Editing Tytania:Volume 3 Chapter 1 (section)

=== I ===
Duke Ariabert Tytania greeted the first day of SY&nbsp;447 in a frontier star system. It was the eternal darkness of outer space, separated from planet Bargash by a vacuum of 5.56&nbsp;billion kilometres.

Two weeks prior, Emperor Harsha&nbsp;VI of the Interstellar Vardana Empire had declared war on the Bargash government. By imperial decree, Ariabert had set out on his campaign, commanding a fleet of 19,700&nbsp;vessels large and small, and over three million soldiers. The pretext for the war was retaliation for the killing by the Bargash military of Zarlisch, one of the four dukes of Tytania alongside Ariabert.

While that pretext was not entirely false, their primary objective was to strip the Bargash government of the privileged position it had maintained within the frontier star systems. Although the Tytania Clan was, in name, subordinate to the Emperor of Vardana, in every aspect beyond mere formality, the vassal held superiority over its liege.

Ariabert’s face, which was said to be handsome yet lacking in character, had once been subject to the cold critique of being “the ideal beauty for a second-rate painter.” Even with the immense power of the Tytania, it had been impossible to silence every mouth. Ariabert’s mother had already passed away, but she was the younger sister of Duke Jouslain Tytania’s mother and was said to have been a beauty of such perfection that she evoked images of a “model for a successful plastic surgery”.

For some reason, beauty lacking individuality gave the impression of failing to convey any depth of spirit, so Ariabert’s true abilities were frequently underestimated. He reached the age of twenty-eight this year, yet with only one single exception in the past, he had always been favoured by the goddess of victory. It was only through this that he finally arrived at the level of recognition he deserved. This served as an example of the harsh reality that even among the Tytania nobility, respect was not accorded without proven ability and tangible achievements.

On this day, Count Elman Tytania, Ariabert’s diplomatic advisor, visited the enemy nation of Bargash aboard a cruiser.

It required no insight to see that Count Elman was not only a diplomatic advisor but also an observer dispatched by Clanner Ajman. Ariabert did not seek to be overly familiar with Count Elman, yet he did not shun him either. Since he had nothing to hide, his conduct remained entirely upright. It was perhaps that very lack of ambiguity that made his personality seem somewhat uninteresting. In any event, he had accepted the matter of the final negotiations that Count Elman had proposed the previous day.

“I realise this may be against your wishes, Lord Ariabert, but I would be most grateful if you would allow us to continue exploring the possibility of peace.”

“Count, it is not against my wishes. I would appreciate it if you would conduct as much negotiation as possible from your position. However, you do not have unlimited time.”

“May I ask for ten days?”

“One week.”

Once Count Elman accepted the conditions regarding the deadline, Ariabert lent him a cruiser and sent him on his way.

Vice-admiral Baldren and Rear-admiral Paulsen had already roamed the battlefields together with Ariabert as his staff officers for eight years. As Ariabert watched the point of light on the screen grow smaller, he spoke:

“Do you think the Bargash army will entrust full command of their forces to that Fan Hyulick?”

In response to the young duke’s question, Vice-admiral Baldren was the first to offer a negative view.

“I do not believe the Bargash army has lost so much confidence that they would hand command of their entire army to a band of exiled mercenaries.”

“Though they shall surely fall into such a state very soon.”

Rear-admiral Paulsen had a bellicose light shining in his eyes. At only twenty-seven years of age, his hair was cropped short, and his physique was robust. He gave the impression of being brimming with vigour. In contrast, Vice-admiral Baldren was thirty-eight. His thin cheeks and brown moustache gave him the air of a lawyer rather than a soldier.

“And if that clown Fan Hyulick decides to show his face without being invited, we shall teach him that flukes don’t happen twice.”

Rear-admiral Paulsen’s boast seemed to leave Ariabert feeling somewhat cynical.

“Losing is unavoidable, but do not lose with disgrace. Were you not told that as a child?”

“I was told that if you lose, all logic is blown out the window, so you should win first.”

Rear-admiral Paulsen puffed out his thick chest and glanced askance at him, while Vice-admiral Baldren gave a shrug of his shoulders in silence.

