Waiting is the cruelest thing. The tense air over Epsilon II kept ratcheting up; soldiers slept in their armor, battle-lights deepened day by day. With Fleet Four’s strategic deployment complete, a flaw finally showed in the secret jump point.

  In the Dragoon Empire’s command room, Viktor von Reiss stood respectfully behind Alexander Reed. The small, spare old man who took the forward command seat seemed to change the moment he stood there: the kindly mentor became a decisive general, and everyone who looked toward the command dais felt awe. Viktor had studied under Reed for years. He didn’t fear the old man, but he kept a measure of respect — borrowing powerful allies deserved deference.

  “Teacher, why let them through the jump point?” Viktor asked, even though he pretty much guessed the reason. He wanted confirmation.

  “If you can’t stop them, let them in,” Alexander said calmly, as if the question barely needed an answer.

  Viktor pressed, “I don’t understand. Wouldn’t holding the jump point be more advantageous?” If Viktor were commanding, he thought, he would never yield that position — if forced to give ground, he would withdraw everything rather than leave a tactical hole for the Federation to exploit.

  Alexander sighed. He knew his student’s weakness: lethal but seldom exposed. In a teacherly tone, he said, “No intelligence service, no matter how good, can fully predict an enemy fleet’s movements. Dozens of fleets, thousands of vessels — even in vast space, they’re dust. If the enemy possesses a secret jump point, they can strike from there whenever they want. More fleets can route through public space to the heart of the Vega Cluster. If that happens, what good are our stationed ships?”

  “Yes, sir, I understand,” Viktor said respectfully. “But the Federation still needs that Orion-Belt jump point to ferry army units. If we don’t control it, they can’t move their ground forces here. Detouring through public space is possible, but it doubles the propulsion time and strains supply lines — it can choke their offensive and even lose the whole campaign because of logistics. Isn’t that true?”

  Alexander smiled slightly. “You need to look farther ahead. Let me ask you some questions.”

  Viktor bowed. “Please, teacher.”

  Alexander told him to sit and continued slowly, “You don’t have to be so stiff. This battle is your best practicum. Ask and think. Tell me: what’s happening inside Vespertine?”

  Viktor blinked; he hadn’t expected that topic. After thinking, he answered decisively: “The Empire is roiling with internal currents. Some regions are out of control.”

  Alexander stared at the 3D stellar map and said, “Continue.”

  Viktor went on: “The General Staff has begun purges under the Emperor’s plan. The Empire’s domestic politics are unstable; decades of war have drained resources without equivalent returns. The wartime economy is at its limit. Everyone is anxious. But…,” he hesitated until Alexander signaled him on, “Vega Cluster is our biggest gain from the Tyrrhen Federation. As long as we have it, a dozen resource worlds help our economy; Western Pact（Abbreviation：The Western Pact of Scyllan Nations） aid will increase. If we lose this place… the Empire might…,” Viktor couldn’t finish.

  Alexander gave a short laugh. Viktor’s flaw, he thought, was recurring: worry and thinking too small. “I didn’t come here to help you lose the Vega Cluster,” he said, dismissing Viktor’s anxiety.

  Viktor, alarmed, bowed his head. “I misspoke. Teacher, forgive me. I meant…”

  Alexander waved it away and smiled. He rose, approached the holo-map, and tapped several points, widening the Federation’s relevant map. “When the Empire faces that opponent, your internal problems are magnified.”

  Viktor, sweating slightly, realized he understood the logic but not the depth. Alexander continued: “The Empire’s long wars have exhausted resources. Rebellions flare. You know that better than I do. More importantly, you shouldn’t commit everything to attack the Tyrrhen Federation now. That Federation governs mid-sized systems, but in this region, its strength outmatches yours when its wartime economy is fully mobilized. To break decades of stalemate quickly would require the Empire to invest multiples of what the Federation needs for a decisive victory. And now Cyril has defected to them — you should see how the balance shifts.”

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  “They lack what?” Alexander asked rhetorically. “Compared to Dragoon, they lack almost nothing: economy, armaments, tech, and political stability. That’s why the Empire’s problems balloon when facing them.”

  Viktor listened in silence. Alexander pointed to the map and asked, “Given such an opponent with abundant resources, why would they attack? Have you thought about that?”

