The fleet of the Burk was shattered into pieces, fighting as isolated units and descending into chaos. Gabor ordered, "Block their movements; deploy interceptors ahead of their warships to prevent them from achieving the velocity necessary for warp jump. Today, this entire fleet must be annihilated right here."

"Affirmative, via the psychic link network," all participating personnel responded.

The Protoss carriers continued their merciless assault. Interceptors swarmed forward, tearing the Burk warships to shreds. After the vanguard was completely destroyed, the interceptors shifted to attack their left flank, which promptly collapsed, and then moved onto the right flank, which also crumbled.

The Burk warships attempted to flee, but their pathways were choked, rendering them unable to accelerate. At speeds reaching tens of thousands of kilometers per second, even brushing against a single interceptor was enough to disintegrate their vessels.

Realizing they had neither avenues forward nor avenues of retreat, the hired mercenary corps began to surrender. First, it was a few dozen ships; after Gabor accepted their surrender, the number quickly spread to hundreds, then thousands, until finally, nearly a hundred thousand ships capitulated. Upon their surrender, Gabor commanded the interceptors to spare them and concentrate all attacks on the remaining resisting forces.

The mercenaries' surrender galvanized the remaining Burk warships. Many began broadcasting the standard surrender signal common throughout the Orion Arm. Gabor instructed them to shut down power systems, shields, and weapon systems, and await further orders.

Soon, the battle concluded. All defiant elements were eliminated. The void was strewn with countless wrecks of Burk vessels; the previous intensity had given way to a profound, deathly stillness.

Gabor ordered the interceptors to surround the entire surrendered fleet. He then sent a specific directive to the mercenary contingents: nominate several leaders to negotiate the next arrangements with him. The mercenaries, acutely aware that their lives still rested in the hands of the Protoss, responded swiftly.

"We thank the benevolent Lord Gabor for pardoning our hostile actions," stated several mercenary leaders, appearing before Gabor as holographic projections, offering him their utmost reverence.

"Pardon? What are you speaking about?" Gabor’s words startled the mercenary leaders.

They exchanged glances, and one cautiously inquired, "Lord Gabor, is there a task you require of us?"

Gabor regarded him, pausing briefly. If the Protoss possessed mouths, a slight smile would surely be gracing his features now. Gabor nodded. "Speaking with intelligent individuals is indeed efficient."

"What do you require of us? We will certainly exert our utmost effort," the leader promised, recognizing he held no power to refuse here.

The other mercenary leaders chimed in their agreement: "Indeed, we will do everything within our power."

"Do it if you can, and do it even if you think you cannot."

"We certainly will not disappoint the Protoss."

Mercenaries were inherently motivated by coin; they possessed no true factional allegiance. Now, defeated and their fates hanging in the balance, switching sides was naturally the optimal choice.

"As expected of professional mercenaries," Gabor nodded, stating his requirement. "The star system we currently occupy is one of the Burk’s vital military strongholds; its location is crucial. However, our main force cannot halt its advance here. Therefore, we require personnel to assist us in managing this stronghold."

No matter how powerful the Protoss military might, or how smooth their expansion proceeded, one fact remained immutable: the Protoss were conquering the vast Burk'Reke Sector from their isolated origin on Aiur.

Within this sector, the Burk possessed nearly a hundred inhabited worlds, thousands of resource-rich mining planets, and countless artificial celestial bodies. This meant the Burk commanded resources hundreds of times greater than the Protoss. They were now in a state of full military mobilization, and these resources would soon translate into formidable military strength, continuously supporting the Burk war effort.

To mitigate the Burk's war potential, the Protoss had to garrison a military presence on every planet they captured, severing the dominion of the Burk Empire. For the Protoss, whose total population was only slightly over a hundred million, this reality meant: the larger the territory, the weaker their control.

Thus, an intermediary class was necessary—one to assist in Protoss rule, allowing only a small Protoss garrison to maintain authority over vast expanses. The specifics of this structure were complex; even Khass could not finalize everything immediately. Fortunately, these matters did not require Khass's direct involvement; with the High Council, he only needed to review the conclusions they debated.

According to the High Council’s determination, this intermediary stratum would be composed of mercenaries motivated solely by wealth and the surrender faction among the Burk.

The mercenaries and the Burk surrender faction would serve as a check against one another, with the minority Protoss ruling over them. By establishing this framework, the governing structure for the Burk'Reke colonies could essentially be implemented.

For every ordinary inhabited world, the Protoss would dispatch a Councilor to assume the position of Planetary Governor. For the most critical worlds—such as the capital or interstellar metropolises—greater authority would be assigned.

