The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2790. Raid on Lago (Part 2)

Thranduil remained unmoved and slowly said, "I do not deny that Abathur and the swarm he has bred can have a positive effect, but the key point is that you have ignored the potential negative effects of these things."

She stood on the platform, looking down at Severance Tann, and continued, "The Zerg swarm's living environment is exactly the same as that of intelligent life, and their desire to expand is endless. You may not think that a few million or tens of millions of low-level Zerg swarms is a big problem now, but what if they keep evolving? What if their numbers expand to tens of billions or hundreds of billions? What if the Zerg swarms become more advanced, even capable of confronting warships?"

Severance Tann didn't want to argue with him, although she wanted to counter that the Kingdom of Dawn didn't have the capacity to look to the future; they could only choose what they had now. However, she was much more mature now and had no intention of determining who was superior.

She simply said, "We have already made our choice, and there is no need to discuss this further. But Protoss Executive, you should understand that every compromise and concession we make comes at a price."

“The Protoss will face everything head-on,” Thranduil declared proudly.

Severance Tann said no more. She looked at the holographic battle map around her. Inside the Protoss aircraft carrier, this battle map made her feel as if she were directly on the battlefield, with a clear view of every detail of the battlefield.

Furthermore, all the information is directly projected into her mind, and with the assistance of computers, she can almost put combat commands into practice with just a thought.

She glanced at the data and obtained the Protoss aircraft carrier's intelligence data on the area around Lago—in addition to this Imperial fleet, there were a large number of life signs on the planet's surface and in its atmosphere. After initial screening, it was determined that there were approximately ten million Zerg swarms there, and a considerable number of them were unable to conduct space combat.

"How do the Protoss warships compare in combat performance to the Imperial-class Star Destroyers?" Severance Tann had barely begun to ask when she received her answer.

The data and comparisons of the Protoss carriers, unmanned interceptors, Imperial-class Star Destroyers, and so on were all on display, and she saw the result she wanted—the Imperial-class Star Destroyers had absolutely no chance of competing with the Protoss carriers.

“In that case, if we launch an attack, they might escape.” Severance Tann looked up and asked Thranduil, “Can you pinpoint the location of that Jedi Knight?”

“We can only confirm that he is on the planet’s surface, and we also know his approximate location. But to find out exactly where he is, we need to search carefully,” Thranduil replied.

“We need to capture him alive, or at least kill him in person,” Severance Tann said. “I will send Darth Lilim and Wheel of Fortune, but they are unreliable.”

"Do you expect me to personally intervene?" Thranduil countered.

“I don’t know your abilities, but having someone like you here would greatly increase the chances of success,” Severance Tann said.

“As an Executor, leading from the front is not my first choice. However, with the Temple Guardian Theras accompanying the Executor fleet, I will order him to lead some Zealot warriors to assist,” Thranduth said.

“In that case, follow my command!” Severance Tann’s eyes sharpened, and she immediately issued a series of combat orders in her mind.

Meanwhile, upon discovering Severance Tann's fleet, the infected Imperial fleet hidden in the shadows of Lago immediately launched an attack on them.

Clearly, from the enemy's perspective, Severance Tann's fleet, consisting of only 60 capital ships and 170 heavy cruisers, was at a significant disadvantage against the infected fleet's 24 Star Destroyers, over 50 light cruisers, hundreds of escort ships, and possibly millions of Kilik swarms, lacking the protection of smaller warships on its flanks.

As the infected fleet emerged from the planet's shadow, the heavy turbine laser cannons on the warships opened fire! Hundreds of turbine laser beams shot out in dense barrage.

Meanwhile, the enemy's attack data had already been projected into Severance Tann's mind through the Protoss carrier's advanced scanning devices. She immediately discovered that the Imperial warships generally suffered some damage; at least from this salvo, almost none of the warships had their turrets intact.

The worst-performing Imperial-class Star Destroyer had fewer than 30 of its 60 heavy turbolaser cannons firing!
Severance Tann immediately ordered the warships to change formation.

The Hellsangel-class battlecruisers were positioned at the forefront, relying on their heavy armor to withstand the most direct enemy attacks. Cole II-class heavy cruisers and Masha II-class guided-missile heavy cruisers provided fire support from the flanks and rear.

The Dunov II-class heavy cruisers provided shield support for the forward warships, while the Protoss carriers and Sova-class carriers were positioned at the core of the formation and began launching fighters.

Behind the array were the Cataclysmic-class battlecruisers and the Paladin-class battlecruisers, both of which used particle lances for long-range pinpoint strikes.

Twenty Royal Beast-class heavy cruisers provided cover for these particle lance warships.

The Protoss reconnaissance aircraft have detached from their external mounting positions on the aircraft carrier and are now escorting it.

The dazzling light of the particle lance tore through the void, precisely piercing the bridge of an enemy light cruiser and triggering a chain reaction of explosions. The warship's shields and armor were completely pierced by this single strike!

At the same time, a large number of unmanned interceptors began to be rapidly launched from the Protoss carrier.

These unmanned interceptors are significantly larger than the swarms of drones provided by the Protoss to the Dawn Kingdom's navy. Their own interceptors reach a length of 5.9 meters, though the basic design remains largely the same. The larger size allows for a more powerful energy supply, and the Protoss carriers, controlled by High Templars, can more effectively provide long-range energy transfer to the interceptors. The number of interceptors launched from each Protoss carrier ranges from 800 to 1500, likely due to variations in the High Templars' abilities. These interceptors are equally ferocious; they deploy rapidly within seconds of takeoff, each seemingly piloted independently, flying towards the infected warships from all directions!

