June 9, ship time 7:54 - it has been about three standard hours since the Korhal Revolutionary Army fleet jumped here.
Norad 2, this majestic steel giant ship was originally the flagship of the Alpha Squadron of the Tyranid Federation's ace force and the vehicle of Colonel Edmund Duke.
The traces left by Alpha Squadron and Colonel Duke can be seen everywhere on this magnificent Behemoth-class battlecruiser. This man, both in appearance and ferocious temper, is close to the silverback gorilla in Norad. There are more than twenty Alpha Squadron flags of different styles hanging on the bridge of No. 2, and all the symbols and medals used to show its military exploits in hundreds of large and small battles are painted on the walls and portholes of the battleship.
Compared with the Hyperion, the Norad 2, the flagship of Alpha Squadron, is even larger. Except for the corridors inside the ship that still look scratchy, both the bridge and various cabins and activity areas look grand and even magnificent.
But now this battleship has a new owner, Augustus Mengsk, and the latter is willing to call this a small change of ownership.
No matter from which angle you look at it, the Behemoth-class battlecruiser Norad 2 is an unparalleled war masterpiece, with rows of laser cannons, upgraded energy shield defense arrays, and hangars. The nearly a hundred fighters inside are all brand new Wraith fighters.
These latest fighters are far superior to older jet fighters such as the Avengers and Cerberus fighter jets in terms of maneuverability and weapon power, and they can also better adapt to the combat environment in space.
Importantly, Norad 2's nuclear arsenal also possesses twenty small tactical nuclear bombs equivalent to one hundred thousand tons of TNT and two apocalyptic nuclear bombs that are enough to level half of Tarsonis.
——To use these cute but grumpy gadgets, you only need to press a red button that is harmless to humans and animals.
Even so, Augustus never felt any joy. In his opinion, the gains far outweighed the losses. Accurate statistics showed that the Korhal Revolutionary Army suffered heavy losses in the encounter in the Soyan system, leaving only four Giant-class frigates, two Reagan-class cruisers and five Destroyers, there are only 597 remaining combat airships left.
Nearly five thousand revolutionary army pilots and fleet soldiers died in this battle. These pilots generally only received training for less than half a year or even less. Most of them are new recruits, and so many lives that have just bloomed like flowers will never be able to return to Korhal 4, their hometown.
After reporting the fleet's losses and casualties, Augustus's Umoyan fleet adviser told him that some of the dead were from Stillling College, the alma mater of all generations of the Mengsk family. Some of the victims were even I met him when he was in school.
Death is no longer unfamiliar to Augustus. On Turasis 2, the deaths of Omo and Benjamin were a heavy blow to everyone in Augustus' class. Although Augustus still didn't want to admit it in his heart, Korhal warriors like Omo were dying all the time.
Their death is a heavy blow to the parents, enough to devastate a fragile family. But on the reported list, it was just a series of names and numbers.
Augustus inquired at length about the names of these men, but said nothing.
"I want to know what kind of losses we have caused to Alpha Squadron." Augustus asked his expressionless Umo Yang advisor on the bridge of Norad 2.
"The sergeant in charge of statistics got some exact shooting numbers. In the battle named Soyan Galaxy, we shot down a total of 126 Avengers fighters, 38 Wraith fighters and three Sphinxes. Taukos-class Federation destroyer—a long, cuboid battleship."
Alpha Squadron's losses cannot be accurately counted, but there is no doubt that their equipment and soldiers exceeded those of the Revolutionary Army by much. If Augustus hadn't captured Alpha Squadron's flagship Norad 2 like a tiger's teeth, this would undoubtedly have been a complete fiasco.
The Korhal Revolutionary Army's financial resources are too thin, which is enough to make them suffer.
"And the price we paid was ten times what they paid." Augustus' tone was no different from usual, but Kerrigan beside him could feel the sadness and frustration in his heart even without using telepathy. feel.
Augustus Mengsk is not invincible. A battle-hardened general can prove his unstoppability with many exemplary battles, but one tragic and humiliating defeat is enough to erase all his honor.
"You can't blame yourself for the death of those people. I heard the screams and last thoughts of those victims before they died." Kerrigan said to Augustus: "They regarded death as home."
"I should have done better," Augustus said after Advisor Eumoyan left.
"Mengsk, I can't think of a better way to deal with the situation just now. If Duke's ships were doubled, then I would have suggested that you surrender." Tychus said: "You What else can we do, do we crash into it with all our might or run away in despair, leaving behind a pile of wreckage and watching the morale of the Revolutionary Army fleet be severely damaged."
