The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2776 Thron's Crisis

2775. Thrawn's Crisis
Zalin was stunned. He felt as if a flame was burning in Orega's gaze, a flame that spread along his line of sight to his mind, causing memories to surge like a tide. Whispers seemed to echo from the depths of his soul, making everything he had ever known utterly exposed in the flames…

Immediately, his gaze calmed down, the fear in his eyes disappeared, and his trembling body calmed down.

Demetrius Zarin smiled slightly, turned to his adjutant, Kronda, and said, "Alright, we're safe. Lord Orega will protect us."

“Marshal…this man is absolutely not worth considering…” Kronda started to say, then his expression calmed down. He nodded and loudly issued the order, “Immediately adjust formation! Join the ranks of the Fist of Orega! Prepare to engage the Imperial fleet!”

Zarin's remaining fleet immediately began to fly rapidly toward Orega's Fist fleet and merge into its battle formation, deploying a uniform defensive array.

Standing in front of the holographic battle map in the bridge command center, Demetrius Zarin summoned his combat commander, Raveen, and said to him, "Now, command of the entire Fist of Orega fleet is handed over to you."

“Me? This…” Raven was flattered and momentarily speechless. But then his expression became calm and confident. “Yes, sir. Compared to those rabble of pirates, I am indeed the most suitable candidate. Lord Orega’s foresight is truly admirable.”

“Then let’s begin preparations! Thron’s fleet will arrive soon, and we must give him a good beating!” Zalin said. “As for me, I will immediately go to Lord Orega’s flagship to report to him on the scientific research results our army has brought.”

Raven immediately began his work, quickly connecting his command system to the network of the flagship where Orega was located, and then completing the tactical synchronization of the entire fleet at the fastest speed, with commands being transmitted to each ship as smoothly as flowing water.

Although he was under 30, he was a top genius in the military academy and one of Zalin's secret weapons.

Demetrius Zarin discovered this talented individual from a poor background early on. At that time, Raven had just completed his first year at the military academy, where his grades were excellent but not outstanding. Zarin, who was conducting a research project at the academy at the time, noticed this student. He discovered that Raven had to spend a lot of time working to make ends meet, but even so, he did not give up on his studies and maintained a very high level of academic achievement.

More importantly, Zarin discovered that he displayed an almost intuitive talent in tactical simulation classes. Even though his tactics were very rough due to a lack of experience and knowledge, he dared to try, innovate, and take risks. Every time he focused on something, it was the core of the battle.

Normally, there are probably quite a few geniuses like him in the entire galaxy. However, due to the high tuition fees of military academies and the very strict class divisions, it is almost impossible for these commoner geniuses to stand out.

For example, someone like Raven, his most likely scenario is that he works part-time while struggling to complete his studies at the military academy, then enters the Imperial Navy as an ordinary naval officer, and spends his whole life working hard, either dying on the front lines of war or eventually being promoted to the rank of lieutenant and then retiring.

Simply put, for a poor man like Raven who doesn't even qualify for a surname, the best outcome is to retire and live an ordinary life in a remote part of the empire on a meager pension.

Without a powerful backer, without a family, without money, he was just an ordinary, miserable person in the Galactic Empire.

However, he encountered Demetrius Zarin, who was already ambitious at that time! Zarin sponsored the student, allowing him to devote himself wholeheartedly to his studies.

LaVine reciprocated with near-perfect marks—he achieved the top rank in almost every course. His tactical simulation abilities were so impressive that even the instructors struggled to keep up, and in simulated combat, even veterans who had experienced the Clone Wars were no match for him.

After graduation, the promising young Raven, on Zarin's recommendation, first went to the Outer Ring Sector to gain experience by suppressing uprisings, eliminating pirates, and escorting merchant ships. Seeing that Raven's performance remained outstanding, Demetrius Zarin, having become an Imperial Marshal and preparing to implement his own plans, then transferred Raven to his command.

The experiences of the past years have honed Raven into a sharp blade—calm, precise, and ruthless. Moreover, he has come to deeply understand how helpless and miserable it is to have no backing, so he is absolutely loyal to Marshal Zhalin.

During the previous rebellion, Raven commanded the fleet to fight against the Imperial fleet. However, this fledgling genius was utterly crushed in front of Thrall! Thrall saw through all his tactics and actions. Although the battle was not large in scale, he was led by the nose by Thrall like a fool, without any power to resist.

After Demetrius Zarin's defeat, Raven was filled with remorse, believing that his failure had caused Marshal Zarin's plans to fail. He even considered suicide to atone for his sins, but Zarin persuaded him to stay. Afterwards, he remained in a state of despair, and in the ensuing battles, Zarin or his adjutant Kronda mostly took command.

However, just now, Raven suddenly felt a tremor from his soul. He sensed the vast, ocean-like psionic energy fluctuations of Orega. When he looked in that direction again, he felt as if he were gazing at a god.

He believed he should follow such a being, whose power transcended the boundaries of the mortal world, causing that almost desperate faith deep within him to resurface.

Now, he will demonstrate all his skills to his new master, Orega!
Combat orders were issued continuously, and the formations were being adjusted in an orderly manner. Compared with the previous simple and crude formations, the formations of Raven, a genius graduate of the military academy, were more reasonable and layered, and were very convenient to quickly adjust to different battlefield situations in the event of a sudden engagement.

Although the ordinary soldiers and junior officers in the Zalin fleet were very puzzled and did not understand why Marshal Zalin suddenly became so friendly with that group of pirates, they could only obey the battle orders.

However, as time went by, more and more people began to be influenced by Orega's terrifying psychic power and began to devote themselves wholeheartedly to this master.

