Warhammer: Empire Reboot

Instead of learning their lesson, these blue-skinned aliens continued to provoke the Empire.

This truly demonstrates the diversity of life; the Titanium Empire simply hasn't been beaten up.

He looked at the unsuspecting crowd in the hall and announced the truth to them.

"Your High Ether was beheaded by an assassin two hundred years ago. What rules you pathetic wretches is nothing more than a holographic projection and a chemical perfume sprayer hidden under the throne!"

The sound of faith collapsing may be invisible, but it is deafening.

Just then, the man who had been standing three steps inside the door moved.

O'Showa walked step by step toward the throne, until he stood before the false image that was still mechanically looping the accusations.

He looked at the "mentor" he had once admired so much and asked a question that had been buried in his heart for centuries:

"Two hundred years ago...who sentenced me to death?"

The images are simply cycling according to a predetermined logic.

O'Shovar took a step back, and finally, like an ordinary old man whose strength had been drained, he leaned weakly against the edge of the throne steps.

His entire life over the past two hundred years has been marked by the wrath of the High Aether, stripped of his glory, banished from his home planet, struggling to survive in the Vision Enclave, and being hunted down by his entire race as a traitor for centuries…

All the suffering and humiliation he endured came from the random output of a program.

O'Shovar looked up at the starry sky beyond the dome, a single, extremely bitter tear sliding down his cheek: "Shangshangshandao...bastard!"

Ignoring the collapsing Tau Clan leadership, Lawson issued an order.

Subsequently, the swarm network will package and send out the raw memory data extracted from the etheric brain as irrefutable evidence.

After doing all this, Lawson turned around and looked at the group of ethereal beings who looked as if they had lost their parents.

One of the more lucid Aetherians finally couldn't help but ask the ultimate question that had plagued them in the first act: "Why? Our deductive model is correct. The human empire is indeed decaying, and your technology is regressing. Why did we lose so badly?"

Lawson looked down at him condescendingly: "Because your Tau Empire has never had any contact with the real galaxy!"

"Now, I'm giving you two choices."

"Either surrender unconditionally to the dark side of the Empire, or I will slaughter everyone in the Tau Empire who is still resisting."

As the Ethers tried to weigh the pros and cons, Lawson delivered the truly fatal blow: "By the way, the broadcast exposing your two-hundred-year-old deception has already been sent out. All twenty-seven of your worlds now know what you've done."

A cruel smile curled at the corner of Lawson's lips: "You'd better pray that the dark forces of my Empire remain here to protect you. Because right now, on this planet, the ones who most want to skin you alive are the hundreds of billions of your compatriots outside who have just discovered that they have been enslaved like animals by a machine for two hundred years!"

The ethers were horrified to discover that their only protection now was this human tyrant who had just flattened their capital.

The Ether Council had no choice.

The forty-five surviving ethers bowed their heads and placed their hands folded in front of their abdomens.

This time, however, it was Lawson who stood on the throne and accepted their submission.

The holographic projection equipment in the domed hall had been forcibly shut down, and the Ethers remained in a surrendered posture. They were not allowed to stand up, and none of them did.

On the circular seating area, the high-ranking members of the Fire, Earth, and Water clans stood stiffly like a group of prisoners awaiting their final verdict.

Every high-ranking member of the Tau clan is, according to their clan's instincts, deducing the impending doom.

The Supreme Commander of the Fire Clan, Osham, stood ramrod straight, having abandoned all tactical calculations in his mind.

For a soldier, defeat means death.

They were all waiting for the abyss to descend.

In this hall, no one dared to hope for a third possibility.

It wasn't until Lawson turned around, shifting his oppressive gaze from the dim throne to the expressionless man, that the oppressive gaze finally settled on him.

"How about I make you the Supreme Commander of the Titanium Empire?"

The forty-five Ethers suddenly raised their heads, and the high-ranking members of the Fire, Earth, and Water clans were struck dumb, all their eyes fixed on Oshova.

No major purge?

O'Showa's eyes quickly regained focus.

He quickly considered in his mind what would happen if he refused.

It is highly likely that Lawson will turn around and leave without hesitation, at the cost of the ferocious Dark Side army outside taking over all the Tau.

Given the way human empires operate, the most effective way to prevent endless riots and guerrilla warfare in the face of a large alien population is physical extermination or genetic enslavement.

The Tau will be completely wiped out of this universe.

If he agrees, although the Tau Empire will nominally become a vassal state, at least within this vast territory, decrees will still be issued in the Tau language, and the people will still be governed by the Tau.

Wasn't every bloody battle he fought in the Vision Enclave over the past two hundred years precisely to prevent his people from being manipulated by a flawed will or a cold, impersonal program?

O'Showa realized his own worth.

This human tyrant was attracted by his prestige and legitimacy.

As long as he has value, and as long as he can perfectly manage all the clans of the Tau Empire for the dark side of the Empire, the entire Tau civilization behind him is safe.

Having figured all this out, O'Showa made a move.

He stepped forward and, in front of all the high-ranking members of the Ether and Clan, knelt down on one knee before Lawson.

“Oshowah is willing to serve the Seal of the Lord.”

This heavy kneeling completely shattered the last psychological backbone of the Titanium Empire.

Lawson looked at O'Shova kneeling at his feet and narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.

"very good."

"The dark side of the Empire is not a bunch of barbarians who only know how to destroy. Now that you've taken this position, let's talk about the post-war order."

