Vol 2 Chapter 1 (1/1)

Chapter One Before the StormIBillions of stars gave off billions of lights, but their poeak The vast majority of the boundless void was dominated by darkness that resembled polished obsidianEndless night Boundless void Uniinable coldness They did not reject h the universe was vast, it was not vast for ful for e that ithin their capacity to recognize and travel

Men tediously sectionedthe universe into inhabitable zones and uninhabitable zones, and navigable areas and non-navigable areas Furthers: the professional spaceions doions dominated by allies; areas to rob and areas to protect; or areas that were difficult to attack areas and areas that were easy to attack Originally, these things did not have nas in the area they could recognize, the hus by their own symbolsThere was a sector that was called the Iserlohn Corridor Through the danger zone of the Milky Way, there was a thin elongated tunnel of safe zoneThere, a battleshi+p sailed Under the G0-type spectral stellar light, the strearaved shi+p nahtlyUlysses (ユリシーズ) The battleshi+p, naed to the Free Planets Alliance space Fleet, Iserlohn Fortress Garrison Fleet (イゼルローン要塞駐留艦隊)Half a year ago, Ulysses belonged to the Alliance 8th Fleet That fleet participated in the battle that took place in Aest battle in history, and ninety percent of the officers,with them, the fleet itself was obliterated The handful of survivors were relocated to other fleets and basesUlysses was supposed to be a battle-hardened hero who survived from the midst of mortal combats The shi+p was this way, and so was its crewHowever, in practice, the naory of an unmalicious joke than a subject of respectThe da the Battle of Ae system was destroyed Because of that, the crew had to continue to fight the battle with their feet soaked in sewage backflow…What aiting for Ulysses upon its return was utterly disappointing It was dubbed “the broken toilet battleshi+p” In an expressionless tone, they were told, “Thank you for your hard work” The shi+p’s co officer, Commander Nilsson (ニルソン), and the first officer, Lieutenant Commander Eda (エダ), both felt rotten, but when faced with the shocking defeat of losing seventy percent of the 30-million spacemen that went on the expedition, people may not have been able to maintain the equilibrium of their reason Even so, the crew did not feel cohtest…Now, back in the Iserlohn Fortress, Ulysses was carrying out patrol duties While this was also to serve as crew training, enoriants, and abnorravitational fields that filled the sector awaited themThe Free Planets Alliance’s territory ended around the area surrounding Iserlohn The frontier territory of the Galactic Empire stretched out beyond the Alliance’s territory In the past, tie-scale battles Occasionally, debris froo could be foundThe captain, Commander Nilsson, lifted his massive body from the command seat The communications officer had reported that they discovered an unidentified shi+p The reconnaissance system on Ulysses was the same as the ones on other shi+ps, which was co devices, and forward reconnaissance satellite groups All of the above reacted Rather than being a fleet, it was only one shi+p“Currently, in this sector, there are probably no allied shi+ps”“Yes Currently, there is not even one allied shi+p in this sector”“Then, by simple process of elie in level 1 battle readiness!”The alarm sounded, and the amount of adrenaline secreted by the 140 crewmembers rapidly increased A flurry of voices caht-seconds,” “Magnetic cannon (磁力砲) shows no abnorhtness (入光量) is regulated” In a conspicuous voice, the shi+p’s captain ordered that a conal be sent out“Stop your shi+p, or ill open fire”The crew broke out in nervous, cold sweat Five minutes later, a reply was received The coe cocked his head to one side as he handed the plate over to the captain The e on it was as follows:“We do not wish to fight We wish to engage in a diplo”“Diplo?” Captain Nilsson muttered to himselfVice-captain Eda folded his ar-time exile”“Hmm, ill scrutinize later We have not cancelled battle-readiness Tell theine and open the communications screen,” Captain Nilsson took off his black beret with a dyed white five-point-star, and looked up If the two sides could avoid killing each other, then no one would get hurt, because even if they win, they would not be able tocame up on the screen, and it was a battleshi+p that resembled the Ulysses The captain wondered, “Are theout in nervous sweats?”Iserlohn was an artificial planet located on the border of