The War Is Coming

The planet Agria is a newly emerging settlement, and was once a beautiful, idyllic world. Its booming agriculture and biotechnology industries attracted millions of immigrants and investors, creating a thriving scene.

That peaceful, happy life, filled with new hope every day, seems like it was just yesterday.

About three weeks ago, a terrible black sumt disease, along with the accompanying fungal infection, spread at an alarming rate across Agria's settlements, farmlands, and even orbital stations. The plague caused unprecedented panic, affecting a third of the planet's population.

In Hudderstown Colony and Megaton (official Wings of Liberty ladder map), the largest immigrant settlements in Agria, more than 200,000 immigrants contracted this unknown and terrible disease.

This disease is contagious through air and Watering Hole, with an extremely high morbidity rate and a constantly rising mortality rate. The hospital association of Agria is helpless against it, and even the best doctors have fallen silent. They have no choice but to seek help from other sister colony worlds they are still in contact with, such as the closest Antiga Prime.

"We've only seen a similar virus in one other organism before, the Zerg."

Bernard Hansen, president of the Agria Immigrant Land, is standing on a farm in the Green Acres ladder map, with vast golden wheat fields in the distance. Two large biplane drones are whizzing overhead, spraying a mist of pesticides.

The farm has a grid-like distribution of prefabricated houses built with modular panels, which belonged to the farmers who used to live there. It was a cooperative farm, so several families lived there.

The rugged hilly area to the south is covered with shrubs and bushes, home to many local wild animals, and there are small cabins built by hunters nearby.

Now, both the alloy and wooden buildings are covered with a translucent purple film, like some kind of living tissue flap. On top of that, dark purple veins spread like ivy across the cracked walls, pulsating like a heartbeat.

Inside the cracked walls, wriggling tissues and other organs could be seen, as if it had transformed into another form of life.

"Burn down all these infected buildings." Bernard frowned, staring intently at the bizarre structures—the very monsters that had devoured his people.

Bernard Hansen was one of the earliest settlers in Agria and their leader. Now, Marshal Augustus Mengsk recognized Bernard's talent in management and economic development and personally appointed him as the chairman of the Agria settlers, granting him authority similar to that of the governor of the Terran Confederacy colony.

This means that this position, endorsed by the Marshal of the Revolutionary Army, is unshakeable in the future, and Bernard's prestige and ability justify the appointment.

Bernard was initially quite resistant to the Revolutionary Army. He left Tarsonis, a megacity rife with money and corruption, to come to Agria in order to build a beautiful and desirable world.

Fortunately, once Augustus confirmed Bernard's ability, he allowed Agria to develop freely without imposing the heavy restrictions that the Confederacy imposed on her.

This is also why Bernard was Augustus; this young man, who was still a big boy at the time, possessed the magnanimity and vision of a true human leader.

"There have never been Zerg in Agria. Damn it, where did these monsters come from?" Pavel Ivanov, the Magistrate of Green Acres, waved his hand, and his militiamen, carrying solid gasoline flamethrowers, headed toward the bizarre and twisted buildings.

Why did they come here?

Magistrate Pavel wore a dark green vest and thick trousers, and a wide-brimmed hat with rolled-up edges and a white feather. As Magistrate of Agria, he carried a C-7 electromagnetic pistol and a torrent shotgun, and commanded several hundred men.

Unlike other Magistrate in the Terran Confederacy colonies, Pavel did not work for the Confederacy, but instead received his salary from the Agria Colony Management Committee. In other words, he was actually employed by the Korhal Revolutionary Army behind the Administration, a fact little known outside of Agria.

Agria is not a planet in the Terran Confederacy's colonization plan. It received a lot of manpower and resources from the Korhal Revolutionary Army, which was then a Confederacy rebel force, a few years ago, and only then did it begin to flourish.

There are currently about 12 million people on this planet, more than 40 percent of whom are refugees from Korhal. It is for this reason that the Agria have always been staunch supporters of the Revolutionary Army —even in the most unfavorable times.

