The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2804. Take the initiative

Gideon Tarkin's face immediately darkened, and he turned to ask, "What is the Supreme Strategic Command getting involved in at this time?"

The adjutant whispered, "It's Governor Serben..."

"That old bastard," Gideon Tarkin cursed as he entered the conference room.

Five high-ranking generals appeared in the holographic projection. One of them said coldly, "This is the Supreme Strategic Command, Intelligence Committee. General Gideon Tarkin, please provide an explanation immediately for your inaction and allowing the sector capital to be attacked."

Gideon Tarkin snorted inwardly and said with his head held high, "The Separatist fleet did not launch a direct attack on the planet Lantilis, and the enemy fleet only has 10 capital ships. Such a force cannot be called an attack at all. At most, it is just harassment."

“Please answer the question directly,” another general said.

“The main Separatist fleet has advanced to the planet Bonta, directly threatening our military base. The warships they sent to harass the planet Lantilis, based on preliminary assessment, are high-speed aircraft carriers, unlikely to be destroyed in a short time. Therefore, I judge that if I divert troops to rescue Lantilis, it might lead to the Separatist fleet threatening our base, Chalos IV,” Gideon Tarkin replied.

"Your fleet is currently three to four times the size of the Separatist fleet, yet you have stagnated and even allowed the sector capital to be attacked. Such behavior does not meet the Empire's expectations of you," a general said.

Gideon Tarkin stated, "Although the separatist fleet is small in number, it still possesses five Prophet-class battleships and shield-piercing missiles. A rash attack could result in heavy losses for our warships. Based on my assessment of the situation in the East, if we cannot maintain sufficient troop strength as a deterrent, the rebels in the East may become even more rampant."

“We cannot agree with your judgment. The Prophecy-class battleships are indeed very powerful, but that is not a reason for you to abandon even the sector capital when you have four times the manpower,” a general said. “We agreed to send reinforcements to the East not to watch you sit here with the separatists.”

Another general added, "Moreover, this would allow the separatists to sustain the continuous depletion of our large fleet with minimal supplies. The Galactic Empire is vast and rich in resources, but it shouldn't be wasted like this. An endless war of attrition will only disrupt the Empire's strategic rhythm."

Gideon Tarkin, who had just vented his anger, was now impatient. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "If you want to rescue Lantilis, then send Serben to fetch reinforcements! You can also send reinforcements directly to Lantilis! Why are you focusing on my fleet?!"

As soon as he said that, he realized he had misspoke and quickly added, "What I meant was that the small fleet that attacked the planet Lantilis by separatists is nothing to worry about. If we send more local defense forces into the atmosphere to defend it, they won't be able to do anything. After all, it's just an aircraft carrier; it can't pose any threat to the planet at all."

But it was too late. None of the five high-ranking generals opposite him spoke; they just stared at him coldly.

Gideon Tarkin broke out in a cold sweat. His remarks, from the perspective of the Supreme Strategic Command, clearly indicated an intention to consolidate his power. Coupled with Serben's persistent complaints about the Tarkin family's attempts to seize power, Gideon Tarkin's comments were, in such a delicate situation, extremely poorly executed.

“General Gideon, if you truly intend to serve the Empire, then please demonstrate your loyalty,” an older general offered as a way out.

“Lantilis is the core of the Imperial Twelfth Army. If the planet falls, the entire Twelfth Army will likely be lost,” another general said. “His Majesty the Emperor is paying close attention to this matter. Given the current troop deployments on all fronts, the Eastern Front is the most likely direction to break the deadlock.”

“I understand. I will have the General Staff prepare the operational plan.” Gideon Tarkin finally gave in.

The communication was shut down, and the five figures slowly disappeared, plunging the conference room into darkness.

Gideon Tarkin stared blankly at the other side, then suddenly flew into a rage, grabbed a chair and smashed it against the projection screen!
The loud crash attracted his adjutant, who rushed over only to bump into Gideon Tarkin, who was storming out in a rage. Seeing his adjutant approach, he coldly ordered, "Immediately draft a battle plan! Two options! Option A: Attack the separatist fleet on Bonta! Option B: Send troops to encircle and annihilate those ten aircraft carriers!"

