Angus, his hair completely white, personally presided over this gathering. Compared to two years ago, he had aged severalfold and now truly appeared like a frail old man. That weakened appearance was far removed from the strong man Augustus and Arcturus remembered. He had grown haggard from the destruction of Korhal IV and from the people's condemnation.
If not for his two sons, wife, and daughter standing at his side to support him, this former "Wolf Lord of Korhal" would sooner or later have walked down the path of self-destruction.
Under Augustus's persuasion, Angus Mengsk was able to reclaim his former dreams. What comforted this old father most was that his eldest son, Arcturus, now thirty-two years old, had finally returned—the Wolf of Mengsk would one day return to his homeland.
"The Umojan Parliament has already decided to hand over the Hades System's Wanderer-11 Mobile Fortress to the Korhal Revolutionary Army, but it must be returned within ten years." During the banquet, Angus announced one piece of news after another to those present, yet he made no mention of the effort he had exerted in the Umojan Parliament to make these resolutions pass.
"The Hades System lies within the territory of the Terran Confederacy. It is a massive stealth fortress adjacent to the Confederacy's capital planet, Hermes. Hermes is an extremely developed commercial world and a highly important economic center," Augustus continued after his father, emphasizing to his subordinates the importance of this information.
"After obtaining this mobile Umojan fortress, it is equivalent to us possessing a moving base in the universe."
"In addition, the Umojan Parliament has also decided to provide the Revolutionary Army with greater support, including weapons and further assistance," Angus continued.
"A drop in the bucket. When it comes to weapons aid, Umoja has always talked far more than it has acted," Arcturus poured cold water on Angus's words. "They don't dare to supply us with their most advanced weaponry, and even those weapons that have had many functions stripped away are provided only stingily."
"Of course, we cannot demand too much from Umoja, which has already aided us. They dare not enter an all-out war against the Terran Confederacy," he said.
"Whether it's us overthrowing the Terran Confederacy or the Confederacy's army annihilating us, neither outcome is what Umoja wishes to see. What Umoja most hopes for is that the rebels will continue to exist as a powerful and unstable force within the Terran Confederacy, allowing them to reap the benefits."
"To gain Umoja's wholehearted support, we must make them believe that the new Terran regime will never be detrimental to the Protectorate," Augustus nodded, his gaze settling on Valerian, who sat quietly at the other end of the table.
"As for the upheaval within the Terran Confederacy's political arena, I also hope you will listen." Angus had remained in Umoja and held a seat in the Protectorate's elected Parliament.
"Recently, diplomatic relations among the Kel-Morian Combine, Umoja, and the Terran Confederacy have begun to ease. The Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine have once again exchanged ambassadors, yet incidents of wiretapping and espionage continue to emerge endlessly," he said.
"The Confederate Parliament has attempted to exert political pressure on the Kel-Morian Combine and Umoja, forbidding them from providing any form of support to the Revolutionary Army, in an effort to drive us into a state of complete isolation," Angus said. "The Combine's Board of Directors has already hastened to declare to the Confederacy that they will not allow even a single piece of ore to flow into the hands of the Revolutionary Army, and Umoja will be even more cautious than before."
"I'm afraid that from now on, we'll have no one to rely on but ourselves. The Umojans believe they've already done enough."
"I understand, Father. Don't worry. The path of our revolution is arduous enough—what's a few more hardships?" Augustus looked at his father.
"All right then, let's talk about something cheerful." Looking at the people at the table who had grown solemn, he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I didn't invite you here just to see such gloomy faces."
Today, Augustus was in excellent spirits. Arcturus had not returned to the family for more than ten years, and now, after so many years, the Mengsk family was finally reunited in harmony and warmth.
At that moment, a messenger wearing a cap bearing the emblem of a coiled whip walked through the gardens of the Pasteur estate toward Augustus, reporting that the fleet had completed its resupply. According to the planned schedule, the Revolutionary Army Marshal Command was in the process of orderly recalling the vacationing troops in batches—signaling that this moment of warmth was about to come to an abrupt end.
...
SCT, 2491.3.11.
The Tyrador system, a star system located within the core sector of the Terran Confederacy's territory, was hailed as the Confederacy's crown jewel, paradise garden, and cradle of life.
The reason the Tyrador system enjoyed such renown lay in the fact that it possessed not one but three life-sustaining planets. As a star system included in the Confederacy's early colonization plans, its beautiful environment, advanced technology, and comprehensive social security system had long maintained a high level of well-being among its inhabitants.
This star system, incorporated into the Confederacy's domain during the early colonial era, had in the past century of colonization become a haven far removed from Tarsonis.
Tyrador VIII and IX were two co-orbital planets located at the outermost layer of the Tyrador system. For ages, these twin companion worlds had been drawn together and apart under each other's gravitational pull, orbiting both one another and their star like two deep-blue butterflies gracefully dancing around the sun of the Tyrador system.
Both of these Tyrador twin planets shared similar environments—each capable of sustaining vigorous life, yet both possessed climates that bordered on the absurd.
Their mutual orbital proximity granted Tyrador VIII and IX an extraordinary natural environment: every few kilometers, the climate, humidity, and terrain could shift dramatically. This gave rise to a wondrous natural phenomenon that earned Tyrador IX its fame as a resort paradise.
On Tyrador IX, lush tropical jungles stood beside towering, majestic snow-capped mountains; next to vast emerald seas lay exotic desert towns. The tropical savannas were as expansive as the colorful regions filled with dense coniferous forests, and the abundance of wildlife adapted to this ever-changing environment made the planet a world of marvels teeming with extraordinary creatures.
