Chapter 307: The Imperial Guard Obliterated! The Royal Family Collapses! Judgement and Execution!
"We've arrived. Deploy the AI recon drones!"
The Spartan warriors expertly operated the controls aboard the dreadnought, launching all reconnaissance drones packed with swarms of microdrones.
Dozens of drones shot off at near-light speeds, hurtling toward Kaitain, capital planet of House Corrino.
Within moments, the terrain of Kaitain began to unfold on the holographic display before the central control console.
As the recon drones continued to advance and survey, the planet's full picture gradually came into view.
As the capital of the Corrino royal family for millennia, Kaitain was filled with colossal structures. In order to exalt the glory and authority of the throne, the planet was littered with massive statues of past emperors.
Lavish and extravagant sky gardens and wild, imaginative architectural marvels dominated the skyline—the largest statue towering over ten thousand meters high.
To maximize space usage, even the interior of the statue had been hollowed out and converted into the three-dimensional imperial palace of Emperor Shaddam.
Upon spotting the magnificent palace, David immediately issued an order for the drones to deploy smaller AI microdrones to conduct a full-spectrum scan of the structure.
Soon enough, thanks to the meticulous scan and analysis by the AI microdrones, members of the Celestial Vanguard could see countless filthy affairs taking place inside the palace on their holographic display.
These included, but were not limited to: affairs between royal dukes, barons, counts and the emperor's concubines; guards and maids indulging in debauchery; and eunuchs pilfering treasures with sticky fingers.
Clearly, with the collapse of the Sardaukar Legion, internal order within the royal family had likewise begun to fall apart—chaos creeping in from the top down.
Under normal circumstances, these people would never dare risk incurring the emperor's wrath by playing with their lives so carelessly.
But none of this was the primary concern of the Celestial Vanguard. Their target was Saint Helena. Capturing Emperor Shaddam along the way would just be a bonus.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before David spotted Helena's location on a minimap.
What was unexpected, however, was that Saint Helena was currently in bed with Emperor Shaddam, the two of them in the throes of passion. The scene was... less than pleasant.
Given the sheer number of recent upheavals across the Galactic Empire, it was no surprise that both Shaddam and Helena were mentally and emotionally drained—evidently turning to physical release as a form of stress relief.
Watching the live footage transmitted by the AI microdrones, Rita furrowed her brows. The sight was stomach-churning.
The elderly Saint Helena tangled up with the bloated, greasy Emperor Shaddam—it was a vision that burned the eyes, utterly devoid of any artistic merit or aesthetic grace.
"Should we strike now and capture them?" Sergeant Major John asked. He didn't bother with concerns about interrupting the intimate moment—it didn't matter to him.
In his eyes, now was the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise assault and apprehend both Saint Helena and Emperor Shaddam in one fell swoop.
A gift from the heavens.
For warriors like Sergeant Major John and Rita, Spartans ranked just below the towering Astartes within the corporate military hierarchy.
But when it came to arrests and captures, Spartans were far more effective—their physique closer to standard human proportions made them ideal for infiltration and close-quarters work.
Combined with their superior strength and conditioning, Spartan warriors could easily dominate conventional opponents.
And the Corrino royal guard? They didn't stand a chance.
"Yes. We strike now!" David replied flatly, without a hint of hesitation. As the saying goes—strike while the iron is hot.
Right now, Shaddam was still "plowing the field," and he'd be worn out soon enough. After all, women in their thirties are wolves, forties are tigers, and in their fifties, they can suck the dust off the floor [Chinese proverb suggesting increasing sexual aggression with age].
With a cougar like Mother Helena on top of him, it'd be shocking if Emperor Shaddam wasn't drained to the bone.
Once David issued the decisive command, the team immediately prepped for combat. They all knew this was the best possible window to complete their mission.
"Everyone—speed, precision, and ruthlessness. Complete the objective as quickly as possible. Don't let a single target escape. Take down all Sisterhood members and key royal personnel!"
"As for the rewards once the mission's over, I don't need to say much—you already know. Just remember: every ounce of effort you put in is logged and rewarded. The Megacorp never forgets its own."
"With Universal Megacorp, effort always yields results."
Before deployment, David gave his usual rousing speech, pouring hot chicken soup for the soul to fire up the team.
As a high-level manager climbing the corporate ladder, motivational speeches were second nature to him—essential for rallying morale.
That said, unlike hollow corporate fluff, every promise the Megacorp made to its employees was fulfilled. That was the true source of the corporation's prosperity.
After hearing Captain David Martinez's words, the vanguard soldiers responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
The moment the words fell, the various squads of the Celestial Vanguard rushed to the airlock, boarding assault craft. As they neared the Emperor's palace, they ejected from the ships like payloads.
In an instant, countless iron coffins carrying Spartan warriors rained down from the sky, smashing deep craters across the palace grounds—like a meteor shower battering the surface.
The Vanguard moved so swiftly that the royal guard didn't even have time to react. By the time they noticed, the first wave of Spartans had already kicked open their drop pods and surged out.