All the Titanium Group executives in the hall involuntarily held their breath.

"First, the dark side of the empire will not interfere with your internal administration."

Lawson uttered his first words: "The Tau Empire will remain autonomous, and the social structures of the Fire, Earth, Water, and Wind clans will remain unchanged. You may continue to live and manage your planets in your own way."

Upon hearing this, the highest representative of the Shui clan breathed a long sigh of relief, and even felt an urge to shed tears.

This sounds like a divine gift!

Retaining autonomy and keeping the social structure unchanged means that the Tai tribe has not lost its country; they have simply changed their nominal overlord!

However, this ecstasy lasted for less than two seconds.

"However, from today onwards, all energy networks and core technology research and development systems throughout the entire Tau Empire will be fully taken over by the Empire's T-series mechanical intelligence and engineering forces from the shadows."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Once the forces of the Empire's dark side took over all the cold fusion reactors, planetary energy networks, and technical blueprints, the Tau Empire was a puppet with its throat choked.

This is hardly a blessing; it's handing the switch to civilization over to someone else!

The higher-ups of the Shui and Huo clans also realized what was happening, and the joy they had just felt was extinguished as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads.

Lawson's voice continued: "As an appendage of the Empire's Dark Side, enjoying its protection, the Tau Empire naturally has to bear corresponding obligations. The Tau Empire must pay a 'tithe' to the Empire's Dark Side every year."

"Ten percent of the total output of the entire territory, calculated according to the standard Terra calendar, will be paid without fail."

"Finally, the Empire's dark side currently has a long front and needs manpower everywhere."

Lawson's gaze was fixed on Osham, the supreme commander of the Fire Clan. "Since you have a population of trillions, the Tau Empire must, within three months, select and assemble a regular army of three hundred million men. This army will be incorporated into the Empire's dark side combat order, under the unified command of the Supreme War Council, and will accompany us to fight in various star sectors."

"For ease of organization, this unit was named the Titanium Consortium."

Chapter 280 Plunder and Domination: Statistics on War Gains!

For the Titanium Empire, which has a population of hundreds of billions, 300 million people is indeed not many, but what are these 300 million people doing?

O'Showa knew it all too well.

He remained kneeling on one knee, his head bowed deeply: "Your will, Lord Sealholder, the Tau Empire... accepts it in its entirety."

With Oshovar's compromise, everyone in the circular seating area—from the Fire, Earth, and Water clans to the forty-five surviving Aetherians—bowed their heads.

No one raised any objection, and no one dared to raise any objection.

Lawson was well aware that O'Showa was an ambitious military commander.

A commander who can raise an army in a remote star system and survive for hundreds of years amidst the endless purges and political infighting of the orthodox forces of the Tau Empire is by no means a puppet to be manipulated.

However, what Lawson valued most was his ambition and shrewdness.

If a mediocre person who only nods is chosen, the old forces within the Tau Empire and the remaining interest groups of various clans will soon tear this puppet to pieces.

At that point, the dark side of the empire would have to expend precious energy and fleet resources to quell the rebellion.

The dark side of the empire needs a vicious dog that can keep order and ruthlessly send tax evaders and rebels to the gallows.

O'Showa is the perfect candidate at this moment.

He was originally the most wanted criminal in the Tau Empire, with no foothold in the power center of Tau, and was hated to the core by the old Aetherial class and clan leaders.

If O'Shovar wants to secure his position as Grand Commander and transform the Tau Empire into his ideal form, he can only rely on Lawson.

"You shall decide your own internal affairs in the Tau Empire."

Lawson declared, “I have no interest in how the clans are reorganized or how power is transferred. As long as you ensure that the decrees of the Empire’s shadows are carried out without hindrance here, and as long as you pay your tithes on time and in full, the Tau Empire will remain your Tau Empire.”

"The mobilization order for the 300 million Titanium Allied Forces..."

Osham spoke amidst intense humiliation: "Your Excellency, the three hundred million elite Fire Clan troops capable of fighting require massive logistical support, training periods, and equipment upgrades. We will immediately adjust our military production lines to prioritize arming these troops..."

“You have a misunderstanding of the intensity of this galactic war, Commander,” Lawson interrupted him quite naturally.

“I don’t need you to replicate Astartes, nor do I need you to carry out main offensive operations. The Empire’s dark side has sharp enough blades to tear the enemy’s heart apart. What we really lack is a shield that is wide enough.”

Lawson's gaze swept over the Fire Clan's generals, redefining the army's duties: "The tentacles of the Tyranid swarm and the fervor of the Chaos Cultists are endless. These three hundred million soldiers will be deployed to the widest frontier. They don't need to spend decades mastering the tactical infiltration of the Crisis Combat Suit. What they need to do is grip their pulse rifles tightly and fill the gaps in the defense with a continuous barrage of fire. Since the Tau Empire wants to maintain its dignity of autonomy amidst the brutal storms of the galaxy, it must share the responsibility of defending the front lines with the Empire."

These words sound grand and dignified, packaging the brutal task of filling in the lines as a noble duty to defend the galaxy.

However, the Huo clan generals inside the hall looked extremely grim.

The Fire Clan has always regarded war as an art, emphasizing the deadly strikes of "Monteka" and the patient luring and killing of "Kaoyong," with high mobility and the preservation of manpower as the core principles.

Although Lawson never mentioned cannon fodder, every word he uttered painted a picture of the bloodiest meat grinder for them.

"in addition……"