Chapter 21: Who Stirred Up the Hornet’s Nest?

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21. Who Stirred the Hornet's Nest?

A spaceship abruptly emerged from hyperspace, appearing in the vastness of space.

“All right, we’ve entered the gravity well of Mygeeto. Prepare for landing,” said Vunter.

Tang Xiao gazed out the window. A beautiful planet came into view—this was the home of the Muun, the third planet in the stellar system. Due to its extremely low temperatures, the entire planet was almost entirely encased in ice, making it resemble a precious gem.

In the ancient Muun language, the word "Mygeeto" meant "gemstone."

The YT-1000 spacecraft smoothly approached Mygeeto. Using the identification codes provided by Hego Damask II, the ship successfully bypassed the planet’s defense perimeter, flying past several massive Munificent-class communications frigates.

These Munificent-class frigates were large warships built by the Intergalactic Banking Clan and were notorious throughout the galaxy. Any planet that had conflicts with the Banking Clan had, to some extent, been threatened by these warships and forced to submit.

Though called frigates, these colossal vessels stretched 825 meters in length. Flying past one made Tang Xiao’s heart race—the 28-meter-long YT-1000 seemed like an ant beside such a behemoth.

Owning such a super warship was every man's ultimate dream!

Moreover, within the Star Wars universe, the Munificent-class frigate was actually considered a somewhat mediocre warship. There were many far more powerful ships in this universe.

The ship entered Mygeeto’s atmosphere, the window filled with thick white clouds and flames sparked by friction between the hull and air. The deadly heat was completely blocked by the ship’s deflector shields. Moments later, the flames vanished, revealing a frozen world.

Mountains, plains, valleys, and hills were all covered by millennia-old ice, shimmering with myriad colors under the faint sunlight. These hues did not come from sunlight but from energy crystals mined within Mygeeto’s ice—these crystals were the foundation of the Muun’s immense wealth in the galaxy.

On the surface, aside from scattered factories and transport pipelines, no cities were visible; the Muun civilization was built underground.

Vunter compared the coordinates given by Hego, then piloted the ship to a spot near an ice-capped mountain range. Between two peaks, more than ten giant pipelines connected, with a continuous flow of ships and trains moving through like ants transporting the lifeblood of the entire civilization.

Tang Xiao sat distractedly, staring at the distant icy mountains, lost in thought. He pondered over Hego Damask II and worried about the direction of this mission.

One thing was certain: whenever the Sith were involved, it was never a good sign.

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But looking at it from another perspective, setting aside the Sith identity, Hego was one of the most powerful figures in the Intergalactic Banking Clan. If they could build a good relationship with such a big shot, even a small concession from the Banking Clan would benefit the current Fourth Civilization immensely.

And as for Hego’s ultimate fate… Tang Xiao furrowed his brow as a daring plan began to take shape in his mind. It was so audacious that just thinking about it sent chills down his spine and made him break out in a cold sweat.

In the cockpit, Vunter was engaged in a heated discussion with Quinto and Spard about the identity of this Semid they were supposed to pick up—was he a vicious wanted criminal, or a murderer guilty of heinous crimes?

Suddenly, one of the pipelines on the mountainside exploded violently! A hovercar burst through the rupture, hurtling straight toward their ship!

“Here they come!” Vunter shouted, immediately opening the ship’s hatch.

“There are pursuers behind him!” Quinto called out.

Indeed, dozens of STAP single-pilot flying platforms chased relentlessly, each piloted by B-1 battle droids! The droids fired their blaster cannons mounted on the platforms as they pursued.

Boom! Boom! The blasts missed but exploded around the hovercar, sending ice shards and mist flying.

The hovercar swerved desperately to evade, but one blast hit its rear, billowing thick smoke.

A panicked Muun’s holographic projection appeared on the communicator. “Are you here to rescue me? Help me! Please help me!”

“This can’t go on—he’s going to get hit for sure!” Quinto shouted.

“I know! You man the turret! I’ll handle this!” Vunter immediately powered up the ship. The YT-1000’s disc-shaped hull rose into the air.

“Wait! You haven’t closed the hatch!” Quinto cried out, scrambling down from the doorway to the turret beneath the ship. Grabbing the twin laser cannons mounted there, he took aim and fired.

Whoosh~~~ A green laser beam swept forward, slicing two single-pilot platforms in half, triggering a fierce explosion.

Meanwhile, other single-pilot platforms began flanking the hovercar, with B-1 battle droids on either side firing blasters at Semid!

Vunter executed a sharp turn, flying close to the ground. As the ship skimmed past an ice rock, one of the landing gears snapped with a loud crack and fell off.

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“Are you crazy?! You’ll crash the ship!” Quinto yelled from the turret below, feeling as if he were rubbing against the ground.

“Trust me, I won’t,” Vunter gritted his teeth. With precise control, the ship flew just above the surface, passing beside the hovercar and smashing directly into the pursuing single-pilot platforms!

Boom! Boom! Over a dozen platforms were destroyed instantly. The explosions were absorbed by the ship’s shields. Vunter then turned the ship around and flew past the hovercar’s other side.

The single-pilot platforms were shattered like toys by the ship’s collisions. Vunter maneuvered the ship directly in front of the hovercar, matching its speed, then shouted into the communicator, “Get on board, quickly!”

Semid wasted no time, flooring the accelerator as the hovercar charged straight into the ship’s open hatch! Just as the vehicle was about to crash inside, a towering figure stepped forward.

T-850!!

Clang! The T-850 spread its arms to intercept the out-of-control car, colliding with it fiercely! After a grating metallic screech, the hovercar was forcibly stopped!

“There’s more coming!” Quinto shouted.

Sure enough, more single-pilot platforms poured out from the broken pipeline, numbering in the hundreds! Not only that, fighter jets appeared in the distant sky!

No one knew what crime Semid had committed, but it was as if he had stirred a hornet’s nest—the entire garrison was mobilizing!

[Bonus Illustration 1: STAP Single-Pilot Flying Platform]
[Bonus Illustration 2: Munificent-Class Communications Frigate]