In the synchronous orbit of Ketil 4, a huge fleet is gathering. From time to time, new imperial warships jump out of the hyperspace channel and sail into the majestic shadows of the ships. In the majestic battle Among the cruise ships, more smaller escort ships were shuttled at high speed. The scene was very spectacular.
The three ring symbols stacked on top of each other on the towering bows of these battleships indicate that they belong to the Tyranid Empire's Moebius Legion. The black and red main colors of the painting are significantly different from other imperial fleets. Moebius The circle symbolizes the endless exploration of knowledge, while black and red represent steel and blood.
Even among the military forces of the Tyranid Empire, the Moebius Legion has always been little known. All Moebius battlecruisers are cast in undisclosed Imperial shipyards, and their battleship casting processes There are also differences. The most special thing is that all Moebius battleships use more efficient Moebius reactor technology.
As time goes by, the number of Moebius battleships in the orbit of Ketil 4 is increasing. There are twelve fully-equipped naval squadrons, and the number of attached escort support ships and auxiliary supply ships is more than one. Thousands of ships, and counting.
Among them, the domineering and shocking silhouette of the imperial flagship Whitestar's cannons is particularly eye-catching.
This is a Gorgon-class flagship imperial battleship. It is known that the Gorgon-class battlecruiser is larger than all previous classes of battleships, and the White Star is above all Gorgons in terms of size and firepower. .
The White Star is the pride of the Tyranid Empire's navy in this era. Her thick protective armor and powerful shield field far exceed that of warships of the same level, which is enough to ignore most of the enemy's attack methods. The naval guns and main guns she is equipped with are undoubtedly It is also the largest cannon to date.
As a new-level imperial flagship, the resources invested by the empire in building the White Star are enough to build six Gorgon battlecruisers of the same level. The bars, medical and living facilities equipped on the ship are comparable to luxury hotels, and even weekly All can provide luxurious hot showers.
At this moment, Augustus Mengsk was on the bridge of this new imperial flagship that attracted worldwide attention.
"The coordinates of the Otarian Rift have been uploaded to the White Star's star chart console." The mechanical adjutant's voice broke the silence on the bridge.
The White Star's star chart platform engraved with wolf-shaped reliefs immediately projected an unpredictable holographic flash. In the background of the brilliant nebula projected by the three-dimensional image, a rift between the void and the real world had already taken shape.
"We have never heard of this place." Raynor looked at the star map projection and then at Zeratul.
"The Otarian Rift is located between the gaps in the universe, and it contains terrifying high-energy particle flows." Zeratul said to Raynor: "The power contained in the Otarian Rift is so ruthless that it can crush anything that enters." objects within it.”
"In our understanding, it is a place where life cannot exist."
"But the Xel'Naga artifact guided us there." Augustus paused for a moment: "And according to Karax's previous interpretation, that is where Urna, the hometown of the Xel'Naga, is located in the legend of the stars. ."hunchback
Karax did not follow, and continued to study the Xel'Naga artifact at the Skigel Research Station. It was obvious that he was very disappointed with the previous answer, so that he worked even more sleepless and forgetful.
Even Augustus and Zeratul were unable to convince Karax before further confirming the authenticity.
If Urna is indeed located in the Otarian Rift, which the Protoss considers life-impossible, then all of the Protoss' cosmology no longer exists.
"Xel'Naga comes from a place where life could not exist originally, that is the void." Zeratul said in a low voice: "Urna"
"The cradle of all life, the resting place of gods, and the hometown of the Xel'Naga." He said: "In the legends of the protoss, Urna presents mythical perfect proportions. It may be an unparalleled planet. , or it could be a man-made structure as big as a planet.”
"In other legends, a destined race will seek ascension in Urna, and their mere presence here will open the way ahead."
"If the legend is true, then Xel'Naga may be sleeping in Urna, waiting for those who come to wake him up."
"Of course the style of 'gods' cannot be the same as that of mortals." Renault complained: "But since it is so dangerous inside, how can we go in."
"It is precisely in places like this that treasures may be hidden." Arcturus said lightly.
