StarCraft: Tyranid Empire

Augustus and Matt Horner walked side by side, heading south along the bustling commercial street of New Canaan. As the area becomes more and more prosperous, the aroma of spices, dried fruits and cooked seafood fills your nostrils.

At first, Augustus didn't say much to Matt, but just walked and admired the scenery on the street. The sky is cloudless, and you can see the bright starry sky when you look up. The co-orbiting stars Terrador VIII and IX are each other's moons.

"Ah... Mr. Augustus, you are an interstellar trader. You must have been to many places, right?" After a while, Matt, who was very curious about Augustus, couldn't help but ask him a question. Because he was wanted, Augustus always presented himself as a middle-aged man, and his weathered image was quite confusing.

"Yes, I have been to many places." Augustus replied: "My friends and I have been to Tarsonis Prime and places outside the Koprulu sector."

"There are many planets where strange animals and plants grow, and it feels like you are in a dreamlike and beautiful world. Garden planets with a warm climate and prosperous life, barren planets with most of the land being deserts, jungle planets with dangerous aliens, and planets with a lack of oceans. A stone planet with a thin atmosphere...the vastness of this world is far beyond your imagination," he said.

"...I really hope that one day I can be like you." Matt said with longing.

"Be a businessman?" Augustus looked at him.

"No." Matt shook his head: "Actually, I want to be a pilot. I hope to be able to drive my own spacecraft to various planets and explore undiscovered worlds."

"This dream is worth fighting for. Horner, which federal air force university are you going to attend? Or obtain a civilian aircraft flying license through self-study." Augustus said: "I suggest you go to the federal military academy. Receive formal military training.”

"According to family tradition, I should go to university locally." Matt's face turned redder: "There is no first-class military university in Terrador IX. Most of the universities focus on training administrators and the financial industry. and management talents, and few civilian students can afford the high tuition fees of these universities. Universities for civilians are all to serve Terrador’s developed tourism industry.”

"If I go to college on another planet far away from Terrador, my family will probably have difficulty supporting the cost of my study abroad. Of course, I believe that I am fully capable of receiving a full scholarship to Tarsonis University. Judging from the requirements, It shouldn't be difficult." There is no doubt that Matt, with his serious personality, is a true learning genius.

"If you are willing, I can write a letter of recommendation for you to the principal of Umoyan Air Force Academy." Augustus said.

"Umoyan?" Matt didn't expect August to say that at all. A stranger who had just met said that he was going to recommend him to Umoyan University. Either this was a classic trick of human traffickers, or it was just a trivial matter in Augustus' eyes.

Many businessmen are willing to invest in emerging industries and talents.

"My family and I don't know much about Umoyan. It's too far there." Matt said: "My parents are liberal people and they won't object to me going to school on other planets, but Umoyan is too far away after all. Far."

"That's right. After all, you haven't even graduated from high school yet." Augustus said.

"Soon, sir," Matt said.

The topic came to an abrupt end. As they gradually walked out of the commercial streets of New Canaan and away from the city center, the scene of feasting and feasting in the red light district inevitably appeared.

There are gorgeous women standing at the door of cheap bars, the smell of barbecue comes from the mid-to-low-end restaurants, there are a surprisingly large number of hotels and capsule hotels, and hot spring baths are also one of the pillar industries of this resort. Here, Augustus could clearly see the difference between the people here and the wealthy people in the commercial streets.

Just like all the poor people in the Terran Federation, the poor people in Terrador have the same characteristics as all poor people: bones are destroyed due to a single diet and heavy labor, and children are stunted due to malnutrition. The poorer they are and the less hope they see, the more they rely on drugs to escape reality. From time to time, you can see people with dull or trembling eyes hiding in the depths of the streets taking drugs, like lost ghosts.

Even at night, they are still working. In order to keep the streets and beaches clean and tidy, many cleaning workers are working hard in dark green uniforms and focus on cleaning up the garbage on the ground.

In restaurants, spas, hotels, and other service industries, uniformed men and women serve wealthy people from all over the Federation's planets, groveling like slaves and doing their best to serve their guests. All services are provided to ensure that guests who come to spend money are comfortable without having to lift a finger, so that they feel that every penny they spend is satisfactory, and they are more happy to continue spending money.