the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance that rotated around the Altena (アルテナ) star It was positioned at the heart of the so-called “Iserlohn Corridor” Without passing through here, it would be impossible to invade each other’s territories with a fleetThe artificial planet that was constructed by the Empire and seized by the Alliance was 60 kilomented into thousands of levels The surface was coated with bea, and constructed out of a composite armor made out of carbide steel, crystal fiber, and super-ceraorous layers of the composite armorIt ell equipped to function as a strategic base: attack, defense, supply, rest and recuperation, maintenance and preparation, medical, communication, control, information… The spaceport could accommodate 20,000 shi+ps, and the maintenance shop could repair 400 shi+ps concurrently The hospital was equipped with 200,000 beds The arsenal could produce 7,500 laser fusion missiles an hourIncluding the fortress personnel and the garrison fleet personnel, over two million military personnel and three h the majority of the population was comprised of the families of the officers and men, there were also people ere entrusted by the e the lifestyle and entertain them, there were also stores that catered to women onlyIserlohn was a fortress, and at the same time, it was also a metropolis with five million people There were numerous manned planets with smaller populations than this It was also well equipped with social infrastructure In addition to schools, it had theaters; concert halls; a fifteen-story sports center; maternity hospitals; nurseries; an enclosed water supply and drainage systeen power plant; as a part of the oxygen supply systearden that served as the location for forest therapy; and the prietable protein and vita facilityThe man who served as the fortress commander and the Garrison Fleet commander, the chief executive for this enormous space-city, and the commander of the officers andWen-liIITo think of Yang Wen-li as a leading Very Important Person (VIP) in the Alliance Fleet was difficult forhis military uniform, he did not look like a military manHe was not an old gentleman who had correct posture, and always exercised prudence, nor was he a large burly man with thick muscles He was not the cold scholarly type, nor was he the young, pale, nobleman typeAlthough he just turned thirty years old, he appeared to be about two to three years younger He had black hair, black eyes, and a medium build It could be said that he was handsome, but one could not claim that his looks were exceptionalWhat was extraordinary about him was inside his skull, rather than outside Last year, in 796 UC, he monopolized the military success of the Free Planets Alliance Without shedding even one drop of Alliance blood, he snatched the so-called inable Iserlohn Fortress from the hands of the Imperial Fleet At the Astarte Starzone and the Amritsar Starzone, the Alliance Fleet was vanquished by Fleet Adramm of the Imperial Fleet What saved the Alliance Fleet froenious operational commandIf it were not for him, then the 796 UC combat record for the Alliance Fleet would probably need only one word: “defeated” That was recognized by millions of people Because of that, within the span of one year, Yang was pro admiral with the unprecedented career, however, did not shed even one tear of gratitude Despite being an unparalleledhad not discovered any value to this thing called “war”He had considered resigning from the military to become an ordinary citizen, but that wish had not been fulfilled as of yetThat day, he was playing three-dimensional chess in his private room“Checkmate!” cried Julian MintzYang ruffled his black hair, and adreat commander at three-dimensional chess“Good grief Is this the seventeenth consecutive loss?” Yang said, not out of vexation but out of resignation“This is actually the eighteenth consecutive loss” Laughing, Julian corrected him Julian was still in theHe had flaxen hair with gentle, natural waves, and dark brown eyes Most people found hireat looksDue to the implementation of the so-called “Traverse Act,” where children of war dead were sent to be reared in the ho’s hoo Julian was an honors student at school; he beca ball; and after he became an able-space shooting talent Although, as the guardian, Yang was a little embarrassed for himself, he was very proud of Julian“Julian’s only fault is that he worshi+ps Yang,” Yang’s officer school senior with the invective tongue, Alex Cazerne, commented, “Tsk, what poor taste If it were