The differences in climate and environment were so great that within the same seaside resort built along the ocean's shore, one end might face vast waves of the sea, while the other could be a frozen realm tens of degrees below zero.
Here on Tyrador IX, the Confederacy's elites could bask in the sun, surf, and dive at the hot seaside resorts, then drive a few kilometers to the snowy mountains to ski and enjoy the hot springs. Afterwards, they could head to the grasslands filled with rich populations of wild beasts to hunt rare animals, and finally leap from the towering mountains with a glider, landing in a warm valley where spring reigned all year round.
Tourists could admire beautiful shells in the vast shallows of Shell Island, ride yachts across the sea at Ocean Paradise and Sunset Palm Hotel, or watch the grand migration of the Tyrador narwhals during mating season—the latter, however, was for the moment open only to the Old Families of the Terran Confederacy.
Tyrador IX was the Confederacy's most prestigious resort, and at the same time, it was likely also the largest den of corruption in the entire Koprulu Sector. The wealthy and powerful all purchased luxurious manors on this planet, and the Old Families of Tarsonis owned numerous estates here as well.
Many rumors spoke of the Old Families of Tarsonis and their descendants who had fled to Tyrador to escape punishment. Almost all these tales revolved around the debauched habits and outrageous acts of those descendants. It was said that in the deepest reaches of Tyrador IX, within those palaces piled high with endless treasures, the members of the Old Families indulged in ultimate pleasure and excess, their sins covered layer upon layer by the blood of Tyrador's indebted resort laborers.
As the capital of Tyrador IX, New Canaan was a port city by the sea. The buildings closest to the ocean had the highest property values on all of Tyrador; through crystal glass windows, tenants could overlook the magnificent sight of the endless Emerald Sea and watch pods of Tyrador narwhals passing by on their migration route.
When the sea breeze carrying a salty tang swept along the tree-lined avenues of New Canaan's city center, Augustus—disguised as an interstellar merchant—was strolling leisurely down the wooden-planked boulevard.
During his travels across the universe, Augustus had played many roles: a former Confederate Marine seeking his own livelihood, a sheriff of Chau Sara, and the fallen son of a noble house…
Beside Augustus walked Sarah Kerrigan, wearing a black off-shoulder dress whose hem extended past her knees, hanging down to about one-third of a foot above her ankles.
Kerrigan's flame-bright long hair was well maintained, clearly washed and groomed often. A pink flower hairpin secured her tied ponytail to the right side, between her shoulder and neck.
At this moment, Kerrigan brimmed with youthful vitality—the lively air of a young girl could still be found in this woman who had endured much suffering. The hardships she had experienced had not yet accumulated to the point of robbing her of her ability to smile.
For Kerrigan, today was not merely an ordinary escort mission, but rather a somewhat romantic journey—this was also why she was wearing her favorite long dress today.
Even so, dressed like this, Kerrigan was still humanity's most lethal assassin. On her rounded hips hung a miniature submachine gun disguised as a crossbody bag, and on each thigh beneath her long skirt a sharp dagger was strapped with leather belts. When necessary, she could wield the submachine gun in one hand and a dagger in the other to charge into enemy ranks—or carry Augustus and escape from any assassination that might come their way.
Though Tyrador IX was a charming resort world, Kerrigan was not in a particularly good mood today, for she could not understand why Augustus insisted on bringing Mira Han along. That undoubtedly made what she had imagined as a "date" far less perfect.
Besides, Kerrigan could not imagine what connection this trip to Tyrador could possibly have with the pink-haired female officer of the Revolutionary Army.
If Kerrigan was a beautiful sight by Augustus's side, then the lively, hopping Mira Han was the mad little girl at his elbow.
As a senior officer of the Revolutionary Army, Mira Han was calm and commanding in battle, yet in daily life she was often careless and flighty. Growing up in Deadman's Port had shaped Mira's cheerful disposition—she was always optimistic and bright—but when dealing with traitors or deserters within the Deadman's Port corps of the Revolutionary Army, she was utterly ruthless, merciless, and devoid of sentiment.
Mira Han's outfit was far more provocative than Kerrigan's. She wore tight leather pants and a leather jacket, her exposed arms and forearms adorned with tattoos of butterflies and skulls. Her extremely slender pink ponytail swayed behind her, and her long pink hair shimmered like a dancing sprite.
Even Augustus had to admit that the future Mercenary Queen of Deadman's Port appeared quite lively and adorable in her youth. Like many children born and raised in Deadman's Port, Mira's parents lacked both the ability and the sense of responsibility to raise their offspring. And Augustus had taken her in and raised her as though she were his own daughter.
Meanwhile, behind Augustus, Kerrigan, and the others followed Jim Raynor—looking every bit the bodyguard—together with Corporal Faraday and two other tall, burly Revolutionary Army soldiers who had proven their loyalty and courage through many battles against the Confederate forces.
"This is a fine place, Tyrador," Augustus said as he walked. "It lies almost in a straight line with Moria and Tarsonis—far from war yet still on the edge of the core worlds. Should an attack occur, the Confederate fleet could arrive in as little as two days."
"But the good news is, the Confederate garrison here is pitifully weak. The strongest fighting force happens to be a knightly order that originated from a semi-feudal colonial militia."
Tyrador IX was perhaps second only to Tarsonis and Hermes—not because of a developed industrial system or economy, but because it served as a refuge for the descendants of the Terran Confederacy's Old Families and the sons of wealthy merchants, as well as a vault for their gray fortunes.
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