The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2775 Righteousness and Loyalty, Orega

2774. A man of unwavering loyalty and righteousness, Orega.
Warships continued to appear, but they seemed like a ragtag army, containing everything imaginable: Imperial star destroyers, Rebel MC80s, and even battlecruisers from the long-destroyed Independent System Confederation. These ships, which shouldn't have coexisted, were now in the same formation, hovering neatly in the void of space.

Moreover, this fleet was enormous, boasting 12 capital ships, over 50 light cruisers, and more than 400 frigates! Among them, the flagship version of the Divine Will-class destroyer was an overwhelming force on this battlefield, with no other warship able to match it!

Upon seeing the fleet approaching, Ron of the Scourge had no choice but to stop, because it was now clear that the strongest force present was no longer him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?!" Ron asked menacingly over the communicator.

"Ah, who am I? Hehehe... I am... Orega." Enveloped in crimson flames, Orega said mockingly, "This is my legion—the Fist of Orega."

“Mr. Orega, I hope you can honor our agreement and escort us through the blockade on Planet Pengalan IV,” Demetrius-Zarin said first.

“The agreement… ah, that’s right, the agreement. I’ll get 20 billion credits for escorting you out…” Orega said slowly, revealing the agreement between the two of them.

Ron's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "He doesn't have 20 billion credits, he's just a stray dog! But his database should be interesting, right, Orega? Let's team up and take him down, then sell his database and split the profits! Then we can take his head to the Galactic Empire to collect a huge bounty."

"If you dare do this, Ron, I swear I will fight you to the bitter end! Even if it means mutual destruction!" Demetrius Zarin said through gritted teeth, his anger palpable.

“I do not wish for this, Mr. Ron,” Olega said calmly. “I have a prior agreement with Marshal Zarin, so I will naturally honor that agreement.”

"Hmph! Foolish fellow!" Ron sneered. "Since that's how it is, go play with the Imperial fleet yourself! Brothers, let's go!"

However, before he could finish speaking, the massive Divine Will-class destroyer suddenly opened fire! Several heavy turbo-laser cannon beams accurately struck one of the Storm-class heavy cruisers, causing its deflector shields to ripple.

Within the holographic projection, Ron stumbled and nearly lost his footing; this attack almost shattered his flagship's shield!
"Damn it! How...how did you know where I was? What...what are you going to do?!" Ron was furious, but also utterly horrified.

His flagship was one of the Storm-class heavy cruisers, but there were a total of 10 Storm-class heavy cruisers in his fleet, and they were all exactly the same. When communicating, he also activated the encrypted frequency band to ensure that his communication location could not be tracked.

These are all advanced technologies from the Kingdom of Dawn; those miscellaneous warships on the other side could never crack them!
However, the enemy hit the flagship with a single shot! A one in ten chance? Ron absolutely refused to believe it was just a coincidence. At that moment, he felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at the figure enveloped in crimson flames in the holographic projection, he felt as if he were being watched by an ancient and powerful god, almost completely paralyzed.

“What I mean is, you should also honor the agreement,” Orega said.

“No…that’s right! We agreed on this before! I’ll give you 5 million credits, and you’ll ensure our safety!” Feeling that Orega was backing him up, Demetrius Zarin felt his back straighten out considerably.

"Are you insane, Orega?" Ron stared at the terrifying holographic projection, his eyes wide with rage.

However, the figure wreathed in crimson flames spoke a voice as chilling as a deep abyss: "An agreement is an agreement. Fulfill it. Otherwise, I will wipe you completely from this star system."

Ron was immediately gripped by a palpable fear! He seemed to see a giant, dark hand grab him and manipulate him at will!
"You are... a Jedi...?" This was the only possibility Ron could think of.

"Set course, to the Pengalan system." Orega ignored him and simply gave his command.

Ron was trembling all over. He turned to look at his navigator, his fingers trembling, as if to signal him to set a different coordinate. But when he met Orega's eyes again, he dismissed the foolish idea.

He was absolutely certain that once he did this, Orega would find out, and then the fleet would immediately launch a devastating attack on him. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally, dejectedly, he lowered his hand and said, "Set course, Pengalan system."

"Yes, boss."

……

The Scourge fleet headed ahead towards the Pengalan system. Orega looked at Demetrius Zarin and said calmly, "Set a time. We will hold off the Galactic Empire's fleet, but only for half an hour at most. During this time, you must recycle your hyperspace engine and jump again."

“Yes…” Zhalin unconsciously used the subordinate’s response to the superior.

The warships of the Fist of Orega also activated their hyperspace engines and disappeared without a trace in a dazzling white light. Soon, only his fleet remained near the Azure Planet.

"Immediately activate the hyperspace engine and proceed to Planet Pengalan IV!" Demetrius-Zarin gave the order.

At this moment, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that although this Orega was incredibly terrifying, he was indeed a very trustworthy person. No wonder Kronda said that his reputation was excellent. What had just happened made Zalin want to award Orega a medal!

Zalin began to believe that with such great power, a kind heart, and a pleasant voice, this Orega must have been a Jedi Knight in the past!
When his fleet arrived at the outskirts of Planet Pengalan IV, he saw only the Scourge and the Fist of Orega fleets engaged in fierce combat with the Galactic Empire's fleet.

However, it is clear that the Scourge's warships generally rely on their superior speed and maneuverability to circle around the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, and absolutely avoid direct confrontation with Imperial warships.

However, the warships of the Fist of Orega were different. They charged forward relentlessly, as if they didn't care about their lives, and relentlessly pursued and attacked the warships of the Galactic Empire!
Those warships even risked injury to keep the Imperial warships pinned down, unleashing every laser beam and missile upon them before being sunk.

