From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 554 "Special Military Operations" "Temptation"

Drop—drop——!
The reminder of the communication request echoed in the cabin of the shuttle, breaking the original silence.

Darth Vader sat in the shadow of the cabin, his black armor looked particularly cold under the dim light, his breathing was low and regular, and his eyes under the mask were deep and elusive.

After waiting for a moment, Darth Vader slowly raised his hand and answered the call.

Immediately, a holographic image of an Imperial officer appeared in front of him.

The officer in the image was wearing a standard imperial uniform, looking nervous, with beads of sweat even oozing from his forehead.

"Lord Vader!" The officer spoke hastily as soon as the image was generated, with a hint of panic and awe in his tone, "His Majesty the Emperor ordered your fleet to return to its original position and star region as soon as possible. There is no need to strengthen Coruscant's defense, and..."

However, before the officer could finish his words, Darth Vader waved his hand, the holographic image instantly dissipated, and the communication was unilaterally forcibly disconnected.

The cabin fell into deathly silence again, with only the sound of Vader's breathing echoing in the air.

At this time, Darth Vader stood up, and his black cloak fell behind him like the dark night, as if blending with the shadows in the cabin.

He walked towards the rear of the cabin, then raised his hand and lightly touched the control panel of the cabin door with his mechanical fingers. Then, the cabin door made a low hum and slowly opened.

call--! !

In an instant, violent airflow rushed out from the gap in the cabin door, madly tearing the air in the cabin.

The air currents rolled up, and the sudden change in temperature formed a hazy mist that overflowed outward.

But Darth Vader stood like a towering mountain, unmoved; his cloak fluttering in the strong wind failed to shake him at all.

The pair of eyes hidden behind the mask stared coldly at the scene outside the cabin, as if the violent airflow was nothing but insignificant dust.

As the cabin door was completely opened, the air pressure inside and outside gradually balanced, and the scene outside the cabin was clearly displayed before our eyes.

The sky above Coruscant was like an endless steel forest, with densely packed megastructures reaching into the sky, like countless giants' arms trying to touch the sky.

Between the buildings, hover cars and aircraft shuttled back and forth like a swarm of bees, forming a series of colorful trails, just like blood flowing in the veins.

In the distance, on the skyline, the afterglow of the setting sun shines on the metal surface, refracting brilliant light, like a silent feast.

However, this magnificent sight did not stop Darth Vader's gaze for a moment.

His eyes swept downward, then turned to the rapidly approaching TIE fighter.

These fighters, belonging to the local Coruscant forces, quickly surrounded Darth Vader's formation with the posture of hunting birds.

Their wings flashed with a cold light, and the roar of the engines echoed in the air. The pilots of the fighter planes had obviously received orders to try to forcibly "take over" the escort authority and lead the Landam-class shuttle to the designated landing area.

Seeing this, the elite stormtroopers who were originally sitting in their seats also stood up and gathered behind Darth Vader.

But Darth Vader raised his hand slightly, signaling to his subordinates behind him not to be nervous. After all, his presence was like an invisible barrier that prevented those fighter planes from acting rashly.

In this high sky, Darth Vader's figure looks particularly lonely and arrogant.

He is both "integrated" into this steel forest and yet transcends it.

The eyes under the mask penetrated the layers of clouds and pointed straight into the distance, as if staring at some unknown fate, while the air flow outside the cabin was still howling, as if playing a prelude to the coming storm.

When the Galactic Empire was "besieged on all sides", Darth Vader suddenly led his fleet to Coruscant and refused to negotiate with Imperial officers. This move undoubtedly dropped a bombshell on the Imperial top leaders.

Coruscant, the political and military core of the Galactic Empire, is now shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

The towering megastructures cast long shadows in the afterglow of the setting sun, foreshadowing the uncertainty of the empire's future.

Darth Vader's fleet slowly approached Coruscant's orbit like a dark cloud. Instead of docking with Coruscant's command center according to normal procedures, it directly occupied a strategic location in orbit.

