StarCraft: Tyranid Empire

"Your Majesty, the mothership Moratun has entered the hyperspace channel. It is the last protoss warship to jump away."

On a long table made of warm white Kwai-leh tree in the captain's room of the Hyperion, a holographic projector projected the cold metal face of the mechanical adjutant. The mechanical adjutant is controlled by a supercomputer, and the broadcasting voice can also be adjusted. For example, right now it’s a gentle synthetic female voice.

The captain's cabin is spacious, and the furnishings and decoration are very consistent with what an emperor's palace should look like. The exquisite ceiling is painted with a throne canopy and diamond-shaped carvings, and there is a lifelike and majestic wolf head relief at each corner. The floor was paved with laminated mahogany floors and expensive red carpets, and the wall panels were gilded with carvings and decorative moldings.

Although he was the son of a great nobleman, Augustus did not have strict requirements for living expenses, nor did he pursue a luxurious aristocratic life. He did not even approve of hiring new servants. But his brother Arcturus valued these and believed that the emperor should have the symbol of the emperor.

As the emperor's flagship, the Hyperion not only needs to upgrade its existing equipment, but also other necessary things. Therefore, even the internal corridors of the battleship are arranged like a palace, with classical chandeliers and famous paintings hanging on both sides of the passage inside the ship. Chief Engineer Swan often complains that these expensive works of art accomplish nothing except increasing the load.

"I understand." Augustus looked up from the leather-bound paper book in his hand: "Convey my order to Admiral Horace Warfield to gather all the cruising fleet and prepare to return to Korhal."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The captain's room became quiet again, with only the sound of Augustus turning the pages of a book, and a few stars occasionally passing through the observation window next to him.

After hearing the news that the Protoss fleet had jumped away, Augustus knew that unless there was a new crisis, they would not appear in this star area again for a long time.

The protoss have been fighting for too long, their clansmen have withered away, and mourners are everywhere. In order to return to Aiur, the Protoss Empire had to abandon its colonies that had shrunk significantly after the Golden Age. This once extremely glorious empire could only live in Sagulath, lingering on the ruins of the past that spanned the galaxy.

As luck would have it, Tassadar, who had the support of both the Templars and the Dark Templar, firmly held the position of Archbishop, mediating and maintaining stability between the two clans without taking sides. As a politician, Tassadar has shown great maturity.

Tassadar is an enlightened leader with noble moral character and a kind of compassion. In his view, humans and protoss are both worth saving. For the Tyranid Empire, having Tassadar as leader of the Dallam Protoss is the best-case scenario.

Even if hundreds of years pass, when Augustus and his group of veterans are gone, Tassadar and his successors will be able to stick to the covenant. The protoss is a noble and elegant race with an unbroken character. They will never make promises easily, and they must keep their promises.

One thing Augustus is currently busy with is establishing long-term trade with the protoss and opening up a stable channel between the Tyranid Empire and the Duram protoss.

Although the protoss do not use or accept the purchasing power of human currency, and there is no tradable equivalent, for the protoss, humans, and zerg, crystal minerals and high-energy gas are both irreplaceable hard currencies for the production and development of the military. .

In this way, Augustus could exchange these two types of mineral deposits for technological assistance and military support from the protoss. Because the Dalam protoss plan to build a golden fleet is consuming countless resources, and the past Supreme Council may have been reserved about his identity as the eldest son of a god, Tassadar believed that such cooperation would be beneficial to both parties. There is no reason not to do that.

At the same time, the exchanges between the Protoss Empire and the Terran Empire are also multi-faceted, including economic, technological, cultural and political exchanges. For example, the Ghost Academies of Tarsonis and Korhal have repeatedly sent outstanding international students to study at the Templar Academy in Sagulath under the emperor's instructions.

And Augustus is also using propaganda methods to change the public's bad impression of the protoss, at least to make them understand the difference between the orthodox protoss and the Tal'darin - this is unsurprisingly extremely difficult. The planets of the Protoss Empire were shaped through news, electronic newspapers, and books, and there were even a few movies called "Major Tyranid vs. the Templar."

