From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 522: Heavy damage? Evacuation? Extremely cruel.
Boom, boom
Gabriel's footsteps were quick and heavy, echoing in the empty metal corridor. As he moved away, the sound caused by his magnetic boots became more and more blurred.

In just a few seconds, the huge figure disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The disappearance of Gabriel's figure announced a tactical retreat.

He made the decision quickly and decisively without any hesitation.

Gabriel knew that even though he had great fighting power, it was not wise to confront Darth Vader head-on.

Through the confrontation just now, he deeply realized that the power of this Dark Lord was far beyond his expectations.

Whether it was the use of the Force or the opponent's almost omnipotent control, Gabriel felt an unprecedented threat.

Rather than staying in this life-and-death struggle and wasting more challenges that you might face, it is better to evacuate quickly and retain a glimmer of hope for yourself and your troops.

It would probably not be long before he could return to the hangar, reunite with his brothers who had also boarded the Devastator, and then evacuate on the Thunder Raider.

It is true that Gabriel is not afraid of death, but rather than sacrifice himself heroically, it is better for him to remain useful and continue to serve the Primarch, the Emperor and the Empire.

Then evacuation is his only option, which is extremely rational and straightforward.

Besides, all the objectives of the feint attack have been achieved, so there is no need for Gabriel to stay here and engage in a head-on confrontation with Darth Vader.

The most important point is that he cannot fall into the opponent's trap.

After all, the Dark Lord not only possesses powerful Force, but may also master some terrifying, unknown, forbidden powers.

If you are really captured by the other party, it will not only be a physical bondage, but also an abyss of the soul.

Gabriel realized that if he was captured by the enemy, it would cause immeasurable losses to the human empire.

If Darth Vader could obtain enough in-depth knowledge about gene seeds, psionics, and even the Warp from him, it would definitely bring great advantages to the enemy.

By that time, the Galactic Empire will have the corresponding preparations and measures, and the entire pattern of the unified war may change significantly, causing more casualties to the human empire.

And all this is obviously not the outcome Gabriel wants to see.

Therefore, tactical retreat is not a manifestation of fear of the enemy, but a result of a deep understanding of the overall situation.

What's more, the main force of the company led by their father of the Thousand Sons and two other primarchs will arrive soon, so there is no need for him and the Blood Ravens to continue to engage with the enemy.

Once the main force exits the jump space, it will be time for them to launch a full-scale counterattack.

soon;

Gabriel and five company guards have returned to the Devastator's hangar, and together with the company champion Apollo Diomedes, they board the Thunder Raider and rush out of the Devastator again, heading back to the mothership.

The whole process went surprisingly smoothly.

It's not that the stormtroopers didn't try to intercept them, but that the stormtroopers were simply unable to stop these Astartes.

As for Darth Vader inside the Devastator, who was able to use the Force to completely suppress the Blood Ravens, he also came to the hangar of the Devastator.

The strong impact of those high-explosive bombs could hardly shake the body of the Dark Lord due to the reflection and buffering of the Force barrier.

Even if the shock wave reached the surrounding metal decks, it only tore some metal plates and produced a "faint" echo.

However, the Blood Raven Captain's astonishing speed, coupled with the brief loss of vision, caused the opponent to disappear without a trace in an instant.

Darth Vader knew that with Gabriel's abilities, it would be almost impossible to forcibly stop his retreat.

Even if he could use the Force to sense the movement at that moment, he would not be able to keep it in place.

In order to avoid delaying too long, Darth Vader finally gave up the plan to capture Gabriel and instead watched how the situation developed.

He knew in his heart that Gabriel and the Blood Crows' series of actions had revealed a key piece of information -

The Death Star has been infiltrated by an enemy spy force.

Although he was certain of this in his mind, he was not in a hurry to notify the Death Star command. He had his own plans and wanted to personally watch how the situation evolved and see what chess pieces the enemy had that were worth his action.

The coming and going of the Thunderbolt assault boats made the originally orderly hangar become completely messy.

The assault craft used its high-powered melta cannon to blast open one side of the hangar bulkhead, broke through the gap, and then quickly left.

