The Colonist

"The White Owls. Very well." Barbara didn't know what was going on in Athena's head or the fact that the name she gave didn't exist as of ten seconds ago. She never heard of the White Owls before, but then again this galaxy was a big place and she had spent most of her life confined to one planet before this. "How may I be of service to the White Owls today?"

Athena glanced at Barbara and quickly went over her talking points again in her head.

Her purpose here today was very simple. Like what she did with the pirates, she wanted to make the settlement and population of R412-1 a part of her faction. Not a part in the way that White Tigress and the Kiara Legion treated their colonies and milked them dry, but rather in the way that the Venya Imperium or the Kingdom of Decima would annex a world.

There were several purposes to this, with the main one being Terran co-op commanders. There were many Terran co-op commanders, from Raynor the heroic rebel to Swann the mechanic to Nova the special forces ghost to Horner the Dominion admiral to Mengsk the Emperor. If Mira's Marauders could be unlocked via assimilating pirates and mercenaries, then it was probable that assimilating civilians might unlock new commanders as well. Maybe Raynor? Or Mengsk? She would be fine with either one of the two.

Even if the populations couldn't unlock new commanders, it would never hurt to have more people in her service. Athena could also put the passengers in this colony. A pirate group of a few hundred had trouble taking care of 300 passengers. A colony of 4,000 would have a much easier time.

Of course, Athena didn't want an annexation forced by Gauss rifles and grenade launchers. After seeing how life was for these colonists, she was sure she could find a mutually beneficial arrangement.

"First of all, I would like to inform you that we have dealt with the warship posted in your planet's orbit by the Kiara Legion. We will continue to deal with any assets of the Legion that enter this planet's orbit. The Legion will bother you no more."

The young woman, a brunette with a sidearm strapped to her belt, smiled at the news, but Barbara made no such gesture. The Kiara Legion might be gone, but their people would simply be under new oppression at the hands of a different faction. One whose demands might exceed that of the Legion.

"And how can we thank you for this…liberation?" She replied quietly, having little doubt over Athena's words. She was aware of the light cruiser that had been inspecting every ship that arrived at or departed from this world. If Athena got here with a small army, she was likely telling the truth about the ship.

"There is no need for gratitude. I am not here to ask for your thanks." Athena said. "I am here to make a proposal."

"Proposal?" Barbara felt her heart sink. She had heard many proposals from various pirates before, and they never ended well for her and her people.

"The White Owls is willing to offer protection to your people and your settlement. We will defend you from any external threats, such as the Kiara Legion or other pirate forces." Athena announced what she had to offer first before making clear her demands. "In exchange, this settlement and its population will become a part of the White Owls."

"In your dream!" The young woman was the first to snap at the proposal. "Never!"

"Lily!" Barbara snapped, and Lily quickly went silent. Still, Athena could feel the young woman staring daggers at her. She ignored Lily and kept her eyes on the older woman, the one who could actually make the decisions around here.

Barbara was quiet for a few seconds before raising her voice again. Her fears have become true. This new armed group, the White Owls, wanted even more than the previous pirates. The pirates simply wanted frequent paychecks for free. The Owls wanted…everything.

"We are honest folks. Life is tough here, and I will gladly admit that, but we make an honest living as miners." Barbara said, slowly but sternly. The armored man on the other side of the desk didn't intimidate her. She had appeared polite so far, but this was one point where she couldn't afford to back down. "We are willing to pay you fees in exchange for being allowed to operate on this planet undisturbed, but we will not join your...faction."

Athena nodded gently, not that she was surprised by the rejection.

"I have read the files on your settlement, Barbara. Your homeworld was ruled by an oppressive empire that levied absurd taxes on its lower class. You spent your entire saving and called in a lot of favors to get as many people out of that environment as possible. It is a noble cause, and trust me when I say you have my respect."

These words from Athena were completely genuine. Athena knew she herself would never throw away her wealth to help people who were practically strangers to her. She respected the older woman, but that didn't stop her from realizing how naive Barbara was.

"But I am sure by now you have seen how things are in the corners of this star system. In the remote planets and moons that no empire had laid claim to." She tapped on the table with her armored fingers. "Yes, there is freedom here. You and your people are free to do whatever you want without having to deal with insane taxes and absurd regulations from corrupt officials, but at the same time, others, pirates and mercenaries alike, are free to do whatever they wish to you and your people. Simply because they have more guns and more ships."

"Murders. Piracy. Crime. Extortion. This is freedom. True freedom. Is that really what you want?"

