The Giant Corporations that Started in Night City

Chapter 351 – Either Don't Strike, or Strike Decisively to Eliminate All Future Threats

The truth was, the Imperial Army's AT-series armored walkers were never equipped with outstanding kinetic-resistant armor. Their plating was primarily designed to deflect energy-based weapons.

So when faced with Chimera tanks—AI-controlled killing machines capable of firing armor-piercing rounds—the AT walkers stood no chance.

Meanwhile, on the frontlines, the Astartes warriors of the Universal Megacorp completely overpowered the Imperial Army's ground forces. No one could withstand the charge of these "walking iron cans."

The AT walkers, once able to lord it over the rebel troops, had now been reduced to mobile coffins under the absolute firepower dominance of the Universal Megacorp's expeditionary corps.

In addition, the Decepticons, led by Megatron himself, capitalized on their superior mobility to continuously launch devastating assaults on the walkers below.

Granted, AT-series walkers could reach a speed of 90 kilometers per hour, making them some of the fastest armored units in the Imperial arsenal.

But the Decepticons were among the fastest beings in the entire Transformers universe, boasting top speeds of up to Mach 2.8—that's 3,430 kilometers per hour!

Needless to say, to these high-speed predators, the lumbering Imperial walkers were no more than crawling caterpillars—easy prey for airborne eagles to snatch and shred.

And the most terrifying part? These Decepticons could transform mid-movement with lightning speed, switching into their mech forms and tearing the walkers apart piece by piece.

This was the true strength of the Universal Megacorp's ground forces. In terms of ground warfare, there was no force in the entire Galactic Empire that could rival them.

With cover from the expeditionary corps, Paul and Chani raced toward the landing site of the transforming ship.

Halfway there, an AT-ST tried to stomp them to death—Paul was about to draw his lightsaber and deal with it when—

Suddenly, a fighter jet swooped down from above and slammed straight into the AT-ST like a meteor falling from the sky, flipping the walker away.

Moments later, the jet transformed into a ten-meter-tall steel titan. With a flick of its wrist, twin high-temperature mantis blades sprang out, slicing the AT-ST cleanly in half with surgical precision.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, without a hint of hesitation.

Clearly, it was Megatron—just deployed from the dreadnought—who had followed the Astartes and joined the assault to ensure Paul returned to headquarters with the Death Star plans.

"You're one lucky kid, still in one piece," Megatron commented, pulling a hardlight cannon from his back and blasting another approaching AT walker into smoking wreckage.

"I guess I underestimated myself—took me less than 15 minutes to wrap things up. You lot should've come down sooner," Paul replied with a faint smile.

Realizing they couldn't withstand the might of the Megacorp's forces, the Imperial Army swiftly changed tactics: no matter the cost, kill Paul—the one who had stolen the Death Star schematics!

In an instant, Paul became the sole target of the entire Imperial force. Without the Megacorp's expeditionary cover, he would've been buried under an unending wave of enemy troops.

After all, no matter how skilled Paul's swordsmanship was, he couldn't cut open the heavens with one swing—not enough to instantly clear out a whole platoon of Stormtroopers.

Just then, an F-22 Raptor roared overhead—it was none other than Starscream, Megatron's second-in-command.

The fighter's hatch snapped open, signaling Paul to board immediately. When it came to speed, Starscream had no doubts about his own superiority.

"Cut the chit-chat and get moving! Director David's been waiting on you forever!" Megatron barked, holding off the surging tide of Stormtroopers behind them.

With Megatron—the steel god of war—blocking their path, the Imperial forces slammed against him like waves crashing into an immovable iron wall.

"Thanks!" Paul shouted.

He and Chani climbed aboard Starscream's cockpit and tore across the battlefield toward the designated evac point. From there, they boarded their respective transforming ships and blasted off toward, the Megacorp's flagship in orbit.

Once Paul was safely off the ground, the Megacorp's expeditionary forces began their orderly withdrawal.