Officers from various departments tried to get in touch with the fleet, but all communication requests were coldly rejected. This abnormal behavior undoubtedly made the already turbulent situation in the empire even more confusing.

Even though the various classes of people on Coruscant were unable to understand the details, let alone the true intentions of the Sith Lord, it still caused a "huge wave" in a short moment.

There are many different opinions about Darth Vader's action.

Some people believe that this was his silent protest against the incompetent rule of the imperial high command.

In recent years, the rule of the Galactic Empire has gradually become corrupt under the dictatorship of Emperor Palpatine. Internal corruption and bureaucracy are prevalent, resulting in repeated setbacks for the Empire in battles against various resistance organizations. Moreover, a human empire suddenly emerged from nowhere recently.

As a symbolic figure of the Galactic Empire, Darth Vader may have been extremely dissatisfied with the Emperor's way of ruling.

His arrival may have been to re-establish his authority, or even as a warning to the emperor himself.

Another view among those who "believe in the Force" is that Darth Vader's actions are closely related to his personal mission.

As a user of the dark side of the Force, his actions were often guided by the Force. He might have sensed some potential threat or foreseen some key turning point, prompting him to go to Coruscant in person.

Coruscant is not only the political center of the Empire, but also an important node for the gathering of Force energy.

Darth Vader's arrival may be to use the resources here to complete some secret plan related to Sith doctrine.

As for Vader himself
His inner world is not as complicated as outsiders imagine.

His goal was simple and direct - to personally kill the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, his "mentor", Sheev Palpatine.

The fate of the empire and the conflicts in the galaxy are nothing but passing clouds to him.

The Galactic Empire is surrounded by enemies on all sides and is unable to resist the "rise" of the Human Empire. What does this have to do with him?

Now, he has only one thing in mind, which is to end Palpatine's rule and settle the feud between master and apprentice that has lasted for many years.

Vader is indeed ambitious, but he is not reckless.

He knew very well that with his strength having fallen to the dark side, a head-on confrontation with Palpatine would at best result in a draw, but there was no way he could kill him with one blow.

Therefore, he chose to endure and bear the burden, quietly accumulating strength for more than a decade. His patience was like a poisonous snake in the dark, quietly lurking, seeking the opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

However, everything changed after he confronted Gabriel Angelos, Captain of the Blood Ravens.

That battle made him realize that his strength was far from reaching its peak, and he also witnessed the extraordinary power from other universes.

Although he led his trusted fleet to evacuate Scarif, the scene of that battle always lingered in his mind. What made him even more uneasy was that since then, whispers kept emerging in his mind, as if some ancient and mysterious power was calling him.

"Haha. Dive into the ocean of knowledge, kid."

"All things are born and grow, understand the true meaning of life."

"Only by being 'fed' by flesh and blood can one be promoted."

"Kill, kill, kill everyone you hate," and so on.

These whispers were sometimes clear, sometimes vague, as if coming from a distant void, and as if coming from deep in his heart.

They carried an irresistible temptation, as if guiding him toward an unknown path.

Vader knew that these whispers were not hallucinations, but hints of some kind of power.

They seemed to be telling him that true power did not rely solely on the anger and hatred of the dark side, but required deeper "understanding" and "breakthrough".

Vida's heart began to waver.

He once thought that the dark side was his only destination, but now, these whispers made him see another possibility.

He began to doubt whether he really understood the nature of power and whether he really mastered all the mysteries of the dark side.

This suspicion unsettled Vader, but it also excited him.

Because if he could unlock the secrets of these whispers, he would gain power beyond Palpatine and beyond.

And then, he will no longer need to endure, no longer need to wait, he will end it all with his own hands and become the true master of the Milky Way!

So, tempted by those mysterious whispers and having witnessed the so-called "psychic power", Darth Vader began a "special military" operation.

While the Galactic Empire was sending heavy troops to the outer star regions to counter the joint offensive of the Human Empire and the Rebel Alliance, he quietly summoned all his trusted men hidden throughout the galaxy.