"You must fight, and next time everyone will know that their commander does not lack the courage to attack." Warfield said to Augustus: "As Arcturus once said, if you command a If you have a hundred people, you can remember all their names, past and present, but if you command a hundred thousand people, you must have ruthless indifference.”
"Can you do it?" Augustus asked him.
"I can't do it," Warfield said. "I can't do that. Neither can Arcturus."
"Huh... Anyway, more than half of the fleet has been damaged, and the Iron Justice can no longer participate in the next battle. We must find a new port to repair and repair the warship." Augustus shook his head, and on the star Search the map for the supply port closest to the fleet.
Norad 2 still uses the federal star map database, so many federal ports marked in green cannot dock. On the contrary, the Kemerian and Umoyan interstellar ports and shipyards marked in red are much safer.
But what troubled Augustus was that these ports were either too far away or within the strike range of the Tyranid Federation fleet.
"It will take a lot of time to return to Korhal 4 and Umoyan, and the first fleet heading to Korhal is probably already in the coming hyperspace channel."
"From this point of view, the only reliable place is here." Augustus retrieved a galaxy and a gray-green planet on the star chart, which looked like Kehal 4 shrouded in gray fog.
Augustus drew a triangle between the system where Norad 2 is located, the planet and the location of the Dalarian Shipyard: “It takes less than half a day from here to the Rock of the Dead, and from the Rock of the Dead It only takes four days at the fastest for Yan to arrive at the Dalarian Shipyard. As far as I know, there is currently the largest mercenary organization here - the mercenaries of Hill and Harris."
Almost at the same time that the Kaimorians announced that they would sign a peace treaty with the Tyranid Federation, although many older mercenaries believed that there would be no more wars in the future and the mercenary market would inevitably shrink significantly, two people named The mercenaries of Graven Hill and Remy Harris officially established their own mercenary organization and recruited professional mercenaries from Umoyan, the Kemorian Consortium and even the Tyranid Federation.
"The Umoyan Dominion closest to us will take much more time than this, and the Camorians are likely to secretly do something secretly." Warfield said.
"The Rock of the Dead, this was once a far less bad planet - many years ago. But now it has become the garbage dump of the entire universe, with nearly two-thirds of the land covered with Cosmic garbage and industrial waste. It may only take a few years to destroy a vibrant ecosystem, and we must spend exponentially more time to repair it." Kerrigan searched her memory for information about this planet .
"This planet lacks a strong government. Uncontrolled mining of minerals and industrial pollution have destroyed the already fragile environment. In recent years, people from all religions and professions have come here to pursue their dreams of getting rich overnight or seek political asylum. Over time, this place It gradually became a mecca for pirates, mercenaries and smugglers."
"Of course, there are rebels." Tychus wanted to scratch his butt, but he quickly gave up because of the power armor.
"It's the Revolutionary Army." Kerrigan shook her fiery red ponytail and corrected Tychus's mistake.
"Almost, little girl." Tychus shouted: "For freedom! You are not really fooled by Mengsk, are you? No?"
"People like you don't understand the great ideals of Augustus. You only know how to eat, drink, and gamble." Kerrigan said back to Tychus.
"No one knows Mengsk better than you!" Tychus mocked her.
"That's enough. I am neither as great as you think, nor as despicable as you think." Augustus ended the topic, and then entered an encrypted communication code on the main screen. Just a few seconds later, a young man wearing a pair of sunglasses even at night appeared. The background was a dilapidated office with walls covered with guns under the lights.
"Good evening, Mr. Mengsk. I think you may need some new mercenary contracts. I heard that Korhal 4 is at war with the federal central government of Tarsonis." Graven Hill smiled and said: "I risk I took a huge risk to contact you. I heard before that Korhal 4 needed a transport ship, so I immediately sent many people there."
"Of course the price is three times that of peacetime." Augustus directly exposed him.
"This is about the issue of inflation caused by this. The Terran Federation and the Kemerian Consortium have squandered all their foreign exchange reserves in Umoyan, and they also owe a large amount of foreign debt. It is normal for prices to rise. ." Hill said: "I'm definitely not raising prices."
"Sooner or later you will pay the price for this...I heard that you are doing business with Korhal 4, the Tyranid Federation and the Kaimorian Consortium at the same time." Augustus said: "You once paid for a The Camorians were sold for money, and honestly I have a hard time believing you."