Based on the experience Arcturus has accumulated over many years of exploring mineral deposits, risks and opportunities coexist. Those who achieve great things must not only be good at calculating and taking risks step by step, but also dare to take risks.
This is not how the Tyranid Empire of the Mengsk family came about.
"So." Augustus looked around and said decisively: "We should go and take a look."
"Well, I got a report that there is a scientific research ship expedition team nearby. Anyway, let's explore it with a detector first." Renault is an action man, and he has the idea of not knowing whether it can succeed without trying: "If Once the detector is recovered, we can send manpower in again."
"That's it for the time being." Augustus took a few steps in place: "To be on the safe side, we will also mobilize Lieutenant General Hott's Nova Squadron to guard the entrance to the Otarian Rift. Tell Hott that you are not allowed to enter until you get the order. Crack."
"In a dangerous environment like the Otarian Rift, I'm afraid even the information cannot be transmitted to the outside."
As he spoke, Augustus showed a rare look of hesitation on his face.
Considering the close alliance between the Tyranid Empire and the Daram Protoss, it was difficult for Augustus to hide such an important matter.
After all, the protoss on Aiur have always claimed to be the eldest son of God, and they must have attached great importance to Urna. And with their participation in this matter, it is safer, because Augustus cannot be sure that Urna is currently in The real situation is probably very difficult to bear.
On the one hand, Urna will reveal several important pieces of information in advance. One is the truth about endless reincarnation, and the other is the "death" of the Xel'Naga.
Perhaps, this information may make the protoss believe that the end is really imminent and give up the plan to recover Aiur. Although even if they give up the expedition to Aiur, the El protoss' Kara will still have to be hacked by Emon, which is impossible. The golden fleet, which was easy to control, directly knocked out Saguras with a backhand.
Since it is impossible to confirm the attitude and reaction of the Durham Star Spirits to this, Augustus can only take one step at a time. Anyway, he still has some cards in his hand. He is not afraid that there is nothing he can do, but he is afraid that the timeline changes and the variables will increase. hunchback
On the other hand, if you think about it, you can understand that as the residence of the Xel'Naga, Urnari may have the "heritage" of the Xel'Naga.
No matter what, Xel'Naga's legacy must be divided.
Even the "corpses" of the Xel'Naga are undoubtedly real treasures.
Of course, Augustus also admitted that it was indeed tempting to monopolize Urna, but dividing a part of it would not only help consolidate the alliance between the Tyranid Empire and the Duram Protoss, but also prevent the other party from feeling grudges.
Humans would inevitably starve to death if they ate all of it. Even if they only obtained a part of the Xel'Naga legacy, it would probably take several generations to digest it.
"Also." He thought for a while and then said: "Send a separate briefing to Tassadar, the Archbishop of Duram Protoss, informing you of the connection between the Otarian Rift and Urna."
"No, I'll do it myself."
Among the Durham Stars, the only ones Augustus truly trusted were Tassadar, Phoenix, and Artanis. Direct communication with wise leaders would undoubtedly save a lot of trouble.
"Then we still want to go to the Sigma sector now?" Renault nodded and asked again.
Since you can go directly to the Xel'Naga, why should you look for the prophecy?
"There's no rush." Augustus said, "We'd better go to the Sigma sector first."
It’s hard to say. After all, Augustus knew that there were only corpses left in Urna. Considering that Aemon may have already filled Urna with hybrids, more empires must be summoned. The fleet will be fully prepared before exploring.
"Just now, I received warnings from many outposts that the Tal'darin Protoss is approaching our newly opened colony in the Sigma sector." He continued: "There are reports that hybrids have appeared among these Tal'darin Protoss. ."
As if in response to what Augustus said, the holographic image on the star chart platform was frozen in a vast sea of stars amid the changes of light and shadow. In that, every tiny speck of light represented a star or even more. What a dazzling star.
For the Tyranid humans in the Koprulu Sector, the Sigma Sector is a brand new world, a virgin land waiting to be developed, a paradise-like treasure land. If the development is successful, the Sigma Sector will become a flower. A precious flower that blooms on the barren land at the edge of the galaxy.