After all, they weren't here for a prolonged war. With Paul and the schematics safely extracted, the next phase was up to the space fleet.

But even in space, the Empire wasn't letting Paul go.

As Imperial reinforcements poured in, more and more Star Destroyers arrived in Scarif's orbit.

The ferocity of the space battle had already far surpassed the chaos on the ground.

Countless TIE fighters swarmed into space like they were being dumped out of a bucket, engaging Rebel X-Wings in a tangled melee.

Once they spotted Paul's transforming ship breaking through the atmosphere, they broke off and went after him en masse.

"This is getting ridiculous. I've never had so many people try to kill me at once," Paul joked with a shake of his head. But deep down, he knew escape wouldn't come easy.

After all, the Imperial Navy was the foundation of Palpatine's absolute power. There was no way they'd let another faction get away with the Death Star's blueprint.

Fortunately, the Megacorp's main fleet was also closing in on Paul's position.

In a desperate attempt to intercept him, the Imperial Star Destroyers adopted a suicidal tactic—ramming attacks directly against the flagship.

The flagship, however, was a colossal steel monster over a hundred kilometers long, practically a small moon.

By comparison, the Imperial Star Destroyers were like paper boats. Even so, they still hurled themselves forward in a last-ditch effort.

But the size disparity was overwhelming. And with the flagship's stasis field, tractor beams, and tens of thousands of turret arrays, the impact of these suicide runs was negligible.

Out of options, the Empire threw a massive swarm of TIE fighters to intercept Paul's ship.

In doing so, they even ignored the Megacorp's AI drones and Rebel fighters, pouring all focus into destroying Paul.

It was the correct strategic call.

To the Empire, nothing in this battlefield held more value than the Death Star plans. That's why they were willing to burn through Star Destroyers and fighters like cheap fireworks.

But they underestimated the performance of the Megacorp's transforming ships.

TIE fighters were fast, yes—but not as fast as these ships.

Paul's transforming craft danced across the battlefield like a butterfly, weaving unpredictably through swarms of TIEs and swaths of laser fire from the Star Destroyers.

Scarlet beams crisscrossed the starry void, forming a net of death that sought to entrap the slippery intruder.

But every shot narrowly missed him. Worse still, the Empire's own fighters got caught in their own crossfire, bursting apart in space like dazzling fireworks.

The battlefield became a choked, chaotic mess.

Scattered wreckage formed a glittering galactic debris field, drifting in all directions—one misstep meant a fatal collision.

This level of maneuvering demanded inhuman reflexes and piloting skills. But Paul, enhanced by spice and gifted with short-term precognition, was more than up to the task.

His usual training sims were far more intense than this.

Thanks to his heightened reflexes and foresight, Paul didn't even need to fire back—just keep dodging.

Any TIE fighter that got too close was more likely to be vaporized by its own side's cannon fire.

Soon enough, Paul's ship shot into the flagship's hangar. The pursuing TIEs were all wiped out by AI-controlled drones.

> [Is this guy even human?! He pulled those maneuvers without slowing down once! That's insane!]

Rebel pilots stared in disbelief. They were veterans of countless dogfights—but they'd never seen flying like this.

Such stunts not only pushed the ship's performance to the limit, but demanded near-superhuman reaction speed and foresight.

No ordinary pilot could dodge that kind of firestorm without AI assistance.

On top of that, the constant high-G turns should've turned any pilot's insides to jelly. Even trained soldiers would've passed out.

But Paul wasn't just any soldier—he was an augmented warrior, one of the best spice-enhanced operatives.

Now back in the flagship's hangar, Paul could finally relax and catch his breath. He'd nearly died on Scarif—but pulled through, barely.

This mission was over. Next up? A promotion and a raise, as he officially joined the command ranks of the Multiversal Vanguard!

Meanwhile, the Death Star finally arrived in Scarif's orbit.