One after another, hundreds of Spartan warriors crashed to the ground, immediately charging toward Emperor Shaddam's location.
AI drones continuously fed them real-time updates and optimal route guidance, giving these Spartans—essentially playing with wallhacks—complete battlefield awareness. They maneuvered through the palace corridors with ease.
It wasn't until a full three minutes had passed that the observation outposts on Kaitain finally sounded the alarm.
"Alert! We've detected large numbers of unidentified airborne objects—meteor-like objects falling toward the palace sector!"
Upon receiving the frontline report, officers within the Corrino Royal Guard's command center huddled around the displays, zooming in on the data.
As the transmitted images grew clearer, the shock set in—they were under attack from an elite force!
"This is bad! We're under attack! Atreides shock troops have made it all the way here!"
The commander of the royal guard slammed the table and barked out orders:
"Mobilize all royal guard units immediately! Surround the emperor's palace and intercept the infiltrators! Send reinforcements to extract His Majesty—do not let them reach the inner chambers!"
Ever since their defeat on Arrakis, Kaitain's security had been on high alert.
With anti-aircraft guns stationed around the palace and elite royal guards posted throughout, security was thought to be airtight.
The moment the observation posts spotted the Spartans, they notified the point-defense artillery crews to open fire.
Simultaneously, the royal guard commander ordered all available troops into the palace to stop the attackers through sheer numbers.
From the data coming in, it appeared the infiltrating force numbered fewer than 500—laughably small compared to the royal guard's hundreds of thousands.
"Understood!"
The royal guards sprang into action, mobilizing troops, coordinating anti-air defenses, and dispatching rescue units—everything executed swiftly and orderly.
However, David had already anticipated this. Seated aboard the dreadnought, he immediately activated the intercept systems to neutralize the enemy's incoming fire.
A thunderous barrage echoed through the skies as the dreadnought's counter-battery guns shredded the royal guard's artillery shells mid-flight—none even made it halfway.
Explosions lit the night like fireworks, turning the skies above the palace into a storm of blazing brilliance.
And it didn't end there.
Thanks to the pinpoint tracking provided by the AI drones and recon scouts, the Wanderer-class dreadnought easily locked onto the royal guard's point-defense positions and headquarters.
Without hesitation, David ordered a hard-light cannon strike to obliterate the underground command centers and artillery platforms.
Kaitain's counterattack had barely begun before it was crushed into dust by the Megacorp's dreadnought.
Outposts across the planet were subsequently eliminated by weaponized recon drones, wiped out one by one.
With the outer royal guard and defense systems reduced to rubble, chaos exploded throughout the palace.
Mass panic. Riots. Killings. Looting.
The imperial core was descending into total anarchy.
At that moment, a palace guard burst into Emperor Shaddam's bedchamber, throwing himself to the floor beside the emperor's bed with a loud thud, and shouted urgently:
"Your Majesty, we're under attack! You must leave immediately!"
The words jolted Shaddam out of his momentary comfort. He abruptly withdrew from beneath Mother Helen and scrambled off her body.
Ever since witnessing the crushing defeat at the Battle of Arrakis, Shaddam had developed a kind of trauma response—he would flinch at the mere mention of the words "enemy attack," instinctively assuming the Atreides had come for him.
"This is impossible!"
As he hastily threw on his clothes, Emperor Shaddam roared in fury, "What the hell is the Imperial Guard doing? Don't tell me they didn't even notice the enemy approaching!"
The Corrino royal family commanded two major forces. The first was the Sardaukar, used for offensive campaigns and expansion. The second was the Imperial Guard, composed entirely of personnel selected from within the Corrino bloodline.
Having ruled the Galactic Empire for millennia, the Corrino dynasty had spread its bloodline across dozens of planets. From this pool, the most elite were chosen to form the Imperial Guard—a force whose loyalty to House Corrino was beyond question. After all, they were family. To defend the royal house was to defend their own interests.
"There's no way that old bastard Leto could've gotten here this fast! I set up multiple defense lines across star systems. How the hell did they get past them?!"
Emperor Shaddam's voice trembled with disbelief. He couldn't accept that the Atreides forces had made it all the way to Kaitain.
Could the front-line troops have all defected? But even if that were true, the Imperial Guard stationed on Kaitain—with their superior weapons and numbers—should still be able to hold off the Atreides for a while.
Not to mention Kaitain's point-defense cannon emplacements. No matter how elite the Atreides forces were, they shouldn't have been able to break in this fast. At the very least, he should've had time to react!
"There's no time to explain! You must leave now!" the guard urged desperately, nervously glancing outside.
When he had made his way to the emperor's chamber, the palace was already descending into chaos—eunuchs looting treasures, guards assaulting concubines, panicked dukes fleeing in all directions…
With such disorder, there was no telling who might be tempted to take the emperor's head and present it to the Atreides as a token of allegiance.
Seeing this, Mother Helen quickly dressed herself, her expression tense as she glanced toward the chamber doors, preparing to have the Bene Gesserit sisters escort her to safety.
BOOM—!!
