The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge

1924. Battle of Felucia

16 BBY, September 7, the outer star region of the eastern boundary of the Milky Way, the planet Felucia.

More than a dozen Imperial-class Star Destroyers, together with five Cheer-class assault landing ships, appeared on the periphery of the planet, sending a large number of Galactic Empire stormtroopers to the surface of the planet.

An extremely brutal ground invasion battle is unfolding!

On this planet, the Galactic Empire has invested more than 300,000 troops! Imperial Stormtroopers, all three-year-old Sparti clone troopers.

These stormtroopers wear the latest generation of polymer alloy armor. Compared with the polymer alloy armor used by the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars, the protective performance is more excellent, and it also has a certain degree of power assistance function for the user, fully covering the helmet. It includes global communication system, multi-band detection system, tactical assistance system and other functions.

The advanced armor bridged the gap in combat capabilities between the Sparti clone troopers and the Kamino clone troopers, allowing them to finally defeat the enemy with tens of thousands of inferior troops just like the clone troopers of the Galactic Republic during the Clone Wars. You can directly attack a planet!

But here, the planet Felucia is different!

The planet Felucia is one of the core planets of the Federation of Independent Systems. It was once the headquarters of the commercial guild. It has very strong defenses and a large number of troops stationed here. After the commercial guild was dismembered, the political status of the planet Felucia has been reduced, but it is still one of the most important planets in the Confederation of Independent Systems.

On this planet, in addition to the military forces left behind by the former commercial guilds, there are also some smugglers and gangs connected to the planet. The most famous of them is the spice smuggling gang of the Pike people. The Parkers are based on the planet Felucia and have a large spice business. They are also one of the secret collaborators in the spice smuggling business of the Principality of Dawn. They also received a large number of weapons and equipment from the planet Dawn.

After Darth Vader led the fleet to capture the planet Salukami, he divided his huge fleet into many squadrons and simultaneously launched attacks on a large number of planets in the hinterland of the Confederation of Independent Systems.

But similarly, in such an attack, the imperial fleet did not dare to use direct orbital bombardment to clear the way like the attack on the Salukami planet. Instead, they attacked all the way, trying to persuade those who could surrender to surrender, and those who could not, they also tried their best to attack on the ground.

Mainly because Darth Vader, who is commanding the army, now knows that if the orbital bombing is really going to continue, it will probably take three or four years to really defeat the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

If orbital bombing continues, then those planets that were still in a wait-and-see state may choose to fight to the end out of fear. Therefore, unless the Imperial Fleet can blow up all the thousands of galaxies currently controlled by the Federation of Independent Systems along the way, otherwise, Political factors also need to be taken into consideration.

Likewise, orbital bombing is not a simple task. A formation of Imperial-class Star Destroyers requires a huge amount of energy to destroy the surface of a planet. Often, after destroying a planet, it needs to be resupplied immediately. Otherwise, it will be difficult to even participate in the next fleet battle.

Correspondingly, although a ground invasion also requires a large amount of supplies, at least the ground troops are consumed, and there are Star Destroyers watching from the side. On the other hand, if your Star Destroyer is down, what else can the ground troops do?

Therefore, the ground battles that are now breaking out on dozens of planets at the same time are unfolding under such circumstances.

I only saw a large number of TIE/LN fighter jets passing by in the sky, and all the independent system Confederacy fighter formations that dared to take off to fight suffered a devastating blow. After seizing air superiority, the Galactic Empire's fighter formations covered the bombers and began to bomb the ground in waves.

Because the war has never ended, although the upgrading of equipment began immediately after the establishment of the Galactic Empire, there are still many equipment from the Galactic Republic period still in use. Therefore, on the battlefield during this period, we can see the cooperation between many arms and equipment from different eras.

In the sky, TIE/LN fighter jets cooperate with V-19 Alpha Holy Light fighter jets to fight. As light fighter jets, TIE/LN fighter jets rely on their advantages in quantity and maneuverability to cut through the formation of enemy fighter jets, and then the V-19 fighter jet formation launches a decisive battle. of blow.

On the ground, the AV-7 self-propelled artillery provided continuous fire suppression. At the same time, the AT-TE walker also began to advance, using the howitzer equipped on its back to further extend the artillery fire as it advanced. Next to the AT-TE walking fuselage, AT-ST bipedal walking aircraft and 1-H Imperial-class tanks covered the flanks.

