Chapter 1836: Chapter 1243: Seeds of Discontent
For Palpatine, although the negotiation with Duanmu Huai was somewhat unpleasant, he was now more concerned with the situation of the Independent Federation. Duanmu Huai had not informed him about using the colossus-class weapon, so for Palpatine, the most important thing was still to suppress and eliminate the Independent Federation at the fastest speed, and capture its leaders entirely. Only in this way could Palpatine establish complete prestige and prepare to transform the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire.
So he ordered Wilhuff Tarkin, as the commander, to lead the fleet to the capital of the Independent Federation at the fastest speed, taking advantage of the current emptiness within to capture them all at once!
As a powerful military commander of the Galactic Republic, Wilhuff naturally accepted this task without hesitation, and then he led the fleet straight to Nemedio.
"Report to the commander, we have arrived at the designated galaxy."
"Very good."
Hearing his subordinate’s answer, Wilhuff Tarkin nodded. He was a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and sharp eyes like a bird. At the moment, Wilhuff stood on the ship’s bridge, vigilantly scanning his surroundings like a hawk. Although he had already received news from Palpatine that the fleet of the Independent Federation was completely wiped out, as a qualified soldier, Wilhuff still maintained necessary vigilance.
"What are the results of the scouting?"
"No sign of any fleets, sir."
"Very good. Connect me to the Independent Federation’s communication."
Wilhuff, standing straight after giving the order, stared at the planet Nemedio in front of him, pondering and strategizing for the upcoming battle. The reason for choosing persuasion was not out of any Knight spirit, but he attempted to use this method to undermine the morale of the Independent Federation so that the resistance would be smaller when his forces invaded. Of course, considering the threat of the Independent Federation’s robot army, this was still a concern that needed attention...
"Report, sir."
At this moment, his subordinate’s voice came through.
"What, is it connected?"
"No, this is..."
Confronted with Wilhuff’s inquiry, his subordinate showed a peculiar expression.
"We have not received any contact from the planet Nemedio, and our transmitted messages seem to be unreceived."
"...What?"
Hearing his subordinate’s response, Wilhuff doubted if his ears were failing him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir, we even attempted communication on public channels, but there was no response. Furthermore, when we monitored the communications of the planet Nemedio, we found the entire communication network silent, as if..."
At this point, his subordinate couldn’t help but pause.
"...as if there were no people on this planet."
This was an utterly absurd feeling for Wilhuff. The planet Nemedio was not only the capital of the Independent Federation but also the core planet of the Trade Federation. Even in peacetime, countless commercial messages from various galaxies had to be processed here, so how could there be no message at all?
"Scan the entire planet."
"Yes, sir."
Wilhuff issued the order again, quickly receiving another report.
"Report, sir, the planet shows... no signs of life."
"Is there a problem with the sensors?"
Upon hearing the report, Wilhuff’s first reaction was disbelief. It’s a joke; how could such a large, prosperous planet show no signs of life? Are you kidding me?
"The sensors have been tested and show no abnormalities. Perhaps it’s a program error... or some ground interference..."
Even the soldier responsible for operating the sensors started doubting reality; this scenario was just too bizarre and unimaginable.
"...Dispatch troops to occupy the capital of Nemedio and report any issues immediately!"
Wilhuff pondered for a moment and finally gave the order. There must be something strange if events deviate from the norm. The current situation on the planet Nemedio was as abnormal as one could imagine. It was certain that the Independent Federation had some conspiracy. But regardless of their scheme, someone had to be sent to assess the situation.
Although the current Nemedio seemed like an open-and-empty city gate, suspicious in every way, returning without investigation wasn’t an option either!
First, send someone to see what’s going on!
Soon, under Wilhuff’s order, multiple Clone Trooper legions took shuttles into the atmosphere, descending toward Nemedio’s capital.
Throughout the journey, the Clone Trooper commander’s communication with Wilhuff was maintained. Considering the possibility of enemy communication disruption, Wilhuff instructed the Clone Trooper commander to report anything that occurred during the mission.
"Report, we have arrived at the capital of Nemedio... The air defense system is not activated, and yes, the entire city shows little sign of activity."
Standing at the edge of the transport, the Clone Trooper commander held a gun while scanning the surroundings.
"There are no signs of attack, some neutron pollution warnings are present but not deadly... likely some kind of leak..."
"We are approaching the Governor’s House, no attacks encountered."
As he listened to the Clone Trooper commander’s reports, Wilhuff’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he grew more anxious—what on earth was the Independent Federation up to? What was their scheme!?
"Report, sir!"
Suddenly, Wilhuff’s ears caught the Clone Trooper commander’s voice again, his heartbeat quickening.
