Chapter 385: The Mega-Corp–Protoss Coalition! The Final Fragments! The Worldship Expedition!
"David, arrange for a delegation to negotiate directly with the Daelaam Protoss. See if we can strike a deal with them."
"Also, approve all of Paul's proposed decisions. Leave the rest entirely to him."
Li Ang gave the orders in quick succession.
Since Paul had already accounted for everything, the best approach was to give him full authority. All he needed to do was report back to headquarters regularly.
[Understood!] came the reply from David Martinez on the hard-light screen.
Having such a capable subordinate was a boon for Li Ang as well—after all, Paul had risen through the ranks thanks to his personal recommendation.
Meanwhile, on Bysel, the High Templar had already contacted their High Council. A Protoss fleet would soon be arriving.
Having also completed his briefing to HQ, Paul prepared to inspect the Daelaam military strength and begin planning the assault on Naeon's stronghold.
While they waited, good news arrived from another branch of the Mega-Megacorp.
The Legacy Expeditionary Force, while aiding the rebels in liberating Terran Dominion colonies, had discovered a Dominion task force on a dead world called Cyyr. They were excavating a Xel'Naga temple.
To investigate what exactly the Dominion was looking for, the MegaMegacorp dispatched a reconnaissance team to infiltrate Cyyr.
What they found was that Dominion forces were locked in a brutal battle with a Tal'darim contingent guarding the temple. After a long, drawn-out fight, the MegaMegacorp capitalized on the exhausted Dominion troops.
The moment the Dominion finally defeated the Tal'darim, the MegaMegacorp and rebel forces launched a surprise attack. Not only did they wipe out the Dominion troops, they also uncovered the third Keystone Fragment inside the temple!
This unexpected windfall significantly accelerated the hunt for the Keystone Fragments. Now, with only two pieces left, the Mega-Corp was within striking distance of assembling the complete Xel'Naga artifact.
One of the remaining fragments was located aboard an abandoned Xel'Naga Worldship.
The other had just been identified.
Aboard the Hyperion's bridge, Tychus had already made contact with the buyer's liaison. That individual passed along the latest intelligence regarding the artifact fragments to the Raiders.
Unbeknownst to the Moebius Foundation, Raynor had already allied himself with the Mega-Megacorp. The valuable intel they provided him had, in effect, become another free gift to the Corp.
> [One of the artifact fragments is located on a planet called "Typhon," but its host star is on the verge of going supernova. Retrieve the fragment before the explosion.]
Attached to the message was a galactic map showing the star system coordinates.
The Moebius Foundation's painstakingly gathered intelligence had once again allowed the MegaMegacorp to kill two birds with one stone—now they had leads on both of the final fragments.
"Excellent. Looks like we need to head to Typhon immediately!" Jim Raynor declared.
He knew just how terrifying a supernova could be—one of the most cataclysmic forces in the universe. Delay even a little, and there might be no chance left to recover the fragment.
Paul agreed with Raynor's assessment. However, the Daelaam Protoss were also preparing a full-scale offensive against the Tal'darim, aiming to purge their ranks and settle old scores.
Since the final fragment was in Tal'darim territory, Paul couldn't afford to miss the opportunity. After all, spoils belong to the victor, and if a dispute broke out over the fragment with the Daelaam, things could become very complicated.
That meant the Mega-Corp had to have a presence in the offensive against the Tal'darim.
After a moment of thought, Paul issued his orders:
"Raynor, the fragment on Typhon is your responsibility. I'll take the rest of our forces to the Worldship."
"I'll assign you additional support personnel. Just make sure to retrieve the fragment as quickly as possible."
The Raiders had limited manpower—if they burned through their troops, they'd have nothing left. Paul didn't want Raynor's people dying in vain. There was simply no need for that.
"I'll be fine on my end. Once you've secured the fragment, return to the forward base immediately."
With this plan, the Mega-Corp could gather all five fragments in record time. Li Ang 's strategic operation within the StarCraft universe would be more than halfway complete.
All that remained was the final confrontation with Amon—and the question of whether they would negotiate or go to war.
Raynor nodded in agreement. Given the current situation, splitting into two teams was clearly the most efficient option. He was just as eager to complete the set and save Kerrigan.
"The Hyperion is ready for launch. That front's all yours!"
Like Paul, Raynor was laser-focused on completing the collection. He and the Raiders set off immediately for Typhon, aiming for the fourth fragment.
