"We are mineral merchants from Moria—of the Mobius Guild," Augustus introduced himself to the calm and composed black-haired girl.
"My fleet has been traveling through space for half a year now, and our food supplies are running short. We urgently need new flour, canned goods, and processed protein," he said.
Augustus was telling the truth. With over two million additional Korhal immigrants aboard, the Revolutionary Army's fleet had indeed fallen into a food shortage crisis.
"And I've learned that Bernard Hanson is the Immigration Chairman here. Perhaps he might be able to help us."
"I'm his daughter, Ariel Hanson. My father is presiding over a meeting right now." Ariel glanced past Augustus toward Raynor and the others, then suddenly took a few steps back.
Ariel was a very pretty young girl, inheriting her mother's lovely features and her father's black hair and green eyes. She had long lashes and a pair of expressive, beautiful eyes; her voice was soft and delicate, carrying the purity and sincerity unique to Agria.
At that moment, more than a dozen men in khaki coats and flat caps stood beside Augustus, yet Ariel could still tell at a glance that he was their leader.
A man like Augustus—merely by standing there—made it seem perfectly natural that so many would follow him. Just by standing, he gave others the impression that he would never fall.
Out of concern that revealing his true identity might cause unnecessary trouble, Augustus had used the Umojan Shadow Guard's nano-mask to add wrinkles and a beard to his face.
Thus, the image that appeared before Ariel was that of a mature man. Now Augustus had thick eyebrows, a prominent aquiline nose, a dense beard, and a firm expression—the very likeness of how he imagined himself to look in his thirties.
Ariel was only thirteen this year, still a student at the local high school, yet she seemed quite fond of this mature image of Augustus, enough to slightly lower the guard she should have had.
"I've heard that the Kel-Morians are the shortest humans in all of the Koprulu Sector—and you are undoubtedly a giant among them," Ariel said, looking at Augustus.
"You'd better not let Swann and his cousins hear that, or they'll flip the table," Raynor whispered at once to Harnack and Tychus beside him.
"She's not wrong," Tychus muttered.
"Hahaha." Harnack burst into laughter.
"The prejudice between Terrans and Kel-Morians has a long history. But in the end, we are all humans who came to the Koprulu Sector more than two hundred years ago," Augustus said with a faint smile. "How much longer until your father returns? If it'll still be a while, I'd like to look around a bit."
"In Moria, green plants and clean air are resources even more precious than minerals."
"He'll be back soon—the meeting ends in five minutes," Ariel said with scholarly precision.
"Good. Then we'll wait patiently," Augustus nodded.
"Wait a moment—" Ariel raised her hand to check her electronic watch, and just as she was about to speak, a middle-aged man with the same black hair and green eyes approached, accompanied by many armed Agria settlers.
The people of Agria, men and women alike, generally had wheat-colored, rough skin and muscular builds from years of farm labor. The followers behind the middle-aged man included both men and women; they wore bulletproof vests and carried semi-automatic rifles, watching Tychus and the others behind Augustus with wary eyes.
At present, only a few electromagnetic firearm models—such as the E-series and C-series—were capable of piercing CMC power armor. The weapons in the Agria settlers' hands still used chemical propellants and conventional ammunition. Deadly against men, these firearms, however, were of little use against powered armor.
If Augustus so wished, a single battalion of the Revolutionary Army's marines could wipe out the Agria colony.
"Welcome to Agria, friends from afar," the man strode toward Augustus, his followers moving in step behind him, the belts of bullets on their bodies glinting bronze-gold in the sunlight.
"I am Bernard Hanson."
"Pleased to meet you," Augustus removed his gloves and shook Bernard's hand amicably. "I'm Caesar Augustus."
"That name and surname aren't uncommon among the Kel-Morians. Some Moria-born folk like to give their children names related to ancient Romans from the Terran era," Bernard showed no trace of surprise.
"You seem a little too enthusiastic," Augustus remarked, pointing at the heavily armed Agria settlers behind Bernard.
"Two months ago, a band of Kimeran Pirates attacked here and killed quite a few people." Bernard beckoned to his daughter, signaling her to come to his side.
Bernard Hanson was also a tall man. He had a long, serious face and wore black-rimmed glasses on his prominent nose. A graduate of Tarsonis University, Bernard was a renowned chemist. Before leaving Tarsonis for Agria, he had worked at one of the most prestigious chemical research institutes in the capital.
"Someone in town saw you—but no one could keep up with your Vulture bikes." As Ariel walked up to him, Bernard's expression softened into a gentle smile.
At those words, Raynor and the others revealed proud smiles, bumping their fists together—proud of their speed and their unrestrained riding skills.
"The last group of Kimeran Pirates numbered only about fifty, yet they brought several sets of powered armor. We suffered heavy losses before finally driving them away," Bernard said, carefully observing Augustus and his followers once more, finding no dangerous weapons on them.
The burly Tychus Findlay and the distinctively styled Harnack drew Bernard's attention, but the red-haired woman beside Augustus might actually be the most dangerous one. Not for any other reason—only because a small-caliber spike pistol hung at her waist.
Sarah Kerrigan's long, fiery red hair, tied back in a single ponytail, was particularly striking. She wore a khaki long military coat with a split hem, and a deerskin belt at her waist held two daggers several inches long.
Bernard knew he absolutely could not let his guard down.