not for that, I would be okay with hihter”Incidentally, the 36-year-old Cazerne had two daughters, and the older of the two sisters was seven years old…“Let’s play another round,” Yang challenged again, without learning his lesson“Is it okay to lose nineteen consecutive times? It is fine with me, but…”Although Yang was the one who taught Julian three-dimensional chess, the disciple did not take even half a year to overtake the ap between their skill level widened However, when Julian suggested that he was the better player, he s as well, Julian felt that he fell far short of Yang in tersA cheery chi“Commander, this is Lieutenant Greenhill,” the beautiful feolden brown hair and hazel eyes said fro’s adjutant since last year“I a’s tone oefully unenthusiastic“An Ier They said they want to meet the commander and they have serious business”“I see”It ca interrupted his chess ga left the room Julian called after him:“Sir, you forgot your gun”“No need; no need”The young admiral shook his hands cumbersomely“But going empty handed…”“If I have a gun, and I fire it, do you think I will hit the target?”“… No”“Then, there is no use in bringing it”Yang walked quickly, and Julian ran after him in a hurryYang was not being bold Instead, he was si’s capability realistically No one could ianable Iserlohn to fall That e know that when it ca was absoluteHe who originally wanted to beco the hty a nation was, it would eventually face ruins, and that a great hero would become corrupt once he obtained powerThe same held true for life Many warriors survived the battlefields, only to succumb common cold Often, people who survived the blood baths of power struggles died at the hands of assassins In the past, the Galactic Empire KaiserOtfried III (オトフリート三世) avoidedpoisoned, and passed away from debility“Even if you use caution, bad things will still happen”Yang did not bring escorts When he first arrived at his post in Iserlohn, twelve escorts were attached to hi the restroom, so he quietly dismissed themAt the sa paid attention to the operation of the security system in the fortress The control system was separated into three areas that cross- as the three areas were not overwhelmed concurrently, the function of the fortress could not be seized Additionally, he installed atmospheric composition analyzers in the central-air systeas could not be dispersed in the fortressAlthough this was not Yang’s intention, to the nagging her-ups, the worried subordinates, the bureaucrats orried about absorbing the budgets, the politicians who favored inspections, and the journalists ere eager for the fray, these security precautions were thorough, and they had to be publicized for public relations purposes“It seeradually beco complained to Julian“If you understand yourself, then you won’t be sucked in by theht?” Julian replied in a grown-up tone, and added his opinion“Aside from that, when your position rises, the amount you drink also increases That is what I am worried about Please control yourself a little”“Has it increased by a lot?”“It is at least five tio”“Five times? Is it that much?”Julian pulled out the household expense data over the last three years in front of Yang The spending index for alcoholic beverages was 491, when it was 100 three years ago Because what Yang drank outside of the house was not recorded in the index, Julian’s assertion that Yang was drinking at least five tio had some basisJulian’s data choked off Yang’s argu promised to limit the amount of alcohol he drank However, to what extent would he keep his promise? Neither the person who made the promise nor the person who received the promise had much confidence…Two hours later, Yang gathered all of the officers in the conference roomWhen the Imperial Fleet controlled the fortress, this was the place where the fortress coarrison fleet commander held their discussions, but they nor from opposite corners of the room, so this was a room with that kind of historyFortress Administrator (要塞事務監), Rear Admiral Alex Cazerne (アレックス・キャゼルヌ少将)Fortress Defense Commander (要塞防御指揮官), Commodore Walter von Schönkopf (ワルター・フォン・シェーンコップ准将)Fleet Deputy Commander (艦隊副司令官), Rear Admiral Fischer (フィッシャー少将)Chief-of-Staff (参謀長), Rear Admiral Murai (ムライ少将)Deputy Chief-of-Staff (副参謀長), Commodore Patrichev (パトリチェフ准将)General Staff Officer (参謀), Captain Bradshaw (ブラッドショー大佐) and Commander Lao (ラオ中佐) (Note: The book printed ブラッドジョー, which is Bradjole, an obscure English town back in the late 12th century I have to believe that that is a misprint, and that Tanaka intended