Reclaiming the Lost Colony

Bhekar Ro

Becca Low is an extremely remote world, so remote that it is not marked on any published star map, and even the most adventurous adventurers have never heard of it.

The Edge World refers to the area located on the edge of the Koprulu Sector, far removed from civilized worlds, at the very outermost layer. It is generally considered by the core world to be barren, backward, with barren land and scarce resources, where the rule of law has collapsed and etiquette and music have ceased to exist. The people living there are uncivilized and have to engage in the most menial and lowest-level jobs in order to support themselves.

This increasingly ingrained prejudice has led people in the core world to believe that people in the outer colonies and Edge World are generally uncultured, rude, and vulgar, as well as country bumpkins from remote areas, who are completely out of step with the elegance of the civilized world.

Such a viewpoint seems to hold water, as historically prosperous worlds in economy, technology, and art have all been within the cultural sphere of influence of Tarsonis and Umojan, and interstellar travel is extremely advanced, allowing access to any rapidly developing world.

The Edge World is more like an appendage and exploited object of the core world. They are usually not yet fully controlled by the capital of the Old Families and giant corporations, but that is only a matter of time.

Under the rule of the Terran Confederacy, the wealth of the entire Confederacy is constantly converging towards the core worlds such as Tarsonis, exacerbating the conflict between the outer worlds and the core worlds, which in turn leads to a series of rebellions.

It was against this backdrop that some of the Terrans did not Terran Confederacy's plan to expand colonies, but instead chose to find and build new homes on their own.

Thus, spontaneously organized colonists emerged with their meager possessions. Colonial groups varied in size, but typically included people from all walks of life, including miners, cooks, architects, railroad workers, teachers, and mediocre third-rate doctors.

The New World they could choose from had to meet two basic conditions. First, it had to be far from major shipping lanes and sufficiently far from the borders of the Terran Confederacy to avoid detection by the Confederacy's patrol Fleets. Second, the planet had to be able to support even the most basic human life activities.

However, very few planets meet both of these conditions. The Koprulu Galaxy is located outside the Milky Way Galaxy, and its stellar density is far lower than that at the center of the Milky Way, meaning that the possibility of habitable planets existing here is even lower.

In their search for a new home, the colonists had to travel as far away from the Confederacy as possible, and the quality of their ships and equipment determined just how far they could reach.

More than thirty years ago, the first colonists to arrive in Becca Lowe established the only settlement on the planet and named it Free Freeport. Driven by idealism, all the inhabitants were allocated equal arable land and settled there to thrive and multiply.

Today, Freeport is dominated by the second generation of Freeport residents, most of whose fathers died from illness or accidents in the harsh and difficult living conditions of the early colonies. For the current residents of Becca Row, the Terran Confederacy and its red and blue flag have long become a distant memory.

But they came to Becca Lowe to build their ideal country in order to escape the exorbitant taxes, oppression, and war of the Terran Confederacy, and it would be best if they never had any contact with the Confederacy.

However, the unexpected outsiders still arrived at the end of 2493.

They call themselves the Terran Empire, wear Power Armor that the Becca Lowe colonists have never seen before, and possess a large number of mechs, aircraft, and tanks.

The starship soldiers of the Terran Empire proclaimed that they brought peace and tranquility, but in the eyes of Becca Lowe's people, they brought only domination.

It is said that the Terran Empire's arrival here was entirely accidental. At the time, one of their research teams, consisting of science ships and probes, was on the edge of the Koprulu Sector, carrying out a mission to mark possible colony worlds and reconnect with other lost planets, when they happened to detect Becca Lowe.

Because the inhabitants of Becca Lowe have always been averse to contact with the outside world and never make contact with regions outside the planet, they are very difficult to be discovered.

"For God's sake, this is a free colony. The people here do not belong to any Human Regime, and all the residents are the common masters of Becca Lowe." At this moment, on the main street at the southern entrance of Freeport, a group of townspeople, who had gathered together with courage and love for their home, were surrounding a young officer in a blue-black naval uniform.