“Victory justifies itself. No need for loud propaganda. But for the loser to cry out that they haven’t lost is nothing short of a disgrace.”

Ariabert muttered. Although he had nearly achieved psychological reconstruction following his defeat, he could not bring himself to forget it.

The Tytania Army. Legally, it was the Strategic Mobile Force of the Vardana Empire’s military, and Ariabert Tytania served as its commander-in-chief. Naturally, his position and authority far exceeded the limits prescribed by national law.

In the extreme, the laws, institutions, and state apparatus of the Vardana Empire existed merely to ratify and justify the actions and interests of Tytania. Even the courtiers who were supposed to assist the Emperor moved mostly under the direction of Tytania. As for the Minister of Military Affairs, the position was held by none other than Lord Idris, one of the three Dukes of Tytania.

Tytania was not stingy. It never begrudged rewards to its collaborators, and many who had achieved even a modest, once-in-a-lifetime feat were treated with great generosity well into the generation of their grandchildren. There was once an unnamed medical student who saved the fourth Clanner through a blood transfusion. His life was adorned with such wealth and honour that he eventually committed suicide, unable to bear the weight of the gold leaf pressed upon his very being. Even though there were such a few tragic examples, Tytania nonetheless strove to materialise praise and gratitude in a physical dimension, and had succeeded in doing so effectively.

While Count Elman departed for planet Bargash, Ariabert reduced the relative distance to the target of invasion by 330 light-seconds, which was just under one hundred million kilometres. This military manoeuvre was something that could, in and of itself, constitute a political action. Behind Count Elman, as he negotiated with the Bargash government, the points of light upon the dark disc grew in size and intensity, poised to exert psychological pressure upon the high-ranking officials of the Bargash government.

As long as he remained awake, reports from communications officers were brought to Ariabert every fifteen minutes, informing him of the confusion and unrest within the Bargash government. They were reaching out in every direction, through alliances with other stars or peace efforts via mediation, yet they had not yet been able to reap any rewards.

Ariabert had observed this series of Bargash movements in silence. It was not an act of passivity, but rather the drawing of a bowstring to its absolute limit. As soon as the negotiation deadline expired, the Tytania forces under Ariabert’s command would launch an all-out offensive, intended to annihilate the main strength of the Bargash army within ten hours. Even though victory was already certain, there was no one left who would deign to listen to any peace proposals at this late stage.

Ariabert was a soldier of Tytania. He did not hesitate to subdue his opponents through force, even if doing so earned him the resentment of third parties. As the Clanner and supreme commander of Tytania, Ajman had once said:

“Tytania is not so brazen as to demand affection while exercising dominion. To be feared is more than enough.”

If there was any truth to the notion that the Tytania Clan lacked charm as far as their rulers go, it lay in that very perception. In Tytania’s philosophy, the idea of a “ruler beloved by the ruled” was nothing more than a joke. One could say that Tytania’s methods of governance were a quite classical application of the carrot and the stick. They provided practical benefits to collaborators and supporters while intimidating opponents with military force and authority. It was a simple equation: as long as the majority of those enjoying the benefits remained intact, the foundation of Tytania’s rule would remain unshakeable.

Those whose prosperity and stability were guaranteed by Tytania’s rule accepted the clan through the law of self-preservation, seeking to maintain the ''status quo'', albeit with varying degrees of passivity or activity. “May this happiness last forever,” they would pray.

Thus, Tytania was poised to become the representative of the majority, the voice of the public and the common good, the ally of the people, and the embodiment of justice. Tytania, the patron saint protecting the peace, stability, and order of human society as a whole. If that were the case, then anyone who sought to overthrow Tytania would be an enemy of all mankind. This somewhat perverted conservatism, aimed at maintaining the ''status quo'', was the greatest ally to Tytania’s permanence.

Ariabert had likely not been as sceptical as his cousin Jouslain, who was the same age as him. His very existence represented a positive aspect of Tytania’s rule, and no matter how acerbic a critic might be, they could not deny his bravery and integrity. He continued to wait for seven days. The very act of waiting until the deadline was what would grant legitimacy to his future actions.

And then came the eighth of January. The day the battle began. Not a single one of Bargash’s schemes had borne fruit.