As Paul watched the Hyperion vanish into the upper atmosphere, he turned back to patiently await the Daelaam Protoss fleet. He hoped they'd send a truly capable strike force.
After all, a cornered beast is at its most dangerous—and no one could predict what kind of terrifying weapons the desperate Tal'darim might unleash.
The Megacorp's expeditionary force was mid-to-high tier in terms of strength. As for the rest of the allied fleets, it would depend on how good the High Templar's lottery draw turned out to be.
The Golden Armada was the Daelaam's main force for fighting the Zerg, so it was unlikely they would dispatch them just to clean house.
In truth, the Daelaam still viewed the Tal'darim through a lens of barbarism and backwardness—as primitive savages dwelling in caves, compared to their own high-tech civilization and structured society.
From their perspective, this wouldn't even be a real fight—it would be a one-sided slaughter.
But that perception was dangerously wrong.
While the Tal'darim were undoubtedly brutal, their ability to reverse-engineer and repurpose advanced tech was formidable. Their "freeloading" skills were top-notch.
Otherwise, they never would've managed to build weapons like the Colossus.
If the Daelaam High Council sent only weak or inexperienced units, they could be walking into a disaster.
To get a clearer picture, Paul sought out the High Templar to ask what kind of fleet the Council planned to dispatch.
"Don't worry, Paul. I've already briefed the Council. They've promised to send a powerful Protoss fleet."
"I'm confident they won't let you down!"
Artanis hoped that the Daelaam and the Mega-Corp could form a lasting alliance—after all, it would help both factions crush the Zerg and thwart Amon's dark schemes.
Even if humanity dreamed of ascending to Xel'Naga status, with their limited racial potential, they'd have to wait their turn—after the Protoss.
All things considered, humans and Protoss didn't have any irreconcilable conflicts of interest, and a cooperative relationship seemed entirely feasible.
"Good. The Tal'darim are a Protoss sub-faction. If you can handle them yourselves, all the better. We're not really in a position to meddle in your internal affairs."
Paul nodded.
This battle was, at its core, an internal Protoss affair. As outsiders, the Mega-Corp had no place interfering in a family feud.
If they could simply cheer from the sidelines and still walk away with the Keystone Fragment, that would be the ideal outcome.
After patiently waiting for two weeks, the Mega-Corp's expeditionary forces had completed construction of a robust shield perimeter on Bysel and stationed elite troops to secure the Terrazine reserves.
David Martinez had also dispatched an additional fleet to assist Paul in the remaining missions.
This fleet consisted of three capital ships: a Battlecruiser, War Moon, and the Long Night, forming the core of a powerful space flotilla. It was accompanied by over a hundred cruisers and destroyers.
Such a formidable armada was more than enough to intimidate the remnants of the Tal'darim.
Commanding this fleet were two of the Megacorp's most respected military leaders: Marshal Terrence and General Andrew.
It was they who had previously led the expeditionary force that seized one of the fragments from the Dominion.
Once the new fleet arrived at Bysel, Paul headed to the flagship to report in:
"Advance Recon Unit Commander, Paul Atreides, reporting!"
Seeing the sharp and capable Paul, Terrence and Andrew regarded him as though admiring a finely honed blade. They shook his hand and said:
"You've done well, Paul."
"Thanks to your efforts, we're one step closer to the boss's ultimate objective."
The fragments recovered from the Xel'Naga temple and Bysel had already been transferred to David's Battlecruiser.
Raynor and the Raiders were en route to Typhon, which meant the only obstacle left was the Tal'darim.
"Your actions were equally crucial. If you hadn't secured that third fragment, our progress wouldn't have been this fast," Paul replied, exchanging some mutually respectful flattery.
Andrew chuckled and said, "We just got lucky. Honestly, we were only trying to capture some Dominion troops."
"Who could've guessed they were after a fragment too? Good thing the boss laid the groundwork early. Looks like a lot of factions are now racing for these things!"
Paul frowned slightly and nodded. Ever since the MegaMegacorp began moving, other powers had started emerging, all chasing the same goal:
The Keystone Fragments.
While the Moebius Foundation had made the first move, the MegaMegacorp had intercepted the Raiders and, in one sweep, acquired two fragments for free.
With the third secured from the Dominion by Marshal Terrence's forces, they now held three fragments—likely driving Moebius' secretive leader, Narud, to the brink of rage.
Now that the MegaMegacorp's fleet was fully assembled, all that remained was to see what kind of reinforcements the Daelaam would send.
