The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2715. Accident

"...That concludes the report on this attack." Peggy Carter turned off the display of the all-purpose tool, bowed to Tang Xiao, and continued, "Although we killed Quinlan Voss, a double agent who had been infiltrating our territory for a long time, we failed to foresee Karl Kestis's sudden betrayal, which led to the disappearance of relics from the ancient Sith Empire. During the pursuit, five members of the Twilight Covenant, including Oggs, the captain of the Star Squad, were killed or wounded. It can be said to be a failed operation."

She shook her head and said, "This incident has exposed many problems with our security system, and I will reflect on and improve it further."

Tang Xiao frowned and pondered as he looked at Peggy Carter, who had a guilty expression on her face.

Quinlan Worth had always been on Tang Xiao's list, but Tang Xiao hadn't targeted him for arrest. He understood that this guy had always been a morally ambiguous double agent, selling intelligence, so he didn't prioritize eliminating him, but instead chose to monitor him long-term to obtain more valuable information.

Tang Xiao knew that in intelligence battles, gray-area figures often played an irreplaceable role, the key being the degree of control and utilization. Moreover, in the original storyline, Quinlan Voss's actions were mainly aimed at the Galactic Empire, indicating that his own sense of right and wrong still leaned towards the Jedi Order.

However, Quinlan-Vos seems to have a particular interest in his Dawn Kingdom in this universe, and has been wandering around its territory for a long time. Moreover, this guy is very slippery, and once he senses something is wrong, he often sneaks into complex places like the Mordell Sector and even the Southern Free Trade Zone to escape capture.

Tang Xiao didn't bother with him. Capturing this intelligence master would be extremely difficult, and expending a lot of resources to encircle and suppress him would be a losing proposition. Moreover, such a large-scale operation would expose the Dawn Kingdom's intelligence system to the Imperial Intelligence Bureau. After all, the Empire was the real enemy.

However, this time, according to intelligence from the Dawn Kingdom's National Security Bureau, Quinlan-Vos seems to have found an ancient Sith ruin and taken something from it, which is why he ordered the Twilight Covenant to intervene.

Jeremy, the headmaster of the Twilight Covenant, also went to investigate the ruins, but concluded that they were worthless, merely the tomb of an unknown soldier, perhaps just a Sith apprentice who had died suddenly. However, Quinlan-Vorse treated it as a treasure, which aroused Tang Xiao's suspicion.

He recalled that during the Clone Wars, Count Dooku had received some information about the immortal god-king Darth Anduin and commissioned Quinlan Worth, who was then pretending to join the Separatists, to investigate.

However, at that time, Count Dooku regarded Quinlan Worth as a secret pawn and did not allow Tang Xiao to make contact with him. Although Tang Xiao also knew about the plot developments related to Darth Andreu, he understood that this plot would not have a significant impact, so he did not interfere much.

However, Quinlan Worth's unusual behavior has made Tang Xiao realize that the overlooked clue may be far more important than he thought.

Therefore, Tang Xiao instructed the Twilight Covenant to track down Kunlan-Vos and find out exactly what he took away. If it really was a relic of the Immortal God-King Darth Anderdu, they would obtain it even out of curiosity.

Of the three squads that have completed training within the Twilight Covenant, the Sky Squad possesses the highest talent and potential, and their young age makes them invaluable assets. Therefore, they are primarily responsible for domestic security missions. The other squad also has good talent, but their members are generally adults with limited potential, so they have begun carrying out missions within the Empire.

The Starsquad was a relatively new team, a quantified team with lowered standards. In addition, the presence of Pom-Krell, a powerful but disloyal former Jedi Master, led to their deployment on the thankless task of hunting down Quinlan Voss.

If it were merely the loss of that unknown Sith relic, and the resulting death of the stubborn and unyielding Quinlan Voss, Tang Xiao wouldn't consider it a failure. But the problem lies with… Karl Kestis. The appearance of that name was too abrupt. Although Tang Xiao had provided the intelligence agency with a list of people to watch, there were too many people with the same name; it was impossible to monitor everyone.

As a result, Karl Kestis, who originally had absolutely no connection with Quinlan Worth, somehow got involved in this incident. While he wasn't particularly aggressive, there was no denying his immense potential. He inexplicably appeared in his own country, participated in this heinous event, and even stole ancient Sith relics…

If we look at this issue in context, the consequences could be quite serious.

"Raise the intelligence priority on Karl-Kestis and send a dedicated team to track him down. I will also have the Star Squad continue to hunt him down, but this won't be their only mission," Tang Xiao said, standing up. "As for the Quinlan-Vorse incident, let's leave it at that. After all, he's a neutral entity and won't cause too many serious consequences. The next period is crucial for our operations in the North; ensuring our own intelligence security is the priority."

"Yes, sir." Peggy Carter saluted.

After letting her leave, Tang Xiao looked up at the sky through the window, feeling a sense of awe. The Milky Way was indeed vast. In a single second, countless events, countless people, and countless relationships could erupt simultaneously, forming a boundless network that brought countless possibilities.

Perhaps when you first saw the plot of Star Wars, you didn't feel anything, but now, after the seemingly enormous plot and setting are diluted by this truly vast galaxy, you will find that the originally clear plot has become insignificant.

Therefore, he learned early on to set aside the plot and instead focus on the underlying interests and character traits revealed within it. The characters' choices are never driven by the script, but rather by the interplay of interests and positions. Cal-Kestis's appearance may seem accidental, but in reality, there may be some force pulling him along.

Instead of dwelling on whether he deviated from the "original plot," it's better to analyze why he appeared at this time and place—was it a spontaneous act, or was he guided by someone? Was the Sith relic falling into his hands a coincidence, or was it premeditated?

Perhaps, there are many more things happening in the corners that we are unaware of, and perhaps they involve many well-known names from the original story.

But as I said before, the Milky Way is too vast; even as the leader of the Dawn Kingdom, he simply cannot control it.

"Your Majesty, the personnel for the operational meeting of the third phase of the Northern 'Gold' Plan have arrived," Helmut Zemo said respectfully as he approached. Tang Xiao withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly. "Have them wait a moment." He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, beginning to consider another possibility—the will of the Force.

A moment later, he appeared in the operations room of the Supreme Command.

Chief of the General Staff Qi Jian stood up and said bluntly, "Your Majesty, 'White Lotus' has sent new intelligence. A storm is likely brewing at the heart of the Galactic Empire." (End of Chapter)