Prince of the Empire

The main console activated once more, shakily projecting a flickering Imperial emblem. Its waxing and waning light reflected across the magnificent, spacious bridge and an imposing face.

The man's meticulously trimmed and groomed brown hair and beard glimmered beneath the bridge's bright lights. His stern, extraordinary face looked as though it had been carved from a Greek statue, every feature exquisitely sculpted. Quite a few white hairs were visible on his head, but he had yet to show his age.

He wore a gray-black, double-breasted military uniform with broad lapels, a golden wolf-head badge pinned to his chest. Broad bronze epaulets outlined his shoulders, while an exquisitely crafted pistol and sword hung at his waist.

"It's Arcturus Mengsk!" Unlike the calm-faced Grace, Travis Cole could not suppress his panic at the sight of that sculpted, motionless face. Even though he kept reminding himself that Augustus Mengsk was right here, that he was ultimately only human and not all that different from himself.

Prince Arcturus was a true wielder of power in the Terran Empire, one of the few people standing at the pinnacle of the Koprulu Sector. And that power came from far more than his brother, who ruled the galaxy.

Able to manipulate hearts and minds at will and control politics, Arcturus Mengsk had been born a politician and a leader.

The Mengsk Family of Korhal had built an empire through war, conquest, and slaughter, then ruled it through politics, ambition, and an iron fist. This family had risen from the flames not by empty talk of ideals or by begging their enemies for mercy. They were fatalists, yet only believed in the fate they forged themselves.

The Terran Empire had risen atop the ruins and mountains of corpses of countless worlds. Seated upon his throne, Emperor Augustus looked