Encirclement and Suppression of the Male King

Shi (shi), stationary orbit.

On the tactical control console on the bridge of the Terran Empire Navy's 4th Fleets flagship, the Fury, this mining world with its dense atmosphere was merely a tiny point of light emitting a faint blue glow, inconspicuous in the vast lens of the stardust-filled Milky Way.

This galaxy has more than a dozen planets, all following different trajectories around the red star. The combination of all these trajectories can be seen as an inverted cone, an invisible surface formed by the star's gravitational field.

Every planet in the galaxy is unique. Some are ice-blue due to the methane in their atmospheres, while others are a vibrant red, like something out of a Dunhuang painting, due to the iron oxide covering their rocky surfaces. But only Shi possesses a breathable atmosphere, and only Shi's resources have attracted greedy humans.

Lieutenant Commander Matt Horner Matt Horner knew this sophisticated and complex system like the back of his hand, just as well as every corner of this glorious Behemoth-class Battlecruiser. Each battlecruiser had multiple decks and thousands of different compartments, but Matt Horner knew it better than his own home.

Even at only 19 years old, Matt Horner was already an outstanding naval commander. Because of his limited experience and lack of experience commanding a capital ship independently, Lieutenant Commander Matt Horner also served as a tactical advisor to Vice Admiral William Wozowski, commander of the Fourth Fleets.

Years of war have trained tens of thousands of outstanding naval soldiers and officers for the current Imperial Navy. They are not only brave and fearless warriors, but many are also excellent starship engineers. In the years of starting from scratch, the Revolutionary Army soldiers were not only skilled with rifles, but also with wrenches.

"Sir, the radio communication frequency of the ship has increased several times in five minutes. Intercepted intelligence indicates that members of the Old Families are attempting to call another covert channel via an encrypted channel." Matt Horner said to Lieutenant General William Wozowski, who was wearing a blue-black general's uniform, as he watched the words and numbers appear on the tactical console.

"They shouldn't have realized the Imperial Fleets was watching them, and all the orbiting satellites and space stations had been silently taken down by Ghost operative. But soon, they'll find all their calls going unanswered."

"That's enough for us to deal with Gabriel Tosh." Lieutenant General William Wozowski was a formidable Imperial soldier, always stern and unsmiling, like a silent boulder.

History is a marked mining world, like many other planets, which either became colonies or the private property of some Old Families.

This planet belongs to the famous Calabas Family, who once possessed all imaginable power, wealth, and honor. They were the de facto rulers of many colony worlds, and every politician and businessman who wanted to advance their careers on the Tarsonis stage tried to curry favor with them.

But that was less than three months ago.

This is now the hiding place of the last descendants of the Old Families. In the preceding weeks, these pampered young nobles, along with their guards, had been running between multiple worlds, desperately trying to evade the vengeful spirits that were relentlessly pursuing them.

These spoiled children spent many days in terror, and they probably still don't understand why the Zerg kept following them. Shi was just one of the worlds where these members of the Old Families temporarily paused, and she wouldn't be the last.

The worlds they hid in either originally belonged to the Old Families or openly or secretly supported the old Terran Confederacy. Thanks to them, every one of these worlds was in chaos.

Driven by hatred for the Confederacy, Prince Gabriel Tosh of the Blades relentlessly pursued the children of the Old Families like a shark and a hound sniffing blood, with the Terran Empire Fleets always close behind.

This so-called Prince of Blades, Swarm Lord, and Hand of Death, Gabriel Tosh, also has a strange way of doing things. He doesn't have much pity for humanity, but he has his own set of standards for right and wrong.

Tosh only targets those who serve the Confederacy and those who stand in his way of achieving the aforementioned goals, and regardless of their fate, these people will not fare any better than the rats that Tosh once nailed to the branches.

At the same time, he was exceptionally cunning and perceptive, always managing to escape before the Imperial Fleets arrived. His Psionics powers, enhanced by the Zerg, were not merely capable of sensing shadows; some Psionics scholars believed that Tosh could foresee the future, otherwise he could not have escaped every time.