In other words, Agria was originally a settlement for the Revolutionary Army. During the most difficult times for the Revolutionary Army Revolutionary Army, it was the large supply of agricultural products produced in Agria that saved the refugees they rescued from starvation.

"The invasion of the Zerg is always purposeful. A very bad saying is that flies don't land on eggs without cracks—something must have attracted these monsters."

Bernard Hansen's face was clouded with worry. "The Agria Planetary Defense Force at Lark's Crossing is already searching for the source of the infection; hopefully, they can make progress."

"These terrifying Zerg virus spores can actually be spewed into the atmosphere of Agria, spreading throughout the planet. I suspect that the Zerg have also contaminated Agria's rich underground water system, and as long as humans want to live normally, they will be infected sooner or later."

The Agria Planetary Defense Force is a subordinate branch of the Revolutionary Army, formed by senior commanders and key officers dispatched by the Revolutionary Army's Marshal Commander, and recruits soldiers from Agria itself.

This is a regular military organization, unlike the militia organizations in the immigrant areas. Its equipment consists of CMC combat armor, AGR series Electromagnetic Rifle, combat Armored Vehicle, and railguns, and is even better than that of some Confederacy planetary defense forces near the core world of the Terran Confederacy.

During the uprising, many Revolutionary Army soldiers and officers who had withdrawn from the front lines would come to Agria to recuperate, and return to their units as soon as their injuries improved. Later, many Revolutionary Army stayed behind due to health reasons, married and had children, and settled down to serve as instructors and teachers to new recruits or continue their revolution in other ways.

Although the Agria Planetary Defense Force is well-trained and highly capable, far beyond the reach of third-rate pirates, and has consistently protected the air routes from Agria to other Revolutionary Army planets, its air force is unique. However, its size has always been small, consisting of only about two standing brigades with a combined strength of six to eight thousand men.

This was also Bernard's biggest concern. He knew that disease infection was often a harbinger of an attack by the Zerg. When Creep began to spread and grow on a planet, the Swarm would follow.

"Even with the militia, we still don't have enough manpower. Searching the entire Agria might take months, but that will be too late." Magistrate Pavel was also heavy-hearted. He had captured many notorious bandits and even pirates roaming Agria, but he had no experience fighting the Zerg.

Anyone who has seen those infected houses writhing and groaning in the sunlight cannot help but feel terrified. It's hard to imagine what those warriors who fought against the Zerg and ultimately survived, or even triumphed, went through. The more one witnesses the horror of the Zerg, the more one can appreciate the bravery of those heroes.

Pavel had met many warriors who had retreated from the battlefields of Mar- Sara, Char, and even the distant Aiur, some of whom were his friends. Unsurprisingly, their experiences fighting against the Zerg and Protoss were epic and magnificent, even just from hearing about them.

"The source of the infection is likely some kind of Zerg creature, similar to the Defiler that appeared in Char. They are both constantly moving living beings and capable of lurking deep underground." Bernard received help from the alien scientists of the Revolutionary Army in Agria:

"The Zerg virus that appeared in Agria is of the same origin as Char's, but it has undergone fundamental changes. The new virus is not only more infectious, but also more deadly. A new viral serum has been developed, and the virus in the patients' bodies has evolved countless times, undergoing earth-shattering changes." He was heartbroken for the Agria people who died tragically.

"More than half of the Red Cross members in Agria have been infected, and the situation is still deteriorating. At this rate, we will have to evacuate Agria before everyone dies and turns into monsters."

Once infected with this virus, patients often die within a few days, enduring unbearable suffering before their death. The deaths of Infested Terran are extremely gruesome, with their bodies ulcerating and fingers falling off like spare parts.

Even more terrifying is that if these bodies are not cremated and are buried directly, "they" will one night embrace their own tombstones and disappear into the long darkness.

"We'll be saved once Antiga's Revolutionary Army arrives." Magistrate Pavel had no choice but to pin his hopes on outside help, since although Agria was developing well, it was still just a young agricultural settlement.

"There's only one way to eradicate the Zerg infection— the Protoss taught us: burn it all. Find all the sources of infection and burn them all. That's the only way."

