For Augustus, it was only a matter of a moment for Zeratul's Xel'Naga ship, the Void Seeker, to jump him from the ground onto the ship. The surrounding things darkened first, and then the ground beneath his feet turned into a solid black cabin.
"Why don't you turn on the lights?" Renault naturally accepted the magical technology of the Protoss without making a fuss.
The cabin was dark at first, but as they appeared, the surrounding bulkheads and ground began to glow with green light. This green light is like the light refracted by lush vegetation in the sun rather than some unnatural artificial light source. The green light flowing back along the spirals and mysterious symbols finally formed gridded fan-shaped and hexagonal patterns, like the buds of a fern.
The floor is not carpeted or non-slip tiles, but some kind of soft sound-absorbing material similar to black sponge. Even if the power armor's alloy stabilizing boots step on it, it will not make any sound.
"It's so cold here." Tychus opened his helmet visor and looked around: "It's like being in an ice cave. Damn it, we are not in the ice cellar of those dark protoss."
The cabin of the Void Seeker is large enough to accommodate Augustus and others and their mobile vehicles. Some clusters of sharp-edged crystals emitting green light can also be seen on the edge of the cabin. Crystal clusters are rooted at the junction of the four walls of the cabin, as if they are growing from within.
The cabin of the Void Seeker is not silent. In addition to the crisp resonance of the crystal matrix, there are also sounds similar to the turbulence of water and the sound of wind and sand, giving people the feeling that they are in nature rather than on a ship. strange feeling.
"This is undoubtedly a Xel'Naga spaceship, a creation of the gods that once gave the protoss knowledge and wisdom." Taldarin walked with his long dragon knight mechanical appendage: "It is not a Xel'Naga Those spaceships left behind in El...this spacecraft contains powerful void energy, and perhaps the Xel'Naga drove it through the universe in the past."
"It's so great. Even today, our spaceships are nothing more than imitations of the Xel'Naga battleships."
"A long time ago, the Dark Priest drove this spaceship to shuttle through the universe, looking for traces of Xel'Naga's travels in the universe and those murmuring prophecies in the void." The Dark Templar walked to Augustus All in front of Tal'darin.
At this time, a projection appeared in front of Augustus. The picture was the main nest of the Zerg located between the magma islands. The scene inside shocked all the humans and protoss present. There were countless alien creatures made of black chitin carapace, spikes, gray-brown spine skeleton, flesh-colored vesicle membrane wings, and oozing mucus and dark purple fungi. Insect organism building.
These buildings are as if they are alive. Their surfaces are expanding, contracting, and multiplying all the time. The tops of the buildings are contracting like breathing vents. The tendons and meridians on the main trunks are crawling to transport blood and nutrients everywhere, as if the entire building is alive. The ground is all alive, a piece of flesh and blood under the skin exposed to the air.
The entire screen is filled with pulsating organic structures of zerg, the tallest of which even exceeds the Sky Tower of the Creation Family on Tarsonis Prime. At the center of these structures is the gigantic zerg overlord, several miles in diameter and mostly buried beneath the surface of solid volcanic rock. Above the Overlord, thousands of spikes pierce the sky, and a huge eye is watching everything around it coldly.
Augustus, Taldarin and Raynor all came over, and the rest of the Protoss Templars couldn't hide their curiosity. Protoss and human warriors in gold-blue armor or gold-red power armor clustered close to each other, their relationships visibly improved by the experience of fighting side by side.
"That is the master of all zerg, the master." The Dark Templar said to Augustus: "The years it has survived may be as long as the zerg race itself."
"Why do bad things always live longer than good people?" Tychus mocked both the Overlord and the Protoss at the same time.
"The Overlord is likely to be immortal. The research of Francos and Stetman shows that the cell renewal rate of Zerg is much faster than that of humans, but they do not age." Augustus explained .
"But it's also possible that the bug was killed by us not long after it was born." Renault pointed at the illusory light and shadow, staring at the hazy shadow above the main nest.
"Is that a wormhole? On the surface of Char?"
"That's right, a wormhole built using psychic energy." Tal'darin said: "This shows that the psychic intensity of the Zerg Master has exceeded the limit of a creature. In other words, it is originally an endless Zerg. the union of wills.”
"In the past, our expedition fleets occasionally entered natural wormholes. They could reduce journeys of tens of thousands of light years or even farther to the distance from your doorstep to your neighbor's nursery." Has Renault ever been a captain? Yes, compared to Tychus who does nothing, he will at least study seriously.