(In the StarCraft II Prophet unit description, the Dark Templar he pilots is dedicated to understanding and mastering the nature of time. He can manipulate spacetime to obtain information about the future and gain the upper hand on the battlefield.)

Therefore, the Dark Templar are not entirely mystical; precognition does exist in the interstellar worldview. Although they only capture vague illusions within the ripples of time, their prophecies may be true to some extent.

"Luring the snake out of its hole, that's a good idea." Matt Horner Matt Horner put his hands behind his back. "With them here, Tosh will likely show up again. This time, we can't give him a chance to escape."

The Terran Empire and the Blade Prince share a common enemy. But for a very, very long time, humans and Zerg have always been mortal enemies.

The Empire and Tosh weren't exactly without grudges; Tosh might still remember the time Augustus Mengsk shoved a nuclear bomb in his face—an incident that was unforgettable no matter how you looked at it.

The Mengsk Family are all ruthless individuals.

Tosh did indeed help a lot by chance. If it weren't for him, the Empire might have lost track of the ship full of the descendants of the Old Families long ago, and those worlds that had suffered at the hands of the Zerg would not have begged to join the Empire and be asked to send troops.

At least twenty worlds that were originally undecided or on the side of the Confederacy were thrown into a panic and begged for the Emperor's forgiveness after Tosh caused such a commotion in the core world.

Never before had such a massive Swarm penetrated so deep into the core world, and each world alone had no chance of resisting it.

But this is by no means a reason for the Imperial Fleets to allow Tosh to wreak havoc on Imperial territory with impunity. Even if Tosh did not deliberately run rampant and kill, the casualties caused by his invasion were still considerable.

Ultimately, Tosh was now part of the Zerg; he had little human emotion left, only the absolute detachment of Swarm leader serving his people. He remained cruel, devoid of any compassion, pity, or sense of responsibility.

What Tosh is doing is different from the usual attack methods of other Swarm, but that doesn't mean he will always do it this way.

The Empire will reclaim all assets held by the Old Families and punish those worlds that still stubbornly remain loyal to the Confederacy, but without having to go through Tosh.

"His Majesty has ordered us to assist the Protoss Fleets in rescuing their chieftain. But with or without them, the outcome will be the same." Lieutenant General William Wozowski finally spoke, his voice sounding as if he had a hot iron in his mouth. If this had not been an order from the Emperor, Wozowski would never have obeyed.

There aren't many people who can afford to offend the Protoss, Tosh is definitely one of them.

Since the 4th Fleets set out, although Vice Admiral Wozowski lifted the siege of the Taradorn System with little effort, Tosh did not stop there. Thus, Wozowski, feeling that he had failed His Majesty's trust, naturally pursued relentlessly.

"They've mobilized a large force and are waiting in ambush. It seems like Tosh has no chance of escaping even if he had wings." At Matt Horner's age, he should have plenty of confidence, but he still retains his cautious and conservative personality, which requires time to hone.

"But every time we think that, he slips away right before our eyes." He told the Wozowski, "A more balanced plan and more thorough preparation are absolutely necessary, and with the help of the Protoss, that would be even better."

At first glance, only three Imperial battlecruisers, including the flagship Fury, are anchored in the stationary orbit of the Tosh, but once the Tosh enters the system, an entire Imperial Fleets will jump there within minutes.

Meanwhile, several Protoss beacons were deployed about twenty astronomical units away to facilitate troop assembly.

In other words, the Wozowski can summon multiple massive Fleets at any time with a single click. Tosh only has three to five Swarm Behemoth, which are of no advantage against an enraged Protoss.

"Sir, satellite scans show that the planet's Old Families has activated a Galaxy Jumper and appears to be preparing to leave." Matt Horner said, looking at the green screen on the control panel.

"Clearly, they are already extremely nervous."

