"The Kachinsky family and I go back a long way. I've already met your uncle Jordan on Mar Sara; he still leads the team that's been studying the alien ruins."
Augustus Mengsk regarded the young man named Victor and found him somewhat like the Milo who drifted through the Hyperion's bridge, machine shops, and bars in the game — clearly a member of the same family.
"Uncle Jordan is a good man, but after we lost the war with the Terran Confederacy he had to flee Moria to avoid being dragged into the family's internal disputes." Victor's voice was as low as many Moria natives'.
The Kachinsky family was vast, with countless members and constant infighting for power within.
"My other uncle Abraham was driven away by the family's internal tyranny. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll leave Moria in the coming years and join a resistance force against the Terran Confederacy. As far as I know, the Freedom Revolution Army, the Fist of Redemption, the Sons of Abraham, and the Korhal Revolutionary Army are the most well-known military organizations still opposing the Confederacy's brutal rule within the Koprulu sector."
"There are still many resistance groups in the Kel-Morian territories, like the Snakehead Komando, the Hydra, and remnants of the Border Sentinels; they still possess considerable military strength." Augustus asked Victor, "Why don't you join them?"
"Most of them lack support; their supplies and equipment come from civilian donations. In a few years they'll collapse from within, disband on the spot, or turn into uncontrollable pirates," Victor answered Augustus seriously. "The Combine's board only offers assistance to the rebel groups it backs; it keeps a polite distance from the rest."
"The Kel-Morian resistance fights to reclaim lost territory — but I will fight for only one purpose: to utterly destroy the Terran Confederacy and overthrow their brutal rule in the Koprulu sector."
"Good." Augustus glanced at Victor and classified him as one of his kind. They exchanged a smile and found immediate accord.
"But I need to know what you're good at so I can assign you a proper post. What did you study at Sakai University?"
"I graduated early with a degree in mechanical engineering — I'm nine months shy of eighteen, but by Moria tradition I was already considered an adult at sixteen." Victor smiled.
"I liked being around explosives since I was little. At three I blew up Uncle Abraham's favorite cherry tree with a detonator. By ten I began studying spider mines, booby mines, and naval mines." He spoke with full confidence.
Victor comported himself with steady self-possession before Augustus. As a member of the Kachinsky family, he had seen the Combine's elites and guild figures from an early age.
This vast family power stretched across Moria and most of its affiliated colonies, controlling the transport industry, shipbuilding, and high-end weapons research and development—an elite concentration whose influence was rooted in every screw and engine the Combine manufactured, just as every refined crystal ore produced by the Combine bore the Morian Mining Coalition's mark.
"I'm an expert in that field; I already hold several upgrade patents for spider mines."
"Your enlistment is approved." Augustus agreed to Victor's request to join the Revolutionary Army after a moment's thought—this was indeed a rare talent in his view.
Augustus had heard about this nephew's extraordinary life from Victor's uncle Jordan. Victor had skipped grades and entered the Kel-Morian Combine's most prestigious Sakai University at thirteen; after a year he withdrew to participate in the Combine's spider-mine R&D work.
Victor's breakthroughs in spider-mine manufacturing materials made the mines far cheaper, and his development of blade-like auxiliary legs allowed spider mines to burrow deeper into the ground.
During the four-year war, for every four Confederacy soldiers killed by Kel-Morian spider mines, one of those deaths could be attributed to Victor's achievements.
After the Guild Wars ended, Victor returned to Sakai University and in less than a year completed all the coursework that should have taken four years.
"I heard you have a younger brother named Milo." Augustus asked Victor again—
"Oh, that kid—he just turned ten this year." Victor looked at Augustus with mild puzzlement.
"I'm curious what made Milo leave an impression on a Revolutionary Army marshal. He's mischievous and likes pranks, but we all liked the boy."
"Jordan used to mention his nephews and nieces a lot; I just wrote down the names." Augustus shrugged.
"If you've truly decided to join the Korhal Revolutionary Army, you'll likely need to be ready to leave Moria with the revolutionary fleet soon. It could be in a week, or it could be tomorrow."
"I told you I graduated early. I spoke with my family months ago about leaving the clan and my hometown after graduation, and my indifferent relatives can't wait for me to pack up and go." Victor replied.
"What are you prepared to do? I can start from the rank-and-file."
"I can start as a private." After talking with Victor for a time, Augustus already had a plan for what post to assign him.
"I'll place you in the Revolutionary Army's engineering corps for a while. I'll make you the deputy to Fleet Chief Engineer Rori Swann—he's a Kel-Morian of Meinhoff descent and should be reasonably friendly to Moria natives. After some time, I'll assign you to the physics research lab to participate in the development of new mines." he said.
"I'm very satisfied." Victor smiled. "So when can I start? If possible, I'd still prefer to be sent to a frontline combat unit."
"Starting today—you are already a Revolutionary Army private." Augustus thought to himself that the Hyperion engineering team was now provisionally assembled; they only lacked a captain, Matt Horner.
"There'll be a chance to see the battlefield, young man."
After saying that, Augustus patted Victor on the shoulder, motioning for him to follow as they left the conference hall together. "You'd better take some time to pack up your belongings from the student dormitory. We might be leaving the university this afternoon—once we're gone, you won't find us again."
"No need for all that trouble. I don't need luggage. I can leave right now." Victor walked side by side with Augustus down the elegantly patterned spiral corridor leading from the hall.
Hearing this, Augustus immediately turned to Corporal Faraday at his side. "Make a record. Have the logistics people issue Mr. Victor a uniform and an M-3 backpack… two sets of bedding, and a military sonic shaver."
By now, most of the students in the hall had dispersed, leaving only a few still standing there. A small number were preparing to leave Moria with the Revolutionary Army today, while the rest were merely watching.
After today, the news that the Korhal Revolutionary Army's Marshal had given a speech at Sakai University would spread across the Combine's media networks, and the Terran Confederacy's outlets would soon catch wind of traces that Augustus Mengsk had reappeared after crushing Alpha Squadron.
But by the time the Terran Confederacy's naval fleets reached Combine space, Augustus would have been long gone. The Combine government would promptly declare that it was merely a clown impersonating Augustus Mengsk to attract fame and fortune.
"Your speech today will surely go down in history. When people speak of the great freedom fighter Augustus Mengsk, they'll inevitably quote what you said here." Corporal Faraday said excitedly as Augustus exited the hall.
"Ease up on the flattery—truth's never easy on the ears." Augustus was still speaking when the electromagnetic wristwatch on his arm began to vibrate slightly.
This wristwatch came from the Umojan intelligence service, often issued to agents stationed across different worlds. Under normal conditions, this carefully designed device could also serve as a communications unit.
Augustus had already descended the stairs and gestured for his entourage to stop. When he lifted the cover of his wristwatch, a large holographic projection screen—about 20 cm across—appeared before him.
"Listen, Augustus—we've got big trouble." The voice came from none other than Jim Raynor aboard the Hyperion's bridge.
"..." Augustus frowned, gazing at Raynor's stern expression, realizing at once that this was no ordinary matter.
"What happened? What could possibly be more serious than Harnack leaving his filthy socks on Tychus's ketchup?"
"We've received a distress signal from the First Colonist Fleet, sent two weeks ago. They were attacked on the edge of the Koprulu sector by an unidentified enemy—apparently invisible, and coming from the jungle." Raynor's face looked grim.
After the Confederacy's fleet destroyed Korhal, six colonist fleets carrying half of Korhal's population had set out more than a year ago, driven by the dream of finding a new home.
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