Demetrius Zarin arrived at Orega's flagship and finally met his master face to face. He immediately knelt down and said very respectfully, "My master, I will dedicate everything to you. My fleet is carrying some dangerous items, and I think I need to tell you about them in detail so that you can make a decision."

"Speak. Preferably something that interests me." Orega's voice rang directly in his mind. He said nonchalantly, "Your commander Raven, I've seen his inner world. He's your first gift to me. Very good... In return, I've cleared away all his fear and hesitation. Now he's truly ruthless. I'm very much looking forward to seeing just how far such a so-called genius commander will go for me. Hehehehe..."

Zalin quickly said, "Master, this time when I led the fleet to Coruscant, I originally brought several prototype ships. But many were destroyed in the previous battles, but I still retained the design data of these warships... In addition to the TIE Defender fighters, it also included the EE-76 Nebula B-type light cruiser developed in cooperation with Quat Dynamics Shipyard, the Lancer-class anti-aircraft frigate, and..."

“I’m not interested in these.” Orega interrupted him directly, then he also became a little impatient, and pointed at Demetrius Zarin. Zarin felt a moment of dizziness, and then shook his head blankly.

Immediately, Zalin heard Orega's maniacal laughter in his mind, "Hahahaha! You really do have something interesting! A cannonball from the Galaxy Spear... Hahahahaha!" Zalin knelt down and said, "Of course, this weapon is my last trump card, and also the greatest gift I can offer you. This cannonball from the Galaxy Spear is enough to destroy a planet."

"But this is the only one left."

Zalin sighed and said, "I'm sorry, Master. Dr. Rice, the developer of the Galactic Spear, was captured by the Galactic Empire in the previous battle."

"You can leave now." Orega had lost interest in Zarin and turned to float away towards the other side of the bridge.

Actually, Demetrius Zarin had been hearing a guy chattering incessantly from the other side of the bridge since the beginning. He was quite puzzled as to who dared to be so noisy in front of their master. However, since their master hadn't spoken, he, as a servant, naturally had no right to ask.

Zhalin takes his etiquette very seriously.

After the Orega drifted past, the noisy voice cursed even more vehemently, followed by several screams, and then the bridge fell silent again.

"You haven't left yet?" The master's voice echoed in my mind.

"Yes!" Zhalin quickly saluted and then swiftly left the bridge.

……

Meanwhile, the Galactic Empire's fleet has arrived on the planet Roch and is making final preparations before its attack.

This fleet comprised 80 Star Destroyers, 30 light cruisers, and 500 frigates of various types. It could be said that it possessed an overwhelming advantage over Zarin's forces.

A tall, imposing figure in the white uniform of an Imperial Navy admiral stood out from the crowd, his deep blue skin and crimson eyes making him stand out from the crowd. This man was none other than Imperial Navy Admiral Misro Nurudo Soron, who was standing in front of the holographic star map in the center of the bridge, coldly watching the constantly changing data on the star map.

“General, Zarin’s fleet has headed to Metaron. According to calculations, it will take them at least two hours to restart the hyperspace engine,” an intelligence officer said as he approached.

"What about the two pirate fleets?" Thoron asked.

"The Fist of Orega is on Metaron, having rendezvoused with the Zarin Fleet. The Scourge seems to have broken away from them and is fleeing south via Ultaar, presumably heading into the Hutt Space," the intelligence officer said.

Soron smiled slightly and said, "No, Ron won't go to the Hutt space. He's just waiting for an opportunity. After we catch up with Zarin, he'll decide whether to offer help or take advantage of the situation based on the battle."

The intelligence officer was taken aback. "This doesn't make sense, General. We've been tracking the Scourge's supply situation. In fact, their supply consumption is extremely high. If we don't replenish their supplies as soon as possible, they could suffer heavy losses in the next battle."

“Ron certainly wants supplies. His personality, tactical thinking, and the types of warships he owns all mean that his losses in each battle will inevitably be very high. His recent burning, killing, and looting within the Empire has not been without consequences; his reputation is ruined, everyone is afraid of him, and no one dares to do business with him. Most importantly, he is out of money,” Thrawn said.

“That’s why he should return to Hutt Space. We’ve known for a long time that the Scourge is backed by the Kingdom of Dawn. If they go to Hutt Space, they can get supplies immediately,” the intelligence officer said.

"Don't worry." Thrall stood with his hands behind his back and said with a cold smile, "The Scourge is just a kite with a broken string. Their destruction is imminent."

The intelligence officer scratched his head. "I don't quite understand the reason... General."

"Hehe. Analyze the Scourge's behavior patterns over the past few months." Thrall smiled and patted the intelligence officer on the shoulder. "Go back and think about it carefully. This is your homework."

Having said that, he stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "The Scourge is not a threat we need to consider. Begin the countdown immediately! Complete preparations for the hyperspace jump in three minutes! Attack, Metaron!"

"Yes!"

The view outside the porthole was instantly obscured by countless streaks of starlight, making it impossible to see anything. Yet, every soldier in the Imperial fleet involuntarily held their breath, adjusting their physical state to its peak.

The battle is about to begin!
Suddenly, darkness fell outside the window, and the pitch-black cosmos reappeared—the hyperspace jump was complete. Almost simultaneously, the entire Imperial fleet opened fire, and the battle had begun in an instant! The space surrounding Metaron was instantly torn apart by countless beams of explosive energy and bursts of light, turning the starry sky almost entirely red!

Thrawn stood on the command bridge, his eyes fixed intently on the battle ahead. He simply issued a few instructions before beginning to observe the enemy's formation.

He nodded slightly. The opposing commander was clearly an outstanding talent, and the formation was indeed watertight.

But just as he was preparing to react, he was suddenly grabbed by someone! A voice immediately followed, "Run! Now! Right now!"