The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2807. A Devastating Collapse (Part 2)
Admiral Gideon Tarkin, the Supreme Commander of the 20th Army of the Galactic Empire, had his flagship reduced to countless fragments in the explosion. The explosion was so rapid that not a single escape pod was able to launch successfully.

In other words, all 17000+ naval personnel of all ranks on this Imperial II-class Star Destroyer, including the additional command and staff teams, were killed in action!
Including Gideon Tarkin!

"Retreat immediately!" General Griffiths gave the order without hesitation, completely ignoring the Gideon Tarkin flagship that was exploding behind him.

After a brief period of chaos, the Imperial fleet launched a furious counterattack.

Naval officers and sailors at all levels, as well as warship captains, came to realize a terrible reality—Gideon Tarkin was dead! Their supreme commander was dead! And he had died right before their eyes!
Without a doubt, if an explanation cannot be given, everyone present will at least receive a disciplinary action, and high-ranking officials will certainly be sent directly to a military court!

However, the Purifier aircraft carriers accelerated wildly despite the powerful firepower. These warships had already undergone a long-distance acceleration and were now in a high-speed assault state. With continuous acceleration, their sub-light speed had reached one-thousandth of the speed of light.

This means that it would only take them two seconds to traverse the more than 500 kilometers of space temporarily created by the Imperial fleet formation!

Moreover, countless Purifier interceptor drones began a frenzied defense mode, attacking not only the Imperial warships but also crashing into the mothership to intercept the artillery fire after it was bombarded.

The countless fragments of the interceptor drones bear witness to the brutality of this battle. Almost every one of the ten Purifier aircraft carriers was severely damaged, the interceptor drones were almost completely wiped out, and more than 30 of the more than 100 reconnaissance aircraft were shot down.

Amidst the desperate barrage of the Imperial fleet, General Grievous led ten Purifier carriers to successfully breach the defenses, activating their hyperspace engines and instantly disappearing into outer space.

In an uninhabited star system about 7 seconds away from Chalos IV, a flash of white light appeared, and ten Purifier aircraft carriers emerged from space, their formation scattered and their hulls tilted.

As the ship shuddered from the hyperspace, one of the Purifier carriers finally succumbed to the strain. Its engines shut down instantly, followed by a catastrophic explosion in its internal reactor. The ship's port side disintegrated, spewing forth countless pale blue flames. The force of the explosion propelled the powerless carrier toward another ship, which scrambled to avoid it, creating a chaotic scene.

Ultimately, the aircraft carrier tumbled and crashed into an asteroid, completely shattering into pieces.

More than 20 Purifiers emerged from the wreckage and activated their power devices, flying toward the nearest aircraft carrier.

Protoss Purifier Commander Mojo turned to General Grievous and said, "Our warships are mostly heavily damaged and have lost their combat capability. I have contacted the rear and several engineering and transport ships will be sent to join us."

"Prepare a shuttle! I will personally go to the battlefield on the planet Salukami! The humiliation of 10 years ago will be repaid today!" General Griffiths clenched his fist.

“As you wish, Your Excellency. Ul'as addari…” Moyo nodded slowly and withdrew to make the arrangements.

……

Meanwhile, on the outer perimeter of the planet Salukami, in the debris field.

News of Admiral Gideon Tarkin's death had not yet arrived, while the massive force of the Imperial Twelfth Army's main fleet—more than 600 capital ships and over 3000 medium and small warships—was firing wildly at the wreckage!
Countless turbine laser cannons continuously unleashed destructive energy, and every piece of metal fragment in the wreckage burst forth with blinding white light under the high-temperature ionization. The dense barrage not only tore apart the floating ship wreckage but also exposed the Dawn Kingdom warships hidden behind it.

Lin Nan stood on the bridge of the fleet's flagship, the Radiant Revelation-class battleship, his forehead already drenched in cold sweat. The fourfold disparity in troop strength made this battle almost hopeless. He stared intently at the constantly fluctuating number of enemy ships on the tactical holographic screen, his Adam's apple bobbing, his fists clenched tightly.

He directed the Hellsangel-class battlecruisers to advance and withstand as much fire as possible, creating opportunities for the Typhoon-class and Cataclysm-class battlecruisers behind them to launch long-range attacks.

Meanwhile, he kept urging his adjutant, "When will Pinar's fleet arrive?"

Rear Admiral Pinar is the commander of the other half of the fleet. The reason he is only a rear admiral is that Lin Nan currently does not have a complete and high-ranking officer team under his command.

He is now only acting governor, while the highest military commander of the Eastern Sector remains General Greaves, a fact that remained unchanged even when Greaves was injured and sent to the rear.

The adjutant said, "It should take another half a day for Major General Pinar's fleet to arrive."

"Then hold on! We must hold on until reinforcements arrive!" Lin Nan slammed his fist on the hollow plastic panel of the command platform.

"General, the situation is dire. Most of the wreckage in area D-37 has been destroyed, and our warships will soon face direct artillery fire," the adjutant said.

Lin Nan gritted his teeth, staring fiercely at the holographic combat star map, and said, "Have the fourth squadron in the D-37 area retreat! Continue to stall for time!"

Just then, the communicator suddenly rang, and General Grievous's ferocious face appeared on the screen.

[Gideon Tarkin has been killed by me, and the Imperial Fleet has lost its supreme commander! I am on my way quickly, you must find a way to launch a counterattack immediately!] After General Grievous finished speaking, he shut down the communication without further ado.

Lin Nan was suddenly shocked. "Gideon Tarkin? Dead? Killed by General Grievous?"

He suddenly had a very absurd feeling, because ever since General Grievous returned to the East, he had no idea what the other was plotting, and Grievous had never said anything.

Furthermore, General Grievous was completely uninvolved in any decision-making within the Eastern Territory. He had no idea where his mysterious fleet was or how many there were. This fleet hadn't even requested supplies from him!

It can be said that this fleet is currently completely invisible in the Eastern Territory!

But now, Grievous is telling him that he directly killed Gideon Tarkin, the highest-ranking military officer of the Galactic Empire's Twelfth Army?!
So this was General Grievous's goal all along?

Immediately, Lin Nan perked up, "With Gideon Tarkin dead, the Imperial fleet will definitely be thrown into chaos! This is our chance!"

The adjutant, also staring intently at the holographic combat star map, said in a deep voice, "I think it might not go so smoothly." (End of Chapter)