The Imperial fleet here is small, consisting of only five Imperial-class Star Destroyers, over twenty light cruisers, and more than one hundred escort ships. However, the Galactic Empire's orbital space station built on the planet's periphery is extremely troublesome. The station is equipped with numerous turbolaser cannons and missile launchers, unleashing a barrage of fire on the incoming enemy. Furthermore, the station is equipped with hyperspace jammers, severely slowing down the hyperspace engines of the fleet in this system. More hyperspace jammers have been deployed on the outer edge of the system. This makes it impossible for the enemy to easily escape via hyperspace.

If they are held up here, Admiral Thrawn's main fleet will arrive soon and then destroy them all with superior forces.

Therefore, all that could be seen was the Fist of Orega's warships launching a frenzied attack while also scrambling to destroy the hyperspace blockers. In this process, their losses were extremely heavy; numerous crew members' bodies were scattered among the wrecked warships, flying everywhere in space.

Seeing this, Zalin was so moved he almost cried. The Fist of Orega wasn't a mercenary, he was a father!
However, he didn't have time for further reflection. He quickly ordered his navigator to calculate the coordinates of the next hyperspace jump as fast as possible, and at the same time, activated the warp charge of all warships, preparing to escape the moment the jammer was destroyed.

The instant the last hyperspace blocker was destroyed, Zarin's fleet leaped into hyperspace, the view outside the portholes instantly torn into countless streaks of light. The fierce battle on Planet Pengalan IV stretched and dissipated in the field of vision, finally replaced by the dazzling light of hyperspace.

His fleet arrived at Roche, which was located on the Peremian trade route, a place with excellent transportation. After a short rest, they continued along the route toward the outer ring sector.

Demeterius-Zarin was filled with fear. When he realized that neither the Orega fleet nor the Scourge fleet had followed, he ordered them to continue advancing, speeding towards a remote part of the Outer Rings.

Whether it was the ruthless Ron or the enigmatic Orega, he never wanted to deal with such people again!

……

Meanwhile, Orega's fleet had already disengaged from the battle before Thron's main force arrived. Although many warships had not yet activated their hyperspace engines and were thus captured by the Imperial fleet that followed, Orega did not care.

His enormous body, wreathed in crimson flames, floated slowly on the wide bridge.

"Hahahaha! You bastard, you actually have a time to save people? That's hilarious!" A hoarse, unpleasant laugh came from the side. "Do you think I don't know about the dirty and filthy things you're up to?"

Orega turned around and saw a mysterious force enveloping a grotesque metal sword hilt, more than a meter long, on one side of the bridge, hovering two meters above the ground and slowly rotating.

This is none other than Darth Malthael's kidnapped weapon, now revered as a Sith relic, the Soul Reaper!

Oh wait, it's not called the Sword of Souls anymore. Because after the Sith spirits within the sword went out of control, the smug Maca-Lagnos renamed it the Sword of Kings.

This means that the ghosts of the ancient Sith emperors reside within this sword.

Although it's not yet complete, Maka-Lagnos believes that he will one day achieve this grand ambition and make the Sword of Kings a divine sword that will shake the galaxy!
A black mist swirled around the Sword of Kings, revealing the indistinct silhouette of the ancient Sith Emperor, Maca Lagnos, who was baring his teeth and brandishing his claws at Orega. "Alright, you dog, the time is ripe! With the glory of the Sith Empire and the Sword of Kings, go and completely swallow that traitor of the Empire! As your terror spreads throughout the entire sector, the legacy of the Sith Empire will gradually awaken! When you kill Darth Malthael and absorb his soul into the Sword of Kings, you will become the next emperor of the Sith Empire! Hahahaha!"

"You stray dog! Now you shut up!!!" Orega finally couldn't stand the guy's incessant chatter anymore. He roared, raised his hand and pointed, and a terrifying energy shock slammed into the Sword of Kings. The phantom of Maka-Lagnos screamed and shrank back.

Orega muttered to himself, "This guy has something interesting. Of course, we can't let the Galactic Empire get it, hehehehe."

“I told you long ago, you bastard! You know nothing about this galaxy, you should listen to me!” Maka-Lagnos’s voice came again.

"It's not your turn to speak, you stray dog!!" Orega retorted, drifting towards the other side of the bridge. "You think you can escape me? Hahahaha, no! You're already mine!"

……

Demetrius Zarin led his fleet on a frantic journey, eventually reaching the planet Sarka. However, the shadow of Thrawn's fleet remained ever-present, impossible for him to shake off.

Thrawn deployed reconnaissance outposts across a large sector of the star system in the vicinity, and calculated the distance of each of his hyperspace jumps by assessing the condition of his remaining warships, thus continuously narrowing down his possible escape routes.

But at this point, Zalin could no longer trust anyone, and he dared not go to the mercenaries again, so he could only continue to flee.

The next day, he commanded his fleet to make another hyperspace jump to the planet Metalorn. However, as soon as his fleet left hyperspace, Zarin was stunned.

A motley fleet is quietly waiting in the orbit of Metaron.

"O...Orega's Fist?! How did he know I was here?!" Zalin was shocked, his body trembling. He never expected that Orega, whom he had shaken off, would find him even faster than Zoron.

The communication was connected, and the flame-wrapped projection of Oregana reappeared. "I am very disappointed in your actions, Marshal Zarin."

“This…this is just…a misunderstanding,” Zhalin said, trembling.

“Of course, I will give you another chance,” Olega said jokingly. “The Imperial fleet is on its way, and they have already located you. So, your only hope is me. I am of course extremely kind and willing to help you, but… you need to let me feel your sincerity.”

“What…what do you want me to do?” Zhalin asked.

"Open your heart...feel my presence...yes, just like that...look into my eyes..."