Reborn as Humanity’s Emperor Across the Multiverse

November 15th, in the "Starship Troopers" universe designated as "14":

The Federal expedition fleet sent to the New Hope star system to eliminate the forces of the Human Empire was now in a dire situation.

Out of their original strength, only twelve escort transport ships and one Paris-class frigate—luckily "captured"—remained. The fleet had been reduced to barely a tenth of its initial size.

Setting aside the Paris-class frigate, the firepower of the remaining twelve escort transports was far from sufficient to achieve the fleet's original objectives.

Furthermore, the morale of the entire expedition fleet had been shattered by the overwhelming firepower of the Blood Angels. The combination of captured personnel, deserters, and continuous Zerg attacks had rendered the fleet incapable of any direct confrontation.

Worse still, the thirteen ships were packed with over 30,000 mobile infantry, which placed an enormous strain on already scarce supplies.

Against this backdrop, Leon, Maggie, and their team, following the "script" provided by the Intelligence Division, successfully seized control of the ships and escaped from the surface of the New Hope system.

The remaining forces then began an urgent "escape operation," aiming to preserve a sliver of hope and maintain a "seed" of the expedition fleet.

Using the wormhole network scattered throughout the galaxy of the "Starship Troopers" universe could have provided a more efficient method of travel, even faster than warp engines.

In fact, the expedition fleet had taken only one Earth day to travel from "14" Earth to the New Hope system.

However, Leon and Maggie had no intention of easily returning the 30,000 mobile infantry they had "deceived into joining" to the Federal civilian government.

After all, these troops were a critical "tool" for the Empire to dismantle the Federation and a key element in minimizing the casualties of their own forces.

Thus, under the pretense of "escaping the Imperial fleet as quickly as possible," they had the fleet engage its warp drives and head for the nearest frontier colony.

But warp travel was far less efficient compared to wormhole or jump travel.

After half an Earth month of grueling navigation, the surviving fleet finally exited warp and arrived at a frontier colony named "Campbell."

Located on the third orbital path of its star system, Campbell was a planet similar in size and mass to Earth, with environmental conditions far better than the desertified New Hope. This brought relief to the remaining personnel and the mobile infantry.

As the fleet entered Campbell's gravitational field, what came into view was a habitable planet with an atmosphere reflecting a brilliant blue light.

Its land was covered in dense forests and expansive grasslands, while its oceans shone a clear emerald green, resembling a "perfect" natural painting.

Half a month of warp travel, combined with the overcrowding of the ships beyond their normal capacity, had nearly exhausted all essential supplies.

Under these circumstances, Leon decisively gave the order for the fleet to immediately enter Campbell's atmosphere and head for the capital city to dock for much-needed rest and resupply.

The ships slowly pierced through the atmosphere, their engines roaring as they descended toward the capital city's starport.

At this moment, aboard the bridge of the Paris-class frigate:

Leon gazed through the porthole, taking in the sight of the capital city and its starport.

Compared to the desolation of New Hope, Campbell appeared "unparalleled" in its prosperity.

According to the records, Campbell had a total population exceeding two million—more than ten times that of New Hope.

The colony's primary economic pillars included supplying food to nearby star systems and exporting a large number of civilian electronic products.

This capital city was the heart of Campbell, home to a third of the colony's population.

Towering skyscrapers, a well-developed transportation network, modern infrastructure, and the starport filled with merchant ships, cargo freighters, and luxury liners all painted a picture of thriving prosperity.

However, beneath this surface prosperity, Campbell's situation was far from tranquil.

The intelligent AI secretly provided Leon with a more detailed report on Campbell's political dynamics.

The investigation revealed that Governor Johnson Holhold and his subordinates, the Federation officials of Campbell, were deeply dissatisfied with the Federal leadership.

These officials believed that despite the increasing threat of the Arachnid Zerg, the Federation continued to pour vast amounts of taxes and resources into maintaining a massive fleet to fight so-called "rebels" rather than safeguarding the peace of frontier colonies.

This policy had not only rapidly reduced the previously comfortable standard of living on Campbell but also plunged the colony's economy into stagnation.