The townspeople are generally in their twenties or thirties, and they have already started families and careers at a young age. Due to the harsh environment and difficult conditions, people over forty age very quickly and have short lifespans.

Among the townspeople, Jacob Nicholas, only 23 years old, was the most vocal. He was very resolute, but still pleaded, pointing out. "Becca Row is a barren, peaceful world. The only produce here is rye, oats, lizard meat, and a small amount of high-energy gas. You get nothing else."

"Very well. I think our planetary geologists and meteorologists have already figured that out." The young officer was a lieutenant in the Terran Empire, named Bralik. He spoke with a distinct Core World accent, indicating he was either from Tarsonis, Korhal, or Brontes.

"I want to reiterate that the Terran Empire did not come here to enslave the people like the Terran Confederacy did in the past."

"There is no Terran Confederacy here, sir! There is no Terran Confederacy here! Spare Becca Rowe's people!" Nicholas pleaded.

"We are here only to better develop this planet and make it more habitable for humans. As immigrants, you lack both the necessary equipment and support, and you receive no assistance from other worlds." The young Terran Empire officer was clearly patient, without any arrogance or haughtiness.

"This place is too small; the entire planet has only a few thousand people living in densely packed towns. The crops are also very limited, meaning that an unprecedented infectious disease could kill most of the population, and crop diseases could easily wipe out Becca Rowe's entire harvest," he said.

"Furthermore, you have lived in isolation for far too long and have no idea what is happening on the edge of the world. Two alien races that humanity has never seen before are invading the human world, and I can tell you that one of these races, the Zerg, recently appeared very close to your home."

"What? Zerg?" This wasn't the first time Nicholas and the townspeople around him had heard this name from Imperial soldiers.

But for those whose thinking is still stuck thirty years in the past, it's like they're completely oblivious to the Han and Wei-Jin dynasties. It's like people in the 1950s and 60s just seeing robots and other aliens in science fiction novels, things that should have been products of the movies.

"That's right, the Zerg. In fact, we've already discovered Zerg -spreading Virophage carrying viral spores in a neighboring star system of Becca Lowe, less than 12 parsecs away. The Zerg virus is spreading rapidly along the edge of the Koprulu system in this way, meaning they'll be here soon. This virus could destroy your colony in just a few days, no, half a day!" the Imperial officer said.

"You've already seen those videotapes and the Zerg specimens, so you should believe some of it. In short, we won't enter your town; we'll just establish a military base and research station nearby."

"This isn't just about protecting this planet; this is already the most crucial link in the pandemic containment effort. And you'll soon find out what real disaster means." He glanced at the time and said:

"Now I must leave. Whether you acknowledge the Terran Empire or not, please accept this flag of the Terran Empire. Wherever this flag flies, it falls under the Empire's protection."

"You don't need to worry, the army will never set foot in your homes or seize farmland and mining facilities. Military orders are absolute, and I will not stay here for long."

After saying this, the imposing imperial officer handed the imperial flag to one of their representatives, and Jacob Nicholas left. He had come alone with a sidearm, and left without taking anything with him.

I am going to save you; what does it have to do with you?

"They must be crazy! How could aliens possibly exist!" Stonemason Kilnan Werner was an extremely robust young man, his voice booming like a bell. In this harsh environment, only the strongest could survive.

"These imperialists are trying to gain our trust so they can seize the town and make the people here pay taxes and work for the imperial nobles for generations. They will also do everything they can to grab and plunder land. The government will only make things worse!" The miner, Lars, was very old; he was even several generations older than the oldest building in Freeport.

Lars hated the Confederacy; more precisely, he hated crowded places and preferred to live alone.

"Listen, we should take up arms and fight them to the end! These people are nothing but thieves, liars, and robbers!"

