The system expansion project, codenamed "Operation Stellar Forge," was launched. The first SCVs modified for the vacuum of space were being assembled in the Starport, and the plans for orbital stations were piling up in the data banks. Energy and resources flowed at a frantic pace, but Julius's reservoir, fed by the conquest of Bastion, seemed inexhaustible.
It was time to strengthen the team. He needed specialists. Unique talents that even the complete Terran arsenal couldn't provide.
"System," Julius announced, standing in the center of the designated summoning room, a circle of polished metal surrounded by energy conduits. "It is time to summon new Champions."
< Champion Interface open. Select target individuals.>
Three profiles displayed, carefully chosen by Julius to fill specific gaps.
[Tychus Findlay - The Indomitable Mercenary]
Cost: 75,000 energy units.
Skills: Exceptional close and ranged combatant, Master Vulture pilot, Superhuman resilience and strength.
Profile: Loyalty conditional on money and relationships. Complex relationship with Jim Raynor.
[Gabriel Tosh - The Master of Shadows]
Cost: 80,000 energy units.
Skills: Rare and powerful psionic powers (beyond standard Ghosts), Mastery of infiltration and sabotage techniques, Alchemy and mystical rituals.
Profile: Independent, mysterious, unorthodox methods.
[Egon Stetmann - The Eccentric Genius]
Cost: 70,000 energy units.
Skills: Genius scientist and engineer, Specialist in biology, robotics, and energy systems, Ability to create innovative hybrid technologies.
Profile: Socially awkward, hyperactive, obsessive in his work.
"Group summoning. Proceed."
< Consumption of 225,000 energy units.>
The room filled with a deep hum, much deeper than for previous summons. The air became heavy, charged with ozone and a strange psionic tension. Three pillars of light, of different colors and intensities, shot up simultaneously.
The first, red and brutal, dissipated to reveal a colossus in heavy CMC armor, a cigar already stuck between his teeth. Tychus Findlay immediately aimed his rotating minigun "The Widowmaker" around before spotting Raynor.
"Jim, my old friend! So this is your new digs? A bit fancy for my taste, but looks like it pays well!" he boomed with a loud laugh.
Raynor gave a tired half-smile. "Tychus. Try not to blow everything up on the first day."
The second pillar was a blackish violet, streaked with silent lightning. Gabriel Tosh emerged from it, wrapped in a dark cloak. Gray dreadlocks framed a face with hard features, marked with tribal paintings. His eyes shone with an unsettling inner light. He said nothing, his piercing gaze analyzing the room, seeming to weigh each person's soul, lingering a little longer on Julius, no doubt sensing the psionic spark within him.
"The shadows here are... interesting," he finally murmured in a deep, drawling voice.
The third pillar was a bright, almost electric blue light that blinked erratically. Egon Stetmann appeared, fiddling with a portable holographic device, talking to himself at high speed.
"...fascinating! The containment matrices are remarkably stable for such a rudimentary structure, but the energy conversion rate is 12.7% lower than the theoretical models from the Mobius Lab, of course we'd need to recalculate the..."
He suddenly looked up, seeming to notice for the first time where he was.
"Oh! Hi! Egon Stetmann, genius, that's me. Are you the commander? Your power distribution network is criminally inefficient. I can fix that for you in one afternoon, do you have any nanites? No? Pity, we'll manage without."
Julius, a bit deafened by the trio's entrance, spoke up.
"Welcome to all three of you. I am Commander Braveheart. Your skills are required. Mr. Findlay, you will reinforce our shock troops. Mr. Tosh, we need your... particular expertise. And Mr. Stetmann, you have carte blanche to optimize anything you deem necessary."
Tychus chuckled. "As long as the advance is good, we'll always get along, boss."
Tosh inclined his head slightly, an almost imperceptible sign of assent.
Stetmann was already typing frantically on his device. "Noted! Priority one: optimize Vespene yield. Priority two: review the neural isolation of the Marines' helmets. Their reaction times are pathetic. Let's go!"
In the space of a few minutes, the dynamics of Braveheart Prime had changed. Tychus's arrival brought brute force and pragmatic tactical sense. Tosh opened possibilities in the obscure domains of psionics and asymmetric warfare. And Stetmann... Stetmann would probably take everything apart and rebuild it better, faster, and stranger.
Julius felt a smile form on his face. His council of champions was now almost complete. System expansion wouldn't just be a matter of engineering and military might. It would also be a matter of cunning, cutting-edge technology, and brute power.