to write ブラッドショー, for the more common last name, Bradshaw, instead)Senior Adjutant (高級副官), Lieutenant Frederica Greenhill (フレデリカ・グリーンヒル大尉)Also, battleshi+p Ulysses’s (ユリシーズ) captain (艦長), Commander Nilsson (ニルソン中佐), and vice-captain (副長), Commander Eda (エダ中佐)Yang looked over the faces of the gathered officers, and began to speak It was not his style to speak in a ponderous tone, so instead he spoke as if he was chatting with friends over a drink“As you already know, the Ier envoy with an interesting e It was said that they wish to have the Ee the over two-”“It is because it is hard to feed those people for each other,” Rear Adhta bureaucrat, he was a istics wasthe anizational operation, and facilities ement When they were decimated at Amritsar, he was made to accept an insane ah they lost due to Ih he had been te’s requestIt could be said that Cazerne was the de facto mayor of this five-million-people metropolis, Iserlohn His ad with this gigantic and coanization“That is probably part of the consideration Well, I am responsible for half of it”When Iserlohn fell, the population of prisoners Yang took captive was comparable to that of a metropolisCohed The thirty-three-year-old Schönkopf had a sophisticated appearance, and he was a key figure in the successful iy Aristocrat at birth, as a toddler, he and his grandparents were exiled from the Empire to the Alliance He was sufficiently equipped with both courage and smarts, and his fearless personality was soerous When it calared at him, he was able to remain unperturbed“However, as amatter The words, ‘It is hard to feed the a situation that is not far fro the prisoners”“What do you mean?”“I ra his resolve to launch an armed conflict with the nobility coalition”When the naest threat to the Alliance Fleet ca’s mouth, the room fell dead silentOver the last fewabout hoould deal with Marquis Reinhard von Lohengra the seat of supremacy in the Galactic EmpireIn order for Reinhard to obtain absolute power, he roup of nobles ere hostile towards hih the infor obtained was by no means abundant, it was clear that Reinhard was steadily working towards those preparationsThe probleic moves were not just in the Empire In this case, they extended into the Free Planets Alliance If the nobility coalition were to join hands with the Alliance, the Alliance could attack when Reinhard and the nobility coalition were battle weary For Reinhard, that would be unbearable The Alliance Fleet had not recovered from the wounds resulted from Amritsar’s defeat, and they could not afford another expedition However, Reinhard would want to take all possible safety measuresSo, ill he do?Yang tried to analyze Reinhard’s situation For hi called the icitThe organized results of his analysis were as following:1 Reinhard must devote all of his forces to combat the nobility coalition

2Consequently, a two-front ould be impossible

3Due to conditions one and two, he should use plots instead of armed forces to deal with the Alliance

4The essence of the plotthemAfter going through these few steps, Yang was able to peer into Reinhard’s planTo divide the Alliance Fleet from within!Reinhard was going to do that He had no choice but to do that If Yang was in Reinhard’s position, he probably would not be able to think up other plans either If the Alliance Fleet was shooting at each other, then he would not have to worry about being attacked froht the noblesSo, ould be the specifics of the plan? – Yang thought hard, and reached a conclusion‘Perhaps I worry too ht he wasHowever, it was not as if the work he was engaged in was the pursuit of truth and humanity He could not require absolutes Victory Defeat Competition Those were merely relative to one another To be one step ahead of one’s opponent was to be one move better than one’s opponent That was easy to say, but to have one superior ramm was an onerous taskFor Yang, here lay soretsDuring last year’s Battle of A did on the battlefield was unparalleled, he could not necessarily be said to have done his best at the strategythe battleWhen the hardliners were irresponsibly calling for war, should he have fought them even if he had to wrestle them?(Although, he probably would have lost if he had wrestled them)Yang gave a bitter sht thatIn any case, Yang had no choice but to report the prisoner exchange offer from the Empire to the Alliance capital, the planet which was naovernht While prisoners did not have voting rights, returning veterans did This meant two-million votes plus their farand celebration over this“Julian, for the first ti to Heinesen,” he sounded cheerful, which Julian found to be a bit strange Ceremonies, parties, speeches, etc, Heinesen was filled with all these things Yang hatedHowever, Yang had to go to Heinesen