The unmanned interceptors were deployed in formations of four, a tactic commonly used by the Protoss. Controlled by High Templars, each drone operated independently, rapidly maneuvering from the surrounding area to the flanks of the infected warship, freely navigating through the dense anti-aircraft fire.

Although the anti-aircraft firepower on the infected warships fired desperately, and even the mutated biological structures growing on the warships extended cavities to fire plasma clusters, they couldn't even touch the exhaust flames of these unmanned interceptors!

However, the small plasma cannons equipped on the unmanned interceptor are unusually powerful, even reaching the firepower level of a small frigate!
Before other warships could join the battle, tens of thousands of unmanned interceptors launched from the ten Protoss carriers had already swarmed into the infected warships like a real killer bee swarm, and several warships were quickly destroyed.

The facts proved that the intelligence data previously provided to Severance Tann was correct—these infected warships were simply no match for the Protoss carrier's attack! The technological gap between the two sides was at least several dimensions!

Those unmanned interceptors are incredibly fast and agile, and their operational capabilities are comparable to those of ordinary Jedi Practitioners! This is equivalent to tens of thousands of Jedi Practitioners piloting fighter jets to launch an attack!

Each unmanned interceptor was like a swarm of agile bees weaving through the gunfire, its precise positioning and almost predictive evasive maneuvers resembling those of a Jedi Knight guided by the Force.

Most of the infected warships were the initial versions of the Imperial-class Star Destroyers; otherwise, they wouldn't have been sent to an unknown star system to carry out this almost suicidal harassment mission behind enemy lines. The fire control systems equipped on these Star Destroyers were far inferior to those currently used by the Galactic Empire on its Imperial II-class Star Destroyers, and they were unable to even retaliate against the Protoss carriers' attacks.

Severance Tann had already made arrangements. While the two sides were exchanging fire, Darth Lilim and Wheel of Fortune had already boarded a shuttle to another Protoss carrier. Then, inside this carrier, an invisible Protoss shuttle took off and left the battlefield unnoticed, flying straight towards the planet Lago.

The shuttle entered the planet's atmosphere, and the Protoss technology even allowed the high temperatures generated by air friction to be directly neutralized and absorbed on the shield's surface, making it impossible to see any fire from the outside. The shuttle glided into the clouds like a ghost, leaving no trace.

Inside the shuttle, a very burly warrior, even larger than the other Protoss, was organizing his equipment. He was a subordinate of Thelas—the guardian of the Protoss Sanctuary.

The armor on Thoras's body was incredibly thick, making him almost like a golden giant, but he was taciturn and did not utter a word even when Darth Lilim and the Wheel of Fate came into his shuttle.

Instead, the other six Protoss Zealot warriors in the cabin simply greeted Darth Lilim. One of the Zealot warriors was very curious about the state of the Wheel of Fate, and he could also sense that the Wheel of Fate was a twisted psionic creation. He also warned Darth Lilim that she might be a dangerous time bomb.

"...However, I think you should keep a low profile in front of Lord Theras. He has already shown great restraint by not drawing his sword against a fallen person like you." A fanatic warrior told Darth Lilim through telepathy.

However, Darth Lilim smiled slightly, licked his lips, walked over and took the initiative to say, "Our mission is to find the mastermind behind this swarm of insects. It would be a pleasure to cooperate with you, Lord Thras."

A terrifying glint flashed in Seras's eyes, and with a whoosh, a gigantic light blade, much larger than its standard size, appeared before Darth Lilim. The cold light of the blade reflected on Darth Lilim's pale blue skin, instantly chilling the atmosphere.

"If you die on this planet, I won't be surprised at all. Fallen One." The sinister voice echoed in Darth Lilim's mind.

“I advise you not to seek death; he really will kill you,” the fanatic warrior said.

“Ah…I’m looking forward to it…” Darth Lilim giggled.

Thelas emitted a psionic resonance, seemingly a sinister grin. At that moment, the shuttle had reached its target, the hatch opened, and the six fanatic warriors who sensed something was wrong quickly jumped out, leaving only Thelas and Darth Lilim still facing off.

The Wheel of Fate let out a melodious hiss as she crawled on all fours up the bulkhead to the ceiling, staring down at Thras with undisguised killing intent in her beastly vertical pupils.

"I'm so scared..." Darth Lilim giggled, tugged at the chains, and jumped down first with the Wheel of Fate attached.

As soon as they landed, it felt as if they were stepping on a lump of flesh; the ground was soft, elastic, and rhythmically undulating. Everywhere they looked, there was this dark purple biological tissue, and in some places, there were very obvious cavitary structures.

A faint, indescribable odor filled the air, and Darth Lilim immediately held her breath.

However, Fates thrived in this environment. She curiously explored everything around her, sniffed the ground, and even dug out a small piece of tissue to eat, but was stopped by Darth Lilim.

With a muffled thud, Seras finally jumped down, and his powerful landing caused ripples to spread through the organic matter on the ground around him!
He looked around for a while, then, without saying much, walked directly along a huge blood vessel. In this direction lay a massive Kilik swarm nest, the largest of the tens of thousands of nests on the entire planet.

The Jedi Knight that Thranduil's high-ranking Templars sensed was in this direction.

There were no Zerg combat units in sight; clearly, their entire focus was on the space battlefield. Thoras led six Zealot warriors at breakneck speed towards the giant lair, their pace reaching speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour!

Darth Lilim chuckled, and with a single stride, she mounted the Wheel of Fate, allowing it to carry her at breakneck speed, keeping pace with Thoras and his companions without falling behind! (End of Chapter)