The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2803, Building Momentum
When Gideon Tarkin's reply reached the planet Lantilis, Governor Serben of the Imperial Twelfth Army suddenly stood up in the command center and roared, "Is Gideon Tarkin planning a rebellion? The sector capital is under siege, and he actually wants to wait and see!"

The adjutant beside him advised, "Governor, the movements of this fleet are indeed suspicious. We still don't know how they got to the planet Lantilis. I think Admiral Gideon is worried about this. Right now, these warships, which appear to be drone carriers, are only attacking our fleet and don't seem to intend to attack the planet. I think we should just hold our current line."

Serben's facial muscles trembled. "Ten capital ships are lurking right next to my sector capital! And you actually expect me to just wait?! Gideon Tarkin's fleet is four times the size of theirs! And he's only willing to send a detachment as a token gesture? Has the Tarkin family already considered the Twelfth Legion their own?!"

He turned to his adjutant and said, "Report this to the Imperial Supreme Strategic Command! Say that Gideon Tarkin is holding back, allowing the sector capital to be attacked, and is plotting something!"

"Yes!" The adjutant nodded and immediately went to make the arrangements.

The adjutant hurried away, while Serben gripped the edge of the command console tightly, his knuckles turning white. On the monitor screen, thousands of drones were ravaging the outer perimeter of the planet; at this moment, there wasn't a single spaceship left outside the planet Lantilis.

Whether it was warships or civilian spaceships, some fled, some died, and the rest didn't even dare to take off. It was as if the entire star system had been isolated into an island.

……

Meanwhile, on Chalos IV.

"General Gideon! Urgent report from the front: the Separatist fleet has appeared on the planet Bonta! It includes 150 capital ships and 40 heavy cruisers! All 5 Prophet-class battleships and 30 Typhoon-class battlecruisers from the Separatist Eastern Fleet are also present!" An intelligence officer rushed over.

Gideon Tarkin frowned. "This is about half of their fleet, and with the Prophet-class and Typhoon-class destroyers, it is undoubtedly their main fighting force."

The operations adjutant walked over and said, "If that's the case, then the situation is perfect. Bonta is very far from the separatists' supply base, so why don't we increase our support for the rebels and let them continue to harass their transport fleet? In addition, we can send out a branch fleet to cut off their supplies."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and slashed fiercely.

Gideon Tarkin nodded and slowly said, "Send four squadrons, each with 20 capital ships, to take seasonal routes, circle around the planet Mingban, and launch a surprise attack on... the planet Jabim!"

He stretched out his finger and pointed sharply behind the eastern battlefield of the Dawn Kingdom.

"Yes, sir!" The operations adjutant stood at attention and saluted.

But then another question occurred to him, and he asked, "General, if we keep splitting our forces like this... what will happen to the planet Lantilis?"

"Do you think ten capital ships can conquer Lantilis? Tell that old bastard Serben that if he wants to win this war, he'd better hold on! Hold the line!" Gideon Tarkin said coldly.

However, the next day, the intelligence officer reported again.

“General! The separatist fleet that invaded Lantilis has split again. They’ve sent three warships, and judging by their course, they’re probably heading to Trandosha!” the intelligence officer reported. “They seem to be taking a detour!” Gideon Tarkin’s expression was grim. “The people of Trandosha are not of one mind with the separatists! Uprisings are also breaking out on the nearby planet Kashyyk; they won’t side with the separatists! Continue to observe!”

On the third day, the intelligence officer reported again.

"General! The separatist fleet has split up again! Three warships have been dispatched and are already engaged in combat with our garrison fleet on Togoria!" the intelligence officer shouted.

Gideon Tarkin roared in exasperation, "They've already sent out six warships! Let that old bastard Serben fight them!!"

A moment later, the adjutant brought Governor Serben's reply. He glanced nervously at Gideon Tarkin and said, "Governor Serben's reply is... requesting that our troops immediately detach to return and reinforce."

"Fuck your reinforcements!" Gideon Tarkin cursed without any regard for his image. "Ten warships and you think that's enough to scare him? What about when I was fighting against thousands of separatist warships?!"

After he finished his tirade, the adjutant cautiously said, "I think... I'm afraid Governor Serben is settling a personal score... He might feel that we're trying to seize his power..."

Gideon Tarkin slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What power are you trying to seize? He's still firmly in the governor's seat, relying on us to guard his position! He's a seventy-something old man who'll retire in a few years. What power is he trying to seize? Does he want his son to inherit the governorship?"

The adjutant sighed and asked, "But General, if we let this small separatist fleet continue to cause trouble everywhere, I'm worried that our own rear will fall into chaos first..."

Gideon Tarkin took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said, "Forget about that bastard. Do we have any more intelligence on the ten Separatist warships?"

"Aside from some clearer photos, there's nothing else." The adjutant handed Gideon some documents.

Gideon Tarkin looked at the much clearer photographs and saw only a few elegantly rounded, seamlessly integrated warships. No, they were more like works of art than warships. Every line of these warships had been meticulously sculpted; the hulls were free of any seams or rivets, appearing as if they had been created by nature itself.

The adjutant continued, "Then, we destroyed approximately 400 drones. After recovering the wreckage, we discovered that they still used long-range power transmission technology, which allowed these drones to exert a level of firepower far exceeding their size. In addition, the enemy warships should be able to build more drones on their own, because the number of drones did not decrease during this period of combat."

"What countermeasures have they taken?" Gideon Tarkin asked.

The adjutant nodded and took out another set of combat data, saying, "These warships are extremely maneuverable. Our garrison on Torgria dispatched 10 Star Destroyers for a rapid assault to encircle and annihilate them. But these warships immediately turned tail and ran, and their acceleration was extremely fast, making it impossible for our Star Destroyers to catch up with them. During the pursuit, they were constantly attacked by drones, and in the end, only four of the ten Star Destroyers were able to return."

“They’re harassing us! Either send a large number of high-speed cruisers to surround them, or completely starve them out!” Gideon Tarkin said. “Send men to thoroughly investigate the situation between Lantilis and the separatist-controlled area, and find out the logistics supply line for this fleet!”

"Yes!"

However, at that moment, a messenger suddenly approached and said, "General! A message has arrived from the Imperial Supreme Strategic Command, requesting that you immediately report remotely!" (End of Chapter)