"But the soldier said that the Terran Empire overthrew the Terran Confederacy, and now the corrupt government has been replaced by a clean and honest new government. A young man named Augustus Mengsk has declared himself emperor of the Terran Empire. It seems that the soldier is extremely loyal to his emperor." Old Buren was a farmer who supported his two children with his wife through hard work.

"Come on, it's the same old trick in a different guise. He's still playing the Citizen First game!" Colston Werner, a teacher and amateur engineer at Freeport, enjoys reading e-books left by his father.

"Republicanism is the most absurd joke, a system in which dictators can enjoy all the powers of monarchical absolute power without having to restrain themselves for the sake of royal image."

"The Terran Empire is an empire, not a republic. Don't get it wrong. This shows that he makes no attempt to hide his ambition." Old Buren supported his family by farming, but he never gave up thinking and learning—he believed this was one of the best qualities of humankind.

"As long as he is a wise ruler, the people of the Terran Empire can live under an enlightened and prosperous era while this Augustus alive."

"If what that Imperial soldier said is true, Becca Rocco will really be in trouble. In that case, just as they hope, the people of Freeport will have to ask the Terran Empire for help." Jacob Nicholas was an eloquent and enthusiastic young man. Although he only talked a lot and did little, he still had a lot of influence among the residents of Freeport.

Nicholas held in his hand the flag given to him by the Imperial officer; the bright red flag was spotless, with a shining gold star on it.

In fact, this was not the only thing these unexpected Terran Empire soldiers had given them. Previously, they had also brought large quantities of medicines and metal products that Freeport could no longer produce, delivered by truck and transport ship. On this resource-scarce planet, that was more precious than gold.

However, the residents of Freeport refused the gift, unable to believe that anyone in the world would be so generous.

"I saw what the Terran Empire brought—starships bigger than cities! Goodness, those were rare things back when my grandfather lived in the Confederacy. And I dare say, the Empire's starships are even bigger than the Confederacy's." He couldn't help but reveal his naiveté.

"They also brought tanks and artillery. I saw hundreds, even thousands, of Imperial soldiers roll off the rumbling transport ships. Old Lars, even a thousand of you wouldn't be a match for them."

"We must convene a town assembly. After all, we will have to accept the fait accompli of sharing our homes with these soldiers of the Terran Empire." As he spoke, Nicholas noticed that dark clouds were gathering in the sky above Becca Rowe, and the howling wind sounded like the wailing of a thousand demons. If they were unlucky, a torrential downpour or even hail would soon leave the people on the streets bruised and battered.

Becca Row is such a terrible place; its weather is like a fickle woman, with raging thunderstorms sweeping across the planet, easily destroying the buildings that the townspeople have worked so hard to build and the fields that they have painstakingly cleared in the mountainous landscape.

After every thunderstorm, the people of Freeport have to replant crops and repair equipment, but Becca Rowe would be much safer if the Terran Empire had an energy shield that could cover the entire town.

About seven or eight miles southeast of Freeport, a towering Terran Empire starport stands amidst deep purple lightning, with three battlecruisers traversing the dark clouds. Around the starport, various military camps, hospitals, and living facilities are springing up, and factories are being built on some high-energy gas wells that are too far away to be mined.

Seeing this scene, Nicholas and the surrounding townspeople felt uneasy.

As Nicholas said, Becca Rowe has no resources that the Terran Empire can covet, so their large-scale construction here must be for other purposes.

The Freeport is home to approximately 2,000 to 3,000 residents, fewer than the number in a single military camp of the Terran Empire.

Perhaps some ruthless aliens are really on their way.

"Quickly convene a town assembly for a vote; something big is about to happen." Nicholas handed the Terran Empire flag to old Buren and said, "Go to the central square of Freeport and raise it."

"Raise the imperial flag; it won't hurt us, so let's believe it a little."

This planet comes from <Shadow of Xel'Naga>. Although it features famous scenes of two Yamato Cannon instantly destroying an aircraft carrier, making it feel like a real StarCraft game, it is still a superior work in terms of shaping the StarCraft worldview and the customs and culture of the Edge World.