To Think I Stole From the Templar Knights

After capturing Typhon, Augustus did not press his advantage to take the last Tal'darim territory, Sigma Quadrant, but instead chose to allow the Imperial troops to rest and recuperate in the occupied area, while the Fleets shifted from an offensive to a defensive posture.

During this period, the busiest people were the medical personnel accompanying the army, who had to spend all day treating the wounded. Even so, many soldiers still died from their injuries, and their bodies were transported back to their hometowns for burial on transport ships returning to Korhal.

In every foreign war, there are always casualties. That is why Augustus never liked war, but he had to use war to end war.

The Imperial Fleets, currently resting, must be on guard against potential retaliatory attacks from the Taldarim, so the soldiers must remain vigilant even while resting.

And so, when Christmas arrived, the soldiers of the Empire had no choice but to make the best of a bad situation. Fortunately, although Typhon was barren, its mid-latitude canyons, deserts, and towering cliffs were dotted with forests and thickets, which were good for decorating a few Christmas trees.

Aside from abstaining from alcohol and only being able to consume tea and coffee, the warriors were still able to enjoy sumptuous meals during the festival and even have local game hunted as an extra treat. Emperor Augustus had no intention of establishing a colony in Typhon and had not yet introduced any measures to protect local resources and wildlife.

A few days after Christmas, Augustus finally received an ultimatum from Naeon, the Taldarim executor.

Naeon seemed never to have considered why the humans of the Terran Empire attacked them, nor did he even want to understand it; he simply regarded Augustus and his warriors as heretics who blasphemed the gods.

It seems that Naeon has indeed fallen into a state of mental instability. He is deaf to everything and has no intention of speaking to Augustus. The communication ended with the executor's angry rebuke and curses against the emperor. Naeon declared that he would hunt Augustus down to the ends of the earth and make him die ten thousand times.

It's clear that the executive officer, Naeon, has truly gone mad.

(Alarak has a voice line. "Do you know of any fate more terrible than death? I'll send you to collect Terrazine, and then you'll go mad like Naeon.")

Augustus was naturally extremely wary of such an unstable factor as the empire's borders.

But the expected retaliation did not come. For more than ten days, Augustus did not even see a single Taldarim.

Augustus had not figured out Naeon's plans. Perhaps he anticipated that the Terran Empire would attack his base, so he was waiting in ambush.

Based on the testimonies of Naeon's captured subordinates, the mentally unstable Naeon was unpopular; he only controlled these Taldarim because he was a genuine powerhouse. Even though Naeon once had allies on his home planet Slayn, they now kept their distance due to his erratic behavior.

Taldarim society is known for its cruelty and the supremacy of power; no one cares about the past.

If Naeon hadn't lost his mind, he could have used the Terrazine resources at his disposal or resorted to trickery to gather allies in Slayn, but that's clearly impossible now.

Given this, Augustus concluded that Naeon would not receive any reinforcements, while his own reinforcements were already on their way and would arrive soon.

As the New Year approaches, the sun is just setting on this day.

Typhon's blue main-sequence star still shines brightly, appearing as just a single star in the sky, yet it shines brighter than all the other stars, and the light and heat it emits still make the weather here unbearably hot.

On the vast, reddish-brown earth, the clusters of Kydarin Crystal surrounding the Xel'Naga Temple, which served as the emperor's palace, still shimmered with blue and purple light as night approached. As the sun gradually set, a blue-green crescent moon climbed into the clouds, its light shimmering like the moon's reflection in water.

This is a strange alien world, where the desolation of the red desert is overwhelming, reminiscent of Earth just after the Ice Age. Lonely, mysterious altars and spires stand amidst the shimmering mountains, serene and harmonious.

The Xel'Naga Temple, which has stood here for at least several million years, still stands under the moonlight, unyielding to wind and rain. Its spiral walls and massive, arched staircases are bathed in a dark green light, as if they were covered with moss and vines.

Typhon, though a harsh and cold place, has its own charm. Perhaps this is the allure of this cruel universe.

Surrounding the Xel'Naga temples are also the grotesque dark gothic architecture of the Tal'darim, whose blood-shard crystals still radiate powerful energy. However, the Pylon within have collapsed, and these Taldarim structures are now paralyzed.

