The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2818. Fulcrum

Losar Planet, the Ghost Squad's secret base.

The atmosphere here was heavy and oppressive, as if even breathing was being suffocated by lead. The members of the Ghost Squad huddled around the holographic sand table, their faces filled with grief, resentment, and even fear.

The Lassan man, Zebu Aurelius, was breathing heavily, as if he were about to breathe fire; Sabine Ryan kept wiping his blaster pistol; Ezra Bridger clenched his fists, his whole body trembling with rage; Hera Sindura lowered her head and remained silent.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Squad leader, Kennen Jarras, stared at the holographic star map. The twenty-three crimson markers were alarming, signifying that twenty-three rebel bases had been destroyed.

According to his understanding, this large-scale attack, including the fall of 23 bases and the subsequent arrests, resulted in at least 200,000 members of the rebel alliance being arrested or killed!
Kennan Jarres didn't know who the opposing commander was, but he could clearly sense the inescapable trap that person had laid.

The Ghost Squad has now officially joined forces with the Rebel Alliance, following the Yawen Declaration. In accordance with the spirit of their leader, Padme Amidala, they have begun to consolidate the Rebel Alliance's internal forces, creating a more sophisticated organizational structure to confront the Galactic Empire.

However, although the Yawen Declaration clearly states that the Galactic Empire is the primary target of the struggle, and that all forces that can be united can be united for this purpose, it does not mean that the Rebel Alliance has truly become an ally of the Kingdom of Dawn. The relationship between the two sides is more of a complex one of mutual antagonism and mutual exploitation.

In other words, on some planets where people are severely oppressed or where liberalism is rampant, the Rebel Alliance is still launching uprisings against the Kingdom of Dawn.

Furthermore, in the Eastern Territory, due to Lin Nanyi's introduction of the company's power, he began to exploit people with high-pressure tactics, causing widespread resentment among the people of most planets in the Eastern Territory.

General Karani, who followed, further exploited monetary policy to directly sever the Empire's credit points, causing the Eastern Territory's economic system to collapse instantly, rendering countless civilians' life savings worthless. He also implemented stringent import and export policies, subjecting all goods entering the Empire to extremely rigorous scrutiny.

Under this dual oppression, the planets in the Eastern Sector, while not yet in dire straits, are on the verge of collapse—children beg with useless Imperial Credits in the streets and alleys, while old people squat in corners counting their moldy food rations.

The exchange rate between Imperial Credits and Currency IV has plummeted to an astronomical figure. Some well-connected individuals are predatoryly exchanging small amounts of Currency IV for large amounts of Imperial Credits, which they then use to spend within the Empire. This has led to the concentrated plundering of the wealth of the people on these planets—after all, at least two-thirds of the inhabitants will never have the opportunity to travel to other planets, let alone cross the war line into the Empire. For these people, banning Imperial Credits would truly render them worthless.

On the bright side, the hidden rebel alliance bases in the Eastern Territory are receiving almost no supplies! This is because much of the resources and funding are sent from the inner circle of the galaxy.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, major companies in the Dawn Kingdom began to expand rapidly. The Solar Power Energy Company even went so far as to turn the entire planet's inhabitants into indentured slaves by signing "legal contracts."

Therefore, in an environment like the Eastern Territory, it's no wonder that the Rebel Alliance and the Kingdom of Dawn are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

However, after several personnel changes in the Eastern Territory of the Kingdom of Dawn, the Rebel Alliance was immediately dealt a heavy blow. The destruction of twenty-three bases demonstrated the vast gap between ideals and reality. The Rebel Alliance certainly had a thousand legitimate reasons to rebel against the Kingdom of Dawn in the East, but the Kingdom of Dawn's systematic military, administrative, and intelligence capabilities were a force that left the Rebel Alliance in despair.

Therefore, the Rebel Alliance began to secretly collaborate more with the New Jedi Order and the Blood Knights, attempting to use their powerful Force abilities to offset the Dawn Kingdom's military advantage.

"Failure... Twenty-three bases destroyed, and King Otto-Stratos secretly executed." Sabin-Rain's voice was filled with sorrow. "We've lost Jabim, this vital foothold, and twenty-three bases... What are we going to do in the East?"

"The disparity in our strength is indeed so vast that it's despairing, but since the Kingdom of Dawn won't give us a way out, then don't blame us for fighting back, even if it means fighting to the last man," Kennen Jarres said resolutely. "Since the Kingdom of Dawn has chosen to start this war, then they shouldn't expect it to end so easily!"

He continued, “The leader has contacted the new Jedi Order for us, and they have decided to fully support our operations in the East! The Dawn Kingdom’s perverse actions in the East have angered both heaven and man! They will be sending powerful Jedi Masters to assist us. But now…”

Kennan Jarres said seriously, "We're being watched."

Zebu-Aurelios grinned menacingly. "What's there to be afraid of? They've been watching us for a long time since we blew up their stargate, haven't they? Did it even work?"

"This time is different." A voice came from behind.

“Nothing’s different! I’ll kill as many of those Dawn Kingdom lackeys as they come!” Zeb-Aurelios shouted.

However, he suddenly realized what was happening and roared, "Who is it!"

The voice seemed to be a woman's, but it appeared very abruptly and had very obvious electronic noise. Everyone immediately searched, and at that moment, Keenan Jarres took out his communicator, which had already turned on by itself. A blurry black figure was projected into the holographic projection, and judging from the prompt, it should be a woman.

"Who are you?!" Kenan Jarres was shocked. Someone had hacked his communicator! Didn't this mean his operation had been completely exposed?
"Don't panic. I'm an Alliance intelligence agent, codename 'Fulcrum,' reporting directly to Operation Leader," the voice said. "Your situation is extremely dangerous. You must survive until I reach Losar."

As she spoke, she sent over an identification code for the rebel alliance.

After confirming the code, Kennan Jarres' brow finally relaxed, and he nodded, saying, "So, Miss Pivot, what should we do?"

"Your opponent is General Kalani," Pivot said. "He is the Deputy Director of the State Security Bureau of the Dawn Kingdom, a ruthless and cunning general who was a separatist during the Clone Wars. He personally commanded and orchestrated Operation Spring Dawn, the operation to wipe out twenty-three Alliance bases. And you are his next target." (End of Chapter)