IIIThe prisoner exchange was not carried out between the two countries Both countries proclai nized the existence of the other country Therefore, diplo them could not be establishedIf this was a problem that existed on a personal level, then people would have laughed themselves silly over the stubbornness However, when this problem existed on a national level, in the nanity, people would tolerate all unscrupulous behaviorsThe prisoner exchange was held within the Iserlohn Fortress on February 19th of that year The representatives of each of the ed the list of prisoners with each other, and signed the certificate“On the basis of huulations, both the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance have decided to allow the detained spacemen to return home It is our intention that they are released with honorImperial Calendar, February 19, 488 Galactic Ifried KircheisUniversal Calendar, February 19, 797, Free Planets Alliance Fleet representative: Ad Wen-li”When Yang finished signing, Kircheis flashed hiht be necessary, this also feels a bit ridiculous, Ad”“I agree”Yang had been observing Kircheis While Yang was young, Kircheis was younger – only twenty-one years old When the woly tall and handso man with red hair that appeared to have been dyed in a liquid of dissolved ruby, and pleasant feeling blue-eyes, and that he was one of the best admirals in the Galactic Imperial Fleet, they held a favorable i the Battle of Amritsar, and knew that he was a confidant of Marquis Reinhard von Lohengram manKircheis also held a si handshake was not one out of perfunctory courtesy“What a pleasant man”That was how Julian described his i nodded, to harbor a more favorable impression of an enee if one thought about it However, it was not unconified than the people who machinations behind the scenes Besides, the enemies nowwas able to openly use the excuse of “the returning space ceremony” to return to Heinesen temporarily

IVFour weeks after leaving Iserlohn, Yang and Julian arrived in the capital, Heinesen In order to avoid the Central spaceport (中央宇宙港) that had beco veterans, their greeting families, and hordes of journalists, they landed in the Third spaceport (第三宇宙港), for regional passengers and freight only, and quickly headed towards their officer’s residence via a driverless taxi However, halfway, they bumped into street closure at Hutchison (ハッチソン) Street, a street that had a mix of warehouses and labor apartanized the crowd While human resources were utilized to suppleround transportation central control systeot off the taxi, and approached a see police“What happened? Why is the street closed?”“It is nothing In any case, please do not approach any closer It is dangerous,” the police these contradictory words with a tense expression Since Yang was in plainclothes, he see felt a mild temptation to reveal his na returned to his driverless taxi in silence The guilt he would feel after exercising that privilege was stronger than his curiosityThe situation was finally revealed after they e Street (シルバーブリッジ街) officer’s residence, which had been empty for four monthsAfter selecting the dedicated news channel on the 3D television, the scene caught his attention immediately“… At theveterans is still ongoing The tragedy that occurred at Hutchison Street earlier today still remains unresolved At least three people were killed…” the announcer’s mournful expression was disharmonic with his restrained voiceIn order to escape the fear of death on the battlefield, the space psychedelics and stimulants, and came back to the civilian society as addicts Then, one day, they would explode The fear and the madness would flow out of them like invisible lava, and surround themYang thought of so, so he called over Julian, and asked him to retrieve the crime statistics from the data bankIt was not deliberately done todid not do it himself was because he did not kno to operate the home computerWhat Yang predicted was correct Coo, the incidence of crime had increased by sixty-five percent On the other hand, the arrest rate for crime was reduced by twenty-two percent Not only were people becoDuring the long-term war, many of the officers and men were killed The military had to replenish their fleets As a result, hu in all areas of society Physicians, educators, police officers, systeineers… The