It takes only a few seconds from the time Tal'darin ground troops emerge from the sub-warp field to Alpha Squadron's opening fire, no longer than it takes for a Marine to draw and load his gun or for a Tal'darim warrior to ignite a psychic blade.
longer.
Byshel has become a battlefield between humans and Tal'darin protoss among the withered jungles and dead trees. The electromagnetic guns and magnetic nail guns in the hands of the Alpha Squadron infantrymen are clicking, and the fire bats at the front are using plasma flamethrowers on the battle line.
A wall of scorching smoke was released from the front.
The Goliath armed robot and the deployed arc tank are located in Alpha Squadron's battle line, between the combat battalions to provide fire support to their infantry comrades.
The warriors of the Tal'darim advanced in a hail of bullets. Their padded reinforced mechanical greaves allowed these violent protoss warriors to charge at phantom speeds, charging into the enemy formation with overwhelming force.
More than 20,000 soldiers of Edmund Duke's Alpha Squadron were deployed on a front about 15 miles wide. Behind them were more than a dozen artillery battalions and more than 6,000 elite mercenaries of the Camorian Hammer Security Company.
.
Compared with Alpha Squadron's bright white power armor and golden eagle emblem, Hammer Security Company's armor color scheme is much more low-key, mainly black, supplemented by silver-gray right-angled lines.
These mercenaries have all signed confidentiality treaties, promising not to tell what they saw and heard today for five years. But even so, sooner or later the news of the existence of alien civilizations outside the Koprulu sector will spread.
However, even the most well-informed people can't help but be curious about mysterious alien civilizations - especially when they have malicious intentions towards humans.
In fact, the Terran Federation and other human governments discovered and named these alien races much earlier than the year 2497 known to the public.
After the first calibration, the artillery of the Revolutionary Army fired towards the location where the Tal'darin troops were initially reported. The dense artillery fire immediately covered the several square miles of Alpha Squadron's current area, a huge mud composed of mud, withered plants and shrapnel.
The pillars rose from the ground, and a layer of the ground was lifted.
However, by the time the artillery commander was preparing for the second round of bombardment, he had already received reports of close combat between the Tal'darin protoss and Alpha infantry, and the artillery unit turned to target the rear of the Tal'darin to avoid accidental damage.
Tal'darin warriors emerged from the smoke raised by the artillery fire, getting closer to the Alpha Squadron soldiers who were shooting. Such intensive artillery fire was enough to shred the power armor of human soldiers and destroy any known human ground force.
The Protoss troops seemed to have few casualties, or even suffered no damage.
The plasma shields on their bodies still shone with a cold light, like solid ice under the fragmented sunlight of Baishel. The protoss' fighting methods were different from those of humans who were accustomed to using guns. They rarely used ballistic missiles.
kinetic energy weapons, more inclined to beam-type psychic weapons.
Even so, the warriors of the Protoss still adhere to the traditions of the tribal era and still use knives and spears to fight, but they have replaced the stone weapons with psychic blades. Perhaps they think that close combat between swords can better reflect
Warriors are valuable, but that doesn't mean that the Protoss, especially their cruel branch, the Tal'darim, won't use powerful firepower to destroy their enemies.
Behind the Tal'darin front, nearly a thousand Tal'darin Dragoons drove flat four-legged armor forward like deep-sea giant crabs in the craters. Their long and multi-jointed mechanical legs were in the horizontal craters and ravines created by the shells.
It's like walking on flat ground.
As long as the scarlet energy shells of the phase fragmentation cannon thrown by the Dragon Knight land in the middle of the Alpha Squadron's line, both the Marines and the Firebats wearing thicker armor will immediately melt, or become like crushed jelly.
Just as cracked.
These amazingly powerful walking mechas come from the Tal'darin protoss' close relatives on Aiur, the planet of origin of the protoss. The Dragon Knights were originally prepared for protoss warriors who were disabled due to injuries and wanted to continue fighting.
After the Tal'darin Protoss obtained the Dragon Knight mecha from their kin through unjust means, they directly threw the remains and even the brains of the warriors who lost in the internal fight into the nutrient solution, making these losers forever.
Part of the icy mecha.