At the same time, later on the battlefield, the 20-meter-high AT-AT armored transport walker took advantage of its height to pour powerful firepower from turbolaser cannons on the enemy positions while sending a large number of stormtroopers to the front line.

However, the treatment of these equipment is also different. The weapons and equipment during the Galactic Republic period have basically been discontinued, so they are all used as disposable equipment. Even if they are damaged, they cannot be repaired. Most of them are used as long as they can be used, and if they cannot be used, they are used. Use it and throw it away. Gradually, the equipment of the Republic period also exerted its residual heat, and smoothly transitioned to the equipment of the Empire period.

But on the planet Felucia, the Imperial Army's advancement was also difficult.

The planet Felucia is covered with dense jungles, and the Confederate Robot Army of Independent Systems hiding in the jungle is also cunning and cruel. They used this terrain to cause heavy losses to the Imperial Stormtroopers. Fighter bombing is of little use in such terrain, and it is also difficult for a slightly bulky walking aircraft like the AT-TE to traverse.

It turned out that in such terrain, the four long legs of the AT-AT walker became the best way to move forward. Therefore, the imperial commander invested a large number of AT-AT walkers, using the height of the walkers to kill the independent system Confederacy robot troops hidden in the jungle from a high position.

Once the defenses of this jungle are breached, the Imperial Army will be able to attack the capital of the planet Felucia - Kway Teow.

However……

boom! boom! boom! ! Several extremely powerful laser cannons were fired immediately, exploding on the AT-AT's feet! These laser cannons were extremely powerful, and just one shot made the AT-AT's long legs shake.

But before the driver of the AT-AT could react, hey! ! ! Several more laser shots were fired instantly, immediately blowing off the AT-AT's long legs! The 20-meter-high walking machine suddenly fell down!

I only saw a few terrifying robots appearing in the jungle!

These robots are about 3.5 meters tall and have a very simple shape. Above a simple body, there is a pair of dragon frames, on which are mounted a pair of twin heavy laser cannons! What supports the robot's advancement are four sharp chelicera-like mechanical legs.

The bright red electronic eyes on the robot's body are constantly rotating, staring at their target!

"It's the Scorpenek droid!!" a stormtrooper officer shouted, "kill them first! Quick!!!"

Before he could finish his words, those Scorpion Annihilator robots had opened fire again! The powerful twin-mounted heavy laser cannon once again hit another AT-AT walker! The heavy laser cannon is extremely powerful, and although the long legs of the AT-AT can climb over mountains and ridges, they are also very fragile. They suddenly broke under the continuous bombardment and the entire walker collapsed!

The AT-AT walker immediately fired back. The turbolaser cannon installed on the rotatable head of the walker aimed at one of the Scorpion Annihilator robots and fired!

boom! ! ! After the violent explosion, this Scorpion Annihilator robot was unscathed! A deflector shield was created around the robot!

Fortunately, another AT-AT walker nearby also turned around and shot at it, finally destroying the Scorpion Annihilator robot.

But behind, there are at least five Scorpion Annihilators moving forward. In conjunction with the actions of these powerful robots, more B-1 combat robots and B-2 super combat robots were also launching counterattacks.

The Scorpion Annihilator robot is 3.5 meters tall. Although it is not flexible in such a complex environment, it is at least much better than the AT-TE walker. In order to break through the jungle defense line as soon as possible, the Galactic Empire Army left behind AT-TE walkers that were not suitable for jungle operations. However, the current battle situation proves that in the face of the Scorpion Annihilator robot, even the newly equipped AT-AT walkers of the Imperial Army It’s also hard to resist!

"Fire! Fire!" the clone trooper shouted, taking out an anti-tank missile and aiming it at a Scorpion Annihilator robot and firing it directly.

boom! ! ! This Scorpion Annihilator reacted so quickly that it intercepted the incoming missile with one shot! Then he turned the muzzle and fired several shots at these clone soldiers! After the violent explosion, no one in this small group of stormtroopers was spared!

The other stormtroopers around were fighting and retreating. They kept shooting, but the firepower of the blaster rifle was completely blocked by the deflector shield of the Scorpion Annihilator robot and there was no threat at all!

For a time, under the leadership of these Scorpion Annihilator robots, the robot army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems pushed back the offensive of the Galactic Empire's stormtroopers, until a group of Y-wing bombers from the Galactic Republic era swooped down in the sky and directly attacked the stormtroopers. The Scorpion Annihilator robot marked by the soldier fired concussive missiles, destroying these robots!

