STAR WARS : FOURTH CATACLYSM

"I get it now... it was the gravitational disturbances from this ship, plus their signal jamming, that made our hyperspace diverter crap out..." Quinto muttered to himself. "I've never seen anything this massive in my life... is this even a spaceship? Or some kind of space station?"

"The real question is, why would a colossal warship like this show up outside the Endor system?" Felasi was on the verge of freaking out. "If that's what's happening, could something have happened to Kenneth and the others?"

"Communications are completely dead," Spud called from the back.

"Of course they are. With the kind of power they're packing? Compared to our little toy? Even the most basic electromagnetic interference would be enough to blind and deafen us," Quinto slumped back into his seat, resigned to whatever came next.

Just then, the hangar doors of the massive warship started to open, and over a dozen small fighter craft flew out, heading straight for them.

"They're not shooting at us right away, so they probably want to talk. Let's just surrender. I doubt whoever can build a warship that gigantic would waste time bullying nobodies like us... Listen up, when the time comes, stay cool and collected. Don't let them see you sweat. Make sure they know we're not pushovers either," Quinto instructed.

"No problem. I got this," Felasi whispered back.

Following the fighters' lead, she piloted their ship into the giant hangar entrance—an entrance so large it was overwhelming. Staring at the vast empty hangar bay, she murmured, "This hangar could probably dock an entire cruiser from the Republic Judicial Fleet! What kind of insane scale is this?"

As the ship landed and powered down, the three had barely made it to the exit ramp when they spotted a squad of fully armed soldiers already waiting for them! Each one was built like a tank with razor-sharp focus—clearly elite troops, even more disciplined than the typical Galactic Republic soldiers they were used to seeing.

The moment the three stepped off the ramp, the soldiers simultaneously racked their weapons with a bone-chilling click! The message couldn't be clearer!

Felasi flinched, quickly raised her hands, and dropped to her knees with a thud. Glancing back, she saw Quinto and Spud were already kneeling with their hands on their heads, having moved even faster than her—their surrender posture absolutely perfect...

Tang Xiao watched through the monitor as the three dropped to their knees in perfect sync, feeling cold sweat trickle down his temple. He turned to Qi Jian and said, "I'm guessing... these three are probably with the same crowd as the last batch we caught?"

"Looks that way," Qi Jian nodded. "Administrator, it's written all over them—they're smugglers. Who knows what kind of shady deals they're mixed up in. Honestly, putting a bolt through them wouldn't be unjustified."

"Bring them in for questioning. I've got some things I want to ask," Tang Xiao directed.

Soon, the trio was escorted to the bridge by the marines. Tang Xiao used a translation droid to talk with them. Unfortunately, they didn't have much useful information. These smugglers clearly couldn't care less about galactic politics—all they cared about was cold, hard cash.

The middle-aged man named Dubrak Quinto was the boss of this small smuggling operation. The somewhat attractive woman Mars Felasi was his girlfriend. They mainly worked for the Hutts on Tatooine, regularly flying to Endor to collect animal pelts and gemstones to sell back home.

"The Hutts, huh..." Tang Xiao rubbed his chin, feeling uneasy.

The Hutts were among the oldest species in the galaxy—basically giant snail-slugs. Disgusting as they looked, as the remnants of the ancient Hutt Empire, they carried serious clout and still maintained a powerful fleet.

After the Republic officially absorbed the Hutt Empire, the Hutts shifted their resources toward underground enterprises.

To put it bluntly—every single Hutt was essentially a mafia don. Filthy rich ones, too.

Tang Xiao waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to haul Quinto and the others to the brig. Meanwhile, he went back to his interface, adding "Hutts" to his timeline and faction planning document.

At that moment, the AI's voice chimed in:

[Administrator, we've met the awakening condition for one of the Legendary Figures. He can now be awakened immediately.]

"A Legendary Figure? Already?" Tang Xiao was briefly stunned.

He quickly pulled up the character screen—sure enough, one name among the Legendary Figures had lit up, indicating he was ready to be awakened and would pledge loyalty to Tang Xiao.

"Name: Trent—Explorer. Specializes in interpersonal relations, smuggling, spacecraft piloting, and modifications." Tang Xiao read the details aloud. "Awakening condition: A grand stage and an excellent spaceship."

A pretty vague condition—which could be either super easy or incredibly difficult to meet—suggesting this guy didn't really care about when he would wake up. All he needed was adventure.

Though the description wasn't extensive, Tang Xiao immediately knew who he was.

Trent! The protagonist from Freelancer!

"Wake him up—and have him meet me right away," Tang Xiao ordered, then reconsidered. "Actually, I'll head down to the medbay and see him myself."

He walked straight to the medical bay and found a sturdy man in a leather jacket undergoing a medical examination. The guy had golden hair, a ruggedly handsome face, and a five o'clock shadow—the kind of man who looked like he'd lived through a thousand adventures.

When he spotted Tang Xiao, he waved cheerfully, "Hey there, Administrator! You came in person to see me? I'm flattered! Name's Trent. Looks like your colony's been doing pretty well under your leadership."

"You know how it goes—we're in an incredibly complex and dangerous universe, filled with countless intelligent species and messy politics. I never get to relax. Which is exactly why I need someone like you. I just nabbed a spacecraft—and now it's yours."

Tang Xiao reached out and shook Trent's hand firmly.

"Haha, I already checked out the specs on the core computer. That ship's a beauty. I can't wait to jump into this grand adventure," Trent replied with a hearty laugh.

He had a natural charm that made people instantly warm up to him. After chatting with Tang Xiao for a while, he soon turned his attention to a nearby nurse, smoothly cracking jokes that had her giggling non-stop.

But Tang Xiao wasn't focused on Trent's flirting game. He was practically buzzing with excitement.

Because while Trent might not be the most famous name out there, his abilities were absolutely top-tier. As a citizen of Bretonia in the game, he had once foiled the Nomad invasion, saving the entire Sirius Sector from war.

He had roamed space solo in a ship, building his fortune from scratch, participating in countless battles, and uncovering one conspiracy after another. He'd even stormed the Nomad homeworld alone, retrieving their core—basically taking down an entire alien species single-handedly!

His flying skills, intelligence, guts, adaptability, and talent for navigating faction politics—all of it earned him the title of Legendary.

His arrival couldn't have been more perfect for what Tang Xiao had planned next.

The two chatted in the medbay until Trent's checkup was complete. After confirming there were no health issues from the cryosleep, he said goodbye to Tang Xiao and headed straight for the hangar to check out the YT-1000 light freighter.

That's right—the moment that ship entered the mothership, it officially became Tang's property. And just like that, Tang Xiao handed it over to Trent.