The morning light pierced the mist, shining down on the newly constructed city that had risen on the outskirts of the front-line base near the dimensional gate.
This resettlement zone, built in emergency fashion by the human Empire's "state enterprise" Atlas, had in just a few days housed over one hundred thousand refugees evacuated from various regions of Mar Sara.
Towering modular buildings shimmered with a metallic sheen beneath the morning sun. On the neatly laid-out streets, autonomous cleaning robots were sweeping away the dust from the previous night's winds.
Although the buildings were mainly composed of prefabricated living units, comprehensive public facilities and a stable logistical supply had already brought a reassuring sense of order to the city.
The new city's layout was calculated with precision, divided into twelve main residential blocks.
Each block had its own independent water station, power center, and medical post.
Living units followed standardized design. Every family was allocated approximately 70 square meters of private space, each unit equipped with complete furniture, a temperature control system, and basic sanitary installations.
The walls were made of soundproofing material to ensure residents' privacy.
Though the space was limited, compared to the war-torn ruins of Mar Sara, this was paradise.
Drought-resistant plants brought from the Empire's homeworld had been planted in public areas, bringing a touch of vitality to this city of steel.
On both sides of the main thoroughfares, holographic projectors continuously played settlement guides and safety notices. Multilingual signage clearly marked the locations of key facilities, ensuring that refugees of various races could access the services they needed.
At dawn, large-scale dining halls across the new city opened on schedule.
Designed with streamlined functionality and capable of accommodating thousands, these halls featured automated sanitation tunnels at their entrances.
Refugees lined up in an orderly manner, received meal trays after identity verification.
Today's menu included high-protein meat patties, freshly baked whole wheat bread, vitamin-fortified porridge, shrimp fried rice, braised noodles, and seasonal fruits sourced from various agricultural worlds.
The cafeterias were equipped with intelligent meal distribution systems capable of tailoring portions based on each individual's nutritional needs.
Children and pregnant women received additional calcium supplements, while those doing heavy physical labor were given high-calorie energy bars.
At the serving stations, Terminator-type "service units" maintained order.
These intimidating "mechanical attendants" wore symbolic white chef hats and reminded people in gentle electronic voices: "Please take only what you need and avoid waste."
At the center of each dining hall, holographic screens displayed warning slogans in the Empire's official language—Mandarin—and other languages:
"Cherish your food. An empty plate is honorable."
"Take as much as you need. Eliminate waste."
"Waste is shameful. Frugality is a virtue."
Despite the Empire's abundance of resources, waste was absolutely not tolerated.
Each tray contained a not-so-high-tech nanotech chip that automatically recorded every individual's portions and leftovers.
First-time offenders would have their food allotment reduced the following day. Repeat offenders would be subjected to mandatory labor penalties.
In the most severe case, a man who deliberately dumped his food was sentenced to a month of community service cleaning public restrooms.
As the new city began to operate smoothly, long lines also formed in front of the Atlas recruitment center, where a holographic job board displayed various openings.
Construction sites needed skilled welders and electricians. Medical centers were recruiting nurses. Food processing plants sought quality control inspectors. Educational institutions were in urgent need of teaching assistants.
Successful applicants received official Imperial work permits, with salaries paid in Imperial credit points (cR).
These credits were valid not only within the new city, but also across other universes within the Empire's domain.
A vocational training center was under rapid construction as well, offering refugees a full range of education from basic literacy to professional skills.
In the central square stood a holographic monument.
Its inscription would record the history of this great evacuation and the unit numbers of all Imperial forces involved in the rescue.
Every day, civilians came of their own accord to lay flowers before the completed physical version of the monument. They knew this was not just a temporary refuge, but the starting point of a new Imperial presence on Mar Sara.
Compared to the temporary city for refugees, what was truly awe-inspiring was the massive front-line base looming over the desert—several times the size of the new city, a mountain forged of metal resting upon Mar Sara's surface.
