Terrifying Terrans

To put it this way, Malain had never expected to scare the Terran Empire off with those words alone.

Compared to the Tal'darim, humans were undoubtedly primitive, weak, cowardly, and good for nothing—but their ruler was the toughest and most resolute leader in the Koprulu Sector. Naturally, his army was the same.

Even the self-important Alarak had to admit that a man like Augustus Mengsk truly counted as a great conqueror among the Terrans, nearly worthy of comparison to a Highlord.

Ever since the second son of the Mengsk family ascended the throne, the Empire's fleets had either been fighting or on their way to fight. Earthlings, rebels, aliens—they had never feared anyone. Even Amon would have to take two slaps if he showed up. His generals followed his example, all aggressive and overbearing, without a single coward among them.

At least, that was roughly how Augustus Mengsk appeared in the eyes of the Tal'darim.

"Have they responded?" Malain felt that enough time had passed for the Imperial commander's clerks and staff officers to reach an agreement amid their arguing. Even by Tal'darim standards, what he had just said had been exceedingly blunt.

If the Tal'darim had anything in common with the other distant branches of the protoss, which had split from them thousands of years ago at the very least, it was the same arrogance. The Tal'darim merely tended to lord it over those beneath them while bowing and scraping before those above.

Malain had expected the Imperial commander to furiously demand why he had attacked this Imperial territory. Then he would only need to point out with contempt that if it had truly been the Tal'darim, this place would already have become scorched earth. The void rifts stretching across Bhekar could be seen even from high orbit; the