Emerging from hyperspace, the superweapon loomed like a second moon over the battle-torn system.

Its presence immediately struck dread into the hearts of Rebel forces—many still haunted by the destruction of Jedha mere days ago.

No one wanted to share that fate.

Right then, a transmission from Base Command came through to the flagship's:

> [All personnel: Evacuate the battlefield in an orderly fashion. Avoid direct engagement with the Death Star at all costs.]

The order to retreat came directly from the top—from Li Ang , the Supreme Chancellor of the Universal Megacorp.

Now that they had secured the Imperial military data from Scarif, the foundational schematics for the Starkiller Base were essentially in their hands.

With that, there were no longer any strategic weapons within the vast Galactic Empire that Li Ang needed to fear. What came next wasn't more war—it was time to sit down and negotiate.

Specifically, Li Ang intended to speak directly with Palpatine, to discuss terms of integration and division of control over the Star Wars universe.

So long as Palpatine was willing to compromise, Li Ang would even agree to let him serve as the High Commissioner of the 007–Star Wars Interstellar Sector.

After all, Palpatine's administrative prowess was beyond question. Given more time and a few capable aides, his rule over the Galactic Empire would easily surpass the Old Republic—faster resource mobilization, tighter governance.

More importantly, the Empire still had top-tier military leadership, represented by none other than Grand Admiral Thrawn.

In the original Star Wars canon, even after the Empire was overthrown and the Republic restored with the help of the Jedi, it was Thrawn who, in a desperate endgame scenario, performed a counteroffensive so legendary it rivaled Tian Dan's nation-reviving campaign.

From near defeat, Thrawn led the remnants of the Empire to the very heart of the Rebellion—scoring a wave of victories that turned the tide.

However, by then, the Rebellion was no longer a ragtag group scurrying through sewers. Behind them stood the elite remnants of the Old Republic, powerful trade federations, and a resurging Jedi Order.

Thrawn's brilliant counterattack became the Empire's final swan song.

And when the Galactic Empire eventually fell, the surviving elite troops never accepted defeat under what they saw as a puppet Rebellion.

They knew all too well that the Rebellion was just a tool—a front for the Old Powers. A puppet force, nothing more.

Determined to carry on Palpatine's legacy of galactic unification, those remnants formed the First Order, and waged war against the newly born Republic.

During this time, the First Order constructed their ultimate weapon: the Starkiller Base—a superweapon that annihilated the Republic capital Hosnian Prime and its entire navy in a single blast.

This horrifying display of power made one thing clear: the First Order was not a faction you could reason with. With that kind of destructive capability, they were viewed by all galactic powers as a lunatic threat that had to be destroyed.

Thus, in less than a year, the First Order was crushed under a coordinated strike by nearly every power in the galaxy. The last embers of the Galactic Empire were finally extinguished.

And that was why Li Ang was certain that the data core on Scarif would contain the early designs of the Starkiller Base.

Going by the Rogue One timeline, they were currently in the year 0 BBY—right before the Battle of Yavin.

The First Order's collapse wouldn't happen until 35 ABY, and the Empire's surrender came in 6 ABY.

Given the Empire's postwar conditions—lack of resources, fractured infrastructure, and minimal research capacity—there was no way they could've developed something stronger than the Death Star in less than three decades without a head start.

The only plausible explanation: the Starkiller Base was already being conceptualized before the Empire collapsed, and most of the technological hurdles had already been overcome.

But the project was shelved due to its enormous resource cost.

At that time, Palpatine saw no need to rush. The Death Star was already powerful enough to destroy planets—and it did so without obliterating the Empire's own turf.

In comparison, the Starkiller Base's full-power firing would erase entire star systems—collateral damage the Empire could ill afford.

Palpatine ultimately favored the Death Star because it was cheaper, cleaner, and more "controlled."

What he didn't anticipate was the Rebellion's rapid rise. Before he could finalize the Starkiller project, his Empire was already crumbling.

