The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

2925. Kira Contract (Part 2)
"Please show me your identification." A B-1 combat robot painted entirely white approached and said to Krull van der Lon.

Van der Lon took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said, "I have no identification."

[Please show your identification.] This robot is just mechanically repeating the same action.

“I told you, I have no identification! I have nothing on me right now! Get your manager to come find me!” Krul van der Lon shouted.

[Please show your identification.] The B-1 combat robot's arm rotated 180 degrees, retrieving a stun gun from a slot on its back.

Krul van der Lon was nearly driven mad. He roared at the robot, "I told you I didn't! I didn't! I don't need anything to prove myself!"

[Roger Roger! Facial scan to proceed.] The B-1 combat robot raised its hand, and an additional facial scanner mounted on its wrist emitted a beam, scanning Krull Van der Lon's face from top to bottom before clearing a path and saying, [Welcome, Mr. Van der Lon. Please continue forward.]

After speaking, the robot blocked the attendants behind it and scanned their facial data one by one.

Krul van der Lon continued walking forward like a zombie, his anger growing ever stronger, almost burning away his reason.

He saw a second checkpoint ahead. He walked over, and another squad of B-1 combat robots blocked his way. This time, however, the robot pointed very clearly to a nearby device and said: "Sir, please perform an iris scan."

"I have passed the facial scan and proven that I am who I am! Krul van der Lon! The leader of the Imperial New Order Maintenance Committee!!" Krul van der Lon roared.

"Sir, please perform an iris scan." The robot merely repeats the same action mechanically.

Krul van der Lon had to walk up to the scanner, bending over and sticking his butt out to put his face on the scanning window, which was only 1.4 meters high.

The dazzling light seemed to sweep across his pupils, and Krul van der Lon felt a little dizzy when he stood up. The strong light residue on his retina made everything he saw blurry.

He took a long time to catch his breath before he recovered. He turned around and saw the 1500 members of his negotiation delegation lining up for facial and iris scans.

However, as Krul van der Lon continued forward, he encountered the third checkpoint.

The third one!
The venue, which looked incredibly luxurious and was built almost overnight in this world that had been bombed and was still a boiling lava field just half a month ago, was less than a hundred meters away from me!

But he still has to undergo a third examination!
Krull Van der Lon just wanted to cry... Who was he? He was the leader of the New Order Maintenance Committee of the Galactic Empire! At his peak, he commanded hundreds of billions of followers of the Emperor, each one incredibly loyal and fanatical, willing to sacrifice everything for the Emperor's cause!
And he, as the leader of the entire committee, possesses authority here second only to Emperor Palpatine!

He was once one of the five most authoritative people in the entire galaxy! Now he has to be humiliated like this again and again!
Krul van der Lon had no choice but to continue. Standing before the third checkpoint, he was almost numb. He coldly said, "Whatever, do you want me to take my clothes off? Heh heh heh..."

[Please select a location on your body to affix the stamp.] This B-1 combat robot is rather strange; it holds a stamp in its hand and is wearing a rather ridiculous white apron.

"A seal?" Krul van der Lon instinctively spread his hands out.

"Please select the outer skin of the body that is easy to display; the forehead or cheek is recommended," said the B-1 combat robot.

“That’s impossible!” Krul van der Lon turned his palm over, back of his hand facing up. “Is this okay? Back of the hand! On the outside!”

With a snap, the robot stamped a purple seal on his hand. Van der Long looked at it; it was a circle with four words inside: "Qualified, No Inspection Required."

Krul van der Lon finally entered the venue, where he finally received the courtesy he deserved.

A clean and tidy red carpet, professional waiters moving around, a solemn and dignified venue, and a table in the center that is about 10 meters square.

This place is fully equipped with facilities such as meeting rooms, lounges, communications rooms, and accommodations.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the Fourth Reich, Hari Seldon, sat at the conference table with five other people, waiting quietly.

