Atanis' heavy, slow steps walked through the passage of the human battlecruiser Hyperion, cautious and vigilant for attacks from anywhere. Now, he just wants to go to the bridge of this old friend's ship and meet his old friend.

However, his old friends don't seem to welcome him much.

The auto-defense cannon sensed the arrival of the Star Spirit, and when he arrived in front of the gate, it ejected it directly and strafed the Star Spirit.

Even machine-gun bullets that were a real threat to Marines in battle armor struck Artanis, sending sparks and ripples across the hard shield.

Artanis, who didn't want to spend too much psionic energy and shields on these human weapons. And because this drone gun has no life, there is no need to bear the burden of killing him and falling into harsh reproaches for Jim Reynolds.

Bend your knees, charge, run, swing your blade.

The human construct instantly dissolved in half.

Artanis' final access to the bridge was the last gate. He stood patiently in front of the gate, waiting for it to open.

However, the gate of the human metal substance ignored the presence of Atanis, and the archbishop of the star spirit frowned slightly.

Although human technology is very backward, it is not so backward that a person stands in front of the gate but does not open it.

And Artanis, too, has seen human technology and ships, and has seen these gates. Of course, if the door is not open. Then it is very likely that the humans inside regard Artanis's enemies.

Artanis was certainly not Jim Reno's enemy, but at the moment when Jim's fleet had completed its leap and was in dialogue high in Sakulas's orbit, the archbishop realized from the fragments of language that there were likely to be some incomprehensible differences and misunderstandings between them.

Of course, Artanis did not allow such a thing to happen, so he went to the Hubelion, which had been battered by the Annihilation Reincarnation, and tried to communicate with Renault's friends in person.

Although the beginning of the communication was not smooth.

Psionic energy shakes the air, and Artanis' psionic energy is used to communicate unilaterally with the humans behind the door.

"I am the head of Dalam, Archbishop Atanis. An old friend of James Reynolds. ”

When Atanis's voice echoed across the bridge under the control of subtle psionic energy, almost all the Marines were shocked. They pointed their guns at all around in horror, but found no enemy. After hearing Atanis claim to be an old friend of James Reynolds, the Marines focused their attention on the human in the center of the bridge, wearing black combat shoulders and a white skull painted on his mask.

Jim Reno.

The masked Jim Renault didn't show any emotion, and because he didn't speak, the Marines didn't know what the Ranger leader's attitude was towards the Star Spirit outside the door.

Finally, after a long wait, Artanis, who was outside the door, spoke again:

"Please get out of the gate, human. I'll open this door manually. ”

There was a hoarse sound from the left and right of the gate, and in the lower left corner of the gate, a blue blade of light pierced the thirty-centimeter-thick gate, and where the psionic blade came into contact with the metal, the metal turned a brilliant gold and began to melt and fall.

The blade of light did not penetrate the door, but the blade under Artanis' control slowly moved along the edge of the gate, making a ninety degree turn when it touched the top of the door.

The evaporated alloy formed a cloud of boiling water vapor, making the air on the bridge a little cloudy. Although the strong air circulation system is improving the pollution caused by metal steam, the feeling of steam is difficult to erase for a while.

Eventually, after three ninety degrees, a bright, rectangular pattern appeared on the gate.

The archbishop, who had finished cutting the door, placed his hand on the gate and slowly pushed it forward.

The creaking gate used the most primitive properties of metal to prevent Artanis' from opening it, and a mistake in cutting the gate caused Artanis. Fortunately, though, the power of the astral spirits is something that humans can never match. So much so that this door, which cannot be pushed by the human body, fell on Atanis, and only a little bit of strength was needed.

The small corner of the gate began to twist slightly, and began to deform slightly. Eventually, the gate collapsed after the obstruction and twisting of the psionic blade was inadvertently cut and distorted.

"Bang !!"

Ear-wrenching voices After the battle armor was cut off, the Marines pointed their guns at the Star Spirit who pushed open the door. Under the black, heavily guarded gun, no one dared to disobey Jim's order to shoot first.

Atanis put away his twin blades early, exposing himself to the gunpoint as the sincerity of this meeting.

The confrontation seemed like a second, like a century. Jim Renaud finally made his choice under the dual influence of the sincerity shown by Atanis and the experience of fighting side by side in the past.

He took a step forward, pressed down the flat-ended rifle of a Marine in front of him with his hand, and opened the mask.

"En Taro Tassadar, James Reynolds, it looks like it happened yesterday when we were playing side by side on the El." Atanis expressed his joy at seeing the human, but Jim Renaud was not happy.

With the slaughter of civilians in the skies over Keha and the destruction of two battlecruisers, Jim could not accept his brother's death, despite the infighting between the Astral ships.

"Artanis, tell me." Jim Renaud did not use the usual honorifics of the Els, nor did he add respectful or friendly honorifics before or after Artanis' name, but simply called out the archbishop's name: "Why is there another infighting among the Starlings?" And Kerrigan has changed for the better and is no longer the enemy of all of us. Why hasn't peace yet come? And, why are your Dharam ships slaughtering civilians in the skies over Keha? ”

Jim's question was exactly what he wanted to explain to his old human friend.

"Listen to me, friend Renault," Artanis contemplated countless words in his mind, "There is an incomparably great division within the Dharam Star Spirit. A fallen Sarnagar named Aemon corrupted all the Templars through Kara - only the Templars who cut off their nerve bundles could be truly free. ”

(End of chapter)