number of these skilled professionals was reduced, and their seats were either filled with those ere inexperienced, or left vacant In thisthe military eakened A weak society inevitably lead to a weakened military, and a weakened military of course lost officers and men, which in turn needed to find replacements within the society…Onewheel of as spinning out an accu wanted to show those war haho clai than destruction by war”As they sped up the collapse of this society, ere they atteued in favor of war?What are we protecting?Yang tossed aside the document in his hand and plopped himself on the sofa Ultimately, when he asked himself that question, he could not help but also question the ht that there was no ht that was not pleasant even for YangThe afternoon ceremony the next day was filled with the usual vacuous rhetoric, and it finished with hysteric military zeal“I feel like I used up a life ti co for him outside the venue ‘All in all, you endured well,” Julian thought In the past, Yang would show blatant antipathy towards this kind of ceremony He had even stayed seated by hi crowds before This ti about? Ridiculous!” was the extent of his protestYang exhaled deeply a few tias he sucked in while in the venue Suddenly, he noticed a group of about a hundred peoplewhite robes with red trins that read, “Return our holy land” They slowly“What is that?” Yang asked the young officer who stood close by“Ah, those are the believers of Terraism”“Terraism?”“You don’t know the like crazy these days They deify and worshi+p Terra”“Terra, huh…”“Terra is the birthplace of the human race, so it is the most sacred holy land At the moment, it is under the control of the Galactic Empire They wish to overtake it by armed force, and then build a cathedral to lead the souls of allto make any sacrifice to support this crusade…”Yang was taken aback“Are they serious? That goal is utterly impossible”“I disagree,” the young officer replied gravely, “we are on the side of justice Furtherreat ad us, ill be able to destroy the despotic Galactic Empire and take back Terra Isn’t that true?”“Well, it is not that easy,” Yang replied, careful not to let his displeasure surfaceThis kind of fanatic existed in any era, but even so, this was too muchTerra was certainly the mother planet of all mankind However, to put it bluntly, it was only an object of sentio, Terra had ceased to be the center of human society The border of civilization widened, and the centerwith it History could prove thatIn order to retake a senile frontier planet, it hile to shed the blood of millions of people Where did this idea come from?“Coroup, the Patriotic Knights Corps What are they up to these days?”“I am not entirely sure, but quite a few of their members converted to Terraisht in”“They are fundamentally the same”Because Yang said that quietly, the officer did not seem to have heard himYang considered taking the unmanned taxi with Julian to rest up in their officer’s residence until the party started in the eveningA long, long tio, there were ar access to their Holy Land, they invaded other countries in the name of God They destroyed cities, robbed treasures, and massacred populations While they committed these shameful, nefarious acts and persecuted heretics, they flaunted these as their achievementsIt was a stain on history that was created by ignorance, fanaticism, narcissism, and intolerance This should be the bitter proof that those who have trust in God’s justice can be the most brutal and sadistic of all Are the Terraists atte to reproduce the crusaders’ io on a cosmic scale?There is a proverb that says, “Those who do good do it alone; those who commit idiocy covet companions” Companions are unbearableHowever, this alleged Terra-recapturing exercise may not be as foolish as it appears to be on the surfaceThe crusaders were backed by Venetian and Genoese maritime merchants who intended to weaken heretical influences in order toambition led them to support the fanatics If this history were to repeat…Is the third force, Fezzan, behind this?This idea flashed across Yang’s mind, and he was stunned Due to his abrupt movement in the narrow taxi seat, Julian eyed hiuous reply, Yang fell back into contemplationAs for Fezzan, it ant the Ehter each other over Terra That is understandable However, if both sides collapsed, societal order would corate Would that not be troublesome for a commercial nation such as Fezzan? If Fezzan’s intention is to broaden their scope of control through this calculated y of the fanatical spirit would eventually burst through Fezzan’s control That is the inevitable outcome Fezzan should know thatI do not think they are serious about an arlory, but…“I do not get it… What is Fezzan thinking?”After he so murmured, he suddenly smiled wearily When it was not even certain that Fezzan was behind the alleged Terraists It was silly of hile too much over thisWhen they arrived at their officer’s residence, Yang wanted to have a drink to recover froet lass of brandy?”