This was what Athena didn't understand about Barbara's plan. They left the Sandera Empire. Great. Sandera Empire was a terrible place for most of its population and it was only fair for the oppressed to leave, but instead of migrating to the territories of another nation or empire that was a little less corrupt, they decided to go out on their own. No warships. No real weapons or military training. No mercenaries and no private security forces. They just decided to find a corner of the galaxy and try to live a mostly isolated life. Perhaps they had banked on their location never being discovered? But given how they made a living by exporting what they mined from this planet in exchange for food and supplies, complete secrecy was almost impossible to achieve.

Her words made Barbara go silent. Even she had to admit Athena had a point. She and her people have paid enough price since first settling on this world five months ago. There had been moments when she regretted this decision, but it was too late to leave now. They had invested too much into this colony. Plus, when the light cruiser was still in orbit, any attempt to leave the territories of the Legion would end in disaster.

"So we should rely on you, the White Owls, to protect us. Is that right?" Lily couldn't help but speak up again. This time Barbara didn't interrupt.

"Yes," Athena admitted.

"This is just another form of oppression! Another excuse!" The young woman snapped, burning fury in her voice. "You are no different from the pirates! You are just another gang of hypocrites who are trying to profit off of our hard work! What if we say no? Will you and your people kill us all and destroy everything we have worked so hard to build? Because…because you have more guns and more ships? Because that's how this galaxy works?"

Even as those words left her mouth, Lily was a little horrified by what she said. Despite her rash habits, she was no idiot. Angering an envoy with 16 fully armored troops with automatic weapons was a bad idea. They couldn't even handle the envoy, much less the force behind it.

To her surprise, Athena simply shook her head.

"No." She replied quietly and addressed the young woman. "If you say no, we will leave you alone. We will still be in your world's orbit to deal with the Kiara Legion, but by the time that matter is settled, we will wish you the best of luck and leave you and your world. Your hard work will not be ruined by our hand."

"That being said, I hope you will understand the truth." She paused and glanced at Barbara, who seemed to understand the situation a lot better than her…daughter? "The truth is that your people are simple prey in a dangerous galaxy. On any day, a new war host may find its way into your world. They may be pirates who simply want a cut of your income for free. They may be warlords who want to draft your husbands and sons to war and burn everything else to the ground. They may be criminal syndicates who just want to make a quick buck with whatever means necessary. Without protection, everything you build and everyone you love may be taken away from you at any time, and there will be nothing you can do about it."

"That is not a threat. That is a simple fact. One that you should have understood long before you ever left your homeworld and embarked on this trip."

By the time she was done, the room was silent. Both Lily and Barbara knew Athena was right. Their experience in the last months was a testament to that.

As far as they saw, these so-called White Owls were entirely capable of protecting them. Despite never spending time in the military, both women understood the significance of having uniform armor and weapons. These men also displayed an impressive level of discipline compared to the common pirates they have been dealing with.

"If we yield…if we join you," Barbara finally asked. "What guarantee will I have that you will not become another Sandera Empire? How do we know we will be treated fairly?"

"Guarantee? What guarantee do you want from me? I can give you all the promises you wish right here right now, but what power will that hold?" Athena scoffed. What did Barbara want her to do? Sign a contract? "If we really wish to oppress you and force you all into slavery, we can do it right now. Your people aren't exactly the most difficult to conquer. The simple fact that I am here on the negotiation table should be a testament to my good faith."

The two women on the other side of the table exchanged a glance. Indeed, they had little ability to stand up to these White Owls in force if necessary. It was a painful fact that they had been made aware of for many times in the past months, and to say that sense of powerlessness was frustrating would be the understatement of the year.

"I will need to talk to the others." Barbara nodded before simply stating. "We are not a kingdom or a dictatorship. I will not force my people to make a decision they don't want."

"Of course. In the meantime, if it makes you feel safer, my men and I can return to our transports and wait for your messages." Athena knew she had done all she could at this point.

As she stood up and leave, she could see the conflicted look on the faces of the two women. Maybe this deal would fall through. Maybe it wouldn't. Regardless, she meant what she said. Colonies like this were plentiful in the galaxy, and R412-1 was hardly irreplaceable. Plus, her current focus was on the pirates and unlocking Mira.

This settlement, as cold as it sounded, was merely an experiment on her part.

According to the information given by Captain Hector and his officers, the Kiara Legion would send messenger ships to check in with all deployed vessels in the orbit of different planets and colonies that were considered properties of the Legion. The intervals varied, but they were often between 7 to 9 standard days. These ships would usually jump in at a fixed set of coordinates and attempt to confirm the status of the light cruiser.