Only after the fall did the First Order, inheriting those plans, spend the next thirty years gathering the necessary resources to finally build the ultimate weapon.

That was what led to the bombardment of Hosnian Prime and the direct war with the New Republic.

> "Boss, with the current strength of our expeditionary fleet, we could take out the Death Star right now—easily!"

"It would be a devastating blow to the Empire and scare Palpatine into negotiating from a position of weakness."

So said Jack Wells, suggesting this was the perfect time to strike while the Empire was down—a chance to show the Rebels who was truly in charge.

But Li Ang shook his head, firmly rejecting the idea.

Why? Because continuing the fight would only provoke the Empire into sending more reinforcements. The battle would escalate, and the entire strategic situation would shift.

Li Ang original goal was to secure the Starkiller Base data, slap the Empire around a little, and avoid triggering an all-out war. Keep it clean, keep it limited.

More importantly, he still wanted to use war as a tool to force negotiation with Palpatine.

If they destroyed the Death Star now, they'd back Palpatine into a corner. He would respond with ruthless vengeance, and likely accelerate the development of the Starkiller Base.

Once that weapon came into play, entire star systems could be wiped out in an instant—and the Universal Megacorp would find itself dragged into a war it couldn't easily walk away from.

Yes, the Megacorp would eventually win. But the cost? Unthinkably high.

And for a shrewd administrator like Li Ang , dragging his forces into a quagmire was a failure of leadership.

Li Ang style was to strike fast and finish clean. No loose ends, no prolonged conflicts. He had no intention of letting war slow down the Megacorp's industrial growth.

So instead, he would pretend to show weakness—feign fear of the Death Star—to mislead Palpatine, buying enough time to produce their own fleet of Starkiller Bases.

That would shift the balance of power in negotiations and help Li Ang rally other galactic factions behind the Megacorp's banner.

Once enough allies were secured and their own Starkiller assets were ready, then they could wipe out what was left of the Empire—on their own terms.

Li Ang still hoped Palpatine would be wise enough to surrender early. His governance could prove useful in unifying the galaxy.

But if not? If the Empire insisted on going down swinging?

Then Li Ang was already laying the groundwork for their total annihilation.

> "Now's not the time to go to war with the Galactic Empire. Let's end it here while we're ahead."

Li Ang calmly laid out the situation to Jack, who finally understood.

No wonder Li Ang was the Megacorp's top executive—he always saw the big picture, always stayed ten steps ahead.

Once the final orders were transmitted, all Megacorp units on Scarif began withdrawing back to their carriers.

Meanwhile, the Intelligence Division's agents received the physical data storage device from Paul—the one containing the Death Star schematics—and instantly uploaded everything back to headquarters.

After verifying the data was complete and intact, Paul finally let out a relieved sigh. His mission was a total success.

> "Paul, you've done excellent work."

David Martinez patted Paul on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval. With this data in hand, he would immediately submit a promotion request.

Paul would be appointed as Team Leader of the Multiversal Vanguard's Tactical Operations Unit.

That was exactly how David himself had risen through the ranks—starting as a squad leader, climbing step by step until he became a senior commander in the elite vanguard force.

Such a position couldn't be given to just Anyone. Only those who were competent—and trustworthy.

And Paul had proven himself many times over, personally retrieving critical data on the front lines. He had more than earned it.

But Paul didn't bask in the praise. He caught his breath and quickly said:

> "We need to make a copy of the Death Star schematics and send it to the Rebel Alliance—ASAP."

After all, the Rebels had suffered massive losses during this operation. If not for their timely arrival, the Megacorp would've had to expend far more resources.

They'd paid dearly to acquire the Death Star plans. If they left empty-handed, it would be a poor showing on the Megacorp's part.

Besides, Paul wanted to warn them: the Death Star had arrived. If they didn't retreat now, it would be too late.

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