From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 550 Mission "Waste"

After suffering heavy losses with more than half of their men killed or wounded, the Galactic Empire's army soldiers and desert stormtroopers finally chose to surrender to the Spartan warriors who outnumbered them by far.

Faced with these war-like enemies, their resistance seemed so weak, as if ants were trying to shake a giant tree.

Neither the intensive fire suppression nor the desperate charge could shake the eighty-plus Spartans in the slightest.

Even if it managed to hit the Sparta, the small amount of blaster beam could not break the energy shield of Thor's hammer, let alone pose a substantial threat.

Isolated and without any help and communications cut off, the imperial soldiers realized that continued resistance would only result in meaningless sacrifices.

Death in battle and surrender became their only two options.

Between the two, surrender is the most sensible decision.

After all, facing these ruthless enemies like the god of death, the hope of survival is far more important than serving the corrupt and decadent Galactic Empire.

As the last gunshot ceased, the entire farm area fell into an eerie silence.

The smoke of gunpowder still filled the air, and the sand was littered with the corpses of imperial soldiers and broken equipment, silently telling of the brutality of the battle.

Half of the Sparta, led by 104 Fred, were methodically guarding more than disarmed Imperial Army and Stormtroopers.

The captives had numb expressions and dull eyes, as if they had not yet recovered from the fear they had just experienced.

The Spartans did not let their guard down. They quickly built a simple defensive position on the outskirts of the farm gathering area. Their figures moved quickly on the sand, setting up cordons and firing points.

Although the entire farm gathering area has temporarily returned to calm, the Spartans cast long shadows on the sand. Their eyes under their helmets vigilantly scan the surroundings, ready to respond to possible threats at any time.

The imperial soldiers who were being held in custody squatted on the ground silently, waiting for an unknown fate.

At the same time, the Spartans called for "transportation service" through an encrypted channel to the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser far away in orbit.

Before the transport convoy arrived, their mission was simple - to guard the prisoners and complete the established search mission.

As for the so-called search mission, it is to locate the Lars family and ensure their safety.

now.

John led the Red Team, including 087 Kelly, 058 Linda, and 092 Jerome, to the farm of Lars' family.
Compared with other farms, this farm is particularly simple.

There is only a white "felt tent"-like building on the surface, standing alone on the sand, as if it will be swallowed by the wind and sand at any time.

However, this seemingly inconspicuous farm hides a whole new world beneath the ground.

John and others stood on the edge of the pit next to the felt tent and looked down. What came into their sight was a wide underground space.

The central courtyard of the farm is carefully designed and is surrounded by equipment that appears to be moisture condensation devices. They are operating slowly, providing a valuable source of water for this underground oasis.

A wide variety of crops are also grown here, and the lush greenery forms a sharp contrast with the desolation of the desert.

Obviously, the underground building area is more than ten times larger than a single felt tent on the surface, like a paradise hidden underground.

"."

John's gaze under the helmet stayed on the central courtyard below the pit for a moment, and then he activated the pulse scanning function of the helmet, trying to peek into the structure of the entire farm.

The ripples of the pulse scan quickly spread across the helmet's display screen, outlining the contours of the underground space one by one.

Complex passages, hidden rooms, and various functional areas are clearly visible in the scanned image, like a three-dimensional map.

"Here, John."

At this moment, Cortana's voice sounded in John's helmet, and as she prompted, a flashing yellow dot appeared on the thumbnail radar map in the upper left corner of the screen. That was the target location marked by Cortana.

There was a hint of certainty in Cortana's voice, as if she had anticipated all this.

John nodded slightly, his eyes lingering briefly on the radar chart on the helmet display screen. The flashing yellow dot was the most important target of their trip.

Moreover, John's thoughts instantly went back to a few days ago, when Sigismund, the legendary warrior of the Imperial Fists, said to them: "As long as you can survive ten moves under my hands, the vanguard mission of the assault on Tatooine will be given to you."

Sigismund kept his word and fulfilled his promise, entrusting the most critical task of this battle, namely, raiding the farm settlement where Lars' family lived, to this group of Spartans.

This trust made John feel that the responsibility on his shoulders was even heavier.

Recalling the experiences of the past few days, John's mind flashed through many images.

During the jump voyage, the Imperial Fists warriors often approached them to "drink" and "fight", ostensibly to enhance mutual understanding, but in fact it was a unique way of recognition.

Those Astartes, with their burly figures and battle scars on their armor, expressed their respect for Sparta in their own way.

Members of the elves also often appear to teach them common sense of ship life and even share some ancient combat techniques.

These little things made the Spartans, including John, develop a deep affection for the Imperial Fists.

However, John did not know that behind these actions of the Imperial Fists, there were deeper intentions.

In fact, it was the Space Wolves who liked "drinking" and "fighting", and the Imperial Fists did so purely out of "ulterior motives".

Both Primarch Dorn and Sigismund wanted to keep this Spartan force with unlimited potential in the legion.

Even though Sparta, this experimental force, will be transferred away according to the orders of the Imperial high-ranking officials after the Unification War, the Imperial Fists hope to leave a deep impression on them and lay the groundwork for future cooperation.

Of course, John didn't have the mind to think about these things at the moment.

He refocused his attention on the task at hand.

After listening to Cortana's prompt, he quickly gave the order through the communication channel:
"The Red Team stays behind. Linda and Kelly follow me."

"Yes, Chief."

Next, the three members of the Red Team stayed on the surface to take charge of the alert, while John, Linda and Kelly moved forward without hesitation, using the pit to reach the central courtyard of the farm.

Boom, boom!

The heavy sound of landing echoed in the empty underground space, announcing their arrival.

In the blink of an eye, John and the other two stood firmly on the ground in the central courtyard. They quickly scanned the surroundings and confirmed that there were no potential threats. Then they slowly moved forward along the route marked by Cortana.

