The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2716 First Signs (Part 1)
2716. First Signs Emerge (Part 1)
9BBY, August 30th.

The capital of the Galactic Empire, the center of the Empire, formerly the planet Coruscant.

Even during the Clone Wars, this place remained a place of revelry and extravagance, because everyone believed that the war would never be lost and that the flames of war would never spread to the heart of this galaxy.

But now, for the first time in 25,000 years since the founding of the Galactic Republic, the shadow of war and the fear of defeat have loomed over Coruscant.

Many have realized that the military threat posed by the Kingdom of Dawn is very concrete and persistent, unlike the Sith Empire or the Mandalorian Crusades of the past, which relied on raids by elite fleets to threaten the heart of the Republic.

The military threat posed by the Dawn Kingdom was built up through repeated frontal battles, defeating the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire.

When the war reignited for the second time, from the great defeat on Kira, to the panic of the occupation of Fondo, to the brief hope brought to them by Lieutenant General Thrawn in the Northern Campaign, and finally, the fall of the fortress planet Bilbrin, it meant that the Galactic Empire could no longer hold even the heavily fortified core gate.

The fall of Bilbrin shattered the illusion of the Empire's central power as an invincible place. The Galactic Empire's response was nothing more than a massacre orchestrated by the Emperor and the King of Dawn, Tang Xiao, on Palancy, a massacre that targeted the Empire's own people.

The skies over Coruscant remain busy, but at some point, the luxury yachts flying overhead were gradually replaced by military transport ships, and the patrolling streets were no longer staffed by polite security personnel, but by cold and terrifying KX-series security robots.

Twenty Imperial Class II Star Destroyers have also entered the planet's atmosphere and are distributed across various key locations. Although they are high in the sky and hidden above the clouds, they are still clearly visible in calm, sunny weather.

This deployment conveys a clear message—the Imperial Army is probably guarding against more than just external enemies.

Meanwhile, in response to this panic, the Galactic Empire also introduced very strict border management regulations, strictly prohibiting the transfer of assets and restricting the movement of people, making it seem as if everyone was required to fight to the end for the Empire.

The banquets and entertainment of the inner circle of powerful figures have also been greatly reduced, replaced by more gatherings. They are also trying every means to band together and protect themselves.

The military of the Galactic Empire is no longer trusted.

Just days ago, a high-ranking official in the Imperial Treasury was assassinated. Before his death, he leaked a message to the Galactic Holographic Network. This message directly accused the Galactic Empire's top brass of concealing fiscal revenue, embezzling and misappropriating public funds, and that a huge amount of money was unaccounted for.

Although the news was quickly and completely blocked, it was no longer a secret among the powerful and influential in the inner circle.

This proves that, besides the Death Star project, the Imperial high command had several other secret projects involving substantial funds, and that these funds had not undergone financial approval. The question remains: do these secret projects exist, and were the funds actually used for their research and development?
Since there's no oversight, naturally no one knows.

When the panic of defeat spread like a plague across Coruscant, the slightest disturbance would prick the fragile nerves of the powerful and wealthy.

……

Victor Herman Stracker got out of his car, took a big gulp of wine from the bottle, and then walked into his office, slightly drunk.

He was a vice admiral in the Imperial Navy, belonging to the Capital Region Defense Fleet.

It should be noted that the Capital Region Defense Fleet is not under the jurisdiction of the First Star System Army of the Empire, but rather an independent force specifically dedicated to defending the core area. However, this fleet has always been a second-line fleet, so during wartime, most of its functions were taken over by the more powerful First and Second Star System Armies, which possess strategic offensive capabilities.

But this didn't mean the fleet was canceled. Seeing his drunken state, a beautiful female officer in uniform, with a rather heroic appearance, came over, helped him up, and helped him to sit down on the sofa. Although it was late at night, she was still wearing her crisp uniform and black leather gloves, looking like she was working overtime.

"General, why did you come to the command post office instead of going home after getting drunk?" the female officer asked, frowning.

"Why go back? To listen to that endless complaining? Complaining about why her allowance keeps decreasing, complaining about why I never go shopping with her, complaining about why I don't go to the front lines and fight a few great battles so she can show off in front of her socialite friends?" Herman Strucker, who was nearly 50 years old, said loudly, fueled by alcohol.

“But regardless, you should still go back now,” the female officer said. “I’ll arrange a driver right away.”

“No!” Lieutenant General Strucker shouted, then sat up with great difficulty. “I’ll be right here… to hear your report on the current work.”

The female officer frowned and said, "I'm currently compiling the security report for sector 779 of Coruscant over the past two weeks. Because the data is quite complex, I've been working on it until now. The report isn't finished yet, so there's not much to report."

“It’s alright, I enjoy listening to your report,” Lieutenant General Strucker waved his hand and said. “You may begin, Captain Reina Halder.”

Captain Lena Halder sighed, picked up the report with her black-gloved hand, and began to present its contents to Lieutenant General Strucker. Her voice was slightly low, and her presentation was remarkably organized; even in the complex environment of Coruscant, the heart of the Empire, she had managed to present all the data for this sector with remarkable clarity.

Lieutenant General Strucker listened attentively, his drunkenness dissipating considerably. For a long time, due to family conflicts, he had been forcing himself to throw himself more into his work, hoping to forget his troubles.

Moreover, in the military, his secretary, Captain Lena Halder, had always assisted him with all sorts of miscellaneous tasks in a very professional manner.

The Imperial Capital Region Defense Fleet, a second-line garrison, was naturally assigned all sorts of trivial tasks that the first-line troops looked down upon. These tasks were extremely tedious, but Lena Halder handled them all very well.

This even fostered a dependency in Lieutenant General Strucker; he could only focus on his work with peace of mind when Lena Halder was around.

Lena Halder was very professional and discreet, always maintaining the proper distance. However, this time, Lieutenant General Herman Strucker's emotions suddenly erupted. He jumped up, grabbed Lena, and kissed her passionately!
"General! What are you doing?! Get out of here immediately!" Lena pushed Strucker away forcefully, but she was no match for his strength and was immediately pushed down onto the sofa.

The night, which had lasted for twenty thousand words, flew by. When Hermann Strucker opened his eyes, it was already the next morning. He found himself still in his office, but it had been tidied up neatly, and all traces of the previous night's frenzy had been cleaned up.

Lena Halder, still in her military uniform, walked over, brought a glass of refreshing juice, placed it in front of Strucker, said nothing, and turned to leave.

“Wait! Captain Halder… Lena.” Strucker stood up, grabbed Lena’s hand, and said earnestly, “I’ve made up my mind! Lena! Let’s be together!”

“Please don’t joke, General,” Lena said calmly. “You are already married, and your wife is second in line to the Strucker family. From any perspective, there is no possibility between us.”

"No! I'm serious! I've had enough!" Herman Strucker shouted, walking over and ignoring Lena's struggles as he hugged her tightly. "Don't worry! It'll be soon! What Strucker family! They'll be crushed under my feet soon! It won't be long before we replace the First Star System Army and become the masters of the core!"

"Have some drinks to sober up, General." Lena broke free, her tone still cold.

However, Hermann Strucker became serious, his voice deep and resonant, “We are participating in an unprecedented transformation. Now, let’s get to work, Lieutenant Colonel Halder. Develop a rotation plan, and we will take over the defense of Coruscant.”

He didn't notice that when Lena Halder heard this, a barely perceptible smile appeared on her lips.