Designed far beyond standard colonial specifications, this base covered enough area to simultaneously accommodate millions of troops, support personnel, and all kinds of war machinery.
Its towering hexagonal alloy walls were equipped on each face with automatic turret arrays and shield generators, capable of withstanding orbital-level bombardment.
Inside, the base was divided into dozens of functional zones, including the command center—a megastructure over a kilometer tall. Its top floor housed a suspended holographic strategic sandbox that monitored battle conditions across the star system in real time.
The underground storage facilities extended hundreds of meters deep, stockpiled with enough weapons and ammunition to arm a million soldiers.
The medical center was outfitted with the most advanced biological repair pods, capable of healing injuries even at the genetic level. A simulation arena with holographic environments replicated various battlefield conditions to keep both new recruits and veterans in peak combat form.
On the base's outer perimeter, colossal drydocks stood like a forest of steel. Dozens of mechanical arms moved along rails, performing maintenance and repairs on the moored fleet.
Several damaged destroyers and cruisers lay docked in silence, their armor still bearing the corroded scars of acid. Engineering teams operated specialized Hex robots to conduct precision welding and energy circuit repairs on the hulls.
Not long ago, the Flame Lizard's triple fleet had engaged in intense combat with the alien bioship fleet.
Though the Flame Lizards ultimately repelled the swarm's assault, the cost was not light.
A cruiser's engine bay had been pierced by acid artillery. Two destroyers had lost their energy shield generators due to overload. One frigate and several carrier-based aircraft and transport vessels were destroyed. Fortunately, the core fighting capability of the fleet remained intact.
However, what truly weighed on the Flame Lizards was the toll of the ground battle.
Standard zerg units such as zerglings, roaches, and flying mantises, while numerous, posed little fatal threat to Flame Lizards encased in Titan power armor.
Even elite units like lurkers could be quickly dispatched without injury when the Flame Lizards were prepared and backed by heavy armor.
But the arrival of the Blade Queen changed everything.
Her psychic lightning pierced Titan armor shields directly, leading to the deaths of over a hundred Flame Lizard warriors in mere minutes.
Helljumpers and auxiliary forces also suffered heavy losses, many overwhelmed by the swarm while covering civilian evacuations.
Now, at the base's central assembly plaza, Athena knelt on one knee, having shed her heavy armor. Her golden hair draped over her shoulders.
Her eyes gently closed, she whispered an ancient prayer:
"May the souls of brave warriors return to the Emperor's side and enjoy eternal peace and solace."
"May their sacrifice forge humanity's everlasting glory."
Her voice was low and sacred, as if imbued with a power beyond the mortal realm.
Surrounding her, over a hundred Greek demigods also knelt in solemn mourning.
These figures, born from ancient mythology, now stood as the most devout warriors, paying their highest respects to the fallen "comrades."
Above the plaza, a holographic projection displayed the names of the deceased, each accompanied by their unit insignia.
Warriors of the Flame Lizards' Third Company stood in formation on either side, their power armor servos humming lowly, as if responding to the solemnity of the ceremony.
In the faith system of the human Empire, death was never the end.
Those who fought for the Emperor—whether power-armored Astartes, loyal Helljumpers, or auxiliary troops—had their souls immediately guided by pure psychic energy the moment their life fire was extinguished.
No rituals were needed. These genetically screened and faith-forged souls would naturally "drift" toward the Emperor's heavenly domain.
There, golden divine light shone eternally. The fallen could choose eternal rest in the peaceful Hall of Heroes or be reborn into the ranks of Imperial citizens with their past memories wiped clean.
However, not all the dead enjoyed such divine grace.
The unfortunate civilians of Mar Sara who perished to the alien swarm, and the soldiers who once served the Terran Dominion, had souls that could neither reach the Emperor's light nor enter the purified cycle of reincarnation.