Previously self-sufficient and profitable through the export of food and electronics, Campbell was now dragged into the "storm," losing its chance for stable development.

As the Federation's multi-front campaigns and ongoing battles against numerous rebel factions intensified, Campbell's situation deteriorated further.

The Arachnid Zerg periodically used wormholes to launch meteors containing eggs toward the colony, triggering small to medium-scale Zerg infestations.

Fortunately, Campbell had some reserves, allowing it to hire retired infantry and organize militias to promptly handle the eggs and emerging Zerg, preventing a full-scale infestation.

Thus, the intelligent AI identified the growing dissatisfaction with the Federation as the ideal entry point for the Empire to sway Campbell.

The colony's leadership, particularly those officials concerned only with Campbell's interests, might find the Empire's governance model appealing. This presented a significant opportunity to transform Campbell into a strategic outpost for the Empire in this star sector.

This was one of the reasons the intelligent AI had recommended Campbell as a target before the fleet's escape—

A fracture in the political environment and potential opportunities.

At this moment:

"Sergeant," a communications officer reported to Leon,

"Governor Johnson Holhold of Campbell has fully approved our temporary stay here. He has also offered ground facilities for stationing and material resupply.

Additionally, he has invited the fleet's command staff to the governor's mansion for a meeting with Campbell's leadership."

"Good," Leon replied.

Turning to the communications officer, he issued additional orders:

"Use Campbell's communication infrastructure to attempt reestablishing contact with Earth headquarters.

If communications are restored, immediately submit an official request for our temporary stationing here. After all, Campbell's defenses are woefully inadequate; as a frontier colony, they need our protection.

It just so happens that we need this place for rest and recovery while awaiting a counteroffensive opportunity."

"Yes, Sergeant."

"Hm."

After giving his instructions, Leon left the bridge with Ace, preparing to take a Viking-class shuttle to the governor's mansion.

For now, Leon and Maggie were the de facto commanders of the 30,000 mobile infantry.

In theory, the Federation should have promoted them based on their performance during the expedition, granting them at least the rank of captain or major to better manage the remnants of the fleet.

However, due to the communications blackout orchestrated by the intelligent AI, the expedition fleet was temporarily unable to contact headquarters, and Leon, Maggie, and others could not receive formal promotions.

This did not diminish their authority, though.

Leon had already formed a core team around Sergeant Rico, Sergeant Dizzy, and Ace, selecting over 2,000 elite troops to establish an enhanced assault battalion equipped with mechanical exoskeletons and clone soldier gear.

This battalion not only had the fleet's most advanced weaponry but also controlled the most heavily armed Paris-class frigate.

More importantly, the intelligent AI continued to assist Leon in the shadows, monitoring every escort transport to ensure any attempts at mutiny or power grabs by disloyal officers could be swiftly suppressed.

Thus, even without official Federation appointments, Leon and Maggie had become the true leaders of the expedition fleet remnants.

Now that they had arrived at Campbell, Leon had no intention of leaving.

If they followed orders and returned to "14" Earth immediately, the Federation leadership would likely charge them with "disobedience" and "inciting mutiny," sentencing them to execution by hanging.

Even before they reached a military tribunal, they might be secretly assassinated by the family of Colonel Honard Thompson.

As for Honard Thompson himself, the incompetent commander of the expedition fleet, and his loyal officers, they were still being held in detention cells aboard the Paris-class frigate.

Had Thompson not repeatedly demonstrated poor judgment, Leon and Maggie would not have needed to resort to "usurping" him.

Leon did not plan to execute them immediately but intended to hand them over to the Empire's military tribunal after weakening the Federation's grip on the colonies, letting Imperial law decide their fate.

For now, Leon's primary objective was to negotiate with Campbell's leadership to secure long-term stationing for the expedition fleet remnants.

As a strategic outpost within a frontier star system, Campbell was rich in resources and located in an exceptionally advantageous position.

If it could be brought under Imperial control, it would significantly weaken the Federation's hold over the frontier and provide a new foothold for the Empire's expansion.

