Chapter 8:
Victory Conditions
THE FIGHTING HAD STARTED several months ago, and against our initial expectations, Calvin’s faction was piling up victories and maintaining superiority.
While millions of ships fought in this type of conflict, they were split into smaller fleets with more manageable numbers. Occasionally, they all fought together, but splitting into smaller groups was easier. Otherwise, the chain of command could become confused in a battle involving nobles. After all, many nobles disliked being ordered around by others. Besides, different groups sometimes had weapons so dissimilar that they had trouble coordinating with each other.
For those reasons, a single battle typically involved tens of thousands of ships at most. The fleets would attempt to capture areas of space or satellite bases, or to take out enemy fleets. As supreme commander, my job was to deal with the reports on all those battles as they came in every day. Of course, I left all the grunt work to Claus.
As a result, we’d done nothing but lose—our position had remained inferior the whole time. No wonder our military advisor, Theodore, got on our case…or so I might say, if I were a more responsible type.
I’d called my henchmen to the Argos to discuss the situation. Before me were my head knight, Claus, and those two problem children who were nevertheless highly skilled: Tia and Marie. Claus stood beside my chair, while Tia and Marie knelt before me in repentance.
“Now, let’s hear your excuses.”
Marie spoke up immediately. “I believe the ground-meat woman is at fault for poor command, Lord Liam.”
Marie usually rushed into quarreling with Tia, but she directed her comment squarely at me today. Tia’s face twitched; she looked a moment away from exploding, but evidently strove to rein in her fury while I was listening.
“If you’ll give me command,” Marie continued, “I swear I’ll end this conflict within ten years.”
That was as much as Tia could take. “You wish, fossil! If not for the traitor, I could—”
I stopped Tia as she lunged for Marie. “Quiet.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Ten years of war. That felt like a long time to me, but in this reality of intergalactic nations, it was actually pretty quick. Wars between forces of this size could drag on for decades. There were stories that sounded like bad jokes about conflicts that lasted for centuries too. That showed how difficult it was to conclude a war like this. Some wars even finished with nothing but a negotiation to decide on the ultimate victor, because definitively ending the conflict was otherwise impossible.
In short, Marie’s intended meaning was, “I promise to bring you victory in a short time.”
Tia’s brow had furrowed when Marie foisted all the responsibility onto her. I allowed her to speak. “You’re next, Tia. Anything you want to say?”
Glaring at Marie, she replied, “Lord Liam, it’s true that some responsibility lies with me, but if you give me the chance to redeem myself, I can promise you victory within ten—no, eight years!”
If Marie says ten years, Tia will say eight, eh? Their rivalry was touching and all, but I couldn’t wait even eight years. “That’s too long. Finish this in two.”
When I put my foot down, even Claus—who’d just been listening to the conversation—goggled at me.
Tia’s eyes darted. “I-if that’s your wish, I will do my utmost to achieve it. B-but two years may be a little too soon…”
Marie evidently felt the same way; she reluctantly agreed with Tia. “It pains me to admit it, but I believe the ground-meat woman is correct. We do have an idea of who the traitor might be, but eliminating them will take some time as well.”
Apparently, Tia and Marie were already aware of the traitor.
Claus sighed quietly. “If not for your reports, we would have overlooked this traitor,” he told the pair. “After all, the Argos receives suspicious information every day from various individuals.”
We kept receiving impossible reports claiming that Claus was the traitor. Some idiots even sent those messages anonymously.
Tia shook with anger, looking as though she was picturing someone’s face. “I’ll have my revenge on that man. I haven’t forgotten the insults and slights he slings my way every day—and I won’t let him forget them either.” Like Marie, she seemed to have an idea of the traitor’s identity.
“Well, I’m relieved that you both seem to know the identity of the traitor—though Claus seemed to know from the beginning.”
“Huh?” Claus said.
Although he was playing dumb, I got the sense that he’d known from the start of the conflict. The fierce way he had watched Theodore the whole time he was at my side made me pretty sure of that.
“I’ve been investigating on my own as well, and I finally obtained some proof,” I said. “Come in, Marion.”
I snapped my fingers, and the door opened, revealing Marion in the frilly outfit I’d forced her to don. She looked at me with tears in her eyes, so I figured I’d better compliment the getup.
“Looks good on you. I’m always happy to see you enjoying the presents I give you.”
“You’re as nasty as always,” Marion spat, tugging down her short skirt.
When she realized I had given Marion that outfit, Tia shot her an envious glare. Frightened by Tia’s bloodshot eyes, Marion ran over to me, then reported on what I’d asked her to look into.