All along, Agria had been a tranquil garden world, blessed with skies untainted by industrial pollution and pure air. Its settlers lived in harmony with nature, leading an isolated, pastoral life.
Because of its great distance from other Terran Confederacy worlds, Agria had not been touched by the Guild Wars. Even the Federal Assembly on Tarsonis had long neglected this independently founded colony of settlers. Although it continued to receive new immigrants, the total population of Agria was still smaller than that of a single small city on Tarsonis itself.
Agria was a place of picturesque scenery and pleasant climate. Its leisurely and peaceful life was precisely why so many settlers were willing to cross the Koprulu Sector to move here.
However, the planet's defensive strength was far too weak, forcing them to rely on mercenaries to fend off the pirates who occasionally discovered this virgin world. Any organized band of interstellar pirates—even if they had only a few hundred men, a handful of heavy weapons, and several suits of powered armor—could bring catastrophic disaster to Agria's settlers.
Pirates had long been the primary threat faced by the remote colonies of the Terran Confederacy. Everyone knew that these spacefaring marauders were bullies who preyed on the weak. They struck only at the smallest trade fleets and the newly established frontier colonies without a stationed Confederate garrison.
"We're merchants from Moria," Augustus said with a smile. "Believe me, we hate the Kimeran Pirates as much as you do. They are not only the most notorious outlaws in the Koprulu Sector but also insidious traffickers of technology who seem to slip through every crack."
"I came here only because my caravan ran into some trouble," Augustus said. "I need to purchase a large batch of food supplies on Agria and add a few barrels of high-energy vespene fuel to our ship's reserve tanks."
"It's not easy to reach Agria safely. Since the end of the Guild Wars, the number of pirates on the edge of the Koprulu Sector has far surpassed what it used to be." Bernard knew that the Guild Wars had ended in the Confederacy's victory, and he held no hostility toward the Kel-Morians.
Although still cautious toward Augustus and the others, Bernard was willing to sit down and have a proper conversation with them. Any trade caravan from another world would be warmly welcomed in a remote colony, for they brought with them precious goods from the Core Worlds.
"We're an armed caravan. If the Kimeran Pirates ever run into us, all they can do is steer clear," Augustus said with a smile. Bernard might still have been half skeptical of his words, yet what he said was undoubtedly true.
"Then let's sit down and talk properly." Bernard turned back, instructing some of the Agria settlers who had followed him to head home, then led the remaining twenty-some people toward the wooden fence before his house, opening the gate made of nailed planks.
"Come in and sit down, friends from Moria," he said.
Augustus glanced at Faraday, who, without a word, remained outside the fence with Augustus's guards, while Raynor and the others followed Augustus into Bernard's home.
The Hanson house was built mainly of wood and brick, with hardwood floors laid across the ground. The living room was wide and bright, decorated with bookshelves filled with volumes and glass display cases holding various biological specimens.
It seemed that no woman lived in this house. In the family photos hanging on the wall, there were only Bernard and his daughter. Only a single framed picture hidden in a corner showed a young woman wearing a white lab coat, standing inside a research institute, exuding the composed elegance of a professional woman.
Augustus noticed that the books on the shelves were all related to chemistry and biological genetic engineering, which made him think that he indeed lacked scholars in that field among his subordinates.
At present, the only team under him responsible for genetic engineering was the Cerberus Corporation, acquired two years earlier. This nominal biotech company, currently operating on Umoja, was overseeing a project to control Zerg through mechanical modification and other means—but progress was slow. After encountering the Tal'darim Protoss on Bel'Shir, Augustus had also arranged to send several Protoss corpses and some of their weapons back to Umoja.
"I graduated from the Department of Chemistry at Tarsonis University. I used to work at a chemical research institute on Tarsonis," Bernard said, pointing at the books and the white lab coat hanging on the coat rack by the door.
"You're from Tarsonis, a top graduate and a renowned scholar of Tarsonis University—what brought you all the way out here to Agria?" Augustus asked casually as he sat down beside the coffee table in the Hanson living room.
"Because I grew tired of the skyscrapers of Tarsonis and the deceit within its research institutes. Whenever I focused on my research, my colleagues busied themselves with intrigue and scheming—stealing others' results or committing academic fraud," Bernard said with a sigh.
"They were all intelligent and knowledgeable, yet unwilling to do honest, grounded research—because Tarsonis has grown increasingly impetuous. Political struggles have already begun to seep into every corner of scientific work and daily life."
"I started to feel afraid—that I would spend my entire life in the oppressive environment of Tarsonis, following routine until I died, and that my daughter would face the same fate."
"That kind of future was not the one I wanted."
"So I came to Agria, determined to build a world of my own dreams," Bernard said. "A new world that has not yet decayed."
"Agria truly is a beautiful, secluded world—far removed from all conflict," Augustus nodded.
Then, Augustus began to discuss with Bernard the matter of purchasing food supplies. The currency used for the transaction was foreign exchange issued by the National Bank of the Umojan United Republics. As Koprulu's banking authority, Umoja's credit was still highly trustworthy.
When Bernard was thoroughly satisfied with the deal, Augustus subtly steered the conversation toward Agria's pirate problem.
"I know some trustworthy mercenary friends—perhaps they can help you deal with the Kimeran Pirates," Augustus said. Of course, the mercenary friends he spoke of were his own Revolutionary Army.
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