In this era, cleaning robots have already been able to fully replace human labor and are more efficient. Many things can also be completed using machines instead of human labor. And although the cleaning companies and store owners in New Canaan have the ability and channels to replace them with cleaning robots, a cruel fact is: in Terrador, people are cheaper than machines.

The workers in Terrador's service industry and other private industries are "contract workers" from other planets. They are forced to work with Tyranids for various reasons, including loan sharking, bankruptcy, and debt. Lending financial institutions in the federation sign extremely unequal contracts that are almost equivalent to contracts of prostitution. During the economic turmoil brought about by the four-year Kailian War, large numbers of extremely cheap labor workers were forced to come to Terrador to create profits for their bosses to repay the debts they owed.

Many Federation planets were greatly damaged and their economies collapsed due to the Kailian War, but Terrador IX gradually became prosperous as a result. During the most intense years of the war, Tarsonis and the wealthy class of several other major worlds transferred their wealth and children to Terrador in order to cope with the worst possible outcome of the Federation's defeat in the war.

Today, such contract workers have become the cornerstone of maintaining the operation of various industries, and their number has exceeded 40% of the total population of Terrador. Behind the prosperity of Terrador IX resort is the sweat and blood of contract workers and cheap laborers who work hard day and night.

UNN never reports on the plight of the people at the bottom of Terrador IX, nor does it mention that they are actually slaves of the nobles of Terrador and the blood-sucking companies in the Federation. These people are not protected by federal laws, and even the unions of the Terran Federation turn a deaf ear to these people. After all, they only complain and redress the grievances of the wealthy.

Compared with these people, Matt is undoubtedly lucky. His family finally gained a foothold in Terrador after several generations of hard work through an honest and trustworthy small business. The Horner family is not considered middle class, but at least they have real estate and jobs to survive as citizens rather than homeless people. They cannot hire servants or use robots like the middle class and upper class, but they are not forced to do heavy physical work. labor.

"Have you seen those people?" Augustus said to Matt: "Many of them are burdened with debts that they cannot repay. Their children must accept such a fate from birth. They can only Growing up in an environment of extreme material scarcity, it is difficult to achieve more than their parents.”

"I'm much luckier than them." As a native of Terrador, Matt certainly understands the situation of these people, but there is nothing he can do about it.

"If it were me, I would say I must rescue these unfortunate people." Augustus clasped his hands behind his back.

"Terrador thrives on an unfair system, and the federal government here is as corrupt as on other planets in Federation territory. Terrador's government officials do their best to profit and use it to curry favor with Tarsonis. The nobles of the Creation Family, faced with the stubborn disease that has penetrated into Terrador, they turned a deaf ear and did nothing." As he spoke, he said something that sounded quite remarkable to Matt.

"The Planetary Defense Force is nothing more than a fictitious military organization. The total number of soldiers is less than two companies. As the most elite armed force in the entire galaxy, the Knights of Terrador essentially serve only for the rich and wealthy. Powerful men provide services, and they are no more noble than the corrupt police officers of Tarsonis' police force."

"This is Terrador No. 9, Mr. Augustus. All Terradorians know that this is the back garden of the founding family of Tarsonis. Most of the Terrador nobles actually come from Nobles of Tarsonis." Matt was not surprised by Augustus's anti-federal tendencies. If his hometown was transformed by a nuclear bomb into a dead world full of nuclear wasteland and radioactive dust, then he would definitely turn into a devil.

"Do you want to bring any changes to all of this?" Augustus stared into Matt's eyes: "You can and have the ability to bring about great changes to this backwater of the Tyrannic Federation."

At this moment, the topic suddenly became serious. Just like before, Matt did not expect Augustus to say such words. The true identity of Augustus has been revealed. Even if he is not a traitor hated by the federal government, he must be a person who deeply hates and hates the federal government.

Generally speaking, sociological scholars refer to this group of people as traumatized groups. These people's homes were burned down, they had nothing left, and they had endless resentment and anger that needed to be vented.

"Me? I can't do anything. I will just watch the ups and downs of the spacecraft and calculate the time from their take-off to their disappearance." Matt said: "But I also think that the federal government is implementing it in the federal alliance planets. Under his own cruel rule, both those in the founding family and the government have begun to become corrupt.”

