The Rock of the Dead (or the Rock of the Dead planet) is a planet shrouded in gray fog. Its cold and gray atmosphere is like an airtight eggshell. Anyone who sees this planet will have the first impression of it.
This is a miasmatic world where swamps and poisonous gases spread.
Severe pollution is the main reason for the transformation of this planet into what it is today. The metal casting factories, crystal mining and processing factories and gas refineries on the surface are spewing thick smoke, and the gray-black clouds and industrial dust even block the surface.
The sun's rays.
Untreated sewage was randomly discharged into lakes and rivers that were once as beautiful as sapphires. The problem that followed was the death of several major water systems in the Rock of the Dead. People had to import clean water resources and non-toxic water from other planets.
Synthetic natural food.
Compared with Terrador 9, where the problem of illegal contract workers has been exposed many times, the situation of immigrants from the Rock of the Dead is much worse. The abnormal social structure and economic system here have made them have to work in the factories of monopoly groups for generations.
Work and live on a meager salary.
Although the original colonists once set foot on this unknown and mysterious land with full expectations, they never imagined that their descendants would become victims of entrepreneurs chasing wealth.
The continuous rainy weather and the extremely high prevalence of deformities and cancer compared to other colonial planets are destroying the health of the residents of the Rock of the Dead. In contrast, the factory management who live in the largest city of the Port of the Dead is not as technology-related.
Elites live a very different life from workers.
Port of the Dead, the capital city on the planet Rock of the Dead, was developed from a small port space and has gradually become one of the cities with the largest gap between rich and poor in the entire Tyranid Federation.
"But the Rock of the Dead is not a world of death. There are thousands of people like you and me living here." This is what the mercenary Greer Hill said to Ogu after boarding the wide bridge of the Norad 2.
The first words Stu said.
"Welcome to the Rock of the Dead. We are always called God compared to this messy world, or a pustule in the buttocks of the Creator who created this universe. But what can I say? At least it is far from hopeless here.
situation."
At this time, in a high-altitude orbit about two hundred miles above the surface of the Rock of the Dead planet, Augustus's fleet was cruising around the planet without power.
Officers and staff officers in brown military uniforms and ship caps occasionally enter and leave the heavily guarded bridge. Maintenance workers and engineers wearing flat caps and noise-cancelling earmuffs are busy repairing circuits, while unmanned robots use
Magnetic parts hang from the exterior portholes to repair damaged bridge armor.
Greer Hill did not know that most of the crew members on the Norad 2 came from Warfield's Iron Justice and had the qualities of professional soldiers. He could only lament the amazing discipline and sharp and capable style of the Revolutionary Army.
Unlike those noisy and unjust mercenaries.
"Hello, Mr. Hill. The last time we met was at Turasis 2." Augustus shook hands with Hill.
At this time, Hill was still wearing his pair of sunglasses, and in Augustus's impression, he seemed to have never taken them off.
"At that time, I never thought that you would go from a Marine to the most wanted criminal in the Terran Federation." Hill grinned.
When he felt that the red-haired female soldier next to Augustus was looking at him, Hill just smiled kindly, completely unaware that the other party had almost brought up the memory of him peeing his pants as a child.
The traces of childishness can still be seen on the face of sixteen-year-old Sarah Kerrigan. She is not always cold-faced and repellent. On the contrary, a psychic who knows human nature well clearly knows that
What kind of expression is the most friendly?
The moment Hill looked at her, Kerrigan nodded, her fiery red ponytail beating with her movements. She chuckled, her eyes bright and her teeth bright.
"You are joking, I am a law-abiding citizen." Augustus smiled and said: "I also have a certificate from the Tarsonis Police Department. It didn't cost me much."
"You must not know how much you are worth." Hill withdrew his hand at the right time: "Second only to your father Angus Mengsk, and we all believe that his head is made of diamonds and gold.
of."
"The higher my worth is, the more it means that the Federation hates me to the core, so all the sacrifices are not in vain." Augustus said.
