StarCraft: Tyranid Empire

Aiur surface, Xel'Naga portal.

Farewell to January, a month of countless sacrifices and blood, and time has come to February, when the grass is growing and the orioles are flying. In the season of recovery of all things, the dim light of dawn shines on the scarred earth.

Taiga Camp is a human military camp near the Xel'Naga portal. It is named after a local herbivorous reptile called the Taiga Hunter by the El Protoss. Many epochs ago, this creature was regarded by the protoss tribes as a symbol of some kind of divinity.

The camp is composed of hundreds of modular building panels that were airdropped to the surface of Aiur. These square buildings are distributed in a symmetrical grid with white or gray as the background color, with sharp golden and red lines on the edges. The drinking water storage tower is located next to a peaceful lake known as Sange Lake, which means small pond in the ancient Kalani language.

These human buildings that pay attention to practicality and obvious functional distinction are located among the lush vegetation. When the heavy factory is producing chariot parts, the sweet fragrance of flowers can still be smelled in the air. There are many such camps for the Revolutionary Army, and they are released linearly around the central Xel'Naga portal, extending up to 120 miles away.

Revolutionary army camps such as this, together with the protoss defenses, guard the wide area near the Xel'Naga portal. Even both sides of the Antioch Flooding River have traces of human and protoss activities. In the first few days of resisting the swarm's counterattack, the outermost defense facilities changed hands several times, and the intensity of the battle was no less intense than the battle to dominate the main hive area.

After losing their master, the angry swarms came out in full force. Under the counterattack of the protoss and humans, the zerg carpet that kept retreating once again extended and advanced rapidly across the vast land of Aiur.

In the past two weeks, the furious swarms have devoured vast areas including the provinces of Thane, Antioch, Valari and the Temple of the Protector, occupying almost 9% of the surface of Aiur. The land of ten. Only then did everyone begin to realize that they had completely underestimated the meaning of death and destruction represented by the insect plague.

At that time, the protoss and humans knew that if the insect swarm had done that earlier, the vast sea of ​​​​insects would have flooded the entire Aiur. However, after coming to Aiur, the master stopped responding to the calls of his servants and remained silent. This made People are confused.

Billions of angry zerg swept across Aiur. They were almost unstoppable under the influence of the Hive Mind and hormones, but the offensive still stopped outside the Antioch province. The armies of Augustus and Tassadar withstood the endless sea of ​​​​insects like a steel gate, and finally turned a rapid retreat into an anxious tug-of-war and protracted battle on local battlefields and defense lines.

By this day, the swarm's attack was once again weakened compared to yesterday. This situation had lasted for several weeks. As a result, Augustus and his protoss allies began to believe that things were changing for the better.

The coalition forces of Augustus and Tassadar held the province of Antioch, while the supporters of the Supreme Council relied on the foundation of the Protoss Empire to preserve the last dignity and honor of the Arbitrators in the capital city of Koshaka.

At the height of the war, the armies of both sides at the junction of Antioch and Coshaca tacitly provided each other with as much support as possible, regardless of friendship and kinship. Among them, the most wise and far-sighted The leader also understands the truth of lips dying and teeth falling cold.

As the situation is developing in a good direction step by step, the Antioch province, which has been shrouded in the clouds of war all day long, finally ushered in a long-awaited peace. When the smoke cleared, those who survived had time to grieve for those who had died and for the vast land that had been reduced to wasteland.

In time, perhaps the protoss can look to the future and look forward to regaining their old ways.

The dappled afternoon sunlight fell on the window through the lush foliage, swaying on the wall behind which was hung with firearms, sketches and battle order documents. The wind rustled, and the fan overhead was rotating to extract the gas from the command center.

A special tactical unit of the 109th Ground Assault Division of the Revolutionary Army is walking on the asphalt road at the command center. They are a mixed unit composed of fire demon fire bats, heavy armored raiders and death reapers. A new combat organization created for the Aiel battlefield.

Sometimes these troops also include Templars or Dark Templars, in which case they are called Aiur Rangers.

The war that spread throughout Ayr did not spread to the vicinity of the Xel'Naga portal. With the support of ancient war weapons and the coalition forces that still retained a certain amount of military strength, this undeveloped and beautiful virgin land escaped the ravages of the war.

