"Hyperspace communication? That means intelligent life! And not just any life—we're talking about beings capable of interstellar travel!" Tang Xiao was floored. "Mainbrain! Locate the source of that transmission immediately and get all combat personnel on alert. Lock down that area now! Graham, you're in charge on the ground!"
[On it.]
A transport ship loaded with marines lifted off, heading toward the coordinates the mainbrain had identified.
"Administrator, if you're not feeling well, you should head back to the mothership," a female colonist said with concern.
"I'm fine." Tang Xiao's expression darkened. He turned and said, "Let's move, T-850. First priority is capturing whoever sent that signal." As he spoke, he headed toward the landing pad where another transport had just finished unloading.
Following the mothership's guidance, Tang Xiao, T-850, and a squad of marines quickly reached a remote hilly area. The earlier transport had already touched down. Near a hidden cave entrance, more than a dozen marines were blocking the way in, occasionally firing warning bursts inside.
The marines were armed with Type-21 assault rifles—very mechanical in design—but they seemed ridiculously outdated in this interstellar age. Seriously, when everyone else is going pew pew pew, you're still going rat-tat-tat? That's not gonna cut it!
"What's the situation?" Tang Xiao asked as he approached.
"We've got three hostiles inside, but they're dug in and won't come out. We can't communicate with them, so taking them alive is proving difficult," a marine reported.
"You go. Try to capture them without killing them." Tang Xiao was curious about T-850's capabilities and gave him the green light.
T-850 said nothing. He grabbed a metal cargo crate from the transport ship and, with a loud clang, dropped it to the ground. Then, with just one hand, he shoved the crate forward at a surprisingly quick pace.
Angry shouting echoed from inside the cave, followed by several blasts of red plasma bolts. But they all hit the crate T-850 was pushing—no damage done. Tang Xiao thought for a second, then crouched low and followed him in.
Charging inside, they discovered the cave was actually a hidden outpost stocked with supplies and communication gear. Three figures in explorer outfits were taking cover behind crates, firing wildly and cursing—clearly desperate outlaws.
Then, T-850 stood up straight. Plasma bolts struck his uniform, burning several holes, but he merely staggered slightly and kept advancing.
To everyone's shock, he hoisted the tall metal crate high above his head and smashed it down!
BOOM! Debris and shattered cargo flew everywhere.
The three instantly dropped their weapons and fell to their knees with hands up. The cursing stopped dead in its tracks. Their surrender was so synchronized that Tang Xiao wondered if they'd rehearsed it.
"Take them back to the mothership for interrogation. Decode their language. Also, search this outpost—see if anything here can be useful to us," Tang Xiao said, rubbing his forehead. The marines pounced like hungry wolves, restraining the captives.
He looked at the plasma pistols the three had tossed aside, remembering the strange sensation he'd felt earlier. He raised his hand, and something incredible happened—one of the pistols twitched, then as if pulled by an invisible force, flew right into his hand.
Tang Xiao stared at the weapon now in his grip, a smile spreading across his face.
The three prisoners, witnessing this, looked even more terrified. Their eyes darted away, not daring to meet his gaze.
As they were escorted out of the cave, they ran into a group of Ewoks. Tang Xiao pointed at the bear-like creatures and asked the prisoners, "Ewok?"
Even without a shared language, proper nouns usually sound the same.
The three nodded rapidly, scared of what might happen if they hesitated.
Tang Xiao pointed to the ground. "Endor?"
They nodded again. One of them, catching on to what Tang Xiao was asking, pointed to himself and said, "Corellia!"
Then he drew an arc in the air and said, "Tatooine!"
He drew another arc and pointed to the ground. "Endor!"
So, they meant they'd started from Corellia, passed through Tatooine, and wound up at Endor? Tang Xiao smirked. Well, this place is called Dawn now—it's my territory!
But there was no time for sightseeing. They needed to get back to the mothership. Now that they'd confirmed this was the Star Wars universe and had captured some locals, priorities had shifted.
Back on the mothership, the three were thrown into the brig, and the mainbrain was tasked with cracking their language. Tang Xiao returned to the bridge, dropped into the command chair, and pulled up the personnel activation interface. He needed help—desperately.
He opened the elite-level personnel list. Many were now available for activation, including several top-notch biologists. Their demands were simple: a habitable planet, a complete ecosystem to study, and a basic lab with decent living conditions—better than the workers got, at least.
With practiced efficiency, Tang Xiao activated the biologists, instructing them to report to the med bay for checkups, then head to the bridge for assignments. After that, they'd be deployed to Planet Dawn with their equipment.
Their research would determine which Earth crops could thrive on Dawn. If none were suitable, they'd look for native alternatives. They'd also test whether pigs, cows, and sheep could survive here and study native creatures for potential food sources.
Tang Xiao also activated an expert in management and colonial development from the elite list to serve as his assistant.
Soon, a woman in her thirties strode onto the bridge and saluted. "Administrator, I'm Daphne Clement. According to your appointment, I'll be assisting with colonial construction. I'll need some time to assess our current situation—then I'll draft comprehensive plans immediately."
According to the database, Daphne Clement had extensive experience in disaster relief and reconstruction. When a region was devastated by a massive tornado, she had led her team tirelessly—organizing shelter, distributing supplies, building temporary housing, and eventually rebuilding entire towns. She'd overseen the whole process, and done it damn well.
Her activation conditions weren't demanding—just sufficient supplies and adequate personnel.
That's the reality of interstellar colonization: you're crossing rivers by feeling for stones underfoot. Much of the expertise has to come from similar work back on Earth. Daphne Clement was exactly that kind of person.
"Great. Thank you for stepping up. Please get started." Tang Xiao smiled. "I'm giving you authority to wake up ordinary citizens as needed. For groups under 100 people, you don't need my approval. You're now our first administrative officer."
"Yes, sir!" Clement stood at attention and saluted. "I have several personal team members I'd like to wake up as well."
Tang Xiao waved dismissively. "Like I said, under 100, no need for my permission. Also, the five clerks already on duty are now under your command. Form our administrative department."
"Understood."
After Clement left to begin her work, Tang Xiao sat back down and asked the mainbrain to open an editable interface. He drew a vertical timeline and labeled it from top to bottom:
At the top: the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire locked in conflict.
Then a long section where the Galactic Republic dominated the galaxy.
Below that: the Republic split, fighting against the Confederacy of Independent Systems—marked as the First Galactic Civil War.
Next: both the Republic and Confederacy were crossed out, with the Galactic Empire taking over the galaxy.
Lastly: the Empire fractured, battling the Rebellion—marked as the Second Galactic Civil War. He drew a globe labeled Endor, now Dawn, and marked it with an X—one of the main battlefields.
This was the main Star Wars timeline. Next to it, Tang Xiao drew a massive question mark.
If there were no signs of war on Planet Dawn, then they must be in the period before the Second Galactic Civil War. But even that covered a huge span of time.
Tang Xiao took a deep breath and stared at the screen with a grim expression.
So... what era are we in now?