“You etable juice”“Uetable juice?”“If your heart is in it”“Wait, who taught you to say stuff like that!?”“The many teachers all over Iserlohn”The face of the tongue lashers, Cazerne and Schönkopf, caroaned“I should have been a little e educational environment”Julian laughed After deciding that YangbrandyVThe party was better, but that was if you compared it to the ceremony that preceded itThe politicians, capitalists, and the senior bureaucrats droned on and on with their monotonous and humorless speeches, but at least hysterical statements were not madeIn Iserlohn, while parties were arranged for the purpose of facilitating interactions between the civilians and thestill persisted his oay When he was asked to speak, “Everyone, please enjoy yourselves,” hat he said Althoughspeeches, since Yang set the standard as such, they were forced to shorten their speeches as well“Ad’s Two-Second Speech” became an Iserlohn specialtyAnteend, the black-haired adet of curiosity shown by the socialite women who attended this party, used his mouth almost exclusively for food“Ad your medals?”“Because they are heavy If I hile wearing thehten my back”“Oh…”“My ward said walking with a slouch makes me look like an old man”The ladies laughed cheerfully, but the speaker was not enjoying himself This act was just a compromise for the sake of his salaryJulian sat idly in the corner of the large venue croatching All ten thousand attendees were faht to beholdThe Alliance head-of-state, Supreme Chairman Trunicht, was present He was said to be ahated him so much that whenever his face appeared on the 3D television, Yang would change channels The good thing was that Trunicht also seeAround that ti away from the circle of ladies“Julian, it is about tio”“Yes, Admiral”They acted in concert Julian checked out their bag froed into inconspicuous plainclothes in the restroo Then, before anyone noticed, the duo slipped out of the venueMikhailov’s (ミハイロフの店) had a somewhat hyperbolic name It was a modest twenty-four-hour restaurant that was situated at the entrance of Caudwell Park (コートウェル公園) in a don corner with many laborersYouthful poor and hopeful lovers would buy food or drinks from the restaurant, and then chat on the benches underneath the lights This was that kind of placeMikhailov also worked as a reet his custo man, and a youth entered the restaurant, they went unnoticed in the dimly lit placeThe three of them ordered fish sticks, French fries, quiche pie, and milk tea, and then they sat down on one of the benches and started to eat and drink It was a picnic spanning three generations The three of them had barely ate at the party…“Tsk, having to come to a place like this to talk just to avoid the public eye is an inconvenience”“I a this I remember when I was in the Academy, I often racked my brain to come up ays to break the curfew”The old man was the Alliance space Fleet’s coIf the restaurant owner Mikhailov and his customers found out, they would have been in shock These two top officials had ditched the various parties to settle in a place like thisThe fish and potato triggered tantalizing nostalgia During their ti and his partner in crio to this kind of cheap and delicious restaurant to satisfy their adolescent appetiteAfter they had their fill of wine and strong spirits like schnapps, they would leave the restaurant and collapse on the sidewalk The restaurant oould contact Jessica Edwards, and she would rush over To avoid being seen by the strict TAC officer (教官), she would move them to the back of the restaurant and watch over them“Jean Robert Lapp and Yang Wen-li Open your eyes and pull yourself together If you don’t get back before dawn, do you knoill happen?”The two hung over youngblack, the coffee had a peculiar sweetness to it…Last year, Jean Robert Lapp was killed-in-action in the Battle of Astarte Jessica Edwards, as engaged to him, became the elected representative of the Thernusen District (テルヌーゼン惑星区) She had a seat in the Alliance parlia pacifist faction representativeEverything changed Ti its path Children becas which one could not take back increasedThe voice of the old ad out of his day dreanize us here Did you have so to tell me?”