Ariel Hanson, who was following her father, had no idea that Kerrigan and the others were talking about her. She kept close behind her father and Augustus, listening intently to every word they said.
Augustus and Bernard walked along the colony's neat white gravel path for several minutes. When they stepped onto the asphalt road that crossed through the colony's center, they saw several gray-white armored personnel carriers parked in the middle of the road.
"Old-model Confederate Marine heavy APCs—they've been in service for over 20 years. Where did the Korhalites even get their hands on these?" Bernard exclaimed as soon as he saw the vehicles with their gray-white coating. The last time he'd seen such transports was many years ago, during the grand military parade in Tarsonis City.
Bernard's impression of interstellar mercenaries had always been that of brawny men wearing security-company uniforms or the Confederacy's old khaki military fatigues—burly and heavily armed, belts loaded with ammunition and guns slung over their bodies.
But when Bernard saw the hundreds of mercenaries marching in formation farther ahead—each clad in silver-gray CMC-powered armor—he almost thought, for an instant, that they were a regular unit of the Umojan Protectorate Army.
These mercenaries were all encased in tall, heavy suits of powered armor, each wielding a C-14 Gauss rifle, towering like giants that reached to the sky. On their shoulder and chest plates gleamed the emblem of a white cross, while their helmet visors were coated with a thin layer of silvery metallic plating.
In addition to Gauss rifles, the mercenaries were also armed with Hellfire plasma flamethrowers, grenade launchers, and molten laser projectors. Among their ranks rolled over a dozen electromagnetic tanks—Kel-Morian heavy tanks modified into railgun platforms.
The Revolutionary Army's chief engineer, Rory Swann, and his team had refitted the Kel-Morian tanks Augustus had purchased from Moria, equipping them with the electromagnetic railguns from Vulture tanks. The long-range railguns' destructive power was astonishing—enough to melt even the strongest reinforced steel bunker.
The earliest Kel-Morian tanks originated from the miners' heavy bulldozers, later modified to become renowned for their powerful engines and formidable firepower. From the Confederacy's War Trophy Museum to the defense forces of frontier colony worlds, from stripped-down light tank variants to heavy tanks weighing over 100 tons, these refitted Kel-Morian tanks could now be seen across half of the entire Koprulu Sector.
"Units like these—we have many more of them," Augustus said, pointing to his soldiers.
"They're all old-model CMC-200 powered armors, but very well maintained. Such forces should be more than enough to handle any Kimeran Pirates raiding fleet," Augustus said. "I've witnessed the Kimeran Pirates' combat strength."
"Not impressive," he said.
"Just these powered armors alone—no current Terran Confederacy mercenary company could possibly field them. I'm starting to wonder if you've somehow brought in a Marine Corps detachment," Bernard said, beginning to suspect that his long years on the remote world of Agria had left him behind the times.
At first glance, Augustus looked as though he had come merely to show off his military muscle.
"The Korhalites have received support from the Umojan Protectorate. All three major powers of the Koprulu Sector are well aware of this by now," Augustus said to Bernard.
"And after the end of the Guild Wars, more and more retired soldiers joined the mercenary trade, profiting from war in another form," Augustus continued.
"The military strength of the Korhalites is far greater than you imagine—it's just that what they're facing is the Confederacy's naval fleet," Augustus said.
"…" Bernard stared at Augustus, and suddenly the man's name came to mind.
Caesar Augustus… the Korhalites… countless armies far surpassing the armed forces of Agria's colonies.
As he recalled the rapidly rising fame of the Korhal Revolutionary Army over the past year—and the terrorist organization, Sons of Korhal, whose attacks had thrown the public into panic—Bernard's breath suddenly caught.
Augustus had practically made it clear that he himself was the leader of the Korhal Revolutionary Army—Augustus Mengsk. Instinctively, Bernard wanted no association between Agria and the rebels. Yet it was equally impossible for him to report this to the Terran Confederacy or seek their aid.
