In the dark, pitch-black expanse of space, a silent, Earth-like planet "floated."
At least 80% of its surface was covered by vast bodies of water—deep oceans and azure lakes interwoven into a grand, majestic canvas.
The planet's hues stood out against the dark backdrop, shining like a brilliant blue jewel drifting in the boundless sky.
However, the most striking feature was not the 80% water coverage, but the faint "glow" that seemed to envelop the planet's atmosphere.
This glow did not emanate from the sun but from some sort of artificial energy field or barrier, shimmering with an unidentifiable radiance, faintly revealing peculiar hues that made the planet's outline appear even more mysterious and enchanting.
On the planet's sunward side, at the equator, a massive space station sat atop the "glow," serving as the gateway for countless Galactic Empire transport ships traveling to and from the station.
These transport ships formed busy trade routes, akin to spider silk, connecting the planet to the outer world, carrying vital documents and personnel from across the Galactic Empire.
This stunning planet was none other than the Galactic Empire's storage repository for blueprints of its buildings and ships—Scarif.
All core data and crucial technology were stored within the Empire's base on this planet.
The faint glow enveloping the entire planet was, in fact, an energy shield designed to defend against enemy raids or infiltrations, with the space station's gates serving as the only entry point into Scarif.
Of course, if the power of a ship's weapons were sufficiently strong, it could still shatter the planetary shield.
Two Imperial-class Star Destroyers, stationed near the space station, were tasked with guarding and providing security.
Thus, infiltrating and penetrating Scarif using conventional methods was exceedingly difficult.
At this moment, in the vast space on Scarif's sunward side, neither the two Star Destroyers nor any of the other defensive systems or monitoring facilities noticed a small fleet from the Main Universe Empire silently approaching.
The fleet's objective was clear and their movements incredibly stealthy.
They were slowly advancing from Scarif's sunward side, heading directly for the space station with its entry gates.
This fleet consisted of two Paris-class ships from the Scourged Children's First Division and a stealth-class ship from the Investigation Department.
With the stealth mode activated, unless the Paris-class and stealth-class ships initiated fire or used jump drives or hyperspace travel, Scarif's detection systems couldn't detect them.
However, given the attack on Idu and the destruction of the research facility, Scarif had raised its security levels.
Despite this, the Galactic Empire's internal corruption and bureaucratic issues had led to heightened defense readiness at the higher echelons, while the lower-ranking officers and assault squad members stationed here remained extraordinarily complacent.
They could hardly imagine that the Rebel Alliance would have the audacity and capability to directly raid such a heavily guarded Imperial stronghold.
In their view, the Rebel Alliance was nothing more than a group of barbarians relying on crude weapons and outdated tactics, with no real potential for large-scale warfare.
To them, facing the Empire's main fleet, the Rebels were mere fools, like insects trying to stop a moving vehicle, insignificant and not worth taking seriously.
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Paris-class ship, serving as the temporary flagship, the atmosphere was thick with the tension of battle.
The dim lighting on the bridge flickered with the glow of monitoring screens, illuminating the focused faces of the crew members.
The commanding officer of the First Division, Gabriel Angelo, stood at the center, enhanced by his Terminator-class armor, which made him appear even more imposing and towering, reaching over three meters in height.
In terms of height and physique, Gabriel, though not as large as Tyberos from the Devourer class, was among the elite of the Main Universe Empire.
To his right sat the female radar observer, who quickly shifted her gaze from the hardlight screens to report:
"Commander, if we continue toward the gate, even while maintaining stealth mode, the enemy's detection systems will inevitably lock onto us. Our fleet's advantage will then be completely lost."
Gabriel Angelo calmly listened, his expression unchanged.
Despite the Scourged Children being "marginalized" in the Main Universe Empire compared to the Alpha legions, with few notable accomplishments, this did not mean the Scourged Children lacked combat prowess, especially in smaller, more strategic engagements.
Gabriel knew that in such a critical moment, any hesitation could result in the failure of the entire plan.
He replied steadily, "In that case, prepare to initiate an orbital airdrop.
Use the speed and element of surprise of the airdrop pods to ensure the assault team can slip through the gate and infiltrate Scarif."
He paused, his gaze shifting through the viewport toward the two Star Destroyers near the space station. Using his Terminator armor's targeting system, he locked onto one of them and continued,
"Simultaneously, have the main batteries of each ship target the Star Destroyer and prepare for a first-round broadside. We must destroy it in one strike.
Afterward, dispatch the first, second, and third assault squads from the second demolition platoon to forcibly board the other Star Destroyer, seize it, and turn it to our advantage."
Gabriel's words were concise and authoritative.
"Understood, Commander."
As the order was given, the crew responded in unison, quickly carrying out their tasks.
All the crew members acted in perfect coordination, operating their consoles and reallocating fleet resources to prepare for the upcoming airdrop and firefight.
Gabriel turned and walked toward the bridge's exit, his steps steady, his form nearly filling the entire passageway.
For this mission, Gabriel had assembled the elite forces of the division, including the second and third assault platoons, the fifth support platoon, and half of the division's guards—over 400 seasoned veterans from the Scourged Children.
Though fewer in number compared to standard platoon-sized units from other legions, their combat effectiveness far surpassed that of regular troops.
Each Scourged Children soldier had survived countless brutal battles, whether fighting space demons or refining their skills through cross-universe warfare, honing both their combat techniques and mental fortitude to perfection.
Even though they were outnumbered, the First Division was still more than capable.
