmanaged with the tacit approval of the Confederacy, allowing the Old Families to further divide the world's wealth. Their agents on Nidhogg III are the mining companies that have reaped the benefits," Arcturus said.
"And Nidhogg III's wealth is enough for any rational person to slaughter their fellow human beings. This planet is like a treasure trove of gold mines, teeming with greedy prospectors and speculators."
Outside the bridge porthole of the Hyperion, the wreckage of warships scattered across the dark starry sky swirled like debris in the wind. Large pieces of wreckage, gleaming metallic in the starlight, ranged in size from no more than a fist to the shape of an isolated island.
This region of the Nidhogg System has witnessed numerous wars. Fierce battles have taken place between the Terran Confederacy Fleets, the Kel-Morian Combine, and the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet over this third star system in the system.
Today, this place has become a vast graveyard burying interstellar warships and large ships. In the most recent moment, under the gravity of the gas giant, millions of fragments of all sizes collided and converged here.
Local residents, operating salvage boats and tugboats, made their living here, giving rise to ancillary industries such as scrap recycling and remelting. At the same time, it was a paradise for pirates and mercenaries eager to find spare parts to repair their ships, and smugglers and secondhand dealers regarded it as a treasure trove of extremely high value.
A few hours ago, Augustus's Fleets defeated another UED Fleets here, further increasing the size of this starship graveyard.
Augustus did not adopt a strategy of advancing in separate directions to encircle the enemy, because this was not applicable in the multidimensional space battlefield. In fact, if Alexei Stukov wanted to abandon Tarsonis and lead the remaining Fleets away, Augustus would have had little way to stop them.
The warship's Warp Drive can be ready in a few hours, and in past battles, the Fleets's warp engineers have never waited until disaster strikes to begin their work.
In this situation, concentrating superior forces is the best option.
"But it still can't compare to the rich mines you've discovered." Augustus n't being flattering; the rich mine Arcturus initially discovered alone had sustained the first Revolutionary Army.
This is why Augustus Arcturus was the unsung hero behind the Revolutionary Army.
As Augustus's brother, Arcturus himself was not overshadowed by this brilliance. He was a born politician, military strategist, and artist, and his distinctive personal charisma attracted a large number of devoted followers.
"Without a strong military to back it up, these riches will be taken away sooner or later." Arcturus was still wearing the gold and red uniform he designed himself, with the golden wolf emblem on the high collar emphasizing his identity as a member of the Mengsk Family.
"Therefore, you must establish a centralized government even stronger than the Terran Confederacy, eliminating all dissenting voices. The wealth derived from the colonies should be used to build an army and develop the economy to solidify your rule, not to line the pockets of nobles and capitalists," he said.
"You must lead this army with unwavering determination and conviction, not entrust it to others. A ruler establishes his government through the army and governs the country with authority and benevolence."
"Arcturus, I always thought you were just comparing us to ancient Earth kings, but who knew you actually believed it." Augustus and Arcturus looked very similar, with the same gray eyes, the same determined brows, and the same broad shoulders.
However, Augustus resembled his mother more, was younger and more handsome, while Arcturus's face could be perfectly pasted onto the portraits of the Mengsk Family's ancestors.
"Angus and I both claimed during the uprising that we wanted to establish a Korhal autonomous dominion, a Terrans republic."
"As I said, we will not establish an empire (Terran Empire), but rather Terrans dominion (Terran Dominion), which, of course, can now also be interpreted as 'authority,' ' Absolute Dominion,' and 'dynasty,'" Arcturus Augustus.
"For an autonomous domain spanning multiple star systems and ruling over tens of billions of people, its ruler certainly cannot be merely a governor, or even a king. It should be an emperor," he said. "The original intention of the Terran National United Liberation Front Party was to overthrow the rule of the Terran Confederacy and establish a new regime belonging to all Terrans, not just the Old Families."
"And who says a republic can't have an emperor? A dominion is also a republic; it just happens that its ruler is an emperor."
"You almost convinced me," Augustus said to Arcturus while sipping his coffee. "You are a very good debater; even the school teachers would be impressed by your arguments, Arcturus."
"You planned this all along. You've always called your troops the Dominion, and yes, only your troops deserve that name."
"So, why don't you become the emperor?"
Arcturus simply smiled, "In comparison, I'd much rather see you standing at the pinnacle of the Koprulu Sector. The Terrans only know Augustus, not Arcturus. Even if you were to be dumped on me, no one else would recognize you."