The Tal'darin warriors run as vigorously as strong springboks. The indestructible plasma shield blocks all bullets, shrapnel and even lasers. Their psychic blades drag scarlet arcs as if they are jumping.
of flame.
Tal'darin warriors holding scarlet blood blades jumped into the enemy formation against the intensive firepower of Alpha Squadron. In the blink of an eye, flesh and blood flew across the human battle line. The psychic blades of the Tal'darin Protoss could cut through the power with just a few swings.
Armor.
The roar of artillery fire, the flash of swords.
At this time, even the Tal'darin Protoss was surprised by the morale of Alpha Squadron that seemed to never collapse or retreat. The resocialized soldiers would not collapse even if only one person was left in the battle. Their combat awareness
Almost equivalent to a robot. Never retreat and fight to the death.
The first wave of Tal'darim charges inflicted huge casualties on Alpha Squadron, not to mention that the Tal'darim leaders, whose bodies were suspended in mid-air, were able to use their powerful psychic powers to release scarlet psychic energy chains that swept across the battlefield.
The protoss' use of psychic powers has reached its pinnacle, and their individual psychic powers far exceed those of any human psyker except Sarah Kerrigan. And the human psykers are all in the Kopulu Sector.
The total number is between 1,000 and 10,000, but there are psykers everywhere in the Tal'darin protoss. If psychic potential is the product of a highly evolved species, then the protoss has undoubtedly evolved to a very high level.
The terrifying psychic arc can easily tear apart the power armor, and the human soldier at the center of the psychic chain is dried directly like a crab in an oven, dying in an extremely tragic way.
It's just that Duke's Alpha Squadron is undoubtedly an elite force. They quickly withstood the protoss' charge and used EMP weapons and anti-psionic weapons to inflict heavy damage on the enemy.
Tal'darin's warriors were able to use their advanced plasma shield technology and psychic blades to kill everyone when facing human warriors, but their number was still too small. Coupled with the dragon knight troops deployed at the rear, the number of people participating in the battle was
The number of Tal'darin protoss is less than 5,000.
At the same time, the Warfield Marine Corps behind Alpha Squadron reinforced and strengthened its flank defenses, while Reno's Rangers detoured to the left wing of the Tal'darin front, giving the Dragoon troops in the rear a great sense of oppression.
After a Revolutionary Army sniper shot and killed a Tal'darin protoss commander, the Tal'darin ground troops began to retreat. They used some kind of sub-jump technology to instantly recall their troops. It seemed that this was just the Tal'darin protoss commander.
Lin's test.
Augustus, who is in the command center, is watching all this through the monitors of his own satellites and reconnaissance aircraft. There are dozens of different windows on the main screen of the command center showing battlefield scenes. On the console of the command center
There were a bunch of people talking in front of them, reporting casualty figures or some data about the fleet in geostationary orbit.
Alpha Squadron's losses were relatively heavy, but after all, they were all resocialized soldiers of the Federation, so Augustus was not so sad. In comparison, the losses of the Tal'darin troops were difficult to count. Their soldiers died in battle.
Or after being seriously injured, there will be almost no bodies left behind, and only a few bodies will remain in place.
Augustus's wish to capture a high-level Tal'darin ascendant alive became a luxury. The protoss deployed ground troops much more flexibly and quickly than humans. They could choose the location of the war and the timing of retreat at will.
.
At this time, Augustus was more certain that there were not many Tal'darin protoss in Byshel. In his impression, the Tal'darin here was only part of the Tal'darin Expeditionary Force, and this Tal'darin Expeditionary Army was originally a group.
A lone army far away from Tal'darin's home planet of Slane.
Within minutes after the Tal'darin Protoss retreated, Augustus received a communication from Alpha Squadron Commander Edmund Duke.
"Alpha Squadron lived up to expectations. This was a brilliant victory. We easily flattened the pointed heads of the Tal'darin Protoss and burned them to dregs. It was as easy as burning a group of cockroaches." The pointed heads in Duke's helmet had already been burned.
There is no trace of hair, and the shiny head is discernible.
Whether in the Tyranid Federation or the Revolutionary Army, Duke's reputation is not very good. Tychus, Renault and Harnak all call him an insidious snake, and a man like Lundstein who received an aristocratic education
The aristocratic officer literaryly referred to Duke as the pointed silverback gorilla who was imprisoned in King Arthur's court. Of course, he was undoubtedly comparing Augustus to King Arthur in the earth age.