  Viktor answered, “To reclaim territory? Domestic pressure?”

  Alexander: “Politicians see interests; generals see interests. They hold forces at jump points because they can afford to. They have a hole into the Vega Cluster and can threaten Dragoon continually, forcing the Empire to remain at readiness and magnifying domestic economic and political faults. They can rotate fleets through secret jump points, tie down Dragoon forces, exhaust them, and at the same time gain training. Their operational experience may be less, but they can throw resources to wear you down.”

  “Why not send more experienced fleets? Why Fourth Fleet and not the First or Second?” Alexander asked.

  Viktor’s eyes widened. “So you let them in to force a decisive battle in the Vega Cluster. But why leave any opening? Why not withdraw everything?”

  Alexander sighed — Viktor was talented but flawed. He explained, “Command is about measured advances and retreats. Sometimes you must be stingy; sometimes generous. If you can’t see opportunity in sacrifice, you’ll make mistakes. A flaw can be turned into a trap. Both sides can use a weakness, so our hole can become a snare. Abandoning some ships to gain a 2:1 yield later is worth it for the Empire in the broader campaign.”

  He paused and added, “Besides, I want to face Cyril. The Vega campaign touches many stakes beyond this immediate fight.”

  …

  When Jack returned to the forward command center, the wartime atmosphere had become explosive. Heads of departments gathered at the command dais awaiting final orders. Fleet Four began to peel toward the jump point while First and Second Mixed Fleets prepared to force a breakthrough. Once Cyril and General Carrick gave the word, the assault on Vega would begin.

  Cyril and Carrick watched Fleet Four’s intelligence with knitted brows and whispered. Several generals stood behind them, offering opinions.

  Fleet Four’s maneuvering had been pressed to the limit to slip past the Empire’s tracking and reach the jump point. They had bought only a day; in twenty-four hours, the Empire’s fleet could reach the jump point’s exit sector.

  Jack leaned forward among the admirals, studying the battle hologram and murmuring, “A once-in-a-lifetime chance, a once-in-a-lifetime chance…” His assignment was to start modeling the army landing, but naval operations connected in complex ways; perhaps the old generals’ plan would reveal the campaign’s logic. Despite the Federation’s forces and Fleet Four’s reports suggesting a forced breakthrough was feasible, the choice to use Fleet Four’s evasive loop was made to reduce losses at the jump point — losses no commander can fully avoid.

  Cyril smiled when he saw Jack, whispered to Carrick, and waved to the deputy coordination officers: “Delay the plan! Announce army rest; space fleet hold position. Main attack time: TBD.”

  Seeing the coordinators leave disappointed, Carrick grinned and said, “Come to my office. We’ll have a meeting.” He gestured to Jack: “Lieutenant Harlan, join us.”

  Back in Carrick’s office, Fleet coordination Admiral Vance couldn’t help asking: “General Cyril, why cancel the planned attack? The alert level has everyone on edge. Will this hurt morale?”

  Cyril smiled and looked at Jack. “Vance, you answer that.”

  Jack blinked, pointed at himself: “Me?”

  Cyril’s face hardened. “Have you forgotten your time-and-place lessons?”

  Jack forced a grin. “I’d never forget. I dream about them.”

  Cyril: “Stop the chatter. Speak.”

  Jack snapped to attention and said, chest out, “Never take victory at the enemy’s time and place — and never accept being struck in the enemy’s time and place.”

  Cyril nodded. “Explain the meaning of delaying action.”

  Jack, without hesitation: “Rhythm. War’s tempo cannot be controlled by the enemy. Even if casualties are inevitable, we must keep them off the enemy’s Rhythm. They gave us one day — trap or no trap, that time is part of their plan. We can brute-force a jump-point breach, but the losses will be at least double theirs.” Fired up, Jack snarled: “If I’m going to take a beating, I’ll tear a piece off them first!”

  Generals exchanged looks; Cyril smiled wryly. “Coarse in language, but the point stands. If we must pay the cost to force the gap, at least we don’t let them dictate our tempo. That disorder will reduce losses overall and matters hugely for later operations.”

  Jack nodded. “If I’d get beaten and then seen by my women, I’d never forgive it.”

  (CH109 end)