The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2686 The Druckenville Massacre
2686. The Druckenville Massacre
Few people know that Imperial Marshal Neil Decklane is actually a dark-side Force-sensitive individual.

He had previously served in the TIE fighter squadron, during the Clone Wars, where he shot down hundreds of enemy fighters, becoming an ace pilot.

At the time, not many people realized anything was wrong; they simply thought he was a gifted pilot.

It wasn't until the war progressed and Neil de Crane participated in several battles against the Kingdom of Dawn that people realized something was amiss. He participated in the Western Campaign, the Battle of Dora, the Battle of Umbala, and the Battle of Andron, and he still performed admirably in these extremely difficult battles fought by the Galactic Republic.

In these battles, Neil Deckerlan shot down more than ten Ghost fighters, which is quite impressive.

During the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic did not have a good countermeasure against the Ghost fighters' stealth system. They mainly relied on the high-powered sensor radars carried on the Hunter-class battleships to detect the Ghost fighters and then send the data to their own fighter squadrons to guide them in battle.

Despite such unfavorable circumstances, Neil-Declan was still able to shoot down more than ten Ghost fighters, which finally attracted the attention of the Imperial military.

So the Dark Prophet Kadan personally sought him out and finally discovered that he was a Force-sensitive individual with exceptional talent.

Later, Cardan gave Neil Deckerlane basic training. He quickly discovered that Neil Deckerlane was extremely talented, but because he was almost 30 years old at this time, his great talent, coupled with years of lack of guidance, had led to his unstable mental state and unpredictable mood swings.

Neil Deckerlane appears very normal most of the time, but once his emotions fluctuate, those fluctuations are amplified infinitely. Often, even the smallest things can trigger extreme emotions in him, leading him to react in an extreme way.

Even by Sith standards, such a mindset is unacceptable. Although the dark side of the Force amplifies a person's negative emotions, the Sith Lord still requires a certain degree of control over one's emotions in order to transform those negative emotions into power.

After undergoing some training with Cardan, Cardan brought Niall Deckland to Darth Sidious. Darth Sidious recognized his talent, but also felt he wasn't yet qualified to be his apprentice, so he sent him to Dromund Kaas for further training.

After several years of training, Darth Sidious was surprised to discover that Niall Decklane had mastered the skill of combat meditation!
This is absolutely unique among the countless dark believers in the Galactic Empire!
It's important to understand that Battle Meditation is one of Darth Sidious's most proficient techniques. It allows him to spread the Force across the entire battlefield, boosting the morale of his soldiers and making them more focused and fervent. This requires spreading the Force over a range of tens of thousands of kilometers and precisely influencing every individual within that range. This technique is incredibly powerful, but also incredibly difficult.

But Neil Deckerlan actually learned it!
This shows that with his talent, if he had received proper education from a young age, his strength would definitely have placed him among the strongest in the galaxy.

Unfortunately, his upbringing limited his potential to a certain extent.

However, because he mastered Battle Meditation, Darth Sidious promoted him to Marshal of the Empire, so that he could use it to unleash even more powerful Battle Meditations in future battles. Furthermore, with this skill, even when leading troops alone, his combat effectiveness would be far greater than that of other generals.

However, Niall Deklan's battle meditation has its drawbacks. Because of his unpredictable moods, his battle meditation can also affect the friendly soldiers within his range, making them either irritable or bloodthirsty.

While such emotional fluctuations can sometimes ignite a soldier's fighting spirit, they can also easily lead to irrational judgment and chaotic combat. Therefore, on the battlefield, Neil Deklan must constantly control his emotions to avoid affecting the stability of the entire army.

Even so, his combat meditation remains a significant tactical advantage, and with proper guidance and training, this ability could become a formidable weapon in the Imperial army. Darth Sidious was well aware of this, and therefore he spared no effort in trying to further unlock Nil Decklane's potential, making him one of his most powerful weapons.

This is why Neil deClan was able to rise from a fighter pilot to a Grand Marshal of the Empire.

Orman Taggard, of course, knew nothing of this; he was only considering it from a political perspective, asking Neil Deckerlane for help and using the opportunity to improve his relationship with him.

Neil Decklan, who led his fleet to the planet Drukenville, already knew about Silas Targ's collusion with space pirates and the opening of the border. As a former soldier and loyal to His Majesty the Emperor, this was absolutely unacceptable to him, and could even be equated with treason!
He arrived in anger, but initially he still wanted to give Silas Tag some face and get him to surrender as soon as possible to end this farce.

However, what he didn't expect was that even with his massive army pressing in and overwhelming superiority in strength, Silas-Tagg and his men were stubborn and even intended to resist to the very end!
Upon discovering that the garrison of Drukenville had opened fire on them, Neil Deklane flew into a rage without warning! And his fury, fueled by his battle meditation, spread throughout the entire fleet!
"Since you want to die, then I'll grant your wish!!" Niall Deklan roared, waving his hand and shouting, "All troops, charge! Crush this planet to pieces!"

In his rage, he didn't even notice the Force energy emanating from the planet.

Now, his anger, amplified by the dark side, has spiraled out of control. He has only one thought—to destroy all these people who are so ignorant of the times, who stubbornly resist even when a large army is pressing in and he has been given a way out!
In Niall Deklan's eyes, these people could no longer be considered citizens of the Empire; they were all traitors!
Amidst the horrified gazes of the defenders and civilians on Drukenville, the Imperial fleet launched its attack!