"Duke, I order you to continue to advance and provide cover for our engineering regiment - we must not only bury Tal'darin's terrazine gas springs, but also knock down their shrines. The Protoss artifacts are all Koplu
The most collectible things are quite valuable as long as you find the right buyer."
Augustus ignored Duke's smug boast. All the generals in the Federal Naval Command knew that Colonel Duke's report could only be half believed. Even if he defeated a small team of Camerian Labor Auxiliary Army, then
It would also turn into a huge victory for Alpha Squadron as they fought off an entire Ripper Heavy Brigade.
But for now, it seems that this is still a victory. If Tal'darin has the power to defeat the human army, then they will not just send two or three kittens to scratch it, but will cleanly destroy all human troops.
The Tal'darim don't need to deploy many troops in Byshel, they have almost no other enemies in this universe.
"This doesn't sound difficult," Duke said, "but I think it would take us a few months to clean out all the shrines of these Tal'darim heads."
"It's even harder to get rid of all the pointed heads of Beisher. They have an invisible position, and we are completely blind." As he said this, his head suddenly turned to the other side, as if someone was following him.
say.
"Marshal Augustus, I have good news to tell you." At this time, Duke showed his signature proud smile and said in a tone that was almost asking for credit.
"If you keep cheating on me, you will never get any medals or promotions again." Augustus knew that Duke was a man who was good at adapting to the changing circumstances. When he was in the Federation, Duke didn't like to please.
His boss, because he has the backing of the Duke family, the founding family, is no longer the past.
"Taldarin left some soldiers behind when it retreated. We found several spider-type mechas that were damaged by shells - I think it should be called this." Duke said: "One of them was hit.
We found a dying Tal'darin pointy head in the rotten mecha, if we can save him..."
"Arrange a special plane to send this Tal'darin to the command center...directly to the field hospital. Also, send all the captured Tal'darin protoss equipment here." Augustus said immediately. Then.
, Augustus summoned Kerrigan and Corporal Faraday beside him.
"Call Swann and Kaczynski over here to see how these things can help us." He said and walked towards the straight staircase leading to the ground from the command island in the command center: "Let Lisa Kesidi
Prepare an operating room and arrange for our best attending doctor."
"Yes, Marshal." Corporal Faraday immediately saluted with a standard military salute.
There was still an ordinary scene of martial law outside the command center. Augustus's guards were patrolling back and forth. Outside the iron grating separation wall where the command center was located were the hospital and the armory, so Augustus, who was standing in the open space, quickly
Swann and his assistant arrived after a long journey.
"Boss Mengsk, we are not too late, but I don't know what made you rush to find us. My people and I have been dealing with machinery and screws these days." Swann was dressed in orange and gray.
The sling work clothes were covered with black oil stains.
At the same time, a command vehicle taking Augustus to the hospital had parked nearby. As usual, Augustus himself was driven by either Kerrigan or Corporal Faraday.
"I need you to handle a batch of Tal'darin Protoss weapons." Augustus smiled softly and asked Swann not to be too nervous.
"Let's get in the car and talk as we walk."
"How's the research on those protoss weapons going?" Augustus sat in the back seat of the command vehicle. He didn't mind sitting with the oily Swann and Kaczynski at all, and the latter seemed
Somewhat reserved.
Swann was the one who felt the most. A year ago at Meinhof, Augustus was just a second lieutenant with only a few dozen men under his command. He was already the supreme leader of the Kohal rebels, commanding ten people.
Tens of thousands of people.
Even so, there seems to be no difference between Augustus and the past, but people always feel that the burden on his shoulders is too heavy, so that he is more depressed than before.
Never in Augustus's life did he lose so many friends and soldiers as in the previous year.
"There is about no progress... I don't like to brag... That's basically it." Swann said: "Remember those void crystals we found in Mar Sara, which power the Tal'darin protoss weapons.
Something similar, but the energy in it is more violent."
"The Protoss's plasma shield gave me some inspiration. Maybe we can refer to this to improve the defensive shields of the Hyperion and other battleships - if we can get more Tal'darin Protoss weapons or buildings, then the results will be great