"Antiga's men are arriving soon." Bernard said, feeling somewhat relieved. "They're coming in large numbers, and with battlecruisers as well."

Bernard originally wanted to build Agria into a paradise where it could survive without relying on the Terran Confederacy or other human forces, but who could it turn to when disaster truly struck?

When their homes were on the verge of destruction, someone told the panicked people: Don't be afraid, we're coming soon. We're here simply because we are compatriots.

Unlike the Terran Confederacy Fleets, which retreats to its core world upon encountering Zerg, the Revolutionary Army truly comes when they respond, and will spare no effort to rescue those who cry for help.

Throughout the history of Total War, there have been many such examples: the story of a Revolutionary Army company that responded to the call for help and sacrificed itself to cover the evacuation of thousands of people from a small immigrant colony has been written into the textbooks of schools in the Revolutionary Army territories.

It's not a difference in combat power; that's the biggest difference between the Revolutionary Army and the Confederacy forces.

Moreover, the Agria never believed that the Revolutionary Army would abandon them, and even in the face of such a catastrophe, order did not collapse.

"Augustus has captured Tarsonis, and the Fleets will then be able to withdraw from the Core World. Although the people of Agria are filled with fear, they have not given up hope." When the Revolutionary Army reclaimed Tarsonis from the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, the entire Agria resounded with cheers, and Pavel was among them.

"Hmm—if the Zerg are coming, then we will defend Agria even if it means our deaths." Bernard heard the Magistrate mention Tarsonis and couldn't help but think of his daughter Ariel, who was still studying there at university. Although his ex-wife Taris was still in Tarsonis and could take care of their daughter, he couldn't help but worry about her.

"We may never find a place like Agria again in our lifetime."

Agria is a world of considerable importance to the Revolutionary Army, as its food production supplies more than fifteen Edge World, and its cutting-edge biotechnology ranks among the best even within the Terran Confederacy. The Revolutionary Army will not easily abandon Agria unless absolutely necessary.

Augustus immediately issued orders, commanding General Zander, who was guarding Antiga, to defend Agria at all costs. The Terran Dominion would not allow the loss of such an important territory, and the dignity lost by the Confederacy must be reclaimed by the empire.

By this time, the Agria militia had already poured liquid high-energy gas onto the infected buildings and ignited them with flamethrowers. In the raging fire, the stench of burning protein filled the air, and the infected buildings collapsed one after another.

The sun in the sky seemed to be setting, and patches of rosy clouds appeared on the horizon.

"Let's go." Bernard looked at the clouds on the horizon with lingering fear.

"The nights in Agria are becoming increasingly dangerous, unlike in the past."

Agria, the Abandoned Valley.

In the light of the setting sun, countless staggering figures huddled together. The white and brown uniforms and armor on these people still vaguely resembled those of the United Earth Directorate Expeditionary Fleet, but the spikes, hardened bones, and tentacles protruding from the armor left twisted shadows on the ground.

An Infested Terran dressed in a UED general's uniform stood in the center of the crowd, standing like a tombstone. Half of his body was covered by a mutated exoskeleton, and his face was as rough and hard as the skin of Zerg.

Gerard DuGalle.

Beside DuGalle was a well-maintained phonograph, devoid of any strange Zerg tissue, playing a recording he had made after awakening as Infested Terran:

"My dear Helena —now, news of our defeat has reached Earth (a monstrous scream)—the monsters we were sent here to tame seem untamable—we have failed, Augustus Mengsk has defeated us—"

"You will never see me again. Tell our children that their father died protecting their future." DuGalle must have felt extremely conflicted when he said these words, because at that moment he was truly dead.

Farewell.

The Overlord hovering in the sky amplified the telepathic messages of the Cerebrate Carlos: "This poor little planet is the testing ground for our new virus— the Zerg rely not only on sharp teeth and claws and numbers, but also on killing invisibly."

"The Swarm will never stop!"

"In this galaxy, only one thing is certain, and that is, war."

Realizing that it wasn't only the intense ultraviolet radiation from the Meinhoff that could kill the infected, the Night of the Dead in the Cooperative was a planet on the fringes of the Empire.

The verdict has been overturned.