But this time, the Thunder raider obviously did not "fill" the gap.

The crack in the bulkhead was exposed to the endless space, the temperature inside the hangar dropped sharply, and the air loss was almost instantaneous.

Although the airlock door was successfully lowered, ensuring that the air pressure in other areas of the Devastator remained stable, this open area of ​​the hangar was still exposed to extreme conditions.

At this time, Darth Vader was standing at the gap in the hangar's bulkhead leading to outer space. The dim light made his figure still tall and cold. It seemed that he had no emotional fluctuations in his heart, and he just cast his gaze into the deep space outside.

And in the vast space outside the hangar, a silent and dangerous battle is taking place.

The huge starships and nimble fighter planes crossed each other in the low temperature and low pressure environment, like a cold dance of steel, colliding mercilessly.

The trajectories of various lights also flickered in the cold and dark universe, forming an exquisite "picture" with the blue Scarif "below".

On the surface, the situation has gone from being slightly complicated at the beginning to becoming completely clear now.

Initially, the Blood Ravens' surprise attack caught the fleet off guard and quickly threw them into chaos.

Faced with the Blood Crow's swift and lightning-fast attack, the response of ships and fighter planes was delayed, and the defense line was once very weak, giving the Blood Crow's carrier-based aircraft and boarding formation an opportunity to take advantage.

However, as the battle progressed, their fleet reorganized the battle line, launched precise deployments and counterattacks, and gradually gained the upper hand.

The tactical coordination of each ship became closer, and the firepower pressure was layered, gradually forcing the Blood Crows into a difficult situation.

After all, the number of ships and fighter planes on the Blood Crow side meant they were at a disadvantage in this battle.

Both their firepower and durability are far inferior to the huge scale of their fleet.

At this moment, Darth Vader, who was calmly watching the entire battle situation, could judge the predicament that the enemy was about to face by relying on his experience and intuition without any precise data.

That means the ammunition is running out.

In this intense confrontation, the advantage that the Blood Crows had built up through surprise attacks was rapidly disintegrating. Especially since the Blood Crows had already consumed a large amount of ammunition and supplies when they raided Scarif, and with the current intensity of the battle, the ammunition supply was already stretched to its limit, and they could run out of ammunition and food at any time.

In the boundless darkness of the universe, the battle is still going on quietly, and Darth Vader is certain that this will soon be a "definitive victory."

He knew that in two or three minutes, the Blood Crow Fleet would completely lose its offensive capability and would eventually be forced to retreat.

At this moment, Darth Vader sensed through the vibration of the metal deck and the perception of the Force that his elite stormtroopers were gathering behind him.

The team members' power shirts and advanced individual systems allow them to move in a fully combat-ready manner even in a hangar that has become an extreme environment.

After they lost the enemy target that boarded the Devastator, senior officers and elite soldiers gathered around Darth Vader to ensure the safety of their leader and to obtain the latest instructions and orders.
Although the Dark Lord does not need their protection, it is also their duty.

"Lord Vader."

A major approached with an anxious tone. The communication device inside the helmet made a slight buzzing sound, but the voice still came through the communication channel clearly:

"Governor Tarkin requires you to end the battle as soon as possible to prevent the battle station (Death Star) from being affected. In addition, the bridge has inferred that the enemy seems to be making new aggressive moves."

"Huhu."

Darth Vader listened to the report quietly, and the breathing sound on the communication channel seemed to be able to penetrate all the hypocrisy and vacillation.

His chest rose and fell steadily, his thoughts were like water, and all the fluctuations and distracting thoughts were swallowed up by the abyss of the Force.

After a few seconds of silence, he slowly opened his mouth and ordered:
"Tell Governor Tarkin that the situation is under complete control. However, the Devastator has been severely damaged and we need to evacuate immediately."

Every word seemed to be thrown out from the cold darkness, with unquestionable authority and decisiveness.

"Yes, Lord Vader."

Upon hearing this, the major did not hesitate at all and immediately conveyed the instructions to the Death Star through the communication equipment.