After all, the universe of StarCraft had yet to be brought under the rule of the human Empire.
Souls not yet under Imperial dominion floated like rootless duckweed, adrift in the tides of Chaos.
Even a divine being like Athena could not defy this cruel law. The Emperor's blessing was reserved for the tested faithful; punishment and annihilation awaited traitors and heretics.
On the battlefield of Mar Sara, this divide was especially clear.
The bodies of fallen Flame Lizards, Helljumpers, and auxiliaries glowed with an almost imperceptible golden light—a sign of their souls being guided.
The corpses of local civilians, however, exuded only cold, spreading death.
This sacred disparity was the most brutal and honest manifestation of the human Empire's belief system.
Naturally, in Imperial territory, the souls of traitors and sinners were directly sent to the hell realms, where they endured unimaginable "torment" and "punishment."
Meanwhile, inside the towering building of the Investigation Department:
"You're certain the one responsible for your Flame Lizard casualties… looked like a human female?"
Jim Raynor's voice echoed through the meeting room, urgency barely concealed.
In the mid-level strategic conference room, a critical meeting was underway.
Around the holographic round table sat representatives of various factions—Directorate officials Leon, Mike, and Chris; Jim Raynor and Tychus of the Rangers; and via hologram, Captain Gaozan of the Flame Lizards' Third Company.
The central hologram cycled through intel reports, the most prominent being the entity known as the "Blade Queen"—Sarah Kerrigan.
Upon hearing Raynor's question, Gaozan's hologram leaned forward, enlarging the Blade Queen's image until it filled the entire room.
The Astartes captain traced a finger across the projection, calling up a battle recording.
In the footage, the creature with a human female form covered in alien carapace unleashed terrifying psychic power, shredding the shields of multiple Flame Lizard warriors.
"That's right." Gaozan's voice was like ice. "That thing murdered my brothers."
His words carried a suppressed fury that chilled the entire room.
Jim Raynor's face darkened instantly, eyes locked on the projection.
As someone who had once been close to Sarah Kerrigan, he understood all too well what this meant.
Worse, he had seen Astartes in action firsthand—and witnessed the terrifying power Athena had unleashed.
Provoking the human Empire might be more dangerous than facing the entire alien swarm.
Tychus, sensing his old friend's tension, leaned in and quietly muttered:
"Little Jimmy, looks like your bug girlfriend's in real deep this time."
The gruff soldier uncharacteristically wore a serious expression. "I suggest you stop dreaming about saving her. From the looks of it, she's long past redemption."
Raynor said nothing. His face grew darker still, eyes flicking between the image of the Blade Queen and the surrounding Imperial officials—his mind a whirlwind of conflict.
Just then, Leon broke the silence:
"The Blade Queen is a high-value research target. With her existence, we can draw out high-dimensional beings of this universe."
He then turned to Gaozan's projection and continued, "So, Captain Gaozan, in order to ensure the alien swarm never again harasses human planets, we need the full support of your company and fleet."
Leon paused, scanning the room. "After all, a bug is still a bug. We cannot trust that the threat of the Goddess of War alone will forever deter them from attacking human worlds."
"Understood."
Gaozan's reply was firm.
The Astartes captain's hologram stood tall. "The Flame Lizards' Third Company stands ready at any time. We will make those xenos understand the cost of provoking the human Empire."
A brief silence fell over the room.
The battle footage continued to loop, the Blade Queen's figure flickering amid psychic storms.
Jim Raynor finally looked up. The Ranger commander's eyes gleamed with a complicated light, but in the end, he said nothing.
Tychus simply patted Raynor's shoulder and sighed silently.
Everyone knew the truth.
This meeting had set the tone for the coming war. And in that war, Sarah Kerrigan—once human—was now fully on the opposing side.
Had the Empire not deemed her valuable, she would've been slain by Athena without hesitation.
After all, the human Empire had no reason to show mercy.
(End of Chapter)
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