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

……

The next day, the General Staff presented a plan, and the adjutant invited Gideon Tarkin to the operations room, saying, "General, according to our operational plan, Plan B is not very feasible."

“Speak.” Gideon Tarkin was in a very bad mood.

The adjutant produced several combat logs and said, "The enemy's drone carriers are extremely fast. Our Imperial-class Star Destroyers can't catch them even at sub-light speeds. If we send high-speed light cruisers to encircle them, they can use their hyperspace engines to quickly relocate the battlefield. After all, the hyperspace engines of light cruisers aren't advanced enough; a capital ship might jump once, but they would need two. This would widen the distance even further."

He concluded, "In general, the enemy is small and agile, and their drones are extremely destructive. If they are determined to run away, they will tie down a large number of our troops."

"So you mean, a direct attack on Bonta?" Gideon Tarkin asked.

“Aircraft carriers don’t have the capability to directly attack planets, and they generally wouldn’t actually install such weapons on them; that would be a complete waste. So we judge that the enemy’s aircraft carrier is at most capable of dropping a nuclear bomb,” the adjutant said.

He approached the holographic tactical projection platform, pulled up the defense layout of the Bonta system, marked the deployment positions of the Dawn Kingdom fleet on the outer perimeter of the planet with blue dots, and said, "Planet Bonta was thoroughly destroyed when we retreated. Now this planet has no defenses, only a separatist fleet."

The adjutant pointed sharply at the star map and said, "Considering that the enemy does indeed possess extremely powerful warships like the Divine Revelation-class battleships, I suggest that we deploy our main force directly, overwhelming them with our superior troops, and decide the outcome in one fell swoop! The losses will certainly be significant, but this is, after all, the requirement of the Supreme Strategic Command."

Looking at the markings on the battle map, Gideon Tarkin said, "Have you considered that the enemy might be heading to Bonta to lure us into launching an attack?"

"I've thought about it. But they probably don't have any other means."

"What if they run?"

“Then let’s pursue them! As long as we keep their main fleet pinned down, we’ll never have to worry,” the adjutant said.

Gideon Tarkin fell into deep thought, unable to make a decision for a moment, because the trap was all too obvious. Even so, he simply couldn't figure out what the opposing commander was planning.

Especially those ten new warships, because generally speaking, every time the Dawn Kingdom invests in new equipment, they will definitely use this equipment to design new tactics, and the Imperial Fleet will suffer losses in this regard every time.

Therefore, Gideon Tarkin decided to hold back this time, at least until the ten aircraft carriers had fully demonstrated their capabilities before making any further plans.

But now… Gideon Tarkin was incredibly anxious; he was about to face unknown equipment again. “Go prepare, according to Plan A,” he waved his hand.

"Yes!"

Shortly after the adjutant left, the intelligence officer rushed over and said, "General, three separatist aircraft carriers have left Trandos and entered Balamak, sinking three of our transport ships."

Gideon Tarkin's face darkened. The current planet Baramak, and the planet Torglia a few days ago, were both important transportation hubs behind his planet Chalos IV. Large quantities of supplies were continuously sent to Chalos IV through these two routes.

The successive attacks on these two planets have seriously threatened the security of the frontline supply lines.

Meanwhile, the four squadrons dispatched by Gideon Tarkin are currently en route to Jabim.

The situation is somewhat awkward. Governor Serben is currently adamant about not sending troops to wipe out those aircraft carriers. On the one hand, he probably can't win, and on the other hand, he is also making a statement to Gideon Tarkin—this invading fleet will not allow him, the governor of the sector, to commit a single ounce of troops or resources. At worst, they will all die together.

It's clear that Serben now hates the Tarkin family to the core.

“What about on the planet Lantilis?” Gideon Tarkin asked.

"The four aircraft carriers over there have already left, and their whereabouts are unknown," the intelligence officer said.

“They’re not missing, they’re coming this way,” Gideon Tarkin sneered. “Their method of movement is to flank Charos IV from the side and rear. No need to think about it, their fleet on Bonta is bait, designed to make us take the initiative to attack.”