Fortunately, Paul didn't have to wait long. Not long after Terrence and Andrew's arrival, a radiant Protoss Mothership emerged from warp space.
Closely following behind were two more Protoss carriers and a Void Prism Ship, along with no fewer than fifty Storm Warships, pirate ships, and other types of escort vessels.
Unlike the sleek, efficient industrial designs of the Universe Megacorp, the Protoss carriers and warships had a more rounded, flowing form. Rather than appearing as cold, destructive machines of war, they looked more like ships out of a fairytale.
But this was indeed a distinctive hallmark of Protoss civilization. Though their ship designs seemed to defy many scientific principles, they somehow boasted impressive structural integrity and combat performance.
Moreover, the Protoss wielded a unique form of psionic shield technology, significantly enhancing their warships' combat capabilities—far beyond what the Megacorp had initially assessed.
From the outside, their carriers didn't appear to be heavily armed, but that was because the Protoss allocated the majority of internal space to swarms of unmanned interceptors.
Their primary attack methods could be summed up in two ways: direct strikes from main cannons and relentless harassment from waves of interceptors.
As for secondary guns, close-in defense systems, and long-range artillery arrays, those were rarely used—more ornamental than practical.
Soon, the seemingly massive Protoss fleet slowly came to a halt in orbit above Planet Bysel.
Upon seeing their ship configuration, Paul frowned slightly. The fleet dispatched by the Daelam Protoss only had one core flagship.
The rest of the carriers and Storm Warships weren't that numerous either—this hardly looked like a force meant to participate in a decisive battle.
According to intel from the Multiverse Base Headquarters, Naeon's Tal'darim forces possessed terrifying weapons like the "Matriarch-class Warship."
And with the Tal'darim currently occupying an abandoned Xel'naga Worldship, there was no telling what kind of devastating systems it might still house.
To ensure the operation's success, the Universe Megacorp had assembled a heavily reinforced expeditionary legion—while the Daelam Protoss force, at best, could only be considered a standard expeditionary fleet.
"Looks like we'll be handling most of this operation ourselves," Paul sighed. "These Protoss probably can't be relied on."
The Daelam High Council was too arrogant. They hadn't fully grasped the threat posed by the Tal'darim. Clearly, this race still had a long way to go before they could hope to ascend to become true Xel'naga.
"Should we request another legion from HQ?" Andrew asked. Paul held full operational authority here. If he gave the word, David could dispatch additional space forces at any time.
"There's no time. Reallocating troops now would be too late. We have enough manpower to secure the Keystone fragment at least."
Paul estimated the upcoming operation based on his sharpened intuition—an ability refined through spice-enhanced cognitive development. His predictions of future trends were rarely off the mark.
Had it not been for the Megacorp's reinforced expeditionary fleet, these Protoss warships would be marching straight into a massacre if they dared challenge the Tal'darim on their own.
Just then, the Daelam fleet's Executor, Lokia, descended onto Bysel. Paul and the Templar warrior Artanis were already on the ground awaiting their arrival.
As soon as Lokia landed and saw the welcoming party, a look of disgust appeared instinctively on their face. "What a repulsive stench. No wonder only those Tal'darim degenerates would choose to live in a place like this."
To the Daelam Protoss, Bysel's thazine-rich atmosphere was akin to cigarette smoke to a human—it stung the senses of those who had never been exposed to it before.
Upon seeing the long-anticipated fleet arrive, Artanis stepped forward eagerly to greet the Executor.
"Lokia! It's such a pleasure to see you here. I assume the Council has appointed you to lead the offensive against the Tal'darim? Is this our vanguard force? The scale looks quite formidable!"
Artanis was thrilled. It was the first time he'd ever seen such a large vanguard fleet. Surely the main force behind it would be even more inspiring.
But Lokia merely glanced at Artanis and didn't return the greeting—instead, they coldly rebuked him.
"Artanis, I never expected someone as distinguished as you—a High Templar—to be captured by a bunch of Tal'darim rats."
"But don't worry. Now that I'm here, I'll make sure to avenge your humiliation."
Artanis instantly sensed something was off. He was about to defend the Tal'darim—not that they were rats—when he realized from Lokia's tone and demeanor that the Council had likely only dispatched this single fleet.
"Wait! Are you saying you're not the vanguard? Did the Council really only send your fleet? Didn't I make the situation clear enough?!"
Artanis's heart sank. He had assumed Lokia was leading a vanguard force that had arrived ahead of the main army.