In addition to the Scourged Children veterans, there were also two thousand Hell Paratroopers, five hundred elite soldiers, and over a hundred special ops members from the Investigation Department, all preparing for the airdrop operation.
Gabriel was particularly confident about one critical aspect of this mission—the "boarding and seizing" operation.
He had sent three squads of Scourged Children veterans, eighteen battle-hardened soldiers, each capable of using psychic powers, to carry out the boarding and plunder mission against the Imperial Star Destroyers, which would be confronted by tens of thousands of Imperial assault squads.
Considering that each Imperial-class Star Destroyer carried approximately 47,000 personnel, Gabriel judged that the eighteen Scourged Children veterans, even in the tight confines of the Star Destroyer, would be more than capable of handling the thousands of assault troops.
Soon, Gabriel arrived at the airdrop bay of the Paris-class ship.
Dozens of ground crew members, clad in fully sealed engineering power armor, along with the ground Terminators, were performing final checks. The mechanical arms emitted low "clicking" sounds as they moved the airdrop pods onto the launch tracks.
Gabriel steadily approached his designated airdrop pod, meant for his personal use.
Behind him, twenty elite guards from the division, all equipped with Titan Psychic Power Armor, followed.
Each suit of armor seemed to glow with a faint blue psychic energy, and the intricate engravings on the armor shimmered slightly.
These special Titan suits, crafted from Pureflower fragments, allowed the Scourged Children soldiers to better control and use their psychic abilities while also accelerating their physical recovery.
The guards moved in perfect formation, heading toward their respective airdrop pods, patiently awaiting the launch.
Meanwhile, the other participating units, including Hell Paratroopers, elite soldiers, and Investigation Department special ops, along with several bio-weapons and combat mechs, were also preparing in an orderly manner.
With nearly 3,000 armed personnel, some were boarding the airdrop pods, while others boarded transport ships, heading straight for the surface of Scarif.
Their comms channels and helmet screens continuously displayed mission briefs and surface data, ensuring that all personnel were fully aware of the battlefield situation they would soon face.
On the other side, the Scarif space station:
The space station's overall design was a massive circular structure, seemingly "floating" atop an energy shield.
The shield's surface occasionally rippled with energy waves, indicating that it was functioning normally.
The station also featured large hangars, housing an astonishing number of TIE fighters.
The exterior of the space station was covered with dense fixed turrets, equipped with various types of energy cannons and proton torpedoes to deal with light and medium-sized ships and aerial targets.
For larger targets, the task was left to the Star Destroyers assigned to guard the station.
Occasionally, small meteor fragments would collide with the shield, causing slight explosions and sparking, adding a brief disturbance to the otherwise silent expanse of space.
Inside the control room, responsible for opening and closing the station's gates, the atmosphere was grim.
The walls were lined with screens flickering with weak lights, displaying incoming and outgoing ship data.
The workers, clad in black work uniforms and helmets, appeared even more somber, their movements mechanical and lifeless.
No one glanced at the deep universe outside the window or the occasional sparks on the shield.
The workers had long become accustomed to this monotonous routine, their expressions numb and eyes vacant.
Most of them bore expressions of "boredom" and "fatigue," indifferent to their surroundings.
The peaceful, vast cosmic scenery that once might have been awe-inspiring now only served as a backdrop to their daily, mundane work.
If it weren't for the supervisor watching over them, they would have likely slackened to an unimaginable degree.
A momentary glance away to wipe away sweat might have turned into a quick nap, or a glance at personal messages, followed by idle chit-chat with coworkers.
Despite this, they all knew their job, while tedious, was crucial for the safety of the space station and Scarif.
If something went wrong, letting in the wrong ship, they would be the first to suffer.
After all, if a ship hiding the Rebel Alliance made it into
Scarif, the first ones to face punishment would be the ordinary workers in charge of the gates.
Life and goofing off.
Life always took precedence.
"Krennic's shuttle is about to arrive! Everyone, stay alert!"
Suddenly, the cold voice of the supervisor broke the oppressive silence in the control room.
All the workers immediately snapped to attention, hastily reviewing and checking the data on their screens, ensuring there were no mistakes.
Soon, they directed Krennic's Lambda-class shuttle and notified General Ramda, who was responsible for Scarif's security.
Once the necessary preparations were complete, the workers watched through the observation windows as the specially marked shuttle flashed by, passing through the gate and heading toward Scarif's base.
"Ha."
Seeing the feared superior pass by, a few workers even exhaled quietly.
They'd rather face the rebellious Rebels than the fiery temper of Krennic.
Everyone knew that Krennic's temper was not to be trifled with. A single mistake, or even a slight delay, would result in punishment far worse than mere criticism.
Of course, these were just the workers' quiet thoughts as they sat in the control room.
While they were tasked with ensuring the station's safety, it was still far safer than being on the battlefield, risking life and death.
As long as they didn't make a mistake, they could enjoy their relatively peaceful and secure job.
Beep—beep—!
Just as they thought it was another typical day, the security alert suddenly blared.
?!
"What's going on?! Check the situation immediately!"
The supervisor, startled by the harsh alarm, quickly ordered the workers to check.
The radar observer rubbed his eyes, as if not believing the data on the screen, then nervously reported:
"Supervisor! There... there's an unidentified ship, appearing above the space station!"
As the observer spoke, everyone in the control room saw countless airdrop pods trailing behind them, rapidly passing through the gate, heading straight for the surface of Scarif.
And more than a dozen various transport ships, taking advantage of their momentary confusion, followed right behind them through the gate.
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