"But we have no way of figuring out what's behind a seemingly stable wormhole, and how long they can last, whether it's minutes, years, or longer... Everything has an end."
"If we can master this technology, we can connect distant colonies and frontier systems and establish a stable transportation network where technology and trade complement each other." Augustus sighed.
"I don't think this is possible, unless we capture the zerg masters and make them work for us." Tychus said.
"If you want to die, I won't stop you." Renault chuckled.
"Where do they want to go?" Taldarin stared closely at the wormhole in the light and shadow.
It was a hazy black vortex composed entirely of void energy and dark matter, spinning in Char's remaining atmosphere. At first, the vortex was surrounded by strange colorful lights and storms tearing the surface, but later only a black circle remained.
The extreme black in the center of the circle absorbs natural light like a black hole. A huge swarm Leviathan is passing through this black wormhole, its giant solar sail-like fins and membrane wings are swaying in the strong wind, and countless flying zerg creatures are surrounding it.
The Swarm Leviathan is a super giant creature that is more aggressive than Behemoth. It can also make time jumps in the universe. Even when facing humans, the Leviathan does not appear. It is hard to imagine. What kind of enemy caused the swarm to unleash these terrifying creatures.
"I hope it's Tarsonis..." Tychus said: "When the bugs kill the Federation, we can go back and clean up the mess."
"We are here." At this time, the Dark Templar reminded the passengers of the Void Seeker: "The Void Seeker is above this main hive."
"Where is your Archon?" Taldarin asked the Dark Templar seriously and urgently.
"It's at an observation post near the main nest, on the top of the highest volcano nearby." The Dark Templar replied.
"Leap me there immediately," Tal'darin said in a commanding tone.
"Count me in." Augustus said: "Zeratul must have discovered more clues about the strange behavior of the swarm."
"As you wish." The Dark Templar immediately contacted the companion responsible for managing the core of the central node's warp matrix.
The moment Augustus closed his eyes and opened them again, the ground beneath his feet changed from the black sound-absorbing sponge ground to the ashes of Char again.
He was standing on the top of a huge crater, surrounded by rugged rocks and ash. Black smoke and heat waves were rising from behind, and the ground trembled slightly from time to time.
The clouds were like white smoke rings surrounding the top of the mountain. When Augustus looked down from his position, he could only see billowing clouds of ash. These clouds were composed of tiny ash fragments that came together and sometimes broke apart. , revealing cracks.
Dark Patriarch Zeratul stood behind a huge black volcanic rock. He stood alone in the biting wind of the mountain.
This was a scene that impressed Augustus deeply. Zeratul’s dark purple robes had become rusty due to the erosion of time, and the cloak under his clothes sewn with brown fur was blowing in the mountain wind. Like a hunting flag.
Zeratul lowered his head, obviously deep in thought. This elder with a high reputation among the Dark Templars of Nerazim is one of the few remaining Dark Priests, and is also the Archon second only to the matriarch Rashagal. It's just that Zeratul never manages the affairs of the clan. He is just a figure like a wandering cloud and a crane, a traveler who explores the unknown and mysteries in the universe.
"Zeratul, elder." Augustus walked towards Zeratul, showing obvious respect. His sincerity was by no means a pretense, which was also an important reason why Zeratul looked at Augustus differently.
Every protoss, civilian and warrior alike, is a mind reader, so that contact with humans is not considered offensive by them. Even if Zeratul didn't discover the true secrets of Augustus's heart, he could feel the young human's true feelings.
This was Augustus's respect for Zeratul that was so real that it even surprised him. Zeratul always suspected that Augustus had known him for a long time, but he would not ask for details and just regarded it as part of his fate.
"You are here." Zeratul looked at Augustus.
Zeratul bowed deeply as he glanced at the Protoss Templar Grand Archon Tal'darin beside Augustus.
"Hail to the High Templar, the Archon, and the Great Dragon Knight Tal'darin... Perhaps the Matriarch still remembers you, I am the Dark Master Zeratul, these Dark Templars leader of."
Zeratul said with great respect: "You are all warriors of Adun's time. Compared with you, I am just an ignorant child with shallow knowledge."
Zeratul had been watching the Tal'darim's forces since they landed on Char.