Another massive blast echoed, shaking the entire structure. It was impossible to tell whether it was artillery fire or the crash of something enormous, but the emperor's quarters were already beginning to tremble slightly.
That's when panic truly set in.
Shaddam knew very well what would happen if he fell into the hands of House Atreides. He was intimately familiar with the punishments employed by the Great Houses.
And considering the blood feud between House Atreides and the Corrinos, if he ended up in Leto's hands, Shaddam was certain he'd be tortured until he was little more than dried meat!
"Get me out of here—NOW!"
Emperor Shaddam lunged toward the guard, scrambling to his feet without a second thought for Mother Helen. Helen, meanwhile, had already finished dressing and was about to follow closely behind.
But just as the guard prepared to lead Shaddam away, there was a deafening crack—his head exploded like a watermelon, spraying Shaddam with blood and gray brain matter.
The AI drones had zeroed in on their target with surgical precision. Under the command of a squad sergeant, a strike team was deployed right outside the emperor's bedchamber, perfectly cutting off his escape.
The moment they identified Mother Helen, Sergeant John charged forward and grabbed her, preparing to drag her away by force.
Helen immediately tried to use Voice control. She locked eyes with him and shouted in a commanding tone, "Let go of me—kneel, all of you!"
But the Spartans were already prepared. Each of them was equipped with a compact field generator that neutralized Voice manipulation.
Fully armored and trained, they could ignore her Voice entirely.
When Helen continued to resist, the sergeant struck without hesitation—driving his fist deep into her abdomen. The blow instantly knocked the wind out of her; her body went limp, her legs buckling beneath her.
She could clearly feel that her spleen was likely damaged. There was probably internal bleeding too.
The Spartans paid her injuries no mind. They didn't answer her questions. Silently, they dragged her away.
Emperor Shaddam, having witnessed everything, sat trembling in terror. He feared these unknown attackers would treat him the same way.
At that moment, Rita glanced at the emperor slumped on the floor. Their mission was a decapitation strike, but the emperor himself wasn't on the execution list—at least not yet. Shaddam would be taken into custody.
As for Mother Helen and the other high-ranking members of the Bene Gesserit… that was another matter.
Back at Megacorp headquarters, a list of Bene Gesserit members was being compiled. The decision on who would be purged and who would be spared was still under deliberation.
Results were expected within the next half hour.
Watching as Helen was dragged away, Emperor Shaddam was initially paralyzed with fear. But once he realized the soldiers were after her, not him, a new wave of confusion washed over him.
What had Helen done to incur such hatred from the Atreides? Shouldn't he, the emperor, be the main target?
Why had the Bene Gesserit's Mother Superior become the one singled out by Leto?
By now, two Spartan soldiers had already carried Helen out of the emperor's bedchamber and into the outer hallway. She remained half-conscious the entire time.
But she could feel her life force slowly slipping away. The spice had granted her fleeting foresight, and it confirmed her grim fate—her death was imminent.
"I'm the Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit… how dare you treat me like this…"
Helen weakly protested, addressing the sergeant as if her title alone should command his respect.
But Sergeant John paid her no attention. He continued moving, dragging her along with unwavering purpose. This left Helen feeling humiliated and utterly powerless.
By all logic, the Bene Gesserit should still hold political value. The new emperor ought to want to co-opt the Sisterhood, not destroy it. And yet, House Atreides had sent troops to storm Kaitain and subject her to this degradation. Did they really not fear the Bene Gesserit's vengeance?
As Helen quietly plotted revenge, thinking of how to rally the Sisterhood to retaliate against House Atreides, the sergeant brought her to the base of a distinctive royal landmark.
It was then that Helen felt an overwhelming certainty—she was going to die.
She could see it in their eyes, in their movements—her execution was imminent.
"No—you can't do this to me! I'm the Mother Superior of the Bene Gesserit! If you kill me, the Sisterhood will revolt! Leto's throne will never be secure!"
Helen summoned the last of her strength, struggling to break free. But the sergeant gave her a merciless kick, sending her sprawling to the ground.
The icy wind whipped across her body, biting through the thin garment she wore. Death had never felt so close—so real.
She began to tremble uncontrollably.
"How dare you treat me like this! Do you even know who I am?!"
Mother Helen let out a desperate, furious scream. Glaring at the sergeant, she shouted through clenched teeth:
"It was Duke Leto who sent you, wasn't it?! I demand to see him! I want to see Jessica!"
Helen couldn't believe the Atreides would dare treat her like this. The Sisterhood may have sided with the Corrinos, but it wasn't beyond negotiation.
But in response to her demands, Sergeant John replied coldly:
"Helen, you should remember me. Back on Caladan, we told you Universal Megacorp will unify the Galactic Empire."
"The Atreides? They're just our allies. Barely even that. 'Vassals' would be a more accurate word."
"You and your Sisterhood missed your chance to side with the winners. Now, the only thing waiting for you is judgment—and execution—at the hands of Megacorp."
"As for your life's work, the Bene Gesserit, it will be dismantled, restructured, and integrated into Megacorp."
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: p@treon.com/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)