The many ills left by the Tyranid Federation are difficult to recover from, and humans' fear of the protoss can be eliminated in a day. While hatred of the alien beings was not without merit, Augustus had to clear the way for possible future joint military operations and deeper exchanges between the Tyranid Empire and the Duraam Protoss.

If the empire wants to become strong, it is unreliable to work behind closed doors.

At this time, the door to the captain's room opened, and Kerrigan, wearing a military suit, walked in with Augustus' dinner for today - a few pieces of bread dotted with raspberry jam, roasted juicy poultry, and Cream and a cup of tea.

After Kerrigan walked through the door with a plate in both hands, she pushed the door firmly with one foot wearing a short military boot: "Your Majesty, it's time to eat."

"Okay." Augustus didn't look up, but just motioned Kerrigan to put it aside: "Thank you."

"You have no appetite today, but you still have to eat." Kerrigan walked over to Augustus' table.

"Whether I eat or not does not depend on my appetite, but on whether I have such a need." Augustus also picked up the bread and ate it with tea. When not in public, his eating style has always been so extensive.

Prince Arcturus knew this. He pointed out that the emperor's bad habits were developed since childhood. It is inevitable to behave like a mud monkey and not have a noble demeanor.

"How's it going?" Seeing that Augustus had eaten, Kerrigan also pulled up a chair and sat next to her husband. Her sitting posture is very ladylike, but the dagger and gun under her skirt do not match it well.

"I can't find anything wrong with it." Augustus smelled the tea in his hand: "It smells like home."

In the past few years, Kerrigan had killed fewer people, but she had learned the complicated etiquette and skills of becoming a noble lady.

Kerrigan was fortunate to have met Augustus when she was sixteen. Before that, she had been a ruthless killer. Augustus reached out to Kerrigan at that time and told her that she was not a tool to kill, but a person who lived up to her name.

"Adis tea was previously reserved for the nobles of Tarsonis." Kerrigan replied: "The taste of Korhar? Korhal does not produce tea."

"The production is small, you don't know that." Augustus took a sip and said regretfully: "Before Korhal was bombed by the Federation."

"Korhal is being rebuilt, and it won't be long before she's as good as ever," Kerrigan comforted Augustus. She knew what Augustus was thinking and what kind of storm was brewing in his heart.

Augustus's thoughts grew deeper and deeper, and there was still a place in his heart for his family. Kerrigan was sometimes afraid, realizing that even she couldn't see through him. But she knew that Augustus was still the same Augustus, and there would be no less good and more evil in his heart.

"I hope so." Augustus was filled with anger. He was not a cold person without emotions, anger, and sorrow.

Korhar was one of the few places in the world that Augustus could call home. It was the only place he could rely on when he was in the army, and it was also the home that his sister and mother cherished most.

In the words of Arcturus, the son of Korhal has his mother's blood in his body.

"The heirs of Carabas, Roderick, and Dupal have all been captured by Lieutenant General Wachowski's army." Kerrigan said: "In the future, there will only be more and more fugitives from the Federation. Family members arrested.”

"Since the children are in our hands, are their parents willing to surrender?" Augustus' anger lasted only a moment, and he knew that it was not a wise move to let his emotions influence him.

"I'm afraid not." He answered his own question: "As long as their sperm and eggs are still viable, they can create new artificial embryos. All it takes is time to cultivate heirs."

"There may be family ties between the Creation families, but they will not be swayed by such feelings - but it doesn't matter, they won't be able to survive for long. Kehal will always remember this debt."

"Ah, Your Majesty, this is how Constantine and Annabelle gave birth to Nova Terra. We..." Kerrigan opened her mouth, but the topic unnaturally led to another direction.

"?" Augustus was stunned: "There's no rush to have a baby for now, you and I are still young."

"What pressure did Arcturus put on you again?"

"He doesn't like me." Kerrigan said gloomily, as if she was about to cry.

"Then he is really wrong." Augustus also forgot what they were talking about for a moment.

Arcturus and Kerrigan were probably destined to be at odds, and their relationship had never been good. This was probably not Arcturus's fault, because he told Augustus that he always felt a chill on his neck when his back was turned to Kerrigan, and he might have died in her hands in his previous life.