"What happened? Under attack?"
"No... sir, I, I don’t know how to put it... the target is... all dead."
".........???"
Upon hearing the clone commander’s report, Wilhuff was utterly baffled.
"What do you mean? What do you mean all targets are dead?"
"I mean... they’re all dead, including all the guards. We also found the corpses of the Trade Federation governor as well as the leaders of the Banking Guild and Techno Union."
"All dead? How did they die? Were they killed by someone?"
"No... I can’t say for sure..."
Looking at the corpses in front of him, the clone commander’s tone was somewhat tense. As a soldier, he had participated in numerous battles and seen many dead bodies. However, these corpses in front of him still instilled an indescribable fear.
"They seem to have... died in extreme agony, likely due to some kind of poison gas..."
As he spoke, the clone commander sent back a video, which clearly showed in the command room of the Governor’s House on Nemedio, bodies sprawled everywhere. Among them was the governor of the Trade Federation, each with eyes wide open, faces distorted with horror, clutching their throats or faces as if they had seen something unimaginably terrifying, and were scared to death!
"This......"
Even Wilhuff slightly frowned at this point.
"What’s going on? Why did this happen? Find a survivor immediately to ask about the situation!"
"There are no survivors... all life is dead."
"Life?"
"Yes... see for yourself."
Soon, in the video, one could see the surrounding trees already withered and blackened, with insects and even some small animals and birds lying dead on the ground. As the camera zoomed out, it was evident that the entire street was densely covered with corpses.
"What about the robots? Find a robot to ask about the situation!"
Wilhuff issued the command again. After all, in this star territory, robots had become an essential part of civilization, much like household appliances. If it was some kind of poison gas, the robots would not be affected, not to mention that the Trade Federation itself had manufactured a large number of robot armies, so some clues should be found!
"Report, commander, all robots have also... stopped functioning. We tried to repair them, but we found their internal circuits completely destroyed, beyond repair."
"This........."
Confronted with repeated reports, Wilhuff was completely perplexed.
This was completely different from what he expected!
Now what?
"...........connect to Chancellor Palpatine."
There was no other choice, so he had to report.
Soon, Wilhuff connected with Chancellor Palpatine and reported the situation. After listening to Wilhuff’s report, Palpatine’s expression twitched slightly before returning to normal.
"I understand, Commander Wilhuff."
"So, Chancellor, what do we do next..."
"The plan remains unchanged. Completely occupy the entire planet of Nemedio and announce the total defeat of the Independent Federation, demanding other subordinate galaxies to surrender immediately."
"........yes."
Although Wilhuff found the order somewhat odd, he obediently followed it. After all, in this bizarre situation... he felt that even if it were him, he might not be able to come up with any other solutions.
At least for now, although there was some neutron radiation on this planet, it wasn’t lethal. As for what exactly happened here... Wilhuff had a feeling that even the deceased themselves from the Trade Federation didn’t know what had happened.
"..........."
Closing the communication, Palpatine’s previously calm expression suddenly became dark. He stared at the desk in front of him, tapping his fingers incessantly.
Although Wilhuff hadn’t uncovered any useful information, Palpatine could confirm that this was definitely the Tribunal’s doing. After all, he recalled his previous conversation with Duanmu Huai, who mentioned wanting to exterminate all alien creatures. At the time, Palpatine just felt that the Tribunal might be overly fanatic because exterminating an entire race wasn’t so easy, was it?
He believed he stood on a more realistic and rational basis and thus disagreed with the Tribunal’s request. After all, Palpatine knew that the Galactic Republic currently didn’t have the capacity to conduct large-scale purges against alien creatures, and doing so might provoke discontent and resistance from other races that were originally neutral or even subservient.
Yet........did the Tribunal really have this capability?!
Is that a joke?!
By this point, Palpatine’s face was nearly turning black. He knew the Tribunal was powerful, but he hadn’t particularly considered them a threat. However, when the Tribunal demonstrated its ability to wipe out all life on an entire planet effortlessly, Palpatine couldn’t help but feel afraid.
This made him feel extremely uneasy inside, as Palpatine was meticulously plotting to become the ruler of the entire Galactic Republic. Besides wanting to avenge the Jedi as a Sith, it was mainly about acquiring powerful authority and control. But now, he suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
What does it matter if he becomes the Chancellor of the Galactic Republic? What if he becomes the Imperial Emperor as planned?
If the Tribunal demands him to do something, doesn’t he still have to do it?
Then how is this emperor different from a puppet?
Thinking of this, Palpatine clenched his teeth tightly.
A solution needs to be found..........