“That’s right”After a nu’s stomach, he slowly started to speak, “There is a possibility that a coup will happen in the country in the near future”Yang’s tone sounded casual, but the old admiral’s hand became frozen in mid-air“Coup d’etat?”“Yes”That was the conclusion Yang reached He indifferently explained in detail the insights he gained on Marquis Reinhard von Lohengra the coup would not know that he was being controlled by Marquis LohengrammBewcock nodded in agreement, “Well, that seeramm really think that the coup will succeed?”“As far as Marquis Lohengramm is concerned, it is fine even if it fails What he wants is for the Alliance Fleet to fragful”“I see,” the old ad an empty paper cup with his two hands“But, in order for a coup to be instigated, it is necessary for people to believe it will be successful He will have to develop a seehly feasible plan”“Hmm…”“If it is a local rebellion, then even if it is an exceptionally large one, if it does not cause a chain reaction in the other regions, it will be iovernment The most efficient method is to overwhelm the capital froe, then ill not have the upper hand”“That is certainly likely”“That is the country’s brain The center of power is also the center of the ar, the rebels will fail if they are faced with a anized armed force Atsaid, tossing the last French fries in his mouth “Therefore, he should seize the power center in the capital, and start regional rebellions It is necessary to have the organic combination of both”Julian was sitting beside Yang, and his eyes shi+ned as the young co This was the materialization of several months of intellectual exercise“In other words, we must disperse the forces in the capital To achieve this, we must start a revolt on the frontier, so fleets will be deployed to suppress them The deployed fleets can then suppress the home fleet Hmm, hopefully it won’t play out in such a brilliantly picturesque way”“As ramm does not need the coup d’etat to be successful If the Alliance is divided and in chaos, and cannot intervene in the Empire’s unrest, his will have achieved his purpose”“It is complicated just to think about”“It is more complicated to do However, if he makes other people do it, then he would not even need to spend much effort”For the fearless young blond, such a thing will only be a ga“So even you don’t knoill be carrying out the coup?”“It is impossible to know”“Then, I must anticipate recent events to try and prevent the coup d’etat fro”“If it happens, you will need a large e But, if prevention measures are done in advance, then one company of military police is all you need”“I see It is a serious responsibility”“Also, I have another favor to ask of you”“Oh?”Yang lowered his voice, and the old admiral leaned in to hearJulian, as sitting a little further was not able to hear their discussion He felt soood for hi would tell him at some point The conversation that took place up until this point was enough to cause the teenager’s heart rate to speed up“Alright, I understand,” Bewcock nodded heavily“I will definitely deliver those to you before you leave Heinesen However, I don’t know if it will become useful”Yang blew in the e to inflate it, and then s sound surprised those around them“Sorry to trouble you, but please keep this conversation confidential”Yang cru into a ball, and tossed it out The hemispherical robot cleaner (清掃ロボット・カー) played a popular o, rushed over, and stuffed the ball into its body Bewcock also tossed his paper bag towards the robot cleaner, and stood up as he stroked his chin“Well, let’s part here Take care”The old adht sky, and Yang and Julian also stood upAs he walked towards the driverless taxi station alongside Yang, Julian suddenly thought, Right now, those who are planning the coup d’etat are probably having a conclave somewhere to avoid the public eye tooWhen Juliancurved his mouth curiously“Yeah, and eating better food and looking more serious than us”VIThis was a stark, less room that lacked even the furniture to indicate the owner’s personality The room was dimly lit, and it was difficult to see the faces of the tentable“Okay, let us confirm this one more time”While his voice was low, all the attendees turned their head towards one direction A part of the wall turned into a display, and a star chart showing Free Planets Alliance’s territory from zenith appeared“The first attack will be on planet Nephthys (ネプティス) on April 3rd of t