Matt has his own perspective on the revolution that is breaking out on the other side of the distant Koprulu Sector. It is true that he does not believe that the innocent casualties caused by the revolution are a necessary price, but Matt still has a strong sense of justice in his heart. The important thing is that Matt longs for a change in this unchanging life, and revolution, something that sounds very missionary, is no less attractive to him.

"No, you are fully capable of doing more. Your abilities and the contribution you can actually make to mankind in the Koprulu sector are far beyond your own imagination." Augustus said seriously to Matt. "In the past, I thought, as you might imagine, that the federal government has become too corrupt, but what can one person do?"

"In the past?" Matt looked at Augustus. He was no longer so shy, forgetting that he was among a group of strangers who might be quite dangerous: "What happened? There must be something that contributed to your change today."

"Korhal IV was destroyed." Augustus said: "The Federation destroyed a beautiful planet and changed many people. The founding family of Tarsonis changed many people. They turned good people into bad people and changed many people." The bad guys become devils.”

"Although I have many shortcomings, there is one thing that makes many people like me, and that is that I am a true activist."

"So you realized your original ideal, you are a revolutionary!" Matt's voice became smaller. He thought he would be afraid, but in fact he was not.

"Are you a member of the Korhal Revolutionary Army or the Sons of Korhal?" he said excitedly.

"Or are the Sons of Korhal the revolutionary army? Last time it was Mar Sara, now it's Terrador. You will bring salvation to Terrador." Matt said.

"Will Terrador become a base of operations for the revolutionary army? Very good, this will be the birthplace of the revolution. Many people are dissatisfied with the federal government. As long as you show up here, all aspiring people in Terrador will Scholars will come in droves."

"Do you know that Augustus Mengsk? He actually has the same name as you. Augustus Mengsk led so many successful uprisings, he is a well-deserved hero!"

A good family education and the example set by his parents made Matt Horner understand at an early age what an upright man should look like. If the revolution needs a leader, then he should be like Augustus. people. Determined and unwavering, only those who follow him will never look back if they firmly believe in the cause they are undertaking.

In the eyes of the young and inexperienced Matt Horner, the image of Augustus has been associated with a freedom fighter, and he is undoubtedly an ideological giant.

"." Augustus didn't expect that Matt was actually a fan of his own.

Then, things are much simpler.

Just as he was talking, the headquarters of the Knights of Terrador was already in sight. It was a castle built of granite cubes, with arc-shaped outer walls and dead-end square towers. Gorgeous lanterns hang on the pure white walls, and the interior of the castle is brightly lit.

"Here we are." Augustus looked at the castle and said with a smile: "I like you very much, Matt."

"I hope we can talk again." He pointed to a high-end restaurant opposite the Knight's Castle and said, "Let's go, I'll pay the bill."

"This" Matt was about to refuse when the pink-haired girl behind Augustus pulled him towards the restaurant.

"What's wrong? Are you going to refuse Augustus' invitation?" said another tall girl with red hair.

"No, of course not," Matt said quickly.

Matt had rarely walked into a fancy high-end restaurant in his life, and he was still a little dazed when he sat down on the gilded seat. The pressure doubled as he sat between two burly men, while the pink-haired girl before was sitting across from him.

After Augustus went to order food, he didn't come back for more than ten minutes. Matt found that he had nothing to say to the people following Augustus, and the atmosphere at the scene was a little awkward for a while. For Matt, every minute and every second at this time is a kind of torture.

"Playing cards?" Suddenly, the bored pink-haired girl asked Matt.

"." Matt was stunned: "What?"

"Poker." The playful pink-haired girl was obviously not on the same page as Matt.

"I can't believe there are boys who can't play cards? How could that be?" she said.

"I will." Matt answered all questions. He was always serious. A good tutor taught him that ignoring someone would put both parties in a very embarrassing situation. ——Although he couldn't understand why the other party suddenly asked him to play cards.

"What's the bet?"

"But I haven't promised you yet." Matt said.

"People in the Port of the Dead always have to bet something when playing cards." Mira said.

"What do you have to offer?"