On the screen is a small launch port nestled between mountains and forests. This port is perfectly positioned to block the moist air currents from the ocean, resulting in abundant rainfall on one side of the mountains and dry, sandy conditions on the other. While most of the planet is barren wasteland and endless dead oceans, the area near the equator is a warm, spring-like climate year-round.

Shi orbits a gentle, small star at a close enough distance that ample sunlight and a perfectly suited atmosphere keep the temperature in its equatorial region at 27 degrees Celsius. Lush forests and vegetation thrive along the mountains that separate the azure ocean.

The descendants of the Old Families lived there, in the factories of the mining area, surrounded by countless crystal mines, laser drills, and cranes.

As for those high-latitude regions far from the equator, they are generally cold and barren, with dry deserts and rugged canyons stretching to the two poles of the planet, resembling a bumpy gray carpet.

Only the areas near the equator are suitable for human habitation, while the land closer to the poles becomes increasingly dry and cold.

But these barren lands are truly a treasure trove, with high-quality open-pit crystal deposits piled up like mountains, the towering crystals resembling a radiant forest. The proven mineral reserves are extremely astonishing, and only Moria, the homeworld of the Kel-Morian Combine, and a few other worlds may be able to surpass them.

Smelted crystal ore is a high-quality alloy and steel with properties such as hardness, density, or softness, making it an excellent material for casting cars, spaceships, and cities. For the Terran Empire, mining worlds like Shi are incredibly powerful warships and steel Fleets that intimidate the Koprulu Sector.

Resources are war.

"If it weren't for the fact that they had made contact with the remaining military forces of the Confederacy, these Noble Young Master and ladies would have been in New Folsom a week ago keeping company with their disgusting relatives." Wozowski calmly watched the shuttle waiting to take off on the screen.

"Without them, how would we know where their parents are? We don't need to stop them, but these people have to stay here until Tosh takes the bait."

"Prince Arcturus said that if they actively denounced their parents, they could be treated leniently, or at least spared imprisonment." Matt Horner sighed. He certainly didn't pity his enemies, but a considerable number of members of the Old Families had still fled Tarsonis.

If these people are willing to live anonymously in some remote world, then they are truly hard to find.

Augustus's Terran Empire showed no mercy to the fleeing Old Families. Without exception, all members of the Old Families and members of the Confederate Congress who were arrested were sent to New Folsom Prison, where they would face trial and execution, with the lightest punishment being imprisonment.

Five years ago, anyone who signed the death sentence for Korhal, or even just expressed their approval, would pay with their life. Emperor Augustus declared that the perpetrators of crimes against humanity would be punished with the cruelest penalties, a truly ingenious approach among the bizarre ideas of humankind to torment their fellow human beings.

Those young nobles who knew nothing of their family's crimes spent their entire lives in the New Folsom Prison. Had it not been for Emperor Augustus's veto, Prince Arcturus would have fed them all to the Zerg.

Although the emperor did not regard the descendants of the Old Families as a threat, and could be considered a benevolent emperor, he was still ruthless enough to eliminate any potential threats.

Only Terra Family and Holt Family still hold their positions in Tarsonis, and their members are even allowed entry into the Korhal Palace.

The Bennett Family, once a prominent family, also submitted to Emperor Augustus's authority, and all their shipyards, docks, and interplanetary ports were to serve the Empire. The reason the Bennett Family was not wiped out like other Old Families that remained in Tarsonis was simply because Imperial General Rick Kydd, formerly Yaco Bennett, was once a member of the family.

Bennett had never acknowledged Rick Kydd as his son, only saying that he was dead. Now, he could only be thankful that he was still alive because he had a good son.

All the Old Families were wiped out, and Tarsonis's intricate power network lost its axis. Now, Korhal is the center of the Terran Empire.

At this moment, the radar scan image lit up again, and three Swarm Behemoth from the iris at the exit of the hyperspace passage. Tens of thousands of Zerg flying creatures flew out from the large vesicles of the Behemoth, which were often hundreds of feet wide.

"Calling the Fleets, Matt Horner," Wozowski said.