The ripples of pulse scanning and dynamic detection continue to spread on the helmet display, presenting the surrounding details.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the metal gate of the underground shelter.

The gate is thick and solid, and its surface is covered with traces of time. It is obvious that the Lars family built it early in order to deal with extreme situations.

Kelly walked forward and carefully checked the gate's structure and locking device, then turned to John and said:

"Sergeant, do you want to force the door?"

Judging from its posture, it seems that it is ready.

"."

John did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked to the door, turned on the speaker function of his helmet, and said in a loud and steady voice:

"Owen Lars! We are members of the Human Empire. We are here only to protect your family's safety. We have no ill intentions."

His voice echoed in the empty underground space, but after the words fell, only faint noises were heard in the shelter, as if someone was discussing in low voices.

John and the others waited for a while, but the Lars family in the shelter still did not give any response.

Seeing no response from the other party, John nodded to Kelly, signaling her to take action.

Kelly, who had received the signal, adjusted her angle and position, then suddenly lunged forward, and blasted her right fist at the metal gate like a cannonball.

Boom! ! ! With a deafening sound, the seemingly solid metal gate was destroyed as easily as paper by Kelly's fist.

The gate, along with the surrounding walls and threshold, was knocked down by Kelly's right fist, stirring up a cloud of dust and debris.

In the smoke and dust, Kelly's figure appeared particularly tall, as if a true god of war had descended.

Then, John and Linda quickly followed, immediately passed Kelly and rushed into the shelter.

At the same time, they also got a close look at the "descendant of the 'chosen one' of Universe 17" mentioned many times by the Intelligence Department, that is, Luke Skywalker.

! !
Luke was shocked by the sudden "hammer door" and the Spartan warriors over two meters tall in front of him. The expression on his face was extremely wonderful.

There was fear in his eyes, mixed with a hint of excitement that was hard to conceal, as if the adventure and battle scenes that he had always longed for in his heart were now actually appearing before him.

However, when it all really happened, a complex emotion of regret and excitement emerged on his face, as if he was questioning whether he was really ready to face such a reality.

But soon, Luke forced himself to calm down.

A hint of determination flashed in his eyes, and then he stepped forward, protecting his equally frightened aunt Beru Lars behind him, and stood shoulder to shoulder with his uncle Owen Lars.

Although his movements were a little immature, they revealed a courage that should not be underestimated.

Owen held the simple blaster pistol tightly in his hand, and the gun looked so thin and weak in his palm.

Even though Owen witnessed the fierce battle that broke out on the surface, he knew clearly that this weapon could not pose any threat to the giants wearing Thor's hammer power armor in front of him, and could only be regarded as a "toy" at best.

Even so, Owen still did not put down his weapon. His fingers were tightly clasped on the handle, even though his knuckles were slightly white from the effort. His eyes were firm and alert, trying to protect his family in this way.

Belu grasped Owen's clothes tightly, her body trembling slightly due to nervousness, and her eyes were full of worry and fear.

The atmosphere in the shelter suddenly became tense.

John's gaze stayed on Luke for a moment, then he slowly raised his hands, indicating to Owen that he had no hostility.

Then, his voice came out through the external speaker function of the helmet: "Owen Lars, we are here to protect your family's safety. Please believe us. After all, this war has affected the entire Tatooine, and your safety is our top priority."

Hearing this, Owen frowned and did not respond. The wrinkles on his face became even deeper due to nervousness. He looked at the Sparta in front of him with vigilant eyes, trying to judge whether the words of these giants were credible.

Seeing that Owen still hadn't put down his weapon, John spoke again, with a hint of earnestness in his tone:
"We understand your concerns, but time is running out and we have to leave as soon as possible.
Of course, for your safety, we don't mind using some coercive measures, so please give up resistance."

His voice echoed in the shelter, as if knocking on the last line of defense in Owen's heart.

Owen's eyes moved back and forth between John and Luke, and finally, he slowly put down the blaster pistol in his hand.

Although his movements were slow, they revealed a sense of helplessness and compromise.

At this moment, Owen realized that no matter how much he wanted to "live in seclusion", the fate of the Skywalker family had long been closely linked to the war that swept the galaxy, and there was no way to escape it.

Seeing this, John turned around and walked out of the shelter without any hesitation, and ordered as he walked:

"Linda, Kelly, take the target family back to the surface."

"Yes, Chief," Linda and Kelly responded in unison.

They acted quickly, protecting the Lars family, especially Luke, who had an uneasy and curious look in his eyes, and followed John towards the surface.

When the three Spartans led Lars and his family out of the underground farm and returned to the surface, the zoomed-in radar on their helmets also showed a signal that the transport convoy was about to arrive.

soon.

The transport convoy slowly landed in the center of the farm area. The roar of the engines echoed in the desert, stirring up clouds of dust.

The hatch opened, and the Terminators and clones that came with it quickly took over the Spartan's mission and escorted all the prisoners to the Luna transport boat.

At the same time, Luke, Owen and Beru Lars were escorted by elite clones and boarded a Pelican transport plane.

John and his companions also boarded three Pelicans.

But the difference is that after the hatch closed and the transport fleet carried everyone, the target and the prisoners into the air, the three Pelicans carrying John and his group "parted ways" from the main force of the transport fleet under the escort of a Vulture III aerial gunboat and three Phantom fighters.

The transport formation continued to move upward, apparently preparing to return to the Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser in low-Earth orbit.

John and his crew were flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, heading straight for the largest and most prosperous city on Tatooine.

Mos Eisley.

After all, it would be a bit of a waste for the Spartans to return home after completing a mission, so John and his team will work together with the main force to capture Mos Eisley in the shortest possible time.
(End of this chapter)