After that, Darth Vader said nothing more and remained in his suffocating silence.

For the elite stormtroopers, even time seemed to slow down because of Darth Vader's presence, but they had long been accustomed to it.

Until the retreat of the Blood Crow fleet broke the silence.

Swish—swish—

Suddenly, four Blood Raven ships, two Paris-class battleships, a Stealth-class battleship, and a captured Star Destroyer, all activated their warp and hyperspace drives, instantly disappearing outside of Scarif's gravitational pull.

They cut through the void as if they had never existed.

Seeing the "escape" of the Blood Raven fleet, Darth Vader finally turned around, took steady and powerful steps, as if everything was making way for his every step, and walked towards the air valve gate leading to the bridge.

The elite stormtroopers following him were all wearing power armor with a gleaming metallic luster. Their steps were consistent and equally heavy, giving people an extremely oppressive aura.

Under the helmets, the elites' eyes were focused and determined, and their eyes revealed their immense respect and trust for Darth Vader.

After all, they all witnessed how powerful Lord Vader was, and following Lord Vader represented victory, represented everything, and they fully agreed with all the decisions made by the dark lord.

"Major."

At this moment, Darth Vader did not stop, but he suddenly spoke on the communication channel, his tone as cold as ice.

The major immediately looked up and responded respectfully: "Lord Vader."

"Tell the bridge to have the Devastator activate its backup energy source and prepare for a hyperspace jump. Then have them contact all damaged ships and evacuate Scarif with us for repairs."

There was no fluctuation in Darth Vader's voice, but the command and authority contained in it made everyone who heard it feel an irresistible pressure.

"Yes, Lord Vader." The major responded without hesitation, and quickly used communication equipment to convey the order to the bridge and various departments.

With the major's quick response, the information was transmitted rapidly through the intranet, and Darth Vader continued to move forward until he and his subordinates completely disappeared in the hangar.

At the same time, in the control room of the Death Star, the tense atmosphere still did not dissipate.

A large amount of data flashed continuously on numerous screens, displaying real-time information about the battle situation in the Scarif Space Domain, while nearly a hundred staff members were busy at their respective posts, issuing urgent reports one after another;

"Your Excellency Governor! The enemy has escaped again and released interference signals, making it impossible for us to accurately lock on to the target!" An operator reported loudly with a frown, obviously troubled by the enemy's quick escape.

Another staff member followed closely and quickly added: "Your Excellency Governor! Lord Vader has confirmed to us through the communication that the fleet he leads has suffered heavy damage and is currently preparing to evacuate Scarif for repairs."

The layout of the main control room is simple and efficient, with modern operating desks all around, and the buttons and screens of the control panels emitting a faint light.

Directly in front, a large holographic screen projects the battle scene in the Scarif space domain.

Starships and fighter planes streaked through the void. Even though the energy beams and explosion flames that had originally formed a web had dissipated, they still reminded everyone here all the time that the "gun smoke" of the battlefield was still pervasive.

The "general" standing in the center of the control room had a stern look in his eyes and was dressed in a neat gray military uniform. Many medals flashed on the chest of the uniform, symbolizing his outstanding status and glory in the empire.

He stood with his hands behind his back, like a mountain, as if he had a full view of all the battle situations and intelligence.

Even though the surroundings were filled with hurried reports and busy operations, his expression remained calm, as if he was calmly thinking about the next strategy.

This general was what the staff called Governor Tarkin.

Wilhuff Tarkin.

However, Tarkin's silence made the atmosphere in the room even more depressing.

Soon, this made the staff fall silent tacitly, and their eyes unconsciously turned to him, waiting for the latest instructions from this symbol of power.

Hit hard?

retreat?

After hearing the report, Tarkin's originally calm expression suddenly turned into a frown.

This experienced and extremely ruthless commander did not believe that Darth Vader's direct troops had suffered serious damage.

Although on the surface it was indeed as the other party reported, with five star destroyers boarded by the enemy and several frigates and supply ships destroyed, it was generally harmless.

Why Darth Vader wanted so badly to get off Scarif.
(End of this chapter)