The adjutant asked, "So, we launch a preemptive strike and then they cut off our supply lines? But the hyperspace route behind Chalos IV is far beyond what a few aircraft carriers can cut off. Besides, the planet itself can also provide us with some supplies."

Gideon Tarkin let out a long sigh, feeling extremely agitated.

Yes... where exactly is the problem?
He waved his hand and said, "I will personally lead 150 capital ships to defend Chalos IV! I will send General Torgusius to lead the main fleet to directly attack Bonta! The enemy commander is Lin Nanyi, who is relatively easy to deal with. There are no strange tactics involved; we can just crush them head-on!"

The adjutant found this arrangement rather strange and asked again, "General, you are the supreme commander, but you are going to lead a squadron yourself and hand over the main fleet to Vice Admiral Torgusius?"

“It would be much safer for me to deal with those strange aircraft carriers myself,” Gideon Tarkin said. “I’ll be stationed on Chalos IV, and I can make immediate decisions about whether to advance or retreat, which will be much more flexible.”

“Yes, I will summon Lieutenant General Torgusius immediately for a report.” The adjutant nodded.

……

Another day passed, and the main fleet of the Galactic Empire in the East completed its combat preparations and departed from the spaceport to begin formation.

An hour later, each ship completed the calculation of the hyperspace route, activated the hyperspace engine, and with a dazzling white light, the massive force of 600 capital ships and 3000 medium and small warships split into two waves and headed straight for the planet Bonta!
Gideon Tarkin, standing on the bridge of his flagship, the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer USS Dexton, watched as the main fleet disappeared one by one into hyperspace, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

He felt that with the departure of the main fleet, he had lost control in many ways.

Without a doubt, whoever commanded the opposing aircraft carrier group, he possessed extraordinary patience. The enemy had been waiting for him to make a mistake, like a seasoned hunter with eyes like a venomous snake, constantly watching him.

As long as we hold our ground firmly, there will be no weaknesses. But if we send troops, weaknesses will inevitably emerge.

Gideon Tarkin considered his situation and realized that he had indeed been forced into a position where he had to send troops, and in doing so, he had been forced to expose his weaknesses.

All he can do now is pray that this weakness won't be exploited by the enemy, leading to disastrous consequences.

But this also means handing over the initiative in the battle to others.

Soon, Lieutenant General Torgusius from the front lines reported that Lin Nanyi's fleet had indeed fled without engaging in battle, just as they had predicted.

According to intelligence, they fled to the planet Salukami—the last stronghold of the Independent System Confederation.

Lieutenant General Torgusius dared not act rashly and quickly sent a battle report requesting instructions on the next course of action.

He was merely a lieutenant general, yet he was given command of a sector-level fleet of 600 capital ships. The fact that he didn't wet himself in fear on the spot shows his excellent mental fortitude.

Gideon Tarkin coldly set down the data panel, his fingertip drawing a red line across the tactical star map. "Continue the pursuit!"

Torgus responded immediately, leading his fleet toward the planet Salukami. Due to navigational limitations, he split his forces again, detouring in three directions.

Meanwhile, they also received intelligence from the Rebel Alliance that the other half of the Dawn Kingdom's fleet had set sail and begun heading towards the planet Sarukami.

It looks like a decisive fleet battle is about to break out!
Gideon Tarkin frowned, suppressing his unease. After all, he was currently deep in the rear and could not directly command the battle.

Frustrated, he went to the observation window on the bridge and gazed at the dark, deep star field and the pale blue glow of Chalos IV planet beside it. The distant starry sky brought him a slight sense of peace.

Suddenly, he felt as if a blurry shadow was slowly flying past outside the warship; if it weren't for the planet's light, he wouldn't have been able to see it at all.

At that moment, the warship's close-in weapon system suddenly opened fire!
A pale blue explosion erupted, seemingly striking a blurry figure and leaving a trail of scattered fragments in space! The fragments drifted silently in the vacuum, and appeared to be...golden! (End of Chapter)