The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2725. The Scipio Heist (Part 1)
Cassian-Andor took a deep breath, suppressing his unease, and looked at Nova, saying, "Listen, I don't know how you know about my sister Kelly. Perhaps the rumors about Ghost Agents being able to communicate telepathically are true, but that has nothing to do with our purpose."

Nova smiled slightly and said, "We can use our intelligence network to help you find your sister. Then, you can help us pass messages within the Rebel Alliance. How about that? Oh, and if you're short on money, you'll receive a monetary reward for every piece of intelligence you pass, depending on its value. In less than a year, you'll be a billionaire..."

Ando's expression shifted slightly, then his face darkened as he said, "I don't know what you're talking about, and it has nothing to do with what's going on right now."

Nova waved her hand, saying with a hint of mockery, "Just remember this. Contact us anytime you've figured it out. I don't know why, but your name has been spoken by our Emperor, so don't disappoint him..."

"That joke is too fake. Why don't you say something else?" Ando sneered.

"You're making me so sad. I'm rarely being sincere like this." Nova pouted, chewed, and blew another bubble.

"Back to the plan, what are your intentions?" Cassian-Ando changed the subject; he didn't want to spend another second with this woman.

Nova waved her hand and said, "We received intelligence that the Galactic Empire plans to transfer their rare alloy inventory from Planet Scipio to Planet Algo. After all, we've been harassing Scipio's shipping lanes intensely for the past few months, and they seem to have chickened out. They're actually quite obedient."

Cassian-Ando nodded. This was a calculated move. If you didn't want to transfer your assets, I'd force you to. However, without sufficient power, such a calculated move was futile.

"Then, we also deciphered the Empire's secret communications and obtained the number, troop deployment, and route of one of their transport fleets, but that's all," Nova said, spreading her hands. "The departure time and assembly point of this transport fleet are still unknown, and most importantly, we don't have enough power near Scipio to hijack them."

"So you found us?" Ando frowned.

“We are very confident in your level of infiltration within the Empire. Or rather, you don’t even need to infiltrate; a large number of officials at all levels within the Empire have already secretly become your supporters,” Nova said. “So you see, we provide intelligence on one hand, and exert our efforts on the other, and in the end, we give you all the spoils. This deal is incredibly profitable.”

“Hmph! By planning this heist, the Galactic Empire will definitely stop transferring rare alloys to Algol, and then you will have the opportunity to devour the entire stockpile of Scipio. Don’t think I don’t know your plans!” Cassian-Andor said coldly.

"We'd love to give you the chance to devour the entire treasury of Planet Scipio, but... can you really do it?" Nova asked, pursing her lips.

"How many men do you have?" Cassian-Ando asked, taking a deep breath.

“It’s just me,” Nova said.

"Are you kidding me?" Ando's face darkened.

"What? You don't mean, you want a threesome?" A voice suddenly came from behind. Cassian-Andor whirled around, only to see Nova standing right behind him. He turned to look ahead, and saw that where Nova had just stood, there was another "Nova"!
This is the afterimage of a holographic projection, slowly dissipating into the air.

“Alright then, let me see what the Dawn Kingdom’s Ghost Agents are capable of.” Ando took a deep breath and said slowly.

……

"First, we must obtain the transport fleet's voyage plan." Cassian-Andor's voice came through the tactical headset. "The voyage plan for this operation is top secret. Even the commander of the transport fleet only receives the details an hour before departure."

“Well, the security level here is indeed very high, but it still doesn’t pose a problem for me,” Nova said.

At this moment, she was crawling like a spider inside a heavily guarded building. This was a spaceport in outer space of the planet Scipio. It was a small civilian spaceport, mainly used to dock and receive business travelers.

Such a spaceport is inconspicuous among other spaceports that are now heavily guarded everywhere, and no one would pay attention to it.

Yet this very place is the command center for the Galactic Empire's entire plan to transfer rare alloys from the planet Scipio!

Although this space station is inconspicuous, it is actually constantly monitored by Imperial warships stationed in other spaceports around it, and the patrol routes of the TIE fighter squadrons will inevitably circle around it.