The Imperial Stormtroopers were unable to continue advancing. They could only temporarily stop the attack and mobilize AT-TE walkers and AV-7 self-propelled artillery to cover the jungle in front with a new round of firepower. At the same time, they waited for the reinforcements of the Imperial 1-class from behind. After the H heavy suspension tank was in place, it launched a further attack.

In this battle to attack the planet Felucia, the newly emerged Scorpion Annihilator robots from the Confederacy of Independent Systems caused heavy losses to the Imperial Army.

According to the information collected by the Intelligence Department of the Galactic Empire, the Scorpion Annihilator combat robot is an extremely efficient super combat robot developed by Pike scientists. This robot is equivalent to an upgraded version of the Destroyer robot commonly seen in the previous Independent Galaxy Confederacy Robot Legion. It is also equipped with a deflector shield and very similar chelicerae-like mechanical feet.

Because it uses the latest technology, the Scorpion Annihilator robot's firepower is very fierce. In actual combat, the AT-TE walker cannot withstand the firepower of this robot and will be destroyed in just a few shots. And the current battle also proves that AT-AT walkers are also unable to withstand it.

What's even more terrible is that the Scorpion Annihilator robot is only a 3.5-meter-tall medium-sized robot!

This kind of robot is good at offense and defense, but it lacks a lot of mobility. The Scorpion Annihilator robot can't even curl up into a ball to maneuver quickly like the Destroyer robot. It can only crawl slowly bit by bit, and the speed is only an hour. About 20 kilometers, if the road conditions are better, I can run two steps, and the speed can be increased to 40 kilometers per hour, which is the limit.

The Scorpion Annihilator robot can be said to be one of the super battle robots built by the Confederation of Independent Systems in the late stages of the war in the hope of turning the tide of the war. It can be called a master of robotics technology. After this kind of robot came out, it was also favored by the Principality of Dawn. Tang Xiao also secretly ordered some Scorpion Annihilator robots from the Parkers through Ni Yongxiao's relationship.

By the way, as the leader of the official gang organization that smuggles and sells spices in the Principality of Dawn, Ni Yongxiao has a good relationship with the Pike people who are also engaged in the spice business. The Milky Way market is so big that there is no competitive relationship between the two sides. Instead, they share the same hatred and often come together to do business.

However, the production of this kind of robot is very small. Until now, the number of Scorpion Annihilator robots delivered for use has not exceeded one thousand, and the Principality of Dawn can only buy about 150 units, and most of the rest are deployed in On the core planets of the Federation of Independent Systems such as Felucia and Laxus.

Soon, the 1-H heavy suspension tanks transferred from the rear were put into the battlefield. Under the cover of the 1-H tanks, the Galactic Empire stormtroopers began to advance again.

The MK.4/E heavy laser cannon equipped with the 1-H heavy tank has finally become a threat to the Scorpion Annihilator robot. The latest ground armor units of the two warring parties can be said to be rivals.

At the same time, in order to reduce the threat of the Scorpion Annihilator robots, the Galactic Empire Army has strengthened the air force's sorties. Once a Scorpion Annihilator is discovered, bombers will immediately take off to destroy it.

Faced with the threat of the air force, the slow-moving Scorpion Annihilator robot was finally powerless.

After the offensive and defensive battle at the outer jungle defense line lasted for more than a week, the Galactic Empire finally broke into the capital of the planet Felucia!

In fact, after the outer defense line was breached, the forces of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the capital city of Coviteo were already stretched thin, and it was only a matter of time before the capital city fell.

However, at this time, in the jungle where sporadic fighting was still taking place outside, a dark figure was standing on a branch, looking coldly at the imperial army passing below!

Buzz~~~! ! ! The blood-red lightsaber shoots out! The body of this black shadow seemed to turn into a black mist and rush towards him!

"Enemy attack!!" The stormtrooper soldiers reacted quickly and immediately raised their guns and fired.

But the dense blaster beams fired by the blaster rifle penetrated directly as if they were really hitting the black mist! At the same time, this black mist has also rushed in front of the stormtrooper formation, and the lightsaber slashed down directly!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! ! ! ! Wherever they passed, the bodies of the Imperial Stormtroopers were cut open like butter!