The surrounding area also contains Imperial Army bases, mostly block-shaped silver and gray buildings. The bases are illuminated by signal lights connected by wires, and are inhabited by soldiers, scientists, archaeologists, and technicians.

As night deepened and all was quiet, sensors and sentry soldiers continued to monitor the ancient temple and the distant desert. Under the moonlight, patrols of ten men walked on the floor carved from solid rock and lava, the sound of steel boots clattering.

In a corner unnoticed by others, numerous small, spider-like robots faithfully guard the sleeping people. This is a family created by Viktor Kaczynski, which currently includes Spider Mine, Widow Mine, and Black Widow Mine.

Black Widow Mine is capable of detecting Psionics waveforms. Once an invading Psionics creature is detected, it will swarm and detonate, specifically designed to defend against the Tal'darim's stealth warriors Blood Hunter, and the Confederacy's Ghost operative. However, Black Widow Mine's friend-or-foe identification system has a certain flaw, and she has attempted to attack her own Dark Templar on more than one occasion.

Viktor was kept in the dark about this matter until he was summoned by the emperor.

It was already past midnight.

The emperor's room was located in an empty room within the Xel'Naga Temple. The room contained only a wire bed, and the set of sunwood table and chairs that Augustus taken from the previous governor, Sara, was still in use.

Augustus had little interest in luxury items inlaid with gold and silver, and the palace was entirely decorated by his brothers and sisters. However, the electronic equipment in this room was top-of-the-line, as the emperor needed to ensure he could communicate with his army at any time.

If necessary, even when he was ready to go to sleep, Augustus could meet with his ministers and generals at any time and in any place.

Augustus was still dealing with the political affairs from Korhal, mostly concerning the appointment, promotion, and transfer of imperial ministers, or which world had declared its complete secession from the Confederacy and joined the Empire, or which world had gone back on its word and needed to mobilize troops to quell a rebellion.

Regardless, after dealing with these matters, Augustus always require him to appoint a new governor. Augustus could not simply appoint a general as governor to prevent the army's power from growing out of control, so he had to find a new candidate.

These governors merely acted on behalf of the emperor in governing the various territories and colonies of the empire, since the emperor was nominally the governor of all the imperial planets, and this honor was also included in his title.

Fortunately, administrative talent can be recruited from core worlds like Tarsonis, and both his father Angus and brother are perfectly capable of this. Augustus doesn't need to do much screening to ensure the loyalty of these people; high-level Psionics will conduct the investigations and audits.

Augustus favored diligent and capable people, rather than those with power and influence. Those who were frustrated in the Confederacy era could rise rapidly in the Empire, thus amplifying the praise for the emperor's wisdom.

Of course, chaos was rampant in the newly established empire. Many Confederacy Resistance Army organizations and individuals committed atrocities under the guise of eliminating the remnants of the Confederacy nobility, and even committed many shocking acts of violence. There were cases of entire noble families who had previously been affiliated with the Old Families being massacred, and apart from those who had ulterior motives, the murderers were actually ordinary people who had never killed anyone before.

Augustus could only order these nobles imprisoned to protect them temporarily, quell the incited public anger, and then punish the murderers, emphasizing that criminals deserve to be punished. But only the law enforcers could do this.

Meanwhile, although the majority of the Pan-Terran Party and the army were still of firm resolve, some revolutionary fighters from the Edge World were corrupted by money and fame after seeing the prosperity of Tarsonis. Some officials from the Edge World also abused the power granted to them by the emperor to accept bribes and oppress the people, thinking that the emperor was far away and would not find out about them.

These things always happened one after another, one after another. If it weren't for the exceptional abilities of Augustus's father and brothers, he wouldn't have been able to spare the time to lead the army on a distant expedition to the frontier.

There was only one thing that gave Augustus a real headache: it seemed that his sister Dorothy was also preparing to enter politics.

Dorothy Mengsk is twenty years old this year. She has beautiful long gray hair and gray eyes, outstanding appearance, and exceptional intelligence. She showed leadership potential at a very young age. She is eloquent, quick-witted, and has been learning about politics and business from her father since childhood. Now she has shown abilities that are no less than those of her father and brothers.

Augustus naturally doted on his younger sister, as she was his only sister. With this in mind, Augustus could only test the waters by appointing Dorothy as governor of the Viridia Prime, with Arcturus assisting her.