"So, you really want to save other people through revolution?" Hill couldn't understand Korhal 4's revolutionary cause. Although he didn't think it was meaningful, he welcomed all wars that required mercenaries: "Anyway,
, the mercenaries are always willing to help you."
"Yes, now is the time when I can use you." Augustus turned around and looked at the Port of the Dead outside the bridge window.
A large-scale space station and the circular port surrounding it rotate around the Port of the Dead at exactly the same speed as Norad 2.
The Hyperion with blue armor paint is heading to the docking port of the space station. Various spaceships and airships are surrounding this magnificent battleship. Under the port side of Norad 2, the gray-white Steel Justice is in a Wraith fighter plane.
It slowly drove out under the escort of the squadron, and slowly entered the sight of Augustus and Hill.
"When my fleet enters this space station, all defense work will be left to my people." Augustus suddenly looked at Hill: "There is no need for you to pay them, Mr. Hill.
my friend."
"This space station is filled with the most trustworthy mercenaries of Harris and I. They are all Camorian and Umoyan people." Suddenly, Hill discovered that even though this was the base camp of mercenaries, he was not alone.
Take the initiative again. Once Augustus wants to seize this space station, it will definitely be a hard battle waiting for the mercenaries.
Does he really understand Augustus? Is he really the devil from heaven who brings war and death as advertised by unn news?
"Of course, I couldn't be more happy." Hill knew that Augustus could not take the risk of fighting with the mercenaries and forcefully seize the mercenaries' space station. All this stemmed from their own distrust and Augustus's distrust.
Strong desire to control.
When watching the Hyperion enter the harbor, Hill was still filled with hatred. He began to wonder if he was luring a wolf into the house.
But no matter what, Augustus still gave him a lot of money. Although Hill didn't know where Augustus got so much money, he still wanted the money he got from robbing the Tyron Federal Bank.
Earned.
For commissions, Hill doesn't mind giving up his bottom line or temporarily abusing himself.
"How long are you going to rest here?" he asked Augustus when the Norad 2 followed the Iron Justice into the dock as the tail ship.
"Two days are enough for my people to fill the holes in the battleship." Augustus said: "We will leave at any time, and we may delay our stay here at any time."
"In addition to recruiting a group of mercenaries, I am also planning to establish several recruitment centers on the Rock of the Dead planet. This requires the assistance of mercenaries who understand the local conditions. The recruitment centers of the Revolutionary Army will recruit all dissatisfied people on this planet.
Monopoly rule extends an olive branch, and those who want to change the status quo will be our recruitment targets."
"As long as they are screened, the people here are quite reliable and hard-working." Hill nodded: "The people in the Rock of the Dead are stronger and much more tenacious than the people on the core planet."
In a sense, the Tyranid humans who can survive in the harsh environment of the edge galaxies of the Tyranid Federation have strong and extremely adaptable bodies. The excessive radiation in some star systems is also subtly changing human beings.
Genes - although significant changes may not appear for thousands of years.
As Augustus and Hill talked, the Norad 2 sailed into the B-2 docking port under the guidance of the towing drone. Even though all the docked ships had been cleared, the dock was still too small for the Norad 2.
Still too small.
At this time, Augustus noticed that another berthing station was actually close to this battlecruiser that was not part of his own order of battle - a battlecruiser that looked much worse than the heavily damaged Iron Justice.
Line cruiser.
This battlecruiser is most likely a Federation Leviathan-class battlecruiser. Its slender hull is not as hammerhead-shaped as the Behemoth-class battlecruiser. There are several extremely thick multi-tubes on the bow and left and right sides.
The railgun looks like a steel monster covered in giant cannons.
The number of modifications it has undergone is probably as long as the number of years it has gone through, so that it is very different from the Leviathan class in Augustus's impression. But there is no doubt that this battleship
The cruiser is smaller than the Behemoth class.
"Jackson's Revenge... This battlecruiser broke away from the Terran Federation fleet probably much earlier than the date you were born. They are the most notorious interstellar pirates besides the Kaimorian pirates.