Furthermore, as the territory expanded, the High Council itself needed augmentation.

At present, the collective psychic energy contributed by the Protoss through the Khala to the High Council had elevated all core councilors to the absolute limit of Rank Three, while all ordinary councilors had reached the peak of Rank Three strength.

If no expansion occurred, soon all ordinary councilors would reach the Rank Three limit, and any surplus psychic energy would be wasted. Psychic energy was akin to the taxes paid by the Protoss; waste was an unacceptable prospect.

After extensive deliberation, the High Council provisionally decided to establish the Planetary Council system to channel this excess psychic power. A regional council would be formed on every planet. The Burk'Reke Colony would serve as the pilot region for the Planetary Councils, and each Planetary Governor would be tasked with setting up the corresponding Planetary Council structure.

Of course, these were matters for the future. The most critical task now was leveraging the carrier fleets to capture territory, definitively defeating the Burk Empire, and cementing the Burk'Reke into a colony.

Gabor explained the High Council’s decisions to the mercenary leaders, which served as a powerful shot of adrenaline for them. Across the cosmos, who were the wealthiest and most influential? Naturally, the ruling class! Especially the ruling class of a colony. This form of governance, founded upon military coercion, offered both wealth and authority—what true glory! It far surpassed the perilous existence of mercenaries who risked their lives for meager pay.

Immediately, all mercenary leaders gave their enthusiastic consent, not hesitating even at the stringent conditions Gabor laid out. Simply becoming part of the colonial ruling class, even the intermediate layer, made their dreams worthwhile.

"That is all you need to know for now. Go and restrain your subordinates; prepare for battle. Although the Burk fleet is finished, the planet that serves as their military stronghold has yet to fall. You will serve as the vanguard and seize that planet for us, as a demonstration of your sincerity and initial pledge."

The Protoss forces were few; every carrier was precious. If the objective could be achieved by utilizing the mercenary fleet, there was no reason to hold back.

"Yes, Lord Gabor!" The mercenary leaders cut the connection with high spirits and departed to make their preparations.

At that moment, a higher level of consciousness descended upon Gabor's flagship.

"Speaker, everything is proceeding according to plan." Gabor immediately sensed it and reported the day's events.

"You performed excellently," Khass's voice resonated in Gabor’s mind. "To ensure absolute certainty, I will place the minds of those mercenary leaders under psychic control. Not just them—all non-Protoss individuals who will occupy positions within the future colonial government must also be placed under psychic control unless there are exceptional reasons. Grimorun's Dark Arbiters will execute this task; we can't have them idle."

The Burk had always been arrogant and would never willingly submit to Protoss rule. The Protoss were currently few in number and could tolerate no oversight. The Dark Arbiters' psychic domination technique was the simplest and most stable method of control; since it was available, why not use it?

Shortly thereafter, the mercenary fleet moved. They wheeled their vessels around, pointing their bows directly at the Burk military stronghold planet, surging forward in a frantic rush.

Khass could sense through the psychic world that an atmosphere of unity and soaring morale emanated from the mercenary fleet—their morale had risen more than tenfold compared to when they fought the Protoss.

The Burk garrisoned on the planet clearly perceived the mercenaries' betrayal. The planetary defense systems fully activated, unleashing torrents of fire upon the mercenary fleets. Even the ten Fortress Cannons, capable of reaching Energy Level Nine, opened fire, destroying hundreds of mercenary warships with a single blast.

The Burk’s shipboard cannon technology topped out at Level Eight, but Fortress Cannons differed from shipboard weaponry. Since the planet offered far greater space for bulky equipment, the power of a Fortress Cannon could be one or even two levels higher than its ship-mounted counterpart.

Yet, despite the Burk’s ferocious defensive fire, the mercenary fleet, fueled by aspirations of a glorious future, displayed a tragic and fearless spirit. They pressed forward under that hellish bombardment, launching wave after wave of selfless attacks against the planet's military installations.

The mercenary fleet, which had numbered over one hundred thousand, was now reduced to sixty thousand after the fight with the Protoss carrier fleet, and most were damaged. However, they seemed oblivious to this, unconcerned that a single volley from ten Level Nine Fortress Cannons could wipe out hundreds of thousands of them.

Khass's voice appeared again in Gabor's mind: "There is little more to see now. The Burk forces on the planet will not hold out much longer. If we wait a few more hours, we can proceed to receive the planet."

"All glory to my Lord," Gabor replied respectfully.