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admiral began to speak again.
    “Many years ago, a fleet that was the pride of the empire was delivered a most regrettable defeat by the rebels of the so-called Free Planets Alliance. This is the same formation that they used then.”
    “You speak of the Dagon Annihilation, correct?”
    “I do. It was a truly regrettable defeat.” A deep, heavy sigh escaped the vice admiral’s lips. “Victory in that battle rightfully belonged to humanity’s true ruler—His Highness, the emperor of the Galactic Empire—and to his faithful servants, the officers and soldiers of our military. But they were caught off guard by the rebel forces’ cunning trick, and in the end, a million of our bravest, best, and brightest died meaningless deaths. If—in the coming battle—we were to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us, it would be certain to bring grief to His Highness, so—it was my foolish thinking, but would it not be wiser to make an honorable withdrawal now, rather than rushing impetuously forward in pursuit of achievement?”
    Foolish thinking indeed, you worse-than-incompetent blatherer , Reinhard thought. But when he opened his mouth, he said, “I acknowledge your eloquence, milord. Your argument, however, I cannot accept. Withdrawal is out of the question.”
    “But … why? May we hear your reasoning?”
    The look that rose up in Vice Admiral Staden’s eyes seemed to append, you unteachable whelp , but taking no mind of it, Reinhard replied, “Because we are in a position of overwhelming tactical advantage over the enemy.”
    “What do you mean?” Staden’s eyebrows quivered noticeably. The admirals all stared at the handsome young commander—Merkatz dumbfoundedly, and Fogel and Erlach in utter shock.
    Only Fahrenheit—the youngest of the five—had a look of interest brimming in his light-aquamarine eyes. Born into lower-class aristocracy, Fahrenheit openly professed that he had become a soldier in order to eat. He had an established reputation as a planner of high-mobility, high-speed attacks, though it was also said that he was lacking in tenacity when it came to intercepting attacks.
    “It would seem you have an opinion that is difficult for dullards such as ourselves to understand. We would be grateful if you could explain your meaning in more detail.”
    Vice Admiral Staden’s voice grated on Reinhard’s ears. Thinking to himself, I’ll rip that irritating tongue of yours out the day after tomorrow , Reinhard granted his request: “I said that we have the advantage for two reasons. First, the enemy forces are divided along these three vectors, while our forces are concentrated in one place. While the enemy has the advantage in terms of overall numbers, we have the advantage over any of these three divisions.”
    The admirals listened, saying nothing.
    “Secondly, when it comes to moving from one battlespace to the next, our force—which is located in the center—is able to take a shorter route than any of them. In order for them to move to another battlespace without fighting us, they will have to make a wide detour. This makes both time and distance our allies.”
    The silence of the admirals stretched on.
    “In other words, we exceed the enemy in both mobility and concentration of firepower. If these are not the conditions for victory, what would you call them?”
    In a sharp, cutting tone of voice, Reinhard finished speaking. Kircheis thought for a moment that the five admirals had frozen into crystal on the spot. Reinhard had turned the thinking of the older, more experienced military men on its head.
    Reinhard transfixed the shocked, unmoving Vice Admiral Staden with an ironic gaze, pressing his advantage.
    “We are in no danger of envelopment. We have a fine opportunity to destroy the enemy on each vector. You tell me not to make the most of this opportunity and to make a meaningless withdrawal, but to do so would not be merely passive—it would be criminal. Why? Because our