Inside the spaceport, security was even tighter, with Imperial Stormtroopers and KX-series security robots patrolling everywhere. Automated turrets and infrared sensors were deployed in almost every corner. Nova pressed herself against the ventilation duct wall, holding her breath. A patrol passed below, the heavy footsteps of the KX security robots sending chills down her spine. However, Nova, in her cloaked state, remained remarkably calm, simply watching the patrol disappear into the distance.

After the patrol team left, Nova gently pried open the ventilation duct grille and climbed down into the control room below. However, she didn't touch the complex control panel; instead, she looked around at it.

“Seriously, it’s really impressive that you managed to get me here on a spaceship. The security level here is the highest I’ve ever seen,” Nova said.

She now speaks through psionic vibrations, which are then decoded into sound via a communicator and transmitted to Ando.

"Don't waste time." Ando, ​​dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, walked through a trading center in the capital of Planet Scipio. He said calmly, "Don't touch the control panel. There's an invisible laser on it; touching it will trigger an alarm. You need to find the direction of the control panel's wiring; that's where the main control center is, but our people don't know where it is. You'll have to find out yourself."

“Okay, you’re my boss today.” Nova nodded, pulled down her tactical goggles, and began scanning the ground around the console.

Meanwhile, outside the control center, a female secretary was handing a very complicated document to a senior official of the Interstellar Banking Association, trying to stall him and prevent him from entering the control center.

“Looks like I’ve found it…” Nova finally detected a large amount of data and energy transmission through her tactical goggles. Following the direction, she stared at the ceiling. “Okay, the mainframe is at the top of this spaceport. If I remember correctly, there’s no internal passage there; you can only get there from outside the spaceport… Ah, I hate spacewalking in zero gravity.”

As she spoke, she slipped and climbed out through the pipe she had come from.

"Damn it! There's no time to spare, we have to find a spaceship to get you there!" Cassian-Andor gritted his teeth.

“I’ll find a place to set a fire, and then can your people send out fire-fighting ships?” Nova asked.

"It should work." Ando frowned and quickly contacted another informant.

Less than five minutes later, the alarm sounded in the fuel depot of the eastern section of the spaceport, and red warning lights spun and streaked across space. Nova, through some unknown means, actually managed to start a small fire without anyone noticing, and perfectly disguised it as an ordinary accident.

Moments later, a firefighting spaceship took off from the hangar on the side of the spaceport. No one saw that there was a person stuck to the outside of the spaceship!

The firefighting spaceship flew over the spaceport without arousing any suspicion. Just then, Nova jumped off the spaceship, grabbed the outer wall of the spaceport with a small grappling hook, and arrived at the main unit.

She used tools to open the casing of the console and installed a miniature data receiver.

"Done." Nova chuckled.

Meanwhile, inside a media center building in the capital of Planet Scipio, a media technician who had already joined the Rebel Alliance was sending a data packet disguised as an official announcement, secretly implanting a virus.

[I found it. This transport fleet, codenamed K-7, will depart in four hours. The voyage plan will be sent to the corresponding commander in three hours.] Ando checked the terminal in his hand.

"And then?" Nova sat on the antenna at the top of the space station, looking at the huge blue planet in front of her.

"Our hackers will modify the plan and incorporate one of our ships into the transport fleet. You'll need to come and meet us, and board the ship in one go. But before that, there's one more thing you need to do..." Andor said.

"I told you there was only one of us, but you really treated me like ten people..." Nova complained.

"We've infiltrated the hyperspace communication base on Scipio and planted a timed bomb, set to explode in six hours," Cassian-Andor said. "That will sever communications between the transport fleet and command, giving us ample time to move the entire fleet before communications are re-established."

“You rebel alliance really have quite the appetite… Let me see, there’s even an Imperial Class II Star Destroyer in this transport fleet,” Nova said.

[So, taking down this Star Destroyer means taking down the entire fleet. It's up to you.] (End of Chapter)