"What did Father say?" Augustus's tone softened slightly. He knew that it wouldn't matter if he became emperor like the former Arcturus.
"Angus was crushed by reality and only recovered after your successive victories." Arcturus had many conflicts with his father, but that didn't mean he lacked understanding of the man who had single-handedly instigated the independence of Korhal.
"You're not like him. You're more of a true revolutionary than Angus. People like Jim Raynor and Tychus Finley, Angus would call them vulgar farmers, prodigals, and despicable villains, and he would never stand with them and call them 'my generals.'" He said, mimicking Augustus's tone perfectly.
"Angus and we are, after all, nobles. Do you really think he's opposing the Confederacy to be on equal footing with the peasants he sees? Of course, he will grant citizens more rights as he promised and establish a clean and efficient government, but that doesn't mean commoners will have the opportunity to defecate and urinate on his head."
"Kindness and compassion are different."
As they were talking, a cargo barge suddenly appeared on the Hyperion's radar scan. This dilapidated spaceship looked like it was pieced together from junk, and its tail thrusters flickered like blue fireflies in the night.
Multiple escorting Wraith squadrons rapidly approached the stumbling ship from below the side of the Hyperion. It was clearly a Scavengers ship that had stumbled in by mistake and panicked when it realized it was heading towards a Fleets.
This was an enormous Fleets, with over 70 battlecruisers alone and thousands of accompanying ships, casting countless shadows on the starship wreckage below.
The Revolutionary Army's military power and the territory it controls have already exceeded a quarter of the original Terran Confederacy's territory, and approximately 180 worlds have successively declared their allegiance to the Revolutionary Army. Wherever the great Augustus Mengsk points his sword, and wherever his Fleets arrives, people submit.
Faced with this irresistible military force, the Terran Confederacy's intergalactic corporation, which once held influence across multiple star systems, had no choice but to clarify its position and sever ties with Tarsonis and the Old Families, lest it become the target of this rising Revolutionary Army marshal's future purge.
Currently, half of the Revolutionary Army's transport aircraft and medium-sized frigates come from a large shipping company in the Koprulu Sector called Angel Shipping. This is an old and powerful family business, with the Angel Family ruling this formidable interstellar shipping empire.
Augustus naturally had no reason to refuse; such generous aid was truly a timely help.
In exchange, Augustus promised to eradicate the rampant pirate forces on the edge of the New Trinidad system and the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet that had invaded the world. He would also provide shelter to Jacqueline Angel, the Heir of the Angel Group.
"Tell the pilots not to frighten those people." Augustus realized that these Scavengers, who had been working in the star graveyard while the Revolutionary Army Fleets and the UED Fleets were fighting here, must have been terrified.
Scavengers are a group of people living on the edge of the galaxy. Like drifters on the ocean, they rarely appear in the sight of the civilized world. These people have no identity, and their safety and rights are not guaranteed in any way.
"Under no circumstances will we use force against civilians."
Augustus determined to re-establish a new order in this galaxy, not only because of its important strategic value, but also because he genuinely hoped that the people here could live a better life.
At the same time, Warfield's forces had already landed at Nidhogg III, encountering almost no resistance. After quickly establishing the Nidhogg system government and leaving troops behind, the Revolutionary Army fleet would not linger there any longer.
If Augustus hadn't hoped that Alexei Stukov would surrender under pressure, thus giving him more time to consider, he should be in Tarsonis now instead of Nidhogg, since such a world could be reclaimed at any time.
Given the remaining strength of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet and the Hybrid they control, retaking Tarsonis will come at a heavy price.
Even considering only the Koprulu Sector, the Revolutionary Army faces more than just the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet. The remnants of the Terran Confederacy still await an opportunity to reclaim power. If the Revolutionary Army and the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet are both severely weakened in Tarsonis, or if the Revolutionary Army loses its strength in the struggle for Koprulu in Tarsonis, then Augustus will have to reassess the risks of taking Tarsonis by force.
However, time was running out for Alexei Stukov.
Soon, the Revolutionary Army will set sail once again, traversing the core world of the Terran Confederacy and heading straight for Tarsonis.
Although this Augustus had led his army to Tarsonis, he still eagerly awaited that moment.
The update schedule is getting slower and slower, I don't want it to be like this...