But from Lokia's words, it became obvious the Council hadn't recognized the true danger posed by the Tal'darim.
Still, Lokia arrogantly replied, "Artanis, the Council understood your report—but they also believe you've been frightened by the Tal'darim."
"There's no need to worry. I'll lead this fleet to restore your confidence—with a crushing victory over those renegade degenerates who dare betray Protoss civilization!"
In that moment, Artanis nearly broke down. He had experienced firsthand just how terrifying the Tal'darim were. These were warriors raised by raiding and bloodshed, arguably the most powerful interstellar pirate force in the entire galaxy.
Anyone who underestimated them was destined to pay a steep price.
"No—you need to gather more fleets immediately! That Tal'darim force is not something we can defeat with just this formation!"
Artanis pleaded, desperate to prevent Lokia from repeating his own tragedy.
"Enough, Artanis! These are the High Council's orders. And I'm the Executor of this fleet. If you're too afraid, feel free to return on your own!"
Lokia snapped, visibly irritated. He couldn't believe that a once-fearless warrior like Artanis had been reduced to this, even losing composure in front of humans—utterly humiliating for the Daelam.
Among Daelam Protoss, the Tal'darim were seen as a barbaric, backwards offshoot—heretics at best.
It was like how no one would expect a primitive tribe to pose any real threat to a modern army.
What's more, the Daelam were currently engaged in a massive war with the Zerg. Most of their fleets had already been deployed to clear out the swarm.
They simply didn't have the spare capacity to "clean house." Otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to fight alongside Raynor's Raiders in the first place.
If the war hadn't been so dire, the arrogant Protoss wouldn't have bothered speaking to humans at all.
From this exchange, Paul was almost certain: this so-called Executor Lokia was just here to throw bodies at the enemy.
That Protoss fleet would be little more than cannon fodder. The real fighting would have to be handled by the Universe Megacorp's expeditionary troops.
Paul had long anticipated this. He had already secured authorization to deploy strategic weapons like Neutron Eradicators, MD-500 Medics, and Nova-class nukes.
As long as the Daelam didn't mind, the Megacorp had no problem helping them clean house.
But once the battle started, the Megacorp wasn't going to babysit the Protoss fleet. If they wanted to charge in and tank the enemy's fire, fine—Paul's team would stay behind and deal the real damage.
After a fruitless war of words with Lokia, Artanis returned to Paul, visibly discouraged.
"I'm sorry, Paul."
"It looks like the Council didn't take my warning seriously. They're underestimating the Tal'darim. We're about to face a truly brutal battle."
Artanis had never seen the full might of the Megacorp's space forces. In his mind, human warships were relatively weak.
He had originally hoped the Daelam fleet would carry the humans through this. But now it looked like they might be walking straight into a double slaughter.
"So what's your plan, Artanis?" Paul asked calmly. After all, it wasn't his men being sent to die.
"This is a direct order from the Council. No matter how difficult this mission may be, as Templar warriors we must carry it out with resolve."
Artanis had already made peace with the idea of dying in battle. He only pitied the human fleet—they hadn't needed to be part of this suicidal war.
"Very well. Then we'll assist you. No matter the outcome, we have to fight."
Paul took the opportunity to formally propose a joint strike: the Megacorp would lend its strength, but they wanted the Tal'darim's Keystone fragment in return.
"Thank you, Paul," Artanis said with sincere gratitude. "But you really don't need to take on this kind of risk."
"We know what we're doing. Don't worry," Paul replied with a smile—genuine, like Artanis's.
"Very well."
Artanis relayed Paul's terms to Lokia, who merely scoffed, "As long as they don't drag us down, I don't care."
That one line was enough to show Lokia had agreed to Paul's condition. If the battle succeeded, the Megacorp could claim the Keystone fragment.
Clearly, even if they drove off the Tal'darim, the Daelam still didn't think much of humanity's combat abilities.
Lokia only allowed them to tag along out of gratitude for rescuing the captured Templar warriors.
Still, Paul had what he needed—formal acknowledgment from the Daelam Protoss. At least when the spoils were divided, there wouldn't be any disputes.
If they wanted the Protoss to respect humanity's strength, they'd have to earn it the old-fashioned way—with firepower.
Before long, after regrouping and organizing their forces, the joint fleet of humans and Protoss set out from Planet Bysel.
Their next destination: the Sigma Sector—Naeon's final stronghold.
Their goal: crush the remaining Tal'darim forces and seize the last Keystone fragment.