Krul van der Lon struggled to suppress his anger, walked over and sat down opposite Harry Seldon, coldly saying, "If Your Excellency could use these petty tricks for good, I think our progress this time would be much smoother." Harry Seldon smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency van der Lon, this is the result of our unanimous decision in a meeting. This will help you truly understand how you should speak and act."

“I don’t need anyone to teach me how to speak and act!” Krul van der Lon raised his voice, he wanted to slam his fist on the table but forcibly restrained himself.

"Oh? Is that so?" Harry Seldon's tone gradually turned cold. "Then the tragedies on Chardan and Pax, were they based on your correct judgment?"

Krul van der Lon's expression twisted slightly. "I already said! That was Tarkin's personal act!"

“Heh heh heh…” Harry Seldon leaned back on the sofa and sneered, “So you see, Lord Van der Lon. Even after going through three rounds of reminders, you still haven’t learned how to speak and act.”

Krul van der Londo took a deep breath and sat up straight again.

At this moment, one of his attendants handed him a note—they had adopted this most primitive method of message transmission because they were worried that the message would be intercepted or interfered with.

Van der Lon covered the note with his sleeve and glanced at it. It contained the delegation's recommendations based on the current situation.

Harry Seldon simply watched from the sidelines, a common practice in negotiations, and he did not intervene.

“I understand…” Krull-Vanderlong nodded and said in a deep voice, “The Galactic Empire will officially issue an apology and express its deepest apologies and repentance to the victims of the deaths on Chardan, Pax and Kira planets, and establish a foundation to help the evacuated refugees rebuild their homes.”

"At the same time, the Galactic Empire will also take on the task of clearing the Hydia route and building hyperspace relay stations on the ruins of Chardan and Parks to ensure that the changes in magnetic fields and gravity caused by the destruction of the planets will not affect the navigation of the Hydia route."

He now realized that the negotiations had already begun the moment he set foot on the planet Kira.

During the ensuing negotiations, Krul van der Lon felt as if he were in hell.

The Fourth Reich delegation, led by Hari Seldon, pushed them to their limits, constantly trying, crashing, and challenging them, putting them under immense pressure.

……

"...No, that's impossible! Your country was the first to declare war, not us! We absolutely cannot publicly declare that we started this war!" Krul-Vanderlon roared.

Harry Seldon said coldly, "But it is precisely because of your hostile actions against the Trade Federation and the Lundley Star Dynamics that all the preconditions for war have been met. In other words, we are making a counter-declaration of war."

"The Galactic Empire can apologize and compensate for the Trade Federation and the Rendelli incident... but we cannot bear the responsibility for starting the war! Because that means that all the losses incurred in the entire war are caused by ourselves! The consequences are beyond my control!" Krull-Vanderlon tried to explain.

"Shouldn't we bear the responsibility?" Harry Seldon retorted.

“No… I mean, perhaps we can shift the blame to a third party so we can give an explanation to our own people.” Krul van der Lon put it very bluntly. “Your Excellency Harry Seldon, you should know that if we continue to lose public support, where will we get the taxes to pay war reparations?”

"Now you think you have something to say to the people at home?" Harry Seldon sneered.

"If you insist on condemning us on this meaningless moral ground, then I can only say, fine... but the amount and payment schedule for war reparations must be adjusted!" Krul-Vanderlon, seemingly unfazed, retorted, "We are willing to pay compensation and cooperate. But we request that your country at least consider the current regime's survival situation, after all..."

He said slowly, "If the current government collapses, who will you sign these treaties with? Who will you ask for reparations from?"

……

"...Open up the Peremian Trade Ridge? Are you kidding me? This means the core circle will have direct access to a core shipping lane, and we have no countermeasures!"

……

"...Tariffs are absolutely out of the question... Okay, I understand what you mean, but at least we need to retain the decision-making power regarding tariffs!" (End of Chapter)