A Righteous Beatdown

Narud remembered that there had originally been people on the bridge, but now they had all vanished without a trace. Clusters of lights crowded the holographic displays filling his vision, shining brilliantly, and even Korhal's high orbit seemed to have become congested.

At least a thousand battlecruisers of every class had gathered around the Xel'Naga Worldship. As far as Narud knew, that accounted for at least two-thirds, if not more, of the Terran Empire's total mainline warships.

The moment Korhal came under attack, Augustus had recalled so many fleets. Was he prepared to hand every world beyond Korhal over to the enemy?

It could only prove that he had the ambition of a lion and the mind of a sheep.

If that was the case, it was undoubtedly good news for Narud and his master, Amon.

Unless, Narud thought, Augustus intended to mass his forces here for a large-scale counteroffensive—or even a decisive battle—instead of merely holding on to one star system and a handful of planets.

But Augustus and his Protoss allies did not even know where to launch their counterattack. The enemy had come from every direction: enormous Zerg and Protoss fleets, advancing slowly but never ceasing to move.

Augustus's only hope was to find and destroy the vessel Amon intended to use to descend into reality—the dark god's host. Yet even if they truly succeeded, they would only delay the return of the Dark God for a time.

And even though Augustus had learned in Ulnar that the Xel'Naga had to use vessels to enter the physical universe, he might still not have realized the existence of the dark god's host. How could he understand the necessity of destroying it?

Even taking the most pessimistic view, Amon's will could still reside within the Khala, influencing the present