Outside the window is a preserved green space, with the shadows of the redwood trees of the Ayre rainforest with thick branches and thick branches. A tall psychic disruptor is in operation. It is shrouded in a main building made of a large number of curved pipes and new alloy steel. In the pale orange light, there is the light emitted by the protoss Kedarin crystal variant that can increase the power of the psychic disruptor.

Although the Swarm has found ways to overcome the effects of the psionic disruptor to an extent, it is still very effective.

The wisdom and experience of protoss engineers are unparalleled. Compared with humans, protoss master craftsmen have outstanding talents and extremely profound knowledge. They have the powerful astral telepathy of the protoss and the memory ability that is far stronger than that of humans, so that protoss engineers can draw up project blueprints at will.

This ancient and elder race is perfectly qualified as human teachers in many fields, and the little knowledge they reveal is enough to make the engineers of the Revolutionary Army overjoy. If the protoss' technology itself was not developed based on Kedarin crystals and crystal matrices, the enlightenment they brought to mankind would be much greater than it is now.

Further away is a makeshift weather station and a canopy for parking vehicles, all made from materials taken from the Ayr's Happy Tree. This is a beautiful and precious tree species. The bark is softer and sharper than leather. The cross-section of the wooden board is shaped like a freehand oil painting, which can remind any protoss who sees it of the idyllic scene of Aiur's past.

The tall triangular wooden structure and the geometric fence are painted with bright varnish. This beautiful wooden structure comes from the Revolutionary Army engineers' imitation of the Protoss architecture. Neat fences divide the green vegetation and colorful flowers. The tender green shoots in the nursery were planted by the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army when they first came here.

In order to cope with the problems caused by the shortage of supplies, Augustus ordered the soldiers in the rear to make reasonable use of the land on Ayr. So, as Augustus saw now, the revolutionary army had begun to grow vegetables in Ayr.

Due to Air's fertile land and hot climate, newly planted crops always mature quickly, and humans have also discovered many new crops here that can be promoted in the future.

A Revolutionary Army engineer was driving nails on the roof of the weather station. On his sweaty shoulders stood two primates called "little hands" by the protoss. These two creatures were shaped like a ball of brown fur. It was trembling with the engineer's movements, and sometimes jumping up and down with his turning movements.

These cunning creatures are masters of thieves, masters of stealing and plundering, always causing trouble for humans and protoss alike as they go about their business. And this strange creature is a miracle in its evolution.

Augustus was leaning on the command chair facing the window, and the sunlight was shining on his face, making him feel the comfort and comfort he had not seen for a long time. In the past time, Augustus had almost never rested. If the insects did not rest, he could not rest either.

Kerrigan was standing behind Augustus, her sexy and strong hands hugging Augustus' head, letting the back of his head rest on her soft chest, her long wet red hair hanging casually on her back, The loose red hair is as smooth as satin. It was the first hot shower Kerrigan had taken in weeks, and it felt like a hard-won victory for the Coalition.

The furnishings and the smell of incense in the command center create a comfortable and elegant atmosphere. Golden wolf head badges and swords hang on the walls. Bright textiles presented by the protoss and crystal water bottles with flowers create a noble and elegant atmosphere. .

Augustus closed his tired eyes and heard Tychus shouting.

"I'm tired, I'm sleepy, I don't want to fuck Augustus, when can we pack up and go back to Antiga." Tychus swayed back and forth in front of Augustus, with the golden-red power armor on his body There are still purple-red markings left by the blood.

The spade beauty on Tychus's armor had been replaced by a protoss woman wearing a thin gauze at some point, and Augustus could only think that she was doing as the Romans did.

Tychus was not interested in the protoss, he just thought it might have a charming effect.

He had just come back from the battlefield. He had smashed the heads of hundreds of zerg with blood just ten minutes ago, but now he was showing fear of hardship.

"Colonel Finley, if you want to return to Antiga now, I will not stop you, but there is no bus back to Koprulu right now." Augustus praised Tychus: "How about it, warrior?" , I heard that you saved many protoss refugees, and the protoss who know you praised your bravery. If you ask me, you are the best freedom fighter here."