Even if Confederate forces arrived on Agria, they would not hesitate to turn this beautiful planet into a battlefield. And even if they eventually expelled Augustus's rebels, in keeping with the Confederacy's usual conduct, they would certainly station troops to control Agria—imposing long-term military rule over any colony that had once been touched by rebellion.
But in the end, Bernard did not truly believe that Augustus's Revolutionary Army was as evil and unforgivable as UNN claimed—otherwise, Agria would have already fallen.
"You're actually with the Revolutionary Army, aren't you?" Bernard said, wearing an expression that clearly meant, Don't try to fool me.
"I'm just an ordinary merchant from Moria," Augustus said. "It's just that I have a blood feud with the Terran Confederacy."
"Heh—" Bernard gave a knowing smile.
"They will provide Agria with protection—to shield it from the harassment of pirates and Confederate Marines. All you need to do is pay a very small fee," Augustus said with a faint smile as well.
Of course, Augustus would leave behind a force to protect the Korhal settlers—and the Agria colonists had almost no reason to refuse, for they could not be certain that he wouldn't suddenly turn hostile if rejected.
Earlier in the conversation, Augustus had already revealed quite a bit of information: namely, that the Korhal settlers were suffering severe shortages of both food and fuel. This meant they no longer had the resources to search for another habitable world or a colony willing to take them in.
"…But I only hope that the flames of war won't reach Agria." Bernard knew that Augustus was forcing him to take a side—trying to pull Agria over to his camp.
"Agria does not wish to be drawn into war," he said.
"We'll provide aid to the settlers—but only on the condition that Agria does not become a battlefield."
"I swear, I—and the Korhalites—will forever remember Agria's help in our most perilous hour." Augustus looked toward the sky, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
"As a token of gratitude, I'd like to present the people of Agria with a small gift." Augustus then turned his eyes back to Bernard.
"I'm all ears," Bernard said, his brow furrowing.
"The mercenary fleet detected a Kimeran Pirates research station at the edge of the Agria system," Augustus said. As he spoke, one of his guards took a tattered Kimeran Pirates flag from his backpack.
Augustus's choice of words was intriguing—for in the Koprulu Sector, mercenary organizations possessing their own fleets were exceedingly rare, almost nonexistent.
"The Kimeran Pirates established their own base on an asteroid within the Agria system to research the ancient civilization ruins on Agria's satellite. That's why the Kimeran Pirates have been attacking Agria so frequently—they maintain a permanent base in this system and need to obtain supplies from the colonies."
"I've always wondered why the pirate raids kept increasing," Bernard said, his expression darkening.
"Don't worry. We already destroyed that Kimeran Pirates research station on our way here," Augustus said.
"Took us maybe a little over ten minutes," Tychus said unhurriedly beside him.
"The Kimeran Pirates have some history with us. Back on Mar Sara, we wiped out one of their research outposts. Looks like those vermin have nests scattered all across Koprulu," he said.
The Kel-Morian Pirates were far more infamous than the tech-smuggling Kimeran Pirates, but that name encompassed all pirates of Kel-Morian origin—loosely organized and often at odds with one another—whereas the Kimeran Pirates belonged to a tightly structured organization.
In the Koprulu Sector, there were virtually no powers the Kimeran Pirates dared not provoke. They were regarded as traitors to Umoja and mortal enemies of the Umojan Protectorate Army. Most importantly, the Kimeran Pirates were ruthless enough to strike at both the Terran Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine during the Guild Wars.
The Kimeran Pirates were universally reviled throughout the Koprulu Sector, yet that did not stop their influence from expanding amid the constant wars and chaos.
"After capturing several Kimeran Pirates, we learned that they've also established a few research stations on Agria's surface," Augustus said, pointing toward the Revolutionary Army soldiers clad in gray-white powered armor marked with white cross insignias.
"Let them handle the Kimeran Pirates on Agria."
"From today onward, the Agria Crusaders will be Agria's eternal protectors," he said.
"Agria will henceforth be brought under our protection."
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