The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2718 First Signs (Part 2)
2718. First Signs Emerge (Part 2)
The first rays of sunlight in Coruscant's eastern hemisphere streamed through the window, illuminating the pages of an ancient book—a very rare, thick book filled with tiny, handwritten characters. A robot, no bigger than the palm of a hand, was using a high-precision optical magnifying device to aid in reading; yes, a magnifying glass, as they say.

With a whoosh, the page was turned, and the small robot immediately returned to the beginning of the page. Its sophisticated sensors constantly scanned the reader's pupils and adjusted the position of the magnifying glass in real time to ensure that the reader's reading was smooth without any delay.

As Misro Nuruldo Soron looked at the ancient characters on the pages, a sudden unease gripped him. He stood up and went to the window. Through the alloy bars, his gaze passed over the towering modern buildings and landed on a faintly visible triangular figure amidst the morning clouds…

The Imperial Class II Star Destroyer hovered in the morning light, its triangular hull exuding a chilling, terrifying aura.

“A storm… is coming,” Thrall muttered to himself.

His gaze dimmed, and he realized that whatever was about to happen would have nothing to do with him, a prisoner.

Since his departure from command during the Northern Campaign due to a conflict with Dunn Wessex, and his subsequent charge of war crimes resulting in the destruction of the Iron Moon, the moon of Palin Minor, he has been arrested by the Imperial Inquisition and imprisoned here.

To his surprise, he didn't suffer the cruel treatment he had expected. Instead, he was simply locked in a solitary cell, and his living conditions were quite good. Even his Imperial Navy uniform wasn't confiscated; only his badge was removed.

Not only that, his needs were met as much as possible, and he was not forbidden from browsing the Galactic Holographic Network. Even this time, his request to consult ancient books of the Galactic Republic was granted. This book, which was over 20,000 years old, was taken from the museum and handed to him.

However, no one ever paid him any attention, and he seemed to have been forgotten.

Suddenly, a distorted, sickening voice appeared without warning behind me, "Ah... 'The Founder of the Galactic Republic.' I remember this book should have a scanned electronic version, which would make reading much easier."

Thron turned around abruptly and saw a person shrouded in a black cloak, exuding a dark aura, standing there, flipping through the book he had just been reading.

The door to the solitary confinement cell remained closed and incredibly sturdy, yet how he got in remained an unexplained mystery.

But Solon knew who this person was. He knelt down on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty the Emperor."

Palpatine simply flipped through the book, then after a moment, put it down and slowly said, "I've heard that when you face an enemy, you first study their history and culture. So... does that mean your next target is the Galactic Empire?"

“Not at all. I just think that in order to better serve the Empire, I should also learn more about the Empire itself,” Thrall replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

“No…” Palpatine stood before Thrawn, looking down at the kneeling Thrawn with disdain. “You did the right thing. Our enemy is the Galactic Empire.”

Thrawn frowned, but he didn't look up, remaining kneeling with his head bowed, concealing his inner shock. "Do you know why I reorganized the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire?" Palpatine asked.

Thrall paused for a moment, then gave a very neutral answer: "Because the Galactic Republic is dead."

“Not bad, hehehehe.” Palpatine sneered, his voice distorted and sickening, making people feel uncomfortable. “Before I take that final step, the Galactic Republic was already dead. This enormous republic had long been completely corrupted by the powerful, privileged class, capitalists, mega-corporations, and bureaucracy, becoming nothing more than an empty shell with a magnificent appearance.”

"At this point, the Galactic Republic is like a crystal goblet, brilliant and dazzling, yet incredibly fragile. A gentle push could shatter it to pieces. When disaster strikes, will those nobles and wealthy merchants, who have become bloated and complacent by sucking the Republic's blood and flesh, stand up to protect it? No." Palpatine asked himself, answering his own question. "In reality, the Galactic Republic has become a illusory collection of countless interest groups, barely pieced together; internally, it has long since fallen apart."

Thron kept his head down and didn't speak. An invisible force lifted him to his feet, and he stood straight as a compass, his hands behind his back.

“You should remember the first military operation I executed after the Galactic Republic was reorganized into the Empire—Operation Outer Ring Reconquest,” Palpatine said. “Because after the Empire’s reorganization, although the Outer Ring was nominally still Imperial territory, in reality, Imperial orders were ineffective in the Outer Ring sector. Remnants of separatist forces and local warlords held sway over their own territories, and order collapsed. I swept through with an iron fist, using warships and flames to rebuild the Empire’s authority. And as you saw—even with the arrival of the fleet, the Outer Ring sector still fiercely resisted. But who gave them the courage? Was it the Kingdom of Dawn?”

“The Kingdom of Dawn did not have this power immediately after the Clones Wars ended,” Thrall replied calmly.

“That’s right. Our real enemy has never been outside, but inside,” Palpatine said. “From the Jedi Order onwards, I have always been eliminating the parasites within the Galactic Republic. But I soon discovered that these parasites were already deeply intertwined with the Galactic Republic, and eliminating them was harming the Republic itself.”

"So you reorganized the empire just to better fight internal enemies?" Thrall asked rhetorically.

"This is just the beginning... The Galactic Empire inherited everything from the Galactic Republic, including those internal parasites." Palpatine raised his hands and said, "You should understand, I have nothing. Are those nobles and super-corporations my people? No. It's just because of my position that I can bring them more benefits. So, what do I have? I have... I have... Hehehehe..."

“The army,” Thrall uttered a single word.

“That’s right! The military! I was secretly pushing this plan when I was a senator on Naboo,” Palpatine said. “The Galactic Republic has everything, but there is one thing, and only one thing, that it doesn’t have! That is… the military! I went from nothing to something, from senator to Speaker, all for the creation of the Military Creation Act. Only this act can give birth to the Galactic Republic’s first true military in a thousand years!”

“You created this army, therefore, the army is absolutely loyal to you,” Thrall said.

"Therefore, my path of conquest is not merely the reconquest of the Outer Rings, nor is it simply a war with the Kingdom of Dawn! My path of conquest should begin from within the Empire!" Palpatine's voice was filled with fervor. "Only by completely eradicating those parasites within the Empire can the Empire truly become... an Empire! And you, Thrawn..."

"You are my secret weapon for reconquering the Galactic Empire..."