Overall it was an expensive precaution, but it was extremely necessary. Without such a measure, a hostile force could wipe out all external positions and forces of the Kiara Legion without the Legion itself having any idea what was going on.

The last visit the Lawbringer received from a messenger ship came around 6 standard days ago, meaning the next visit should be soon.

Athena's plans were simple. She had her air units patrol that area, and once that messenger ship arrived, she would have it destroyed. This was what she liked about interstellar communication and travel in this galaxy. There was no real way to directly communicate over large distances. As long as she could keep any messengers from leaving, she could keep the Legion from learning what was going on here.

After she destroyed the first ship, the Legion would likely send in more ships to investigate. It would be irrational of them to risk major fleets without knowing who they were going up against. This would allow Athena to gradually grind her enemies down and use the income generated to build more Terran vessels, ideally allowing her to eventually launch an attack on the main base of operation of the Kiara Legion.

For the first standard day, nothing occurred, not that this was a surprise. Athena was prepared to do some waiting.

While she was still waiting for the messenger ships to arrive, Athena, or more specifically the two Medivacs of marines on the ground, received a notification from the colonists on R412. After many hours of discussions amongst themselves, a conclusion was reached by the settlers.

In principle, they were willing to take up Athena's offer and give her what she wanted in exchange for her protection. However, there were still plenty of details that needed to be ironed out. The various duties the colonists had toward the White Owls. The levels of rights and freedoms the colony wanted to retain. The level of control the White Owls and their delegates would have over the colony.

After some thought, Athena sent a small force of 50 Terrans to the planet's surface, including marines, marauders, and a handful of widow mines. They would serve as the temporary garrison of R412-1, both to take care of any potential external threats and to remind the settlers in the colony that they were now under new leadership. The colony had a population of around 4,000, but they were mostly miners with limited weapons at their disposal. The platoon of Terrans should be more than enough as a show of force.

This platoon was led by a Terran marine named Calgar. He was one of the few survivors out of the squad of marines Athena first summoned in the forest of the Beta Regions on Sierra Prime. He was also one of the smarter ones out of all his peers. This helped him catch Athena's attention and be promoted from a simple marine to a temporary governor.

Athena was fine with attending the initial meeting with Barbara, but she preferred to delegate the details of working with the colony to her subordinates, both because a long back-and-forth negotiation would bore her and because she wanted to give Calgar a chance to start working with the colonists. He would be overseeing the colony in the near future. It was only fair that he handle the negotiations. In the end, Athena gave Calgar some information on the typical duties and rights of a colony in this galaxy and authorized him to represent the White Owls in the talks with the people of R412-1.

Hours went by before Calgar contacted Athena again and informed her that a formal agreement had been reached. There were many points in the actual agreement, with some being more important than others.

For one thing, the colonists would pay approximately 19% of their income to the White Owls as taxes. The White Owls would appoint a governor to the colony who would have the ultimate authority over the rules and policies of the colony. At the same time, to at least create a facade of protecting the interest of the people, two officials would be elected by the colonists to assist the White Owls' governor. At the same time, in addition to a garrison of White Owls troops, the colonists would raise a militia of their own. This militia would be trained and armed by the White Owls and would fight alongside the White Owls in case of an invasion. Theoretically, this militia would also help protect the colonists if the relationship with the White Owls festered.

Athena was fine with the attempts made by the colonists to protect their own rights. She had no intention of turning oppressive anytime soon, and even if she did turn against the colonists, it would take a lot more than a militia to resist her Terran forces. If the colonists wanted a militia and help the garrison do its job, they would have it.

After receiving the message from Calgar, Athena checked her game interface again and, somewhat unsurprisingly, found a new commander icon on the side of the screen.

"Just as I thought…"

Athena almost immediately recognized the face on the screen. Arcturus Mengsk. Emperor of the Terran Dominion and one of the main antagonists in the entire lore of Starcraft. The Terran Dominion was the main Terran faction in Starcraft, and as its emperor, Arcturus Mengsk deployed a combination of cheap, expandable troopers and elite royal guard units. His fighting style often involved shelling the enemy position with ordinances and then flooding the survivors with a swarm of troopers.

Absorbing mercenaries could unlock Mira Han and her Mira's Marauders. It seemed like annexing planets and populations would get her Arcturus Mengsk and his Terran Dominion forces.

The progress bar for Mengsk was only at 0.6%. What was this based on? The number of planets she acquired? The population that had come under her rule?

Athena didn't have long to wonder this question, because the messenger ship of the Kiara Legion had finally arrived.