"Don't worry, I'll work harder when I return to Korhal." Augustus thought for a while: "Where is Dr. Narud?"

"Dr. Narud is down below presiding over the repair work of the Xel'Naga world ship." Kerrigan said: "This time he should stay in the Sigma Quadrant for a while and cannot return to Korhal with the fleet."

Kerrigan actually didn't like Narud very much, but except for her, everyone who had met the doctor praised his character and talents.

"Yeah." Augustus nodded.

The Sigma Quadrant is too far from Korhal and is located in an unexplored star sector. The personnel and other resources to repair the Xel'Naga World Ship must be transferred from other empires, and the time, transportation costs and other losses incurred cannot be ignored.

As a result, Dr. Narud, as the project leader, must stay in the Sigma Quadrant for a long time. Not under Augustus's eyes, the resources in his hands are unimaginable.

It's hard to guarantee that Thanalud won't move his mind.

In other words, he will definitely move.

For Augustus, this was easily guessable. He always reminded himself that he must not underestimate Narud's cunning and evil.

Augustus knew Narud's true purpose, which was to use the empire's resources to produce hybrids as much as possible. For this reason, Augustus has always avoided giving Narud control of resources and only given him reputational incentives.

But if things go on like this, Narud will definitely get bored. Narud is very patient and smart enough. Sooner or later, he will see that Augustus is playing tricks on him.

In this way, it is inevitable that you will not be dedicated to your work.

Then Augustus had to give him some sweetness, and he had to expose Narud's flaws so that he could make money, so as not to dampen his enthusiasm to serve the people of the empire. Narud must believe that he has a future under Augustus and can make big moves.

The Xel'Naga World Ship Project is an opportunity for Narud.

Narud must have thought that he had won now, how could he lose with one hand?

This extremely smart person who thinks he can play everyone has a sense of superiority. Once he believes that he has a sure victory, he will get deeper and deeper into trouble.

It can be expected that Narud will do his best to repair the Xel'Naga World Ship, transform it as a battleship, and make her an invincible battleship capable of destroying the world. Not only must we complete the emperor's tasks and maintain quality and quantity, we must also work overtime and add more materials and quantities to complete it.

How could you not be careful.

In this way, Narud had the opportunity to enjoy the despair on Augustus's face when he discovered the truth.

But what Narud didn't expect was that Augustus would closely monitor him, arrange spies, and monitor the flow of every fund and material. It only takes one oversight from Narud and his hidden hybrid factory will be exposed.

With his understanding of Xel'Naga technology, Narud can completely manipulate the world ship, which Augustus cannot deny. In that case, Augustus would have to find another Xel'Nagaurus who was on their side to ensure that the secret hand left by Narud on the world ship would be ineffective.

When the Xel'Naga World Ship was completed, it was the day Narud rebelled, but it was also the day he died. Augustus will put Narud in the bow of the ship and let him see how he can break into the void and deal with Eamon. After the death of Narud's incarnation, he can no longer directly affect the real world. At that time, Narud will not be able to use any backup methods, because he could not have thought that he would die so quickly.

At that time, Augustus would give the flagship a new name, The Burning of Narud.

After entering the void, Augustus would quickly let him die again.

Augustus was not confident enough to kill Narud now, and it would be difficult to control him once he escaped. Then use Narud as much as possible to defuse his conspiracy and let him achieve nothing.

"There are a lot of internal objections regarding the Xel'Naga World Ship." Only Kerrigan could carefully examine every detail of Augustus's thoughts to see through his thoughts.

Augustus looked at Kerrigan and acted like I was listening.

"Some engineers began to complain, thinking that repairing the Xel'Naga World Ship was an impossible task, and that it was just a waste of time and money." Kerrigan continued: "This expensive project is expected to take the empire a whole year. total revenue, and that’s just a conservative estimate.”

"The empire needs a super flagship. She is better than a thousand battleships. This is why." Augustus said:

"Okay, tell the soldiers. The war is over and it's time for us to go home."