Leon also understood that achieving this goal would require careful maneuvering.

While Campbell's leadership was dissatisfied with the Federation, this did not mean they would immediately side with him.

Thus, in the upcoming negotiations, he needed to demonstrate patience.

He would need to show Campbell's governor and officials the benefits of cooperation while employing a subtle display of force to make his point.

Soon.

Leon and Ace led twenty assault troops clad in mechanical exoskeletons aboard a Viking-class shuttle, departing from the Paris-class frigate's hangar.

During the flight, they hovered briefly over the northern section of the starport before rendez

vousing with three other Viking shuttles.

These carried Rico, Dizzy, Maggie, and a few other officers closely aligned with Leon.

Once they had regrouped, the four Viking shuttles formed a tight formation and flew toward the center of Campbell's capital city, heading straight for the governor's mansion, which stood apart from the bustling downtown area.

—

Before long, at the plaza in front of the governor's mansion:

A man in his early forties stood at the forefront of a group of officials. This was Governor Johnson Holhold of Campbell.

Johnson and the local officials standing beside him wore solemn expressions as they watched the approaching Viking shuttles.

Meanwhile, the mansion's armed security forces were visibly tense, with guard lines set up throughout the plaza.

The personnel responsible for the mansion's security were primarily local-born police officers and militiamen.

While these individuals had no experience with real battlefields, they had participated in anti-Zerg operations. Compared to new recruits in the Federal Army, they had far more experience dealing with Arachnid Zerg.

The militiamen were armed with outdated military equipment and tactical gear, ready to respond to any unexpected situations.

The police, equipped with gear and weapons akin to late-20th-century American police officers from the Prime Universe, were even more outdated.

Despite this, the combined forces of militiamen, police officers, special units, and mercenaries hired by the governor's office had successfully repelled several Zerg incursions.

As the shuttles' engines grew louder, everyone in the plaza held their breath, waiting for the "high-ranking" officers of the expedition fleet to arrive.

The four Vikings deployed their landing gear and, under the pilots' control, landed a short distance in front of Johnson and the others.

As the shuttles landed, powerful gusts of wind stirred by the engines disheveled Johnson's hair and that of the officials, forcing them to squint against the wind and dust.

When the engines finally shut off, the shuttle doors opened, revealing Leon, Maggie, and the others in Federal Army uniforms, along with the assault troops equipped with clone soldier gear.

Sergeants?

The scene before them left the Campbell officials, including Johnson, visibly puzzled.

Johnson, in particular, felt a surge of indignation when he realized that the arriving party consisted of sergeants.

While Campbell was no match for the scale of inner colonies or heavily populated planets, it was still a legitimate colony with its own leadership. For the expedition fleet to send only sergeants to negotiate felt like an insult.

Even if they've lost the battle, do they still look down on us?!

Assuming he and his colleagues were being belittled, Johnson's face hardened with anger.

"Governor, take a look at those mobile infantry soldiers' equipment! It seems far more advanced than even the Federal elite!"

However, prompted by his secretary's remark, Johnson turned his attention to the assault troops.

Although he had no knowledge of the Federation's latest research into military gear—let alone the development of powered infantry armor or Marauder suits—the fully sealed combat suits and mechanical exoskeletons of the assault troops immediately caught his eye.

These soldiers' equipment was clearly far superior to anything he had seen in the Federation military.

While Johnson was still scrutinizing them, Leon stepped forward, extending his right hand with a polite smile and saying,

"Sergeant Leon Kennedy, honored to be received by Governor Johnson Holhold."

Though still harboring doubts and frustration, Johnson maintained diplomatic etiquette, forcing a smile as he shook Leon's hand.

"It is our honor to host you here on Campbell."

After they released their handshake, Johnson immediately asked,

"Sergeant Kennedy, where is your commanding officer?"

Hearing this, Leon gave a faint, wry smile and explained,

"The situation is rather complicated—it's a long story. For now, the remnants of the expedition fleet are under my command and that of several other sergeants. We can explain everything in detail inside."

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