Following Admiral Yang Wen-li"s directive, former intelligence officer Commander Baghdash—now a defector—issues an urgent transmission declaring that the National Salvation Military Council executed a coup orchestrated by the Galactic Empire. Though no hard proof exists, this damning claim prompts ex‑Rear Admiral Andrew Lynch to disclose his part in fomenting division inside the Free Planets Alliance. A deadly clash between Lynch and Admiral Dwight Greenhill delivers the last blow to the fleeting era of martial authority, sealing the collapse of the council"s brief rule in the aftermath of their downfall.
In the Empire, recordings of Duke Otto von Braunschweig"s nuclear strike on Westerland cause the Lippstadt League to collapse. Marquis Reinhard von Lohengramm"s choice to permit the slaughter for selfish advantage strains his relationship with High Admiral Siegfried Kircheis, tainting their assured triumph. With absolute dominance looming, Reinhard wrestles with personal shortcomings and the weighty duties of command while the empire's forces regroup.
Even as hostilities in both the Alliance and the Empire wind down, neither faction can recover what has been forfeited. Yang Wen-li and Reinhard von Lohengramm find grim comfort in realizing that across the galaxy lies a formidable rival—and an authentic counterpart—whose presence reminds them that balance can only be achieved through respect, not conquest in the shadows of their legacy.