"That's different. The Camorians owe us money and have violated the contract. This is a matter of principle. Mr. Angus Mengsk will never give the mercenaries half a penny less. I will only betray him if I am crazy." A long-term and trustworthy customer." There was no expression on Hill's face.
"As long as the Korhal people are at war with the federal government, the mercenaries will always have food to eat," he said.
"Okay, after talking for so long, you must have some big orders for me." Hill lit a cigarette for himself.
"I need to occupy your mercenary port for a period of time." Augustus continued: "And, in the next two months, I will sign as many mercenary contracts as you have."
"I heard, Korhal 4 is in big trouble, but my mercenary brothers are not going to dip into spider mines or bathe in a rain of nuclear bombs. You know, they won't do a job that is obviously going to lead to death. " Hill touched his chin and gradually couldn't control his overflowing smile.
"Do I look that much like someone who has been taken advantage of?" Augustus tapped his fingers on the table of the bridge console.
"Okay, but port calls are not cheap... How many ships do you have? Tell me so I have an idea," Hill said.
"Not much." Augustus sent a number using encrypted communication.
"This is impossible, three ships? Two of them are still flagship-level... You must be kidding." Hill crossed his arms in front of his chest: "Our little broken port is not that big, but The space station can accommodate it.”
"Speaking of which, where on earth did you get these big guys? I heard the Caimorians are selling warships...but the prices are ridiculously high."
"From the hands of the federal fleet." Augustus said bluntly: "Then it's settled."
"Okay, it's settled." Hill originally thought that Augustus was just a young but talented federal marine officer with a small family fortune, but he didn't expect that he was still a daredevil who even shocked him. A ruthless character from the Tyran Federation fleet.
Determined to reassess the power in Augustus Mengsk's hands, Hill closed the communications link.
"He can't be trusted," Tychus said.
"Well..." Augustus nodded and said, "But when we arrive at the Rock of the Dead, we will have the final say there."
"Oh...you bad guy." Tychus showed an evil smile: "But I like you."
At this time, a holographic projection screen lit up, which was a lit up radar scan.
"Unknown jump signal and unsigned communication request detected." Norad 2's intelligent adjutant said in a cold mechanical voice.
"Plug in," Augustus said.
"Augustus Mengsk, we meet again. Just wait five minutes and I will catch you, the cunning Korhal fox. Do you think you can escape? Alpha Squadron will chase you to the ends of the earth. , to the end of the universe..." When Duke wanted to say something else, Augustus closed the communication link. So Duke's arrogant face was frozen forever, but the still picture looked a little distorted.
"It sounds like Colonel Duke is about to catch up with us." Augustus pointed to Duke's thick nostrils on the main screen.
"Duke must be so angry that he could eat his own boots right now." Tychus laughed.
"...He even said the time." Warfield was stunned and speechless.
"Where's Swann? How's he handling it?" When Augustus looked at Kerrigan, needless to say, this beautiful and considerate (in the real sense) ghost agent had already solved an individual The terminal was handed to him.
"Oh - come on, you did it Thatcher! Little girl, you have to tighten that screw!" A noisy voice came from the personal terminal.
"Well done!"
"good!"
"Rory Swann, I was wondering if you were done with those signal trackers. You said ten minutes ago that you're almost over the hump. My understanding is that you're about to finish the job." Augustus considered his words carefully. He had recently discovered that he sometimes did not understand Mrs. Mainho's local dialect.
"Oh... when I get that wrench back, it's still outside the airtight cabin." Swann didn't seem to hear clearly.
"That's right, boss, these kids have done a great job, and they are worthy of the salary you paid."
"Let's jump." Augustus looked at the communication links sent by Duke one after another, turned to the navigator and said: "Before that, let our old friends scream in anger."
...
Napoleon, bridge.
"Mengsk! Regardless of whether they are big or small, brothers, brothers, eldest, and second, they are all a bunch of uneducated country bumpkins!" Duke yelled in the bridge without grace. When the technical sergeant reported to him, this kind of Anger rose to the top.
"We can no longer get location updates for Norad 2 and Iron Justice." The technical sergeant said with some confidence.
"How could it be so fast!" Duke shouted flatly: "It's impossible! You must have made a mistake somewhere!"
"Colonel, the fleet headquarters wants to ask you about the latest battle situation in the Suoyan galaxy." At this time, the colonel's adjutant walked into the bridge and asked him.
"Just say..." Duke immediately calmed down: "We destroyed more than two thousand rebel ships and severely damaged Augustus Mengsk's rebels. I will submit a more detailed report later. Report."
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