"You are mocking me." Tychus muttered, and went straight to Augustus' wine cabinet, picked up a bottle of whiskey and a plate of blue berries picked from the Ayre rainforest and ate them.

"This is what you said yourself." Augustus shook his head: "I received reports from the front line that the Zerg offensive has obviously weakened today. They have not even launched an attack on the Executor Fortress for more than two hours. Attacked. The number of Jormungandr insect swarms is increasing, but the remaining insect nests have disappeared without a trace."

"Tychus, you just came back from there, tell me what happened."

"As usual, the bugs came fast and urgent, and we and the protoss hid behind the strong fortifications and bombed them indiscriminately. The bugs on the ground piled up like mountains, and our people kept falling," Tychus said. : "Today is indeed strange, because the bug doesn't seem to want to avenge the master anymore?"

"I can smell the pheromones of the bugs filling the air. They must be afraid. In other words, why do they have to fight for a dead old boss." He continued: "The boss is dead. Of course, it is to divide the property and go to the new master, but loyalty is the most worthless thing."

"The zerg is not you, Tychus." Kerrigan did not turn to look at him, and the profile of her face became more and more beautiful and charming as she became more mature.

"You mean I'm worse than a bedbug?" Tychus was shocked.

"You are another thing, something worse than a bedbug." Corporal Faraday, captain of the Marshal's Guard, walked in from the door of the command room, holding a delicate basket woven from branches, filled with moxa. fruits and carefully carved wooden crafts.

"The protoss of the Frenax tribe have sent you some gifts. The master craftsman among them has made you an exquisite protoss Sigma long knife. It is said that this weapon can easily cut through the body of a springtail. Head." Corporal Faraday handed the thing in his hand to Augustus under Tychus's captivating gaze.

"Thank them for their generosity for me." Augustus took the sharp snake-shaped sword and said: "I hope they won't be unhappy because I borrowed flowers to offer Buddha grounds to Arcturus. This represents my Remember him."

"Your brother will be pleased that you only mention him a few times in your letters, but the name Dorothy Mengsk appears a hundred times more," Kerrigan said.

"I don't know what to say. No one asked him to contact me." Augustus nodded and handed the long sword to Faraday to put it away. Then he took a cup of instant coffee from Kerrigan's hand and talked about the frontline and the zerg again: "The zerg still haven't stopped attacking, but some of the zerg nests are leaving the frontline."

"As far as I know, apart from the Overlord, there are very few individual Cerebrates who can command other Cerebrates like the Overlord. If those Cerebrates who are still alive have not reached a certain consensus, it is that they have been caught in a civil war fighting for power. .”

"Anyway, this is good news for us. Tychus, grab my drink and get out of here while I'm in a good mood, so I don't have to get mad at you for all the trouble you've caused. Do you understand?" ?" Augustus' voice changed.

"How many times have I told you, don't try to steal from the protoss. You can't hide your thoughts from them at all. You are just humiliating yourself."

"Which bastard complained? Is it you Faraday, you despicable bulldog, I swear this matter will never end." The bluffing Tychus ran away after grabbing a few bottles of wine.

"Has he always been like this?" Faraday had a sad expression on his face.

"Always like that." Kerrigan shrugged. "Tychus has done as much good deeds as he has caused trouble, and when he's drunk he does hilariously embarrassing things. If Harnak tried to give a star The Templar haircut is outrageous enough, but Tychus does more than you can imagine."

"Yeah." After the noisy Tychus finally left, Augustus closed his eyes and prepared to rest. But at the next moment, his cold gray eyes opened again, because the dark leader Zeratul had appeared in front of him at some point.

"Hello, Master - you always inadvertently prove how flawed our job of protecting the marshal is." Corporal Faraday's face twitched, as a proud member of the marshal's guard and Augustus' personal bodyguard , nothing made him feel more humiliated than this.

"I told you that there will be distinguished guests visiting today." Augustus and Zeratul looked into each other's green eyes.

"Augustus Mengsk, I bring a message from afar." Zeratul's spiritual language reached Augustus's mind.

"Dagos, the brainworm of Tiamat's swarm, has left Aiur, and the brainworms of at least four nests have also disappeared. Only the wind of Aiur knows their whereabouts."