The star sector is an artificially divided geographical concept. Compared with the center of the Milky Way, the Sigma star sector appears to have sparse stars and is much darker and more desolate. But even so, many habitable planets have been discovered during several years of exploration. The proven mineral reserves are quite astonishing, enough to support the establishment of large colonies.
The more colonies it has, the more fleets the empire can build and support.
"I have seen them in Tal'darim in many temple worlds and hybrid factories." Zeratul said: "They worship Amon as their god."
"If Amon returns to the world, Tal'darin will be the herald of darkness."
"These protoss are truly haunting," said Arcturus.
"I think" Augustus looked at Zeratul and said softly: "Zeratu, this is the harbinger of the doomsday war."
Outside the White Star's bridge, the assembled Moebius Corps fleet was gathering around the flagship, waiting for the order to set sail again.
At this moment, the Moebius Corps has more than 220 capital ships, and they are all Minotaur-class battlecruisers built in the new era. Among them, there are 29 Gorgons. Thousands of them Ships of all types gathered and moved, waiting for the order to set sail.
After a while, the Sigma sector.
The Atrias system is located in the Sigma sector. It is known that this is a world belonging to the Tal'darin protoss. At the same time, this galaxy is also one of the main battlefields between the Tyranid Empire and the Tal'darin protoss in the Sigma sector.
At this moment, the situation in the Atrias galaxy suddenly changed. A large number of imperial fleets appeared at the edge of the galaxy and headed towards Atrias, the only planet in the galaxy. This fleet probably had nearly a hundred battlecruisers and more than 400 tiles. Gray frigates and Liberators as well as numerous troop transports.
The Sigma "Σ" logo with a green background and white borders on these Imperial warships indicates that the Tyranid Empire is deploying a garrison fleet in the Sigma sector to protect the Empire's colonies and trade routes in the region.
Fleets of this size will only be assembled when large-scale wars are coming. Generally speaking, large fleets will be dispersed into naval squadron-sized squadrons to maintain the security of various worlds and waterways. In peacetime, the main responsibility of these distant colony squadrons is to exterminate pirates. , rounding up smuggling ships and combating illegal colonial activities.
The Terran Empire's fleet will also assume more responsibilities, such as providing disaster relief assistance to newly established colonies, rescuing distressed colonial ships and merchant ships, drawing accurate navigation charts, etc.
But once the war comes, the fleets will regroup under the command of the Imperial Marshal to face the foreign enemies.
In response to the Imperial fleet arriving in the Atrias system, the Tal'darin mothership warped in. As the Imperial warships opened fire mercilessly, the war between humans and protoss was about to begin.
Atriais originally belonged to the Tal'darin Protoss territory. It was obvious that the Tyranid Empire was actively attacking rather than passively defending.
Since the colonists of the Tyranids began to enter the Sigma Sector in 2500, large-scale colonization with official organization and endorsement began. In the following more than three years, the human footprints of the Tyranids soon involved the Sigma Sector. One-tenth of the total, about a hundred large and small colonies were established one after another.
In different worlds in the Sigma sector, in ocean planets spread across vast oceans, in lush jungle worlds, in icy tundra planets, in desert worlds with flying sand and gravel, colonies of different sizes follow the path of Tai The arrival of human colonists rose from the ground.
Since humans first set foot on these lands, the fire of civilization has been rising.
In order to compete for land and resources, the conflict between the humans of the expanding Tyranid Empire and the native Tal'darin is naturally about to break out, and new and old scores will be settled together.
This is the rule of the uncivilized world. The Terran Empire is by no means a cowardly old federation. They never run away from war and dare to show their swords to any powerful enemy.
As for the Tal'darin protoss, this branch of protoss who believe that peace is just illusion and only war and pain are the main theme readily accepted the challenge of humans, because they have now determined that only war can please their gods.
Even in the entire Sigma sector, this is not the first time that the two sides have fought against each other. In Atriais, there was no negotiation or diplomatic ultimatum, and the Tyranid Empire made it easy for the Tal'darin protoss to fight.