Forty Imperial-class Star Destroyers were like gods descending to earth in front of the defending Generous-class frigates. As soon as the battle started, two Imperial-class destroyers fired a salvo and blew a Generous-class ship in two!
Other outdated warships, such as the Karak-class light cruisers, the Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers, the DP-20 gunboats, and the CR-70 frigates, couldn't even offer any decent resistance against the Imperial-class Star Destroyers.

The firepower of these warships was barely enough to tickle the Imperial-class ships, while the Imperial-class ships' 60 twin-mounted heavy turbo-laser turrets could fire devastating beams that could easily break through the enemy's shields, tear through the armor, and then blow the entire warship to pieces from the inside out!
Screams and wails echoed through the communications as the defenders of Druckenville pleaded for mercy on various channels, but no one heard them! They tried to send communications to other star systems for help, but the communications had already been completely blocked by electronic jamming.

Under the influence of Neil Deklan's combat meditation, the officers and soldiers of all ranks in the Imperial Fleet breathed heavily and their eyes flashed with ferocity. Under normal circumstances, they might have wondered why the enemy did not beg for mercy in such a brutal battlefield. However, now, they simply regarded every shot fired and every destruction as a pleasurable release.

They are now fearless, in high spirits, and moving with perfect order, like a mighty army with iron discipline.

This effect, which would be impossible to achieve without several years of rigorous training, was directly achieved through combat meditation!
The resistance of the Drukenville garrison crumbled almost instantly, and the more than 800 warships that had survived the previous battle were subjected to a brutal massacre. Forty Imperial-class Star Destroyers and other supporting small and medium-sized warships tore them apart in just half a day. At least half of the warships were reduced to space debris!
Other survivors could only hide far away, eking out a living in the galaxy.

Afterwards, the Imperial fleet bombarded the planet's planetary shields.

On the surface of Drukenville, even in daylight, the massive fireballs exploding in the sky were clearly visible, like flowers of the apocalypse blooming in the air. Everyone knew that once the planetary shield was destroyed, death would be their only fate.

The planet's order has completely collapsed, and as this apocalypse approaches, the ugliness of human nature is laid bare.

Robberies, murders, riots—all sorts of incidents erupted one after another. In a single day, over a million people died as a result of the various riots!
At this moment, Silas Tagg finally met his second brother, Casio Tagg, in his underground base.

Upon entering the underground base, Casio-Tagg saw a pale-faced, lifeless Silas-Tagg who had completely broken down.

Upon seeing him, Silas-Tagg rushed over and shouted in a hoarse voice, "Second Brother! Help me! Help me!"

“Save you what?” Casio-Tagg retorted coldly. “Didn’t I help you defeat Orman-Tagg’s fleet?”

"No! It's not enough... My brother called reinforcements again... They're going to kill me! They're going to kill me!" Silas cried as he spoke.

It's hard to imagine what kind of desperate situation someone would have to be in to break down like this, but thinking about it, it makes sense. Silas Taggart is completely abandoned by everyone. The fact that there's not a single person around him shows that he's utterly finished in every way.

Casio-Tagg gave a cold laugh and said, "When you spent ten years secretly poisoning our mother, Sonja-Tagg, did you ever think about this day?"

“No! That’s Big Brother’s…” Silas-Taggs instinctively tried to explain, but he froze halfway through his sentence. He then realized what Casio was talking about.

“So, enjoy the result you’ve been waiting for, my dear third brother.” Casio-Tagg smiled slightly, patted him on the shoulder, then took out a signal generator and placed it on the table, saying, “This signal generator will tell the commander of the Imperial Fleet your location. Of course, this thing is very fragile; you could smash it with a single slap… So, it’s up to you.”

He glanced one last time at the stunned Silas Tager, then turned and left without hesitation.

……

The planetary shield of Druckenville was breached the following day. For an industrial planet to have its shield breached by 40 Star Destroyers in a single day was simply impossible.

However, in reality, the planet's defenses collapsed on their own after the Imperial fleet arrived. The planetary shield generator was completely neglected, and after continuous bombardment, the overloaded shield capacitors, unable to be dealt with in time, caught fire. After burning for a day, the shield generator was finally destroyed.

Neil de Crane was still not satisfied, so he ordered a continued warning bombardment of the planet's surface for another hour before stopping and sending transport planes to land in the planet's capital.

At that moment, he received a highly authorized plaintext signal indicating that Silas-Tagg was there. He then ordered the assembly of an elite force, preparing to personally lead it to the signal's location to bring him back.

However, just as Neil Deckerland was about to board the transport plane, he suddenly received a communication from Orman Tagg.

"Congratulations, Marshal, you've solved a major problem for me. Rest assured, I will repay you handsomely," said Orman Tag.

"The planet Drukenville, colluding with space pirates, opened its border outposts, plunging the southern border of the Empire into chaos. Suppressing these rebels is my duty." Neil-Declan opened his mouth in a cruel smile, his large white teeth beneath his dark skin looking incredibly menacing.

"You're right, Marshal. Rebels." Orman-Tagg said calmly, "You know... with the status of our Tagg family, there will be no rebels, not a single one. Including... my foolish brother."

"Hahahaha!" Neil Deckland laughed, his eyes flashing with malice. "I understand what you mean. Rest assured, there are no rebels in the Targ family! Hahahaha!"

He shut down communications, boarded a transport plane, and landed directly in the planetary capital, which was now in complete chaos. Following the signal's instructions, he arrived at the underground base.

Silas-Tagg was sitting in the corner, disheveled and staring blankly. When a squad of Imperial stormtroopers in white armor appeared, he looked up and murmured, "Who... are you?"

“That’s enough, Silas-Tagg.” Neil Decklane grinned again as he stepped forward.

With a whoosh, a blood-red lightsaber shot out from the metal hilt in his hand!