." Hill said to Augustus: "They paid a large amount of berthing fees. Those pirates are famous for their bad tempers. I don't dare to chase them away."
"After all, this space station is not my property. If it is destroyed, I will lose everything."
"Oh... these pirates occasionally accept employment tasks from large companies, but no one dares to hire them. They are definitely capable of intercepting the employer's goods halfway." Hill snorted.
"Sarah...call my Stirling Guards." Augustus looked at Kerrigan beside him and said.
"I'm going to meet those pirates."
After a few seconds, Augustus added: "Call Tychus over. Damn it, where has he been?"
By this time, Norad 2 had stopped, and about two marines in silver-gray power armor were standing in a row on the cleared parking platform.
Augustus led a guard towards the Jackson's Revenge which was anchored in another port.
After the Norad 2 entered the port, the pirates were obviously more vigilant. Some of them stood a few hundred yards away and stared closely at the rows of marines.
"They thought we were the fleet of the Tyranid Federation at first." Kerrigan, who was walking beside Augustus, explained to him: "These people once had a fierce battle with Alpha Squadron, and Edmund Duke slashed
Beheaded several pirates."
"Then what made these pirates give up such concerns?" Augustus asked.
"Because if it were Duke, he would have already blown up this space station and the pirates into space junk." Kerrigan said.
When Augustus and others walked towards the Jackson's Revenge, a pirate wearing a Kaimorian Ripper power armor and several pirates wearing Federation Navy uniforms walked towards Augustus.
The heavily armed Marines behind him were frightened.
"It is impossible to know why these people drove warships to leave the Tyranid Federation and work alone. But in the beginning, these people were still Federation soldiers. At least they were sticking to the bottom line." As he got closer and closer to the pirates, Hill whispered to him.
Augustus said.
"But now all you can see are shameless and vicious people. During the battleship's long journey into deep space, the moral values and values of the crew of the Jackson's Revenge are somewhat different from those of ordinary people."
"In that small shipboard society, the pirates began to follow a strict hierarchy system in which the strong were respected. They would betray their brothers and kill each other in order to gain power and wealth."
"The captain you can see now, if I remember correctly, is already the ninth one. There are rumors that he shot the old captain from behind. So the current captain does not allow anyone to stand behind him with a gun.
."
"Every captain is named Jackson. The difference is that some of them are too despicable and some are too cruel."
"Are you Augustus Mengsk?" The pirate put down the matte mask on his helmet, revealing his crooked nose bridge caused by multiple fractures and his bald head with a steel plate inlaid on his forehead.
"I am Vice-Captain Rat, Captain Jackson's right-hand man."
In addition, this rugged pirate also wore a pair of sparkling teardrop crystal earrings, and Augustus had seen similar ones on the ears of a noble lady of the Tarsonis creation family before.
"I am." Augustus was not very surprised that the other party could recognize him. If he had been respected as the leader of the demons in heaven before and as a great federal hero, then what he was suffering from now
The slander multiplied.
Overnight, the Demons of Heaven became synonymous with the rebels, from heroes to a notorious traitor organization. In the eyes of many Tyranids, Augustus was even more famous than his father.
Almost as soon as Augustus finished his answer, the pirate pulled out the electromagnetic pistol on his waist, and a moment later everyone raised their guns.
"I don't think we have any conflicts." Augustus stared at the pirate with his cold gray eyes.
"How do I know what your intentions are?" The pirate stared at Augustus' face: "Rebels? You are so courageous."
"Teach him a lesson," said Augustus.
Before he finished speaking, as the color of molten gold poured into Kerrigan's eyes, the pirate put down his pistol in pain and staggered back, finally sitting on the ground slumped. When his men wanted to shoot
, Tychus had already led several Stirling Guard soldiers to push the pirates to the ground, giving these villains a head-on attack.
Before more conflicts broke out between the two sides, Augustus walked up to the pirate sitting on the ground and looked at him condescendingly: "Call your Captain Jackson out."
"I don't care which Jackson he is, in short, let him get out and see me immediately. I don't have time to listen to you chirping like a bedbug here, do you understand what I mean?"