"Your Majesty, you should lie down." Just then, Augustus felt a soft touch behind him, and the fresh scent of shampoo wafted over him.

The military camp can only provide ultrasonic showers at most, but Typhon has abundant groundwater resources, so a hot shower is still possible.

"You stinging bee." Augustus reached out and pulled Kerrigan into his arms, feeling the curves in his hand.

To be honest, Augustus isn't really interested in having a child right now, but Kerrigan seems increasingly determined to have one. Neither of them has any problems, but they just can't conceive.

If an empire has a clear Heir, princes, ministers, marshals, and generals will not have to waver in the struggle for power, and the regime will be more stable.

But Augustus didn't really care, and he hoped Kerrigan would understand that. They were still young, they had time, and if not, Augustus would choose a successor from his siblings or their descendants.

Kerrigan nestled in Augustus's arms, awaiting the impending storm, but after a short while, she agitatedly sat up from the emperor's lap.

"You've come at a really bad time." Kerrigan's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, and the dazed look faded from her green eyes.

A female Royal Guard soldier gently knocked on the door, then brought news of the arrival of Artanis, the Daelaam.

"Faraday! Tychus!" Augustus shouted.

Augustus hurriedly got up, changed his clothes, and rushed to Typhon Starport. The Royal Guard waiting outside immediately arranged for a vehicle. Although Kerrigan was displeased, she knew what was important. In any case, she had plenty of time to get closer to Augustus and had many options at her disposal. She only needed to be wary of those with ill intentions.

Captain Faraday arrived shortly afterward, and although Vice-Captain Tychus was slow to arrive, he also managed to catch up in time.

Typhon had no money to be made and no brothels, so Tychus turned his attention to artifacts, appreciating their value late into the night.

Soon, Augustus met the weary Daelaam executive Artanis, High Priest Fenix, and the daughter of the Dark Templar at the pressurized port of Typhon.

Artanis brought news from within the Daelaam: after rescuing Raszagal, the frightened chieftain Raszagal decided to step down as Hierarch of the Daelaam, and the position would be taken over by the former High Executor Tassadar.

This did not cause much of a stir, thanks to Tassadar's wise leadership in the defense of Shakuras and his affinity with the Dark Templar. The Dark Templar reciprocated with the same respect and affection for a Dark Templar Knights willing to learn their traditions and skills.

Thus, Tassadar's student Artanis succeeded his mentor as the new high-ranking executive. However, for the young Artanis, this position brought more pressure than joy.

Augustus genuinely happy for his old friend Tassadar, but also worried about the health of Raszagal, the old patriarch of the Dark Templar. Even by human standards, she was a morally upright and respectable woman.

Many Dark Templar only reluctantly accepted the Templar Knights out of respect for their patriarch; if the patriarch were to pass away, it would indeed be a major upheaval.

The Daelaam are staunch allies of the Terran Empire, and Augustus does not wish for them to descend into civil war.

According to Vorazun, the female chieftain was in excellent health. For someone who could reason with the Blade Prince for months with a motherly authority, this harrowing experience of being captured was hardly frightening.

In her youth, Raszagal was a warrior even more powerful Vorazun, and she had witnessed countless trials and tribulations. Clearly, she was merely using this as an excuse to step down.

But Vorazun was not very satisfied.

"Taldarim, Taldarim are liars, shameless!" Fenix shouted the moment he saw Augustus.

"Die, Taldarim! Where are they? I'll teach these despicable kidnappers and thieves a lesson they won't forget—no, I'll make sure Taldarim's blood is spilled everywhere!"

"Fenix, brother, they're not here," Augustus said to Fenix.

"You'll be able to do that soon, Warrior," Kerrigan said, hands on her hips, her hair still wet.

"Augustus Majesty Augustus, the phase engineer Karax saw the Taldarim weapons you sent and found them to be almost identical to the Khalai technology, except for the materials." Artanis used human honorifics when addressing Augustus, as he considered the emperor to be a position similar to that of an archbishop.

"I really don't know how they did it. This explains where the lost Fleets went—tens of thousands of our people were captured, enslaved, and tortured by the Taldarim. This is the most horrific atrocity since the Aeon of Strife!"

"According to the Law of Daul, Protoss Taldarim's crime of slaughtering Protoss is punishable severely," Fenix said.

"This crime deserves death."