These followers loyal to him gathered silently like shadows in the darkness. At the same time, he also gathered the fleet that was leaderless due to the Battle of Scarif, reorganized it and incorporated it into his own command system.

Vader acted quickly and decisively, without any hesitation, leading this huge fleet straight to Coruscant, the core of the Galactic Empire and now the lair of Sheev Palpatine.

His goal is clear: since those mysterious powers from other universes are tempting him, he is ready to use this power to make himself stronger.

In the end, he will personally end Palpatine's rule and put an end to the feud between master and apprentice that has lasted for many years.

In fact, Vader had already understood the meaning of those whispers when he first heard them.

He knew that this power was "beneficial" to him, perhaps for his soul, perhaps for his body, or perhaps even for some deeper price.

But regardless, it is a path to greater power.

And he, Darth Vader, has absolute confidence and can withstand any backlash.

His will is as indestructible as steel, his ambition is as unfathomable as the abyss, and he firmly believes that no matter what the cost, he can still control the situation and become the ultimate winner.

now.

The fleet, led by the Landam-class shuttle, was still heading towards the most prosperous and core area of ​​Coruscant, and Sheev Palpatine's palace - the towering building that symbolized the supreme power of the empire was already in sight.

Just when the formation was about to break through the last line of defense without any damage, the group of TIE fighters responsible for intercepting suddenly changed their flying posture.

They gathered quickly like a swarm of bees, and the weapon systems under their wings flashed dangerous lights. It was obvious that they had received the latest order from their superiors, which was to stop Darth Vader's advance at all costs.

however--

Whoosh——boom boom——!!!
However, before the Titanium fighters could launch the first attack, densely packed high-power light beams "fell from the sky" and instantly cut through the sky.

These beams hit the surrounding area, instantly turning the nearby space into a sea of ​​fire.

The flames of the explosion shot up into the sky, and the hot energy raged in the air, as if to reduce everything to ashes.

!!!

This sudden orbital strike immediately threw the pilots of the TIE fighter group into panic.

Their communication channels were filled with terrified shouts and confused commands, but it was all in vain. The orbital artillery fire was as merciless as a punishment from heaven, destroying all living things and buildings.

But Darth Vader, who was well prepared, had no mercy. Under his mask, he stared coldly at the chaotic TIE fighters.

Then, he slowly raised his hand and made a waving and pinching gesture.

Boom. Boom!
In an instant, the power of the Force was like an invisible giant hand, squeezing hundreds of titanium fighters into "metal lumps".

The fuselage of the fighter plane made a harsh metallic twisting sound, and then turned into pieces in a deafening explosion. Fire and thick smoke intertwined into a picture of destruction, and the wreckage fell like raindrops into the bottomless gap of Coruscant.

Vida's movements were calm and cold, as if all this was just a piece of cake.

This "special military operation" was not only to break through the defense line, but also to send a clear signal to Palpatine - he, Darth Vader, was no longer the "puppet" who could be manipulated at will.

soon.

Under the cover of Darth Vader's Force, the formation successfully broke through the last line of defense and landed steadily on the square of the Imperial Palace.

And Vader's figure walked out from the shadow of the Landam shuttle.

And before that, many transport vehicles had already passed through the atmosphere and landed almost synchronously with the shuttle, like a carefully choreographed invasion operation.

Step, step!

The sound of orderly footsteps echoed in the square, mixed with the sound of gunfire erupting from all over Coruscant, forming a chaotic and murderous symphony.

Tens of thousands of elite stormtroopers poured out of the transport vehicles, their white armor standing out in the firelight.

These elite soldiers quickly divided into groups and advanced towards the various entrances of the Imperial Palace, moving swiftly and orderly.

In the center of the square, Darth Vader, surrounded by hundreds of stormtroopers, walked "leisurely" with steady steps towards the area where Palpatine was.

His figure seemed particularly tall in the fire and smoke, and every step he took was filled with unstoppable momentum, as if silently telling us that this game of thrones had entered its final chapter.
(End of this chapter)