“I investigated as you ordered. It seems that Baron Glynn was never even under attack by Viscount Myatt in the first place. His domain is a mess due to his own botched attempts to cultivate it. I guess everything he did failed, and he ended up ruining his planet—he’s basically your polar opposite. And he also met with that military advisor, Theodore, several times before the war began.”
Listening to Marion’s report, I grinned, then asked, “Well, it’s true they’re fighting over Charlot, right? So couldn’t he just have met Theodore to discuss the upcoming war?”
“You already know everything, don’t you…? Sure, those two families are in conflict over Charlot. Both Baron Glynn and Viscount Myatt reside on the Capital Planet, though. Neither has the guts to go to war over another planet. And the baron’s made a deal with Theodore. He’s liquidated all the support House Banfield sent him and given Theodore a cut.”
During my civil-service stint, Marion had been my coworker. She was second-rate as a knight, but gathering intelligence suited her well, so I’d put her skills to use behind the scenes to dig up dirt on Baron Glynn and Theodore.
Of course, everyone here probably already knew all this. No one reacted with surprise upon hearing it. The way they didn’t react at all was a little boring for me, but I supposed I was relieved to know that they weren’t stupid.
“So, not only has Theodore betrayed us, but this whole war might be a setup,” I said. “I have an idea of who’s behind it, but for now, we should deal with the situation right in front of us.”
Those words brought a new look to the faces of everyone but Marion.
“We’ll take care of Theodore and Baron Glynn,” I continued, “and win this war within two years.” I indeed planned to end the war in that timeframe—and with our own victory.
After I gave the group my demands, Claus spoke up hesitantly after having remained silent all this time. “It’s too reckless, Lord Liam. Sir Theodore is a leader in Prince Cleo’s Imperial Guard, and Baron Glynn is a noble whom the prince has promised to aid. Even if we could eliminate them both, as well as everyone working for them, two years would simply be too little time.”
I knew that common sense would call it impossible, but I still wanted to finish this in two years if at all feasible. “This is an order,” I insisted. “We’re finishing things in two years.”
Both Claus and Tia looked reluctant to promise such a thing, but I saw determination in Marie’s eyes. When she looked at me, I also saw sparkles in her eyes, which was really irritating.
I crossed my legs haughtily to hide what I was feeling. “Give me all the strategies you can think of to win this war within two years. I’ll allow for some degree of sacrifice.”
After I asked for tactics, neither Tia nor Marie protested that they couldn’t think of any. They didn’t seem entirely confident in the plans they came up with on the spot, but they presented those strategies to me nonetheless.
Tia was first. “If we deal a heavy blow to the enemy’s main force, we may turn the tide. To do that, we’d need to lure them into a trap. We could pretend to retreat, then strike at their main force after they use their momentum to pursue us. If the enemy gained too much momentum, though, that might tempt other nobles to join the battle on what looked like the winning side. Allies would likely pull out too, which would only widen the gap in our numbers. I can’t truly recommend this plan, but…”
We’d also have to decide which fleet to target with that attack. If we thought we were going after the enemy’s main force, and ended up being wrong, it would be bad. The losses our allies would take to their forces would also be a problem. In the long run, it would be best not to waste too much of our fighting power.
Marie had a different strategy in mind. “I hesitate to suggest this tactic for a battle between nobles of the same nation, but we could use a separate force to attack the home planet of a noble in the crown prince’s faction. With their home in danger, they’d have to pull their troops from here. Then, by exploiting the temporary weakness in the enemy’s defenses, we might be able to end the conflict early. It’s possible… Still, I can’t recommend that approach, considering the long-term implications.”
“A tactic House Berkeley used in the past.”
This was a battle to determine the next emperor, so if I attacked the home planet of any nobles fighting here, I’d be treated like a dirty cheater. It would be like stabbing someone in the back—not a tactic lauded in noble society. The relatives of whoever I targeted would resent me too, so it wouldn’t be good for my long-term popularity in the Empire. I didn’t want to be called a coward who broke unwritten rules. On top of that, it was possible that the enemy would go after my home planet in retaliation.
I clasped my hands, intertwining my fingers, and grinned. “Yep, those are both plans I can’t use.”
When I rejected their suggestions, Tia and Marie looked relieved. They hadn’t spoken because they were eager to utilize those tactics.
I turned to Claus next. “Well, Claus… Let’s hear what you have to say.”
He was silent for a moment, his face expressionless. Eventually, however, he could no longer endure the look I was giving him, and he opened his mouth to speak.