"But we only saw one enemy." The high-ranking Templars around Tal'darin were also redirected to the vicinity of Zeratul. They boarded the Dark Templar's Xel'Naga spacecraft Void Seeker. Hao has been nervous and walking on thin ice.
The high-ranking Templars displayed their shining blue psychic blades, pointing directly at Zeratul.
"Not an enemy, but a brother." Tal'darin's attitude towards Zeratul was so gentle that the Templars under him always worried whether their Archon had been corrupted by the corrupt ideas of the Dark Templar.
"There should not be this battle between the Templars and the Dark Templars." Compared to the problem of the Dark Templars, Taldarin is more concerned with what is behind the wormhole.
"The zerg must be preparing to invade a planet or an entire civilized world." He said to Zeratul: "Have you figured it out?"
"I'm not sure..." Zeratul's body shook: "A terrible and only master's will is being transmitted through the consciousness of the swarm, and the brainworms are discussing the master's will in their lair. Great plan, this is an attack on the protoss."
"Our colony is far outside the Koprulu sector, where the Auli tribe's Invincible Fleet (The Great Fleet) is also stationed." Tal'darin said worriedly: "The concerns of the Supreme Council have come true. If we don't Eliminate all the zerg in this sector, then this will evolve into an all-out war sweeping across the entire Protoss Empire, and our people will be put under the flames of war."
"No, the Overlord's target may be Aiur." Zeratul said: "When I killed those brainworms, I came into contact with the Overlord's thoughts many times. Its tribe has been searching for the footprints of the protoss in the universe. Once When the zerg discover us, they will seek a way to merge with the protoss, a mission given to them by the Overmind's creators."
"Al is its target... It knows about Al's existence. It has always known about it. Why?"
"El! No!" Taldarin's emotions showed signs of losing control for the first time: "How is this possible? El's coordinates have always been a secret, and her location has always been hidden under the gravitational field we set. .”
"I hope this is just unfounded worry." Zeratul said: "During my last meditation, I seemed to foresee the darkness and endless war in the future...in the Koprulu sector..."
The technology of the Dark Templar is still very different from that of the Templar. Presumably, the Aiur, who have a large population and many tribes, are not as good at casting and driving warships as the Origa tribe in charge of the protoss fleet, but They are better at space-time technology.
It is said that those wise men among the Dark Templar who have understood the mysteries of time and space can foresee shards of the future and thus provide guidance to others - although the number of Nerazim Oracles is extremely rare, their predictions are not always accurate. .
Perhaps Zeratul did foresee something, but Augustus didn't think he knew the truth.
"I must state this matter to Executor Tassadar and the Supreme Council of Aiur to let them prepare, whether this is just a possibility." Tal'darin opened the communication device and communicated with the Protoss Expeditionary Force fleet. The Star Shuttle made contact, but the next piece of bad news came one after another.
"What on earth is the Supreme Council thinking?" he roared.
"What's going on? Consul." Augustus approached Taldarin, already guessing something in his mind.
"...I shouldn't mention it to you...this happened when the fleet was still fighting the Zerg in the high-altitude orbit of Char." Tal'darin looked at Augustus: "The Conclave of the Protoss Empire declares that Tassadar is no longer the Executor of the Koprulu Expedition due to his disobedience to the orders to cleanse all infected human planets and even his association with the Fallen Dark Templar."
"The Conclave will send a new Executor of the Akiri Horde to replace Tassadar's Executor, and an Arbitrator will also set out due to his disillusionment with the Templar class," he said sadly.
"Tassadar was ordered to return to Aiur alone to face trial, while the expeditionary force was to continue to carry out its original orders."
"Judgment, does the Supreme Council think others are fools?" Tychus Niu glared fiercely.
"Even a fool will not be arrested after committing a crime, let alone take the initiative to go to the police station to surrender." He was very familiar with this: "Let alone have to drive back who knows how many light years away. If I, I don’t care about the Supreme Council, I would have left long ago.”
"It's really ridiculous. Changing generals on the spot? Just for a few stupid reasons?" Renault was also puzzled.
"Wise arbiters can actually do such a thing?" Zeratul was amazed.
"This is their style." Augustus looked at Taldarin: "Then, during the period when Tassadar is no longer the executive officer, who will temporarily take his place."
"It's me," Tal'darin said.
"There is still room